I really enjoyed this episode as it covered the whole spectrum of Ruben’s journey from side projects to a newly-minted self-sustaining bootstrapped company. I noted a couple interested tidbits / quotes:
– outsourcing the development of non-core features can really help and also motivate you since you’re financially committed.
– screencasts describing key features or use cases were very effective in communicating design with developers
– you can outsource conversion of Photoshop designs to HTML/CSS using services like Psd2Html.
– the free proposal template incited customers to sign-up
– to get quality feedback Ruben limited the number of beta-testers to a small number (6) and set clear expectations for them
– beta-testers don’t convert easily
– eliminating the free plan helped
– charging upfront with the option to cancel is more effective for conversions
– 3rd-party integration (e.g. Freshbooks and Basecamp) brings good converting customers
I recommend the Bidsketch demo videos to other listeners as good reference examples.
On the Micropreneur Academy topic, as a member, I am very impressed with the content. And paying for it actually motivates you to focus on learning and make steady progress.
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