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mitchellbryson

60 karma · joined December 10, 2011

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mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Startup Accelerators and Solo Founder self-selection bias
The team is just one variable in what makes a startup successful. It happens to be the most important variable IMO. But collecting data wouldn't help here, as success may be attributed to a founders network or availability of capital or just the idea being so great e.t.c. too much to account for scientifically. And not repeatable it seems.

They bias towards multiple founders because running any business on your own is hard. You can collect this anecdote from almost every solo founder. It requires such a breadth of skills that is rarely in just one person. You don't have time to specialise in multiple non related areas. You need help.

What can you do about it? Successful solo founders tend to hire very quickly so if you're doing well and you're in a position to start hiring, do it, then apply to accelerators or whatever with your hired team. Or don't and just continue working on your business like a normal person.

mitchellbryson··on Ruby on Rails in a week
Try jsonb fields (postgres only maybe?) and the jsonb accessor gem: https://github.com/madeintandem/jsonb_accessor

I use this for prototyping new apps a lot, where I'm not sure on the best design. Then I migrate to proper database columns when I'm sure of something. Feels like the best of both worlds to me.

mitchellbryson··on I Violated a Code of Conduct
Yes CoCs are great, but be careful how you use them. Committees wielding their CoCs to the detrement of others is shameful. They give CoCs a bad name. Maybe there should be a 2nd committee, with a CoC for committees using them maliciously, a CoCCuM if you will.
mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: At my wits end
I've addressed a few of the issues you're having on my freelancers blog at https://medium.com/workroll

Here's some quick pointers...

1. Automate your lead generation. shameless plug: https://workroll.com

2. Don't estimate or provide hourly quotes. Use fixed prices based on value you're providing.

3. I literally have a list of 100 places to find clients... https://medium.com/workroll/find-5-freelance-design-developm...

4. Immerse yourself in their business, ask lots of questions and find out where their problems lie. Then charge for fixing them.

5. Contracts are useless if you can't enforce them. Learn to spot bad clients and avoid them, charge a deposit, and break work up into milestones. More here: https://medium.com/workroll/8-red-flags-to-avoid-bad-freelan...

6. Writing software is getting easier, sorry you're just wrong on this one!

P.S. hiring a sales person won't work. You are the best sales person you can find.

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Those making $500+/month on side projects in 2017 – Show and tell
I monitor hundreds of job boards, social searches e.t.c.

More info here: https://medium.com/workroll/find-5-freelance-design-developm...

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Those making $500+/month on side projects in 2017 – Show and tell
https://workroll.com - started in June, turns over $2k a month. Built whilst automating my own freelance sales work flow and figured others could make use of it too. It saves me about a week a month from doing my own lead generation. Been trying to get funding but had no luck. Too early.

Also started a blog to help freelancers grow: https://medium.com/workroll

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?
I used to search for freelance gigs amongst the remote/full-time job boards. I wrote about it here with some of the list: https://medium.com/webuildevery-com/find-5-freelance-design-...
mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (July 2017)
SEEKING WORK | Remote (can travel in Europe) | Sheffield, UK

6 years working as a remote Designer and Front-end developer, mostly for start-ups based in the USA. I work EST time. Most experienced with creating / re-designing UI and UX and integrating it into a back-end (Rails) or building a front-end (Angular, React) that hooks into an API. My last role was CTO of a video marketplace.

Portfolio: http://www.mbryson.com Email: mitchbryson@gmail.com

mitchellbryson··on Every Body Goes Haywire
I also asscociate them with the more or less light as they seemed to occur at the start of spring or end of autumn.
mitchellbryson··on Every Body Goes Haywire
The first time I got scared about my migraines and decided to do something was after my first silent migraine. Before this I had just had them about twice a year lasting roughly 3 days.

My silent migraine started with pins and needles in my tongue, speading slowly to the rest of my jaw and then finger tips. Then I lost sight in the parts of my vision where I was focused, it became grey and bright around the edges. I still had peripheral vision. The last symtpom was what I could only describe as temporary dyslexia. I was reading sentences aloud and skipping whole words or moving them from the start to the end. It sounded like gibberish but in my head it somewhow made sense. I started to panic until some frantic googling brought up these types of migraines. Which is when I instantly recognised all my symptoms as familiar but without the headache and light sensitivity seemed very alien and very scary.

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Any unfinished side projects to give away?
Email should be there now.
mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Any unfinished side projects to give away?
Just to keep it open, and keep basic usage free.
mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Any unfinished side projects to give away?
It forecasts your spending easier than mint, and it was developed back when mint was only open to US and Canada, not sure if it still is.
mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Any unfinished side projects to give away?
I don't want to close it, just pass it on. I use it myself but neglect the maintenance of it.
mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Any unfinished side projects to give away?
I'd be tempted to giveaway http://spendful.com to the right person.
mitchellbryson··on Show HN: Aerial video/photo on demand
Good suggestion, I've added some near the bottom. Thanks.
mitchellbryson··on Show HN: Aerial video/photo on demand
More details:

A service for hiring a drone pilot and getting custom aerial video/photo on demand. Book within seconds/minutes and get the flight carried out the same day. http://www.airstocinstant.com

It’s designed for any promotional video producers, enabling you to get footage from many different places in a short time. It can serve a need for real estate agents working within a large area, or advertising agencies needing multiple shots around the world.

Initial roll-out will be based on demand. Our existing business http://www.airstoc.com has over 8,000 pilots world-wide, so coverage is pretty good.

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (August 2015)
SEEKING WORK

Location: Sheffield, UK Remote: Yes (I have a separate, dedicated office in Sheffield) Willing to relocate: Possibly Technologies: Designer & Developer: HTML5, CSS (Sass/Less), Javascript (jQuery, Angular, Backbone, Cordova), Integration into Ruby on Rails and similar frameworks, worked with API's. Portfolio: http://mitchbryson.com Email: email@mitchbryson.com

Here's what I do best: - Planning: wireframes, on paper or in Balsamiq - Concepts: Photoshop mock-ups of pages and flows - Build: HTML, CSS and JS. I prefer HAML, SASS and CoffeeScript - Integration: I can integrate into any app or framework. I've been a designer/developer since 2002. For the last 5 years, I've been focused on helping start-ups design and build their products. Thanks!

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (August 2015)
Location: Sheffield, UK Remote: Yes (I have a separate, dedicated office in Sheffield) Willing to relocate: Possibly Technologies: Designer & Developer: HTML5, CSS (Sass/Less), Javascript (jQuery, Angular, Backbone, Cordova), Integration into Ruby on Rails and similar frameworks, worked with API's. Portfolio: http://mitchbryson.com Email: email@mitchbryson.com

Here's what I do best: - Planning: wireframes, on paper or in Balsamiq - Concepts: Photoshop mock-ups of pages and flows - Build: HTML, CSS and JS. I prefer HAML, SASS and CoffeeScript - Integration: I can integrate into any app or framework. I've been a designer/developer since 2002. For the last 5 years, I've been focused on helping start-ups design and build their products. Thanks!

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (July 2014)
SEEKING WORK - Remote

I'm a UI designer and a front-end developer. Here's some examples of my work… http://blendmo.de

Here's what I do best: - Planning: wireframes, on paper or in Balsamiq - Concepts: Photoshop mock-ups of pages and flows - Build: HTML, CSS and JS. I prefer HAML, SASS and CoffeeScript - Integration: I can integrate into any app or framework.

I've been a designer/developer since 2002. For the last 3 years, I've been focused on helping start-ups design and build their products.

Get in touch via my portfolio or m@blendmo.de Thanks!

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (February 2014)
SEEKING WORK - Remote

I'm a UI designer and a front-end developer. Here's some examples of my work… http://mitchbryson.com

Here's what I do best: - Planning: wireframes, on paper or in Balsamiq - Concepts: Photoshop mock-ups of pages and flows - Build: HTML, CSS and JS. I prefer HAML, SASS and CoffeeScript - Integration: I can integrate into any app or framework.

I've been a designer/developer since 2002. For the last 3 years, I've been focused on helping start-ups design and build their products.

Get in touch via my portfolio or mitchell@blendmode.co.uk. Thanks!

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (December 2013)
SEEKING WORK - Remote

I’ve been a UI designer & front-end developer for 12 years, freelancing full-time for the last 3. I’m big on simplicity & clarity. Some of my recent work: http://mitchbryson.com

If you like my style, email mitchell@blendmode.co.uk

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (November 2013)
SEEKING WORK - Remote or UK

I'm a product designer (UX + UI) and a front-end developer. Here's some examples of my work… http://blendmode.co.uk

Here's what I do best:

- Planning: wireframes, on paper or in Balsamiq

- Concepts: Photoshop mock-ups of pages and flows

- Build: HTML, CSS and JS. I prefer HAML, SASS and CoffeeScript

- Integration: I can integrate into any app or framework.

I've been a designer/developer since 2002. For the last 3 years, I've been focused on helping start-ups design and build their products.

Get in touch via my portfolio or mitchell@blendmode.co.uk. Thanks!

mitchellbryson··on Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (October 2013)
SEEKING WORK - Remote or UK

I'm a product designer (UX + UI) and a front-end developer. Here's some examples of my work… http://blendmode.co.uk

Here's what I do best:

- Planning: wireframes, on paper or in Balsamiq

- Concepts: Photoshop mock-ups of pages and flows

- Build: HTML, CSS and JS. I prefer HAML, SASS and CoffeeScript

- Integration: I can integrate into any app or framework.

I've been a designer/developer since 2002. For the last 3 years, I've been focused on helping start-ups design and build their products.

Get in touch via my portfolio or mitchell@blendmode.co.uk. Thanks!

mitchellbryson··on Geeking Out on the Logo
I think you should publish this brilliant $75 logo for us to critique :)
mitchellbryson··on Geeking Out on the Logo
Yes very much so. I first thought it would look better on a cosmetic product, without the exclamation point.

The Clinique branch has similar "scallops" and no straight edges... http://bit.ly/161aoLo

mitchellbryson··on Launchable.io - A quick and easy way to test ideas
I have some excellent feedback on the site, thanks everyone who signed up and left it.

One idea is to charge $99 for unlimited ideas/landing pages per month, which I really like. Then maybe $15 for one page.

Also, thanks to "ifthesourceofthispageisanexampleoftheshityouwillpush_nothanks@lame.com" who simply says, "Lame". :)

mitchellbryson··on Launchable.io - A quick and easy way to test ideas
Really? okay, thanks. I figured 1 or 2 hours of time as a cost would be fair, but it doesn't seem to go down well. I had also planned on them not using it for more than 1 month. So I guess I'll half it until people stop considering it a joke :)
mitchellbryson··on Launchable.io - A quick and easy way to test ideas
It's the same, but only takes 5 minutes to setup. It provides more space than launchrock for content and explanations of your product/service. And it only costs what most people charge per hour/2 hours. I figured they would only need it for 1 month, hence the larger price - but I'm beginning to see that gets people's backs up.

Based on your feedback I think I need to expand and include these differences as part of the landing page. This would also be a useful exercise for people using it - to compare themselves to the competition.

Thanks.

mitchellbryson··on Launchable.io - A quick and easy way to test ideas
The page is the product, kind of. I think I have a lot more work to do on making it clear. Thanks and sorry for the confusion!
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