Startups Wednesday Social Club - Share What Events You Are Attending This Coming Week

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• Wednesday Social Club - Share What Events You Are Attending This Coming Week
• Networking Essentials
• A clickable prototype can be the hidden gem of your startup ��
• Seeking App Developers - Advice?
• Trying to gauge interest in my app idea
• A real statement about marketing startups. Tell yours
• How Do I Properly Start a Business?
• how to start a technological business?
• Have you heard of any successful business that expanded to a whole new territory (Developing countries) because people from these country managed to prove that the business can work there ?
• Would YCombinator care about a 19 yr old solo-technical-founder?
• Opinions on Vesting Period and Maternity Leave
• How to Research my Hypothesis/Idea (Prior To Validation)

Wednesday Social Club - Share What Events You Are Attending This Coming Week Posted: 03 Jul 2019 06:06 AM PDT Welcome to this week's Social Club thread. Share what events and meetups you are going to so we can discover new ways to be social together offline and help grow your local community. Focus on sharing events that are happening within the next 7 days of this date of this submission. Anything that falls outside of 10 days will be removed, no exceptions. No duplicate posts. If you happen to be attending an event that is already posted, leave a comment to inform the community that you will also be there. If you are hoping to organize something on your own, outside of an existing event, feel free to use this thread to rally some people together to meet up. Please use the following format to share an event: Event Name and URL: Location: Event Date: Event Time: Event Description: Event Cost: Discount Code: [if applicable] Please use the following format to organize people to meet up together: Location: Purpose of getting together: Suggested Places to meet up: You can also find more support using instant chat on the /r/startups discord. submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

Networking Essentials Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:16 PM PDT Hey everyone! We have built an AI driven networking platform because we were tired of not having a streamlined way of easily storing and recalling information that's important to building better relationships. Below is a a quick cheat sheet on some networking tips that worked for us. Hope you enjoy and let us know what works for you! Arrive Early You might be the NYC-type that usually arrives at 10:30pm if the invitation is for 8pm, but do try and resist that. Arriving early has two major benefits: Firstly, it's quieter and you may well find yourself having the most productive conversations right at the start. Secondly, it's simply easier. Ironically, if you're not 100% comfortable with striding into a room and easily making conversation, then you're probably tempted to arrive a little late. Don't. There will already be groups of people neatly arranged and you will find it harder to get in and speak to them. Offer Help and Always Follow Through Being known as someone who is selfless and provides help will always put you at the top of the list when it comes to new business if it's between you and someone else. And apart from that, we believe in paying it forward. If you go ahead and do offer to help, be sure to follow through in a timely manner. Connect People People love to be introduced. Help them where you can, whether it's for a great accountant or a painter for their apartment. And if you can connect people at the party or meeting, that will go a long way to establishing you as someone good to know. That's networking 101. Use Simple Icebreakers Don't try and immediately talk about yourself. Always open with a question about the person or to the group and always wait to be asked about yourself, or you will seem too eager. Icebreaker questions should be kept simple and easy to answer, like: Hi, I'm John, what's your name? What got you involved with this group? I haven't been before, have you? (Or vice versa) Get Your Elevator Pitch Ready This is a simple one that so many people get horribly wrong. When the inevitable "what do you do?" question arrives, make sure you can answer it in two or three sentences maximum. Keep it short, obvious and easy to understand. Do not elaborate and you should never, ever start with "Oh, good question, well it's more what don't I do!" Smile and Make Eye Contact Look people in the eye – it's basic but many people fail to do it, instead of looking around or eyeing up the bar. Keep eye contact and smile at the people you're having a conversation with. Take Business Cards and Study Them We have another blog post on business card edit where we explain in detail, but to put it simply, don't throw business cards in your pocket or your bag. Take them carefully, as if they really do represent the person you are talking to, and look at them. Refer to the person by name and keep their card out while you speak to them initially. They will love the attention and respect that you convey by doing so. Always Follow Up Make sure you remember what you need to do, what you spoke to them about, and the next steps. Then do those next steps before you promised to. Always under promise and over deliver in this respect. Have a Fun, Self-Deprecating Story Ready There will be quiet, awkward times and there will be opportunities for you to tell a story. Find the right time and slip in a story where you did something funny, that makes you seem smart but human – and could possibly lead to great business. Keep to these basic rules and you'll have a great head start for making networking productive and most importantly, enjoyable. Taken from our blog submitted by /u/GrapevineAI [link] [comments]

A clickable prototype can be the hidden gem of your startup �� Posted: 03 Jul 2019 10:54 AM PDT Would you consider prototypes to be one of the important aspects of your startup? Let's hear your experiences of using clickable prototypes and if it has helped your business before MVP. ​ Many founders out there are taking shortcuts every day, whether it's hiring cheap labour or avoiding key stages like user research. One common shortcut is paying for cheap design mockups by outsourcing them from hell that is Fiverr or Upwork. As a freelancer, I'm not saying you can't get good results from there, but the competition is so fierce that eventually you'll end up with someone unreliable where they'll deliver something so mediocre or worse, have nothing to show after several deadlines. Do yourself a favour and hire a professional, this applies not only to design but anything you want to outsource. How you illustrate your idea to your customers, co-founders and investors will be one of the deciding factors that could make or break your startup. Therefore, it isn't wise for you to cheap out on something of this magnitude, the very same thing that could lead you down the path to launching a product that will solve a problem people are willing to pay for. For the purposes of prototype discussion, let's assume you have a clear product vision and are in the process of finishing up the wireframes and mockups for your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Types of different prototypes There are several ways designers create prototypes but it comes down to how your startup will use and benefit from them. Since design tools are constantly evolving, it can be hard to keep track of the different prototypes that can be made. Note that all prototypes are interactive, clickable and can be based on your high-fidelity mockups. (High-fidelity mockups are essentially your app designs that are ready for MVP). I've grouped up the different kinds of prototypes below: Standard — These are static, clickable prototypes that can be made by your designer using design tools such as Sketch, Figma or Adobe XD. For better collaboration, startups use platforms such as InVision or Marvel to comment suggestions on specific screens. The prototypes at this level are very basic to show working progress and simply tell a story of how the app will flow. Advanced — These prototypes are non-coded highly functional and interactive giving you the best representation of how your product will look at MVP. Prototypes at this level are made using prototyping tools that can add transitions, animation, logic, and interactivity such as typing, swiping, dragging, etc. Uhm… Why shall I go to such a hassle just to create a prototype when I can skip straight to MVP or even hire a developer to code a visual prototype? You aren't wrong but in both scenarios, you need a lot of funding and be very confident that your designs are flawless since changing a built app is no simple task. The benefits of advanced functional prototypes will be defined into sections below so if you want to test your idea, validate your designs, impress your investors and help your developers then this is the way to go. Prototype for the communication Prototypes are a well-known pathway that business founders take before finding a technical co-founder. Business founders should communicate their ideas in ways that can be easily understood and what better way to do that other than going through an interactive clickable prototype that helps visualise your product piece by piece. Why? Because communication is key. A clickable prototype will break all barriers and is the fastest way for someone to realise your dream, especially if that someone is a technical co-founder. Technical people are more motivated by building something innovative compared to creating something from scratch on their own. If you can get your product into someone's hands, they will be excited. Prototype to validate your designs Once people are satisfied with their mockups, many startups jump straight into building their MVP prototype. However, before taking this step that could cost you tens of thousands of dollars, ask yourself whether you're satisfied with the design. What proof do you have that this design is user-friendly and is easily understood by your users? We alone can't determine whether a design works or not, it's your users that will help you realise if the problem is truly being solved. It's crucial that your team spends some time early on with usability testing the clickable prototype to make sure the idea works and the design does its job. Not only does usability testing give you key insights on user behaviour on what's working and what isn't but you can also use metrics like eye tracking, analytics and other tools to prioritise key product features to release. Going back to the title, functional prototypes are a hidden gem for your startup, they allow you to see your product or idea in action before it gets developed as an MVP. It's common for founders to go back to the drawing board after realising something can't work based on the prototype alone. The same applies to your users, they know the problem and product better than you do, reiterate your product until you're satisfied with the end result. Prototype for your developers When it comes to building your MVP, it will help your developers greatly if they have a clickable prototype to reference and fall back on in-case things seem unclear. You're going to spend huge amounts of money on this so you're ought to make it an easy and smooth transition. In such circumstances, the prototype will reduce the amount of time you'll spend answering questions daily and should make it easier for you to explain certain decisions. Note that it can also help if you've considered extras like transitions, animations and conditional states in your high-fidelity prototype, this is another common aspect developers ask about. Prototype for the future Finally, let's assume you've launched your app and are looking to add more features to the roadmap. If your goal is to get people talking then what better way than to tease future product releases to your audience. You'll no doubt be able to validate and design the new feature but instead of going straight into development, prototype and share it with people you care about. You'll be surprised with the amount of feedback and insight you could gain from this, and people talking about your product without spending money on marketing is always a bonus. Summary Prototypes can: ✅ Test your app idea and its usability with your users whilst keeping the conversation going. ✅ Be used as a tool to present your app idea face-to-face with investors or potential clients. ✅ Break all barriers and help communicate your app idea to technical co-founders. ✅ Show what the MVP build will look & feel like at a low cost whilst you validate your designs. ✅ Help developers understand your designs by giving them a prototype to use as reference. ✅ Illustrate future product releases without the headaches of using old assets. submitted by /u/KernelPad [link] [comments]

Seeking App Developers - Advice? Posted: 03 Jul 2019 06:12 PM PDT I am a young Irish entrepreneur. I've successfully ran one business for 6 years and brought it to an international level. I have a new idea now in the app space where I really have no experience. I am really passionate about this idea but have no idea where to find skilled app developers to start. Any advice? submitted by /u/Cianfog [link] [comments]

Trying to gauge interest in my app idea Posted: 03 Jul 2019 05:42 PM PDT The idea: I want to create a marketplace where service providers can be randomly paired with consumers in the same way Uber pairs random drivers with customers. Again, I'm aware of a few apps that specialize in industries that do EXACTLY what I just described. But, I noticed areas that I think they are all weak in and I think I can improve on the concept. If you want to give it a go, I implore you to do so. I'm not afraid of you stealing my idea because...it's not mine. A. Would you have any interest in using an app like this for laundry, car problems, haircuts, etc. as a consumer? Why/why not? B. On the chance you are a provider of any of the above or other services, would you be interested in using the using the app? Why:why not? Thank you in advance for taking the time! Disclaimer: Before you start scratching your head and wondering why I would share my idea with a bunch of people I've never met, I'll explain. My idea is not necessarily original, I think it's just an improvement over what the market currently offers. In the same way that MySpace preceded FaceBook yet the latter was still able to grow to be a billion-dollar company, I'm hoping that I can capitalize on a market and be mildly successful at the very least. submitted by /u/AmericanStupidity [link] [comments]

A real statement about marketing startups. Tell yours Posted: 03 Jul 2019 08:20 AM PDT Marketing is a huge problem. If you look around, you will see lots of marketers talking about marketing. In. Short. Sentences. With. Deep. Meaning. But then you'll notice that they mostly talk about marketing marketing apps for marketers. Unless you are building apps that help marketers market, much of this advice will be useless. And the short sentences are annoying. I read this somewhere in Hackernews and this resonated a lot with me. ​ What other cliche advice marketers give regarding startups that are not as easy as it sounds? submitted by /u/IamATechieNerd [link] [comments]

How Do I Properly Start a Business? Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:24 PM PDT When it come to starting a business from a legal and financial context (in the US) what is the correct way to establish your business and manage your liability? So I want to operate in the SaaS space. I have a service I'm working on and it would be a monthly billed service once launched. But what do I need to go from average working joe to legal business owner before taking in my first dollar? Do I first establish as an LLC or SCORP? Do I need any kind of insurance or are there legal requirements to being an LLC? Like can I just operate from my apartment and file as an LLC in Delaware, pay the fee, and call it a day? When handling money do I need to create a whole new bank business account or can I just open a new personal checking account? When it comes to tax time what would I do? Basically I'm just lost on all the details in doing it legally and correctly. Any resource or personal experience anyone can share would be super helpful! Thank you submitted by /u/PastyPotatoes45 [link] [comments]

how to start a technological business? Posted: 03 Jul 2019 07:56 PM PDT I have a great idea for an website/app, that I would like to put into action. Nevertheless, I have no clue on how to design, code, or program. In this situation, would it be best to find someone and pay them to do it for me, or would it be more worth it to learn how to make the website/app myself? Also, if anyone has had experience with making a successful (or unsuccessful) app or website, could you please share about your experience? submitted by /u/dompar [link] [comments]

Have you heard of any successful business that expanded to a whole new territory (Developing countries) because people from these country managed to prove that the business can work there ? Posted: 03 Jul 2019 06:01 PM PDT Hi, I'm planning to invest in an idea that i believe it can work perfectly in my country and the neighbors countries too, it's still not a very popular concept all across the world, but there is already few "dominants" that operates almost exclusively in Developed Countries (N.A, Europe, etc..). I've made some research and one of these businesses is making around $80 million per year (in 2018).   My idea here is to "create" what they did, but in places where they probably didn't thought it can work at all, or maybe they don't wanna bother with the logistic mess in these countries, but my goal is to eventually contact them and get funded/acquired by them.   And am asking if there is any known examples for such thing, i would prefer small to medium businesses, not some company being bought by Nike or Coca Cola or something.   PS: I know that there is no point in discussing "stolen Vs original" ideas, but i didn't just look at a business model and decide to copy it in my country, it was the complete opposite, i had an idea, i did my research, and found out that someone else is having a successful business doing it.   Thanks, and if you have any other advice/comment please let me know. submitted by /u/alaslipknot [link] [comments]

Would YCombinator care about a 19 yr old solo-technical-founder? Posted: 03 Jul 2019 01:52 PM PDT Hey, you guys might remember me from the 19 yrs old, not sure what to do next post (I'm still doing some thinking on the issue(s) described in that post). ​ But in the past few weeks, I've found out about/done some research on YCombinator and what they're looking for in their upcoming batches. And as the title suggests, what are the odds of a 19-year-old, technical solo-founder getting into YCombinator? ​ I'm currently working on my first startup, but I want it to move faster and university (just finished my first year) doesn't help with that. I'm from Toronto, Canada but currently interning in Seattle at Microsoft as a software engineering intern. To give you a better idea of my love for technical stuff, I've also gotten offers from Google & Facebook, I also worked at Shopify when I was in high school. ​ So I think when it comes to most early stage technical startup stuff (initial scaling, rapid prototyping, etc ) I can handle it. But I don't know much about the pedantics and formalities of businesses & I primarily focus on building product. So I guess YC would not only be good for accelerating the startup, but also potentially finding a co-founder. ​ However, I'm not sure if I should even apply to YC, do they even care about people like me or is my head just in the clouds? submitted by /u/jb_hand_made [link] [comments]

Opinions on Vesting Period and Maternity Leave Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:49 AM PDT Hey! One of my founders is taking maternity leave the week we start an accelerator. No big deal with us, but as we are pretty early stage, we just started working on vesting. What do you guys think? Does this period get included in vesting or not? She won't be working with us for one of the hardest working times our business is making, but also I can't get mad at her for having twins! I'm super excited for her life updates. ​ Thanks! submitted by /u/turnipfood [link] [comments]

How to Research my Hypothesis/Idea (Prior To Validation) Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:22 PM PDT Can't seem to find any info containing actionable steps for how to carry this out. How can I research a hypothesis/idea I have to see if it's actionable or worth pursuing? This would be way before the validation stage. As of now my idea is more vague and this research is how to flesh it out and get more clarity. Maybe there's no need for this product after all. Looking for how to research, prove, disprove, talk to potential users, learn more about the market, research potential competitors, learn more about what they're using, their wants, needs, etc. Are there Coaches where I could buy their expertise in this to help me get started? Based on the findings, I'd need to start talking to Technical people as I'm non-tech and the idea is a technical software product to see if it could be done. Thanks for your time submitted by /u/DasConspiracy [link] [comments]

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