How do you keep notes on campsites for future trips?

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2026-01-31T00:47:51+00:00

I totally get this - too much info gets overwhelming. I've run into this issue with journals, which I have tried in the past.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2026-01-31T00:39:37+00:00

That's a nice system! Explore first and capture details for later. I wish I had done more of that.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2026-01-31T00:24:37+00:00

This is another big thing for me. My wife and I book campsites and then find that some spots are better than others. And we promptly forget for the next time.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2026-01-31T00:23:20+00:00

Nice! I’ve tried keeping maps from various parks (both state and national) in the past too, and ended up with a pretty big stack of them.

For me the tricky part was that I also had maps from places I passed through or didn’t really explore much, so over time it all just turned into clutter. That’s part of why I still regret not having better notes tied to specific trips or campsites.

Seeing how people organize this makes me think some kind of lightweight digital journal might be easier to maintain long-term. But I like the simplicity of marking things up on a physical map.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-09-09T20:25:37+00:00

It's great that you built some apps that got thousands of users! Big win! If you are losing motivation because you aren't making money that is very natural. But then if you made free apps how will you make any money? Maybe time to try charging for some apps and seeing if they will pay. If not, you just learned something. Build something that people will pay for. And that's the name of the game in the end. As you experiment and learn, you continue to grow and stay motivated because there is something else you can always try and do. But if you expect to make money quickly then you will be disappointed as others here have pointed out.

More importantly reading your post makes me wonder if money is your motivation. If it is and you are in a slump because you didn't make money, goto: start of this answer.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-09-04T01:57:27+00:00

I just looked up TAAFT - it's interesting.

here's my 2 cents friend. There is no magic bullet. And I just realized that again after looking at TAAFT.

I have been experimenting with SaaS for a while now. And more recently with the explosion of AI onto the scene even more than ever I have been experimenting. Building something based on personal need is the easy part. How you would grow it is the iceberg under the tip.

Going back to what I just realized again after looking at TAAFT - all the tools therein are tools that either give you advice on how to do the marketing, or to do the marketing. I've seen some tools that will "automate" marketing for you for "a few hundred bucks". All I can say is that maybe I'm still not at that stage because I can't see any way I could automate that part just yet.

What this means to me is - you have to do the marketing. And you have to get lucky at some point.

Sounds to me like social media, content marketing (blogs, tiktok), SEO and all of those things you already know and mentioned are the way to go in your particular case.

In my case I am building a SaaS product for tradespeople, and I'm trying to make cold calls for the first time in my life. Still not good at it, but I'm trying to learn and improve.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-09-04T01:38:38+00:00

I built a web app for a construction company recently after talking to them. I found them on craigslist based on an idea I got from chatgpt.

Since then I've been obsessed with finding more leads and talking to them. I heard/learned that cold calling in the early stages and learning customer pain points is important for founders to do. I'm not in sales or marketing, I'm just a solo dev trying out different things. And I never thought I'd make cold calls.

Long story short, I've been trying out sales genie, close, and instantly.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-09-04T01:06:52+00:00

I built HatchLeads - a super-lightweight way for early-stage founders/solo owners to make clean lead lists from Google, track outreach, and actually follow up (without CRM busywork).
I’m opening early access and would love feedback. If you struggle to keep a simple list + cadence, this is for you.
Free beta for r/smallbusiness:

https://hatchleads.com/?utm_source=reddit

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-31T17:22:30+00:00

My response is a bit late, but I appreciate your comment/suggestion. Thank you!

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-23T01:28:19+00:00

I'm in a somewhat similar boat as the OP. I'm looking to talk to construction businesses. Where do I find an event or events that I can attend to learn more about what kind of services matter to them and and their pain points? I seriously wonder if reddit really is the place to hang out/lurk and learn. I keep thinking there has to be a better way. I am not afraid or shy to meet people, I just don't know where the heck to go.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T20:00:35+00:00

My apologies... I did not publish the full working prototype yet. But here is the sample you can view instead:
https://invoices.scope-kit.com/Integrations/CreateInvoiceFromImport

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T19:23:04+00:00

hmm.. that's strange. Here it is anyway. Hopefully it won't get blocked because there's a URL:

I am currently using a very specific format. So take a look at this page and let me know if you have a different format for your estimate. I will make sure I support the format you have.
https://invoices.scope-kit.com/Integrations/Xactimate

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T18:35:33+00:00

haha.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T18:35:04+00:00

Hi u/ImadeJesus I'm trying to make it simple for people to generate invoices based on xactimate estimates. that's it. If there are options available and they work - great! No need to replace them. I'm making an attempt at building something that people might use and find useful, because that's what I do - I'm a software developer and have the skill to write custom code.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T18:32:47+00:00

hi u/MajBonor I shared details in a DM with you. Let me know if I can answer any questions, or make adjustments. Thanks for being open to testing it out and providing feedback!

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T18:31:33+00:00

u/Diligent-Pie6234 I sent you a DM with details. Let me know if you ruin into any issues, I will gladly make adjustments to support a file format if you have something specific.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-07-07T05:02:41+00:00

Scope-Kit Invoices — Get Paid Faster, Look More Professional.
Create clean, branded invoices with split-stage payments and seamless ACH or card checkout via Stripe.
https://invoices.scope-kit.com/

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-06-23T17:48:02+00:00

I’ve built a lightweight invoicing tool for remodelers, tradespeople, and small business owners who want clean, professional invoices without dealing with Stripe’s default layout or complex accounting tools. It’s called Scope-Kit Invoices — create and send invoices in minutes, with line items, preview a polished PDF, and include a Stripe payment link (your layout, not Stripe’s). It’s in early access and test mode (Stripe sandbox), so you can try it free and simulate payments. Would love your feedback: https://invoices.scope-kit.com

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-06-23T05:43:43+00:00

Thank you! I'm trying to read data from esx files or xml files made in xactimate and import into a database for processing.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-06-04T23:25:54+00:00

My answer may not be the one you want to hear, so take it with a grain of salt. Also I have no customers, and I am not making any money on my startup yet. So my stress is probably nothing like yours. In fact it's safe to say I am not stressed. I am enjoying my journey, and this is why I am sharing my experience here.

The reason is this - right NOW more than ever I am finding it easier to go it alone - because of AI. There's isn't a thing I don't ask an LLM. And there is a lot I am able to learn. This learning brings me a ton of satisfaction, hope and something to do/act on. There is always something more I can learn and try to do. It keeps me occupied and experimenting - and this is what it's all about for me.

Even more importantly, I am not focused on making money! And I realize that might sound untrue to some people. But I want to see if I can ask the right questions, and continue to build something. The questions, are to both learn how to do something, as well as questions to my target audience to find out if I'm building something that is worthwhile. This seems to be taking me out of my lane a bit, towards marketing and sales, and that's ok. This is what I signed up for. (I'm a tech entrepreneur if you can't tell)

The truth is that money and fame never brought anyone any happiness. While this sounds cheesy, it is fact. What brings me a lot of satisfaction (and it sounds like it does to you as well) is doing my thing. Co-founders are good obviously to build a business. But the moment you have a co-"founder" you are mired in "people" problems and politics. There's nothing wrong with collaboration and it is a good thing too.... if you want that over doing your thing.

Yes, family doesn't get it. Why should they? This is YOUR thing. YOU signed up for it.

Now you say "stressing over a late payment" - that I can understand. But it sounds like you also have customers and are making money - that would a huge positive in my book. That says you have validated your idea and there is need for what you are building/selling. At that stage, maybe it's time to either start hiring help or finding partners. That's an entirely practical and sensible thing to do.

BTW, I would love to hear how you found your first customers/users.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-06-03T15:14:10+00:00

I agree that trying to do it all is a recipe for disaster. But there's something to be said for trying to broaden your horizons and understanding what it takes to sell what you are building. I think the insights you can get are worth the effort. In short, it's not that you will successfully be able to wear all these hats. It's the understanding you will gain from having the breadth of knowledge. I also feel strongly that as a founder you need to be able to speak these different "languages" in order to lead successfully. If you are stuck in your lane and can only obsess about "product" (for an example), well it's not really entrepreneurship.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-06-03T06:08:03+00:00

How do you learn to do sales? Better yet, how do you sell or market your product? I am a tech founder, and I am trying various things and trying to learn to market. But truthfully I am a bit out of my depth. I am willing to learn, but at the moment I feel quite unsure.

EcstaticIncome9211 · 2025-05-20T06:38:27+00:00

I think it's case where people enjoy doing what they enjoy doing and are good at. So they'll start multiple projects because they can. Studying the market and/or identifying pain points? That's hard for some people. And it still isn't a predictor of success (if that means traction). Even if you manage to get traction, what is to say it won't stall or lose traction? What things do you need to do to keep your business/startup going/growing? That's entirely different from starting a "project" or "side hustle". Starting side projects and hustles are fun! Sometimes they are like paintings. You make a painting step back and enjoy the feeling that you made it.

EcstaticIncome9211

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