- Published on
Live long and prosper
- Authors
- Name
- Sandra Djajic
- @TakoTreba
Wow, welcome to the first Morning Maker Show newsletter.
Dan gave me the green light to write anything I want. (Very brave of him!). So, let's get started and sum up everything we learned from #buildinpublic this week. Also, live long and prosper, my legend.
Missed the show? Listen to episode 2 here 🎙️
We could start with @Stefcodes reminding all of us that we are freaking Steve Jobs holding a new iPhone in front of a Nokia building.
And he is so right. Sometimes we forget that there is a world out there not exposed to all the AI possibilities, including ChatGPT. But they don't have to know now; they don't need to understand how their work or daily life is improving and that they are using AI apps that you have built.
It could be that we don't even have to explain the technology behind our products, but focus only on the values.
@MillyTamati brought up a very interesting topic: What really happens when things don't go exactly as we want, being a founder with no stable income, working on your product, and finding ways to make it work? It's a tough question we often don't think about when starting this journey.
Definitely worth reading about; it got me thinking.
I remember my mother not speaking to me for a few weeks because of my choice to work on Klu. The only thing she said to me was, 'So, Sandra, you work on something that has no money, is not making money, and you are asking others for money. In my time, we called that bankruptcy.'
She also told me I am in a cult.
Moving on from the topic of mothers to lifetime purchases, I honestly would rather talk about mothers.
So lifetime purchases, Yes or no? I think it's very cool for the customers, but it can be risky for developers, especially if the product incurs ongoing costs. But as long as the math says to go, you go. There is definitely a lot to learn from @fabiangruss.
And now, my favorite @AlexMano12 asked, 'What is the valuable lesson you learned from fellow makers?' And you guessed it right—Marketing and consistency. I guess that quite goes together.
A reminder: if you are just about to launch your product, don't consider marketing as something separate from the product building; it's BUG you need to solve right now, especially before you launch it. And as Dan always says, 'marketing is so simple.' I would add, 'but only if you make it so.' (Also, Dan would never say marketing is easy; it's more me writing that all the time and him just having fun). Just remember, marketing is part of the product you are building.
A few simple tips: Before launching your product, take two weeks to reach out to the people you are building this product for. Tell them what you are building and engage in conversation with them. They are your new best friends. Prepare them for the launch because, after the launch, you will need these people to give you feedback and to work with you on improving the product.
Trust me, waiting lists and emails at an early stage of a product rarely work. Try asking yourself: when was the last time you responded to a super early-stage product from a random person you never heard of, asking you to try the product and give feedback?
Don't build waiting lists; build relationships.
Well, relationships and products.
Maybe that is the right combination. We can definitely say @daniel_nguyenx is onto something here. We are cheering for you, Daniel, and also counting down.
There is something truly magical in this #buildinpublic hashtag. Even though this is our first newsletter and we are trying to learn how to write one and better ones, you keep us updated by using the #buildinpublic hashtag.
And people, you are freaking amazing. Every day. Your success and lessons touch and inspire others, so keep building, keep learning, keep sharing. And Dan and I will try our best to tell everyone about it, or at least a few legends in this newsletter.
Thank you, and until next Friday. Go crazy!
