mkremer90

Thanks! That one was my favorite too :)

Hah, that's not a bad article idea ;)

Just set up a Twitter (@SeriesF_News) I'll look into a Facebook next :) Thanks!

The group that did that at our SW got eliminated during judging.

I can't speak for all Startup Weekend events, but at the one I went too, every single project was a tech startup. On the team I was on, the vibe from the "idea person" was definitely "How can I get a developer to help me for free?"

Last Startup Weekend I went to had 7 devs out of 110 people. Definitely an issue.

EDIT: All but one of the 11 teams were tech/programming required startups guys. I'm not talking about "Startup Weekend" as a whole, I'm talking about my experience at the event I went to.

Well that escalated quickly:

https://twitter.com/matthewkremer/status/586623677673906176

Why does this completely destroy the back button?

They are officially labeling us as "attackers" on seclists now:

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2014/Dec/37

Just downloaded this and had to share. I have Bose IE2s, and am not necessarily an audiophile, but just turning on Boom makes the sound INCREDIBLE.

I can tell you that I got interviews at 6 "startups" (ranging from garage to multi-million dollars) in San Francisco without giving any of them resumes. And I live in Milwaukee, so they even had to fly me out.

Seems like SF is on top of it, Milwaukee on the other hand, only cares about how many years of experience you have. Nothing else.

You're completely correct in my opinion, but I'd like to add one crucial point:

If people are asking/begging for the tool to be open sourced, then they do indeed value it. Otherwise, why would they care if it just withered and died?

They may not have valued it as much as the product was charging for, but that's a different debate entirely. I'm assuming there was some discussion of commercial viability, lowering prices, etc. before they chose to shut down. (You pretty much said this part in your second paragraph, this is the "execution" part.)

Honestly, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this.

I have people that ask me to open-source my current side-project all the time (one that is paid), and I find it insanely disrespectful.

"Yes, let me just hand over the source code for my commercial product. How about not."

I'm not trying to sound greedy, but money speaks. If these companies want the software open sourced, they should be pitching in for the cost. If you don't think something is worth money, you don't value it at all.

EDIT: Perhaps this is a good place to drop the "challenge" I gave myself and invited other developers to join me a few months ago.

DEVELOPERS - I challenge you to spend some money TODAY:

https://mattkremer.com/developers-you-need-to-stop-being-so-...

Gotta make something out of it, lol. :)

Thanks bnb! It's much appreciated :) Shoot me an email if you want to chat with me about it: matt@mattkremer.com

I'm currently working on Kobra, a realtime collaborative code editor, mostly during my lunch breaks.

https://Kobra.io

Tech Used: AngularJS, Firebase, Firepad, EasyRTC

Statistics: Just broke 700 registered users and 5000 file collaborated on. Have made a little over $2000 from 125 people going Pro.

History: I started back in December, but gave up too soon. I've since relaunched it as a smaller product and am super happy with how it's been received. Here's some blog posts about my journey. Please let me know if you have any questions for me!

https://mattkremer.com/how-i-got-2200-pre-signups-for-my-saa...

https://mattkremer.com/how-i-made-2033-in-4-days-while-valid...

Hey coffee, thank you very much for your insights! It's appreciated :)

I actually wound up converting 4% of the 2200 to one-time paid accounts, and am experiencing a lot higher use with the new version. 20% of visits result in 2 or more people collaborating on a file.

Sadly I'm struggling to get actual monthly/yearly subscriptions, however I think this is more of a CTA problem than a problem with the product. I really need to focus on getting the landing page better, and having a better CTA within the app.

Thanks again!

I completely agree goshx! This article was actually from a few months ago, I've since relaunched Kobra and it's doing well! Almost 700 users, over 5000 files collaborated on and my initial launch sale netted me $2100:

https://mattkremer.com/how-i-made-2033-in-4-days-while-valid...

Working on Kobra, a realtime collaborative editor for programmers with built in video & voice chat :)

https://Kobra.io

Let me know what you think!

May the odds be ever in your favor...or whatever that quote is. Good luck!

Hey zura,

I posted this article on my blog a while back about how I gave up too soon on my SaaS:

https://mattkremer.com/how-i-got-2200-pre-signups-for-my-saa...

Since failure, I've successfully relaunched the product and am getting a lot more actual traction than the first time around :)

Was literally looking for EXACTLY this for the past two weeks. Will definitely buy in the next week or two :)

Hey Mike,

I've implemented Facebook, Twitter, Google and GitHub auth as well as a custom domain login at Kobra.io

It was pretty easy to set up using Firebase SimpleLogin. Overall my goal was to get as many people to try the app as possible, and then if they like it have them sign up. I didn't want to lose people that may not actually sign up but would if they tried the product, so I also allow anonymous usage of the app.

Let me know if you have any specific questions for me :)

I'm confused at how beautiful the pitch deck is, but how messed up the landing page is in Chrome on Mac...

No SSL?

Hey Richard, thanks for posting this!

That is -definitely- the point I was trying to get across. Instead of looking like a spammer, if someone posts your articles of their own volition, it is an immediate validation that the article has the possibility of making it to the front page.

I'm not saying you can't submit yourself, just taking the more "scientific" approach that if someone else submits, you success will most likely have a higher probability.

Great article, I feel like way more people need to be saying "I don't know." People appreciate honesty. I learn something new everyday. A lot of people call it "impostor syndrome" which has such a bad connotation, I prefer to call it the "Google / Stack Overflow Developer." You have a great concept of where to start, but theres a lot of stuff you don't know. And for that, there is Google & SO.

My coding beginning was actually when I started a business picking up dog poop (no joke) when I was 9 years old to buy an N64. I convinced my dad that I needed a website if I was going to be a "real" business, and he taught me my first HTML.

Seems like a great concept for a book, however, perhaps just a little bit more detail on the landing page? I definitely know that this is the route you should be taking (per Nathan Barry, if you haven't read Authority, check it out), but I'd like to see just a little more detail.

Instead of thinking about the area of study (web dev, data, etc), how about you look at the openings in Poland to see which companies are hiring, and for what languages. Then pick a few of those companies that you think are cool, and concentrate on the technologies that they are using. That way instead of shooting in the dark, your aspiring to fulfill a need in your community.

Don't believe anything you hear about a job requiring a 2-4 year CS degree. What's important here is that you know your stuff. Keep teaching yourself programming in your spare time (Python is a good choice, there's a higher dollar amount associated with Python devs compared to some other languages). I don't have a degree at all, and I'm currently working at my second development position making a lot more than I ever could have wished for, even if I had gotten a degree. Just keep on learning, and once you're comfortable, look for some places around you that are hiring, and don't be afraid to apply!