Show HN:I Made an MVP Agency to Turn Ideas into Products–But Hard To Earn Trust | Hacker News Reader

Show HN:I Made an MVP Agency to Turn Ideas into Products–But Hard To Earn Trust

mvpmatter.com

3 pointsreiku7 comments

Starting my SaaS MVP-building agency was supposed to be my way of helping non-technical founders bring their ideas to life. I’ve put in countless hours refining the workflow, setting up my website, and preparing to deliver fully functional MVPs without requiring clients to know any code. But I didn’t anticipate the challenge of getting clients on board without an established portfolio.

Without a track record, I’ve found it difficult to earn the trust needed to land that first client. I've tried everything: connecting with people on LinkedIn, joining founder groups, and even offering discounts for a chance to prove the concept. But so far, I haven’t had any success, and I’m curious if anyone here has been through a similar struggle.

How did you overcome the lack of a portfolio to get that initial momentum? I'm open to any ideas or advice that can help break this cycle and make this project a success.

I'm in the same situation with my Saas. To build a portfolio without clients, I'm considering creating a few demo MVPs for specific sectors, like e-commerce or healthcare, to showcase my skills. I’m also thinking of offering discounted rates to small local businesses in exchange for testimonials and permission to showcase their projects in our portfolio.

Hey Reiku, I can definitely relate to the challenge of building a portfolio from scratch. I faced something similar when I started out. One approach that worked for me was offering to build a few MVPs for free or at a deep discount in exchange for case studies. The idea is to choose a few promising founders, deliver something they can genuinely use, and use that work to showcase your abilities.

Hey Reiku, I can definitely relate to the challenge of building a portfolio from scratch. I faced something similar when I started out. One approach that worked for me was offering to build a few MVPs for free or at a deep discount in exchange for testimonials and case studies. The idea is to choose a few promising founders, deliver something they can genuinely use, and use that work to showcase your abilities.

I looked at the site and can say that I am someone who might be interested in your service.

This is not a criticism, but rather intended as (hopefully) constructive feedback.

As a technical dev who just doesn't have the time to spend on my own projects, I have general questions about your services. However, from the site it appears that the only way I can communicate with you is to schedule a phone call.

I understand why you might want that initial contact to be via a phone call, but for me a scheduled call is just too much friction when I just want to fire off an email or a chat to ask a couple of questions and see if we might be a good fit.

That may sound silly, but I suspect I am not alone.

Hey, I get it , it’s so tough starting out without a portfolio. Maybe try creating a mini project or sample case study to show what you can do. Offering a “pay if satisfied” guarantee could help too. Hang in there; that first win is closer than you think !

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