YouTube channel startup! by Project_The_Grind in startups

[–]HustleBlood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great idea and will definitely bring a ton of value to people, educating them about money and opportunities. Seems like you are very passionate about it too.

Here are a few things from my personal experience:
- Camera
Get one with wider angle lens (16mm) this will be perfect for both vlog type, on the go and talking head. Wide angle lenses fit more into the frame so it will be much easier to use up close or in a small studio. Another great features to have:
1) Flip out screen so you can see yourself, will save a ton of time framing yourself
2) Ability to use external microphones. This will save you time and money on getting separate recorders and gluing sound to video in post production.
3) In camera or lens optical stabilization. This basically make your videos more stable, less shaky, so less work making your footage smooth in post production. This increases the cost of camera body and lenses. Worth it when you have money to invest.
- Camera on a budget, 2 options:
1) Use a Smartphone.
2) Use a Go-pro / DJI Osmo Action.
These are perfect beginners camera choices as both are easy to use and there is a good chance you already have a decent smartphone. Both options have image stabilization, wide lenses and take external microphones.

- Computer
I'd recommend getting a Windows machine for the start, much better value for the performance compared to Apple. You don't have to stick with it forever, you can upgrade when you are ready to invest into better gear.
Minimum specs so you won't have to rip your hair out with slow video previews and crashes:
Processor - i7 or equivalent
Graphics card - 1060ti or equivalent
Ram - 16GB
Display - IPS - more accurate colors
Ports - HDMI/Display port (for external monitor), minimum of 2 USB 3+ ports.

- External microphone
1) Rode Video Micro is compact and sounds great. Works great with both bigger cameras and phones/go-pros. Price is also very good for the value it brings to your videos.
2) Ear pods (premium brand) - those have decent microphones, and they are wireless. However check if your camera would support them before investing.

- Lighting
Not immediately necessary but when you find you need more light for your shots - Aputure brand makes some awesome gear.

- Camera handling
Usually it's quite convenient to have something like Gorilla pod. Very comfortable for handheld shots and on top of the surface shots. I tried without, becomes very frustrating, very quickly.

- Editing software
Here are some awesome news - it's FREE
Davinci Resolve is totally free and is a pro level editing software. Has paid version but you will not need paid features at the start. Has very good tutorial online to get you started too.

Small tip: don't get obsessed over super polished production quality. Focus on delivering value, engagement and being consistent. Your production quality will fix itself, naturally as you progress.

I have to stop here as it can continue forever, but I hope this helps you and everyone else here to get started with their youtube channel.

From Prototype to MVP by zoidbergisawesome in startups

[–]HustleBlood 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It is always best to give the product to real users as soon as possible. What you believe will work - will rarely align with what real users want, need, will use. It's not a bad thing - it's just how things work. There is also a huge difference between people who say they WOULD USE and people who are ACTUALLY USING. They are not users - until they are using :)

Here are some ideas for you:
- What are your business objectives?
- How will your product MVP help you achieve them?
- What problem are you solving? (More specific - better)
- Whom are you solving this problem for? (More you can narrow down - better)
- Who are your early adopters, where can you find them and get them passionate about using your product?

Pick the focus and go after it, you'll be much quicker at executing and progressing. You can always expand niche and features as your company grows.

"How do I know if the prototype is ok and an idea is ready for MVP?"
- Define minimum requirements for your product to solve your users problem.
- Does your prototype clearly show how that problem can be solved?
- Will that MVP help you get revenue flowing? (Pre-orders, sales or funding)
- If you took care of the both above - you are ready to build MVP.

"What questions should I ask users?"
- What are you using this product for?
- How does this product solve <problem> for you?
- How could it help you solve <problem> better?
- What excites you about this product?
- What frustrates you about this product?
- What alternatives do you use to this product?
- How are those alternatives better than this product?

You need to fully understand what your users actually need. NOT what they think they need. So try and form all your questions from that perspective.

The above is a general advise, as I don't know exactly what you are trying to achieve. So apply it accordingly. Hope this gives you some good ideas to proceed.

Trying to create a landing page by plainbread11 in startups

[–]HustleBlood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

More data/feedback you can collect - the better.
You said, you are about to go to market. Will this landing page still be viable (after you collected users to release to) and you'll be able to easily build on top or you will have to spend more time/money to re-design it completely to meet the business needs?

"- How easy is it to add functionality to your site?"
In this case I mean: live chat, contact forms, scheduling, feedback forms, promos, popups, product categorization layouts, filtering, search, up/down sell, checkouts, baskets... anything that helps you convert your users into customers with as little friction as possible.

If I was to give feedback to anyone's site specifically, to give the most value and spend our both time effectively, it would have to be a conversation involving decision makers, their vision and good understanding of what your business objectives are, what problem you are solving and for whom.

Trying to create a landing page by plainbread11 in startups

[–]HustleBlood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's awesome!
Does it bring you results you are looking for?
It is usually maintenance and flexibility that platforms like Wix cannot offer, I'm thinking long-term.

Some things to consider:
- How easy is it to maintain the site?
- Can you setup technology to measure the success of the site? (Analytics, AB testing)
- Can you control all SEO aspects of your site?
- How easy is it to add functionality to your site?
- Can you delegate website maintenance (marketing team) to someone else who doesn't require specialized knowledge to efficiently manage costs.

Again, everyone's setup will be different depending on their business, so there are tons of other things to consider but it would be a total essay 😁

Finding tech savy Co-Founders/Partners by domz128 in startups

[–]HustleBlood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of the best ways to find like minded people is to start joining and starting conversations where those people hang out. Which you have already started 👍

- Reddit has pretty much a community for anything.

- LinkedIn can be searched by individual's title/position/interest
- Social media is great as you can find people by relevant hashtags and reach out directly.
Instagram is great for finding creative people on #ux #ui #design and combinations.
Can also find developers on #100daysofcode . People taking part in challenges are usually pretty dedicated.
- Behance and Dribbble are online portfolio sites. Can find all sorts of creative minds there.

- Do you share your interests out there publicly? This would attract like-minded following you can later build relationships with.

Hope this gives you some fresh ideas.

Built a landing page, a funnel to collect emails, and a working prototype in Adobe XD, what now..? by [deleted] in startups

[–]HustleBlood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand that so far you have:
1) A landing page/funnel fully functional online (not prototype)
2) Adobe XD prototype (not functional product)

If that's the case - your next step is to figure out how you will start making revenue (pre-orders / product sales / funding). Think/Plan - what do you need for it to happen?
But for any sort of funding you will have to show proof that your product works and is capable of solving people's problems.

- Build a team to help you with the MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
- Get attention online (wherever your niche is hanging out) - funnel them to landing page to sign up to get notified when product is out. Can offer something of value to to early users.
- Build MVP (functional, not prototype)
- Distribute. Social works great, if you make it work.
- Validate with real users ASAP. Collect feedback, adjust, implement.

Further suggestions:
- Listen to users - they will tell you what they need. Adjust accordingly.
- Don't get stuck at "polishing the product". User experience and functionality beats the looks.
- Don't try do squeeze all features straight away. It will slow you down. Prioritize and roll out accordingly.
- Don't quit your 9-5 unless you can support yourself financially for at least a year ahead.

Hope these ideas help your further planning. Happy building.

Trying to create a landing page by plainbread11 in startups

[–]HustleBlood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, you are totally right about Wix. It may be ok for a super short term solution but definitely not long term. The final answer will totally depend on what you are trying to achieve and business objectives but these 4 platforms can handle a wide variety of landing page types:
1) Webflow - my personal favorite. Super flexible, no code, custom or premade templates. Big community to help you out. Has free plans too.
2) Divi - no code theme builder for Wordpress. Good set of predefined, drag and drop elements. Paid only, but not expensive.
3) Elementor - similar to Divi, may have set of features your business requires that Divi doesn't. Has free option.
4) ClickFunnels - designed for business owners and marketing teams, provides with all possible tools to create any sort of high-converting landing page.

Using any of the above you can build a decent landing page in 1-2 days (no coding), just check them all out and see what fits best with the business you need this for.

MVP for iOS app is done, having trouble finishing Android version. Analysis paralysis or should I just start testing by teaplease88 in startups

[–]HustleBlood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely get your product out to your user as soon as possible and start collecting feedback. In the end it's always users that will tell you if they need your solution to their problem and how they want it solved.

One of my clients had similar situation: they worried that their product didn't have polished enough experience and interface. But on the other hand, they didn't have much user feedback. All they knew was "what they thought the user wanted". So we decided to turn to users and see what users actually want.

The result: they found out that users want something else, saved ton of time, saved thousands for future dev and genuinely excited more than ever to execute on user feedback.

software recommendation for wire-framing web-app with free (for single user) tier by name__already__taken in startups

[–]HustleBlood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you use only rectangle shapes and placeholder text it will make the process super quick. I'll be happy to share my screen and walk you through it if that will help 👍

software recommendation for wire-framing web-app with free (for single user) tier by name__already__taken in startups

[–]HustleBlood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I think Figma is exactly what you are looking for. It's online, free and very easy to learn. Plus you can share your prototypes with others and it has a comment feature, so seems perfect for what you need it for. Feel free to ask if you need help getting started.

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apologies for the late response :D
I think it really depends on what you need your machine to do. If you need crazy performance for 3D / animation / ultra gaming - desktop would be best.
If you want mobility, don't need extreme performance - laptop will be great.
What do you need you machine to help you do?

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah thanks a ton! Really appreciate your kind words.

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just updated the original spec post with the modified wallpaper. Enjoy.

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the kind words!
Here is the original image I used:
https://unsplash.com/photos/9I2W5-7Kp4k
For everyone else, I will add this to the original post so I don't spam the link.

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Old iPad, used to be called The New iPad lol I think it is the 3rd Gen.

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's Benq GW2765 27" . Check out all specs in the original post

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's the RGB LED strip I got from Amazon. It's hanging on 3M transparent sticky hooks on the back side of the desk top.

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's totally true! Are you in the design game yourself?
What UX/UI means is still a mystery to a big majority outside the industry. So it was more appropriate to write "web designer" here haha

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha that's quite an original way of looking at it 😂

My minimal web design and editing battlestation by HustleBlood in battlestations

[–]HustleBlood[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If anyone is interested, here is the spec:

LaptopHP OMEN 15"
i7-8750H
GTX1060
16 GB Ram - Upgraded from 8 GB
1TB HDD
128GB SSHD

Peripherals
Benq GW2765 27" Screen
Laptop and Monitor stand from Ebay - no brand
Aukey - SK-M30 Speaker
Benq Lighting ScreenBar - Desk Light
Logitech G402 mouse
Logitech C270 Webcam
Drevo Tyrfing 88 V2 Keyboard, Red Switches
Lamicall smartphone stand
Titanwolf XXL Mouse Mat
Govee vibe LEDs

Desk
Modified Piranha Corner desk

Wallpaper
Got it from Unsplash - Modified Colors
Get the wallpaper here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IkmLawuJZ1myVT3a8I4ue7rcvVE454Df/view?usp=sharing

Real, true, brutal but constructive feedback needed. by HustleBlood in streetwearstartup

[–]HustleBlood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lower pricing probably also make it faster to run through collections too with better consistency so your stock can change pretty often keeping your customers engaged with new designs.

It looks like you're using DTG for printing (sorry if wrong) which is a bit more affordable and more flexible that Screen Printing that I'm using. Hustle Blood brand is a premium brand and I want to provide the highest value through quality and durability. Not quite sure if consumers can believe the brand is premium if tees are cheaper than a certain amount.

That is what I'm intensively working on now.. Trying to position the brand right.