tstewart161

In my experience:

real problem + good messaging + good mvp + right audience = strong response.

Strong response is lots of page views, lots of comments, lots of likes, lots of signups, STRONG replies and REAL excitement (if you’re questioning, it’s probably too vague).

If you DONT get a strong response, one of the above on the left hand side isn’t satisfied (including that it may not be a real problem at all).

I’m in a similar position to you, having just started a break from a side project I tried to cram into a business. The idea is a niche news aggregator for professionals like market researchers and consultants focused on a domain. The main take-away I’ve had is “if you make a good MVP, target the right audience, with the right messaging, with a real problem, you will get a very strong response. If you don’t get a strong response, one of those above aren’t true.”.

That’s changed my mindset to shotgun validation: focusing on testing many ideas that I believe are real problems, getting better at messaging (not too hard with a real problem and right audience), getting better at finding the right audience, and the easiest - make good enough MVPs.

What’s great: all of these skills are sharpened by the same thing...talking to customers! Now I keep a list of ideas as I get them, and try to test a few of them every month. If you have a real problem, you make your solution clear to the people with this problem, you’re going to get a serious response. I’m resolved to not waste my time building and getting burnt out on a problem until I’ve gotten “strong” validation now - it should be obvious when you have a real winner to work on.

Here’s my notes from my current side project I’m taking a break from. It’s a mess because I jot down a thought when it comes, but hopefully you can decipher it and get some value.

Learnings from Zip Form a great team and great partnerships for all aspects of the business Start with problem/solution fit and talking to real customers before any code (and create - not always code - MVPs FIRST!) Get advisors / investors! Talk to customers and find problem solution fit first! Get investment once I’ve found product/market fit (or even sooner like grants and incubators/accelerators) Don’t keep everything in your head https://areyouinterested.co ^ nice for MVPs (also Bubble) If I had a room full of my prospective customers, would they line up to sign up/hover around my table? Luck is HUGE - seek and develop ways to increase luck surface A good idea is one I can get real excitement from real customers to solve ALWAYS VALIDATE FIRST Network is everything Real problem + good messaging + targeting the right audience == strong response is validation Alone is not enough, harness on networks, movements, trends, partnerships, etc Find mentors by finding people doing what you want to be doing (find your future self) Work quickly Use no code platforms to get initial traction and signups Don’t give up too soon Build an audience as early as possible (content, meetups, building in public, etc) Get better at surviving plan A and pivoting Build in public! Talk about what your building constantly and share it - a serious and large problem will get interest Read others launches and starts on IndieHacker (their process) If my MVP doesn’t excite my target customer, it may not be a real problem How’d other products start? Sometime it helps to reframe things as “how quickly can I kill this idea” to focus on the most lethal and important validation first Look at the tactics other use on IndieHacker

https://www.marcuswood.io/blog/we-launched-a-product-with-15...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/j726l3/my_app...

https://www.swipe.page/p/from-an-airtable-to-10k-in-side-inc...

No, negative externalities aren’t ok when you do it, or when cities do it, or when businesses do it, or when anyone does it. You don’t get to harm other’s welfare. Take your construction project to a public park or outdoors somewhere

Lest we forget the second wave in the US due to mass nationwide protests? Masking up is great, and there are too many busybodies in convenience stores getting upset because an employee asked them to wear a mask, but the problem is obviously deeper than a couple of anti-maskers

Lots of practice, learning, and failure. This guy got a great combination of product/market fit, timing, and exposure. Finding product/market fit is a skill trainable like anything else (although an incredibly difficult skill to master), timing is just that (plenty of luck involved - but easier with product/market fit). Finally: exposure is easy with the first two - if you have solved a hot problem really well, of course everyone will pick up on that and make it viral.

Start with practicing finding product market fit and getting better at timing things. If you can do those, the rest (exposure, wealth, connections, etc) fall into place. It’s that simple, but it definitely isn’t easy at all

You need to keep looking then. Plenty of cities have great job opportunities while still having inexpensive and great houses

But clearly not if you can’t even afford a place to live. Richmond and plenty other cities have TONS of economic opportunities, but not as many as NYC or SF - they’re also much cheaper. Clearly there’s a balance here so the answer isn’t so obviously “there’s a housing crisis because I can’t afford to live in SF”

It’s not like the dichotomy is so stark. Like the parent comment said: Raleigh is cheap but still bustling with plenty to do, Richmond, Baltimore, Atlanta, and so on are bustling but not stupid expensive. It’s not just “ghosts town” vs “expensive modern city”

I’ll ding you on the financial sense of not living in Bay Area vs living there even if you’re just a new grad (or just below L8). I live in a very low cost of living area with salary nearly twice the median software engineer and I’d still be able to save 40% more on a google paycheck even adjusting for the rent 5 times my current for the same amenities.

You’re putting the cart before the horse through a pinhole here. Religion has existed long before organizations like, say the Catholic Church, derived their power through its adherents. You’re also making this mistake through a lens that disregards beliefs in the afterlife across nearly all cultures, regardless of whether someone can gain power from pushing it (many eastern religions).

In summary: just because some people and organizations promote religion for their purposes does not at all wipe away the various religions across time and cultures that DONT fit those criteria you mentioned.

I’ve heard this point made a lot, that these “bailouts” are in any way equivalent to previous bailouts based on poor management and immoral business practices.

These aren’t the same. This shutdown (however justified) is because of the govt. If the government demands you shut down your business, or that you can’t go to work, you deserve to be compensated for that. If the government hadn’t mandated it, young people would still be out working and spending. Those businesses would be fine. If the govt wants to shut everything down, they have to pay people for it.