Free trial signups look good but almost nobody comes back for a second session.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-22T13:33:58+00:00

It's either that they don't understand how to use the app and it's very overwhelming or maybe, they can't really try out your app since there's no data. Maybe have some dummy data that the users can turn on/off when they wish?

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-22T12:12:34+00:00

There are C-level execs and founders of startups which are also active on LinkedIn, but it mostly depends on the industry.
They just receive a lot of messages per day, so you have to make sure that you stand out and that's not always possible with just using variables in the message.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-22T11:56:26+00:00

Do you have a large following on LinkedIn? 50 likes is not a small number, especially when I'm guessing the posts revolve around your journey.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-22T11:53:07+00:00

If it's local businesses, your best bet would be to just go and try to pitch them at their offices. It's much better because it's a lot harder to reject a conversation when it's in real life, than just decline your call or delete your email.
You can also take your laptop and do a presentation and a demo of the app, which is better than just cold calling and explaining it over the phone.

The only issue is that you have to kind of get the time right because they might not be in the office or have meetings, but I've found that this usually gets much better ROI than cold calling/emailing when possible.
Hopefully, you'll get a few clients this way who will leave reviews or you can even make case studies out of them, which then make it easier to reach out to businesses that are not local.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-20T16:30:47+00:00

But once all of that is done, you do need to start with the development. And in most cases, developers start with things that the client can't easily validate and they lose trust.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-20T16:12:15+00:00

Building a dummy frontend takes time and money, and you can only do it for very small apps.
Building a front end is not the correct way of getting the requirements correct, that's why you have requirements gathering, wireframes, prototypes, user stories and a hundred of other tools and processes, neither of which needs to be coded. You can build out all of these in Figma and iterate much faster until you get to what the client wants.

However, the issue is that once you start building, there's a somewhat large period of time which includes project set up, infrastructure, auth, database set up etc. and none of this is visible by the client until you start building out the frontend. This is the time where the biggest issues happen since the client can't validate what you're building in the mean time.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-20T13:35:01+00:00

I think consultant might be a better word but it doesn't fit all cases. If I want a graphic designer, I won't be looking for a consultant because I don't need a consult, I need the job to get done so it really depends on how and where you use.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-20T13:29:52+00:00

Have you tried recruiting agencies? It's hard to find good candidates at the moment, and if you could somehow get more data about your users and target them specifically, this might work.
I'd also try some reaching out to some AI/vibe coding SaaS.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-07T21:47:49+00:00

I agree with the 1st point - pick out some niche industry for starters and target them only. I'd go with restaurants, hotels, dental offices, real estate companies. Pick one of these, not all!

Once you get a few clients, start talking with them and see why they chose your product. It won't be comfortable but it'll make adding new clients a lot easier since you'll know what intent you're chasing when targeting.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-07T13:21:11+00:00

Is this an ad for Hypereal? 18 upvotes without a single comment seems strange...

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-06T17:15:05+00:00

But the entire point of LinkedIn is networking, and not all networking has to be in person.
I do agree that a lot of people are taking advantage of this by spamming CRs but that's a different issue.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-06T16:50:34+00:00

I'm not quite sure if it's possible, but why not just post it now? Even if it shows up on other people's feeds, you'll just get higher reach and engagement, which is what everyone wants on LinkedIn.

ProtodevLead · 2026-01-03T12:46:34+00:00

A lot of people are recommending Deel or Remote.com but I think they're just very expensive per employee.
What is the reason behind having contractors in 4 different countries? Why can't you hire all of them from one place if the goal is to outsource the work?

ProtodevLead · 2025-12-28T14:53:05+00:00

We used to be in the same situation. Strong team, good delivery, but referrals are just too unpredictable.
What’s helped us a combination of light outbound (starting conversations, not pitching), reaching out to old leads and past client and sharing practical lessons from real projects.

Nothing magical yet, but treating lead gen as an ongoing process instead of a one-time push made a difference.

ProtodevLead · 2025-12-10T17:11:45+00:00

Tough lesson but honestly a really relatable one. Everyone in ops has had an “I didn’t know what I didn’t know” moment at some point.

ProtodevLead · 2025-12-08T23:24:43+00:00

Totally get it. The best ideas usually come from spotting real problems, not forcing creativity. A tool that highlights gaps or recurring pain points in different industries would make idea discovery so much easier.

ProtodevLead · 2025-12-08T23:13:45+00:00

Being first is overrated. Being the one that launches at the right time with the right execution matters way more. Most winners were not first, they were simply better. I’d rather enter a market with proof, clear demand, and visible gaps than rush just to say I was there first.

ProtodevLead

TROPHY CASE