Trying a new hiring strategy here. I'm trying to appeal to talented developers who also have ambitions to start their own product business. What do you think?
Thanks for the comments! Bonus stories for you wonderful HN'ers:
My dad started out as an auto mechanic and painter. He decided to setup his own shop with his first cousin and it was a disaster. They butted heads constantly. My dad sold his shares to his partner and moved on to other things. They tried it, it didn't work out, and so they moved on. Throughout my childhood our family was very close with my dad's first cousin and his family. They relationship is still strong today.
My mother and her brother had a dispute about money over fifteen years ago. They still do not speak today.
Family and friends can be tricky when it involves money, there is no question.
See this: "My mother and her brother had a dispute about money over fifteen years ago. They still do not speak today." - This is exactly what is the norm when mixing business and family and it's absolutely heart breaking. I can't imagine how you must feel. :(
TL;DR - Putting up a marketing site and asking for money up front sets customers expectations for what is to be delivered. But startups change significantly in the early stages, so it's very difficult to meet customer expectations.
I'd like to hear more about what people said in the customer interviews. Here's my experience as a consumer...
After flipping through the library, I signed up immediately. The cost/value was very high.
After putting in my credit card details, I was put in a queue, which was a little frustrating as I was expecting instant access, but I got over it quickly and didn't mind waiting. I think this was fine.
The big problem came when the library disappeared from the site and the business went in a very different direction. I had pledged $30/month for something specific (the videos from high-profile entrepreneurs), so it was disappointing to see that it wasn't going to happen. It even entered my mind that it was only ever a carrot to get my credit card details and that there was never an intent to make the videos. So, some confidence lost there. Also, still having my credit card on the hook for something else that I hadn't yet learned about was a bit disconcerting.
Adii is a friend and I was still curious about what it would be, so I stuck with it. It's highly likely if I didn't know the founder, I would have cancelled immediately.
I struggle to consistently participate in communities, so I will be cancelling my membership. The video library was more my thing, consumption without engagement. And that's what I pledged my $30/month for.
1) The intention was always to produce the videos / content. And it still is too (we have just deprioritized this and tweaked the roadmap from our initial plan).
2) The customer interviews we had (along with the survey we did thereafter) gave us insight into what our founding customers really paid for and for the majority that wasn't the content.
