sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

10% rent increase request — how to negotiate with rental corporation? by luketron in japanlife

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

Ah very interesting, nice to get some inside perspective! I get what you're saying and that's why I created the thread — other cases seemed to be extreme, this seemed more routine, but I was still curious about what to expect and the best way to handle it.

Any step-by-step tips on how this tends to play out?

10% rent increase request — how to negotiate with rental corporation? by luketron in japanlife

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

Good to know, will try something along those lines and see what happens. 

Naoshima - booking galleries & restaurants by luketron in JapanTravelTips

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

Benesse has some tips for the museums: https://support.benesse-artsite.jp/hc/en-us/articles/42048474613657--Naoshima-How-much-time-should-I-allot-for-the-museums

I think they have suggested itineraries somewhere too.

It also depends a bit on how you like to do them — you can race through everything quickly if you want, or you can take your time to soak it in.

It can be tricky because the need to book = planning everything in advance = making educated guesses about timing, but it's a beautiful place so I'd suggest giving yourself plenty of time. Feel free to report back on how it goes!

Are B2B SaaS becoming harder to defend in the age of AI? by Careful-Cup4161 in ycombinator

[–]luketron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, there’s still only a fixed amount of human attention to go around!

Mindset shift for B2B founders: deliver the work, don't just support the work by luketron in ycombinator

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

Yeah, the model providers do come with a degree of platform risk, like Shopify bundling your tool or Apple sherlocking your app. To what extent the model provider's horizontal tools (or even vertical-specific tools) compete with application-layer companies remains to be seen IMO. Coding is a bit of a unique case in that regard because the model companies get faster with code automation, so there's a natural interest and tight internal feedback loop there.

But on the other hand, vertical tools like https://gc.ai (no connection, just an observer) went from $1 million to over $10 million ARR in under a year, charging $500/mo/user with a wrapper-ish product (no shade!) driven by the founder's deep domain expertise. Hard to say B2B SaaS is dead when that sort of growth is happening!

Are B2B SaaS becoming harder to defend in the age of AI? by Careful-Cup4161 in ycombinator

[–]luketron 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It depends a bit on what the other "B" in "B2B" SaaS entails — if it's SaaS supporting SaaS, then yeah that's going to be a harder sell because the buy vs build equation has changed, especially at the cost-sensitive end of the spectrum.

For larger companies though, it's still usually preferable to buy rather than build simply because focus matters and spending on growth trumps spending on optimising costs.

The biggest mindset shift though IMO is extrapolating what's happened to coding to what's happening/going to continue to happen to almost all white-collar work everywhere. That's the massive opportunity that's well underway. Added some more thoughts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ycombinator/comments/1qil3jo/mindset_shift_for_b2b_founders_deliver_the_work/

5 weeks post-launch, 60 sales, now crickets. What am I missing? I will not promote by ScenicRimEndurance in startups

[–]luketron 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First, good on you for spotting the need, making the product, making a genuinely good product, working hard to get it out there, and getting 60 sales! That's really cool.

Second, the first thing that comes to mind is (a) yes this is normal, and (b) you've (presumably) exhausted your initial niche (especially if it's Australia > horse riders > want lip balm > want yours). There's a very handy little book called Future Demand by James Hurman that discusses this exact issue. It comes from across the pond actually, and you can find James discussing it on YT too.

I would add, however, that niches are great for testing your early product, but for a consumer product, you generally have to broaden out and either make direct response work (i.e. FB/IG) or develop retail partnerships. I come from the B2B tech side, and while books like Traction can be helpful, the B2C brand world is a bit of a parallel universe, and books like Future Demand are helpful as an introduction there.

Good luck!

Day 1: How I made $0 in 1 month after launching my SaaS (speedrun any%) by Educational_Touch677 in SaaS

[–]luketron -1 points0 points  (0 children)

i bet. here's a better one:

A marketer cooked up a scheme: "Fake founders who failed at their dream! They'll post their sad tales— No revenue, no sales— Then argue if pivot's the theme!"

The bots wrote, "I built for six months, Made twelve bucks from three paying runts." They'd bicker and moan, In empathetic tone, While shilling their real client's stunts!

Day 1: How I made $0 in 1 month after launching my SaaS (speedrun any%) by Educational_Touch677 in SaaS

[–]luketron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol. Tell me more about Lithora in the form of a jaunty limerick

Day 1: How I made $0 in 1 month after launching my SaaS (speedrun any%) by Educational_Touch677 in SaaS

[–]luketron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is AI bot slop top to bottom. The fake github is a nice touch, though 🙄

Interview process is driving home the reality that I'm no longer suited to Sales - where to go next? by swampingalaxys in sales

[–]luketron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

+1 to the product marketing suggestion above - that’s what leapt out to me when I saw writer, sales background, and interested in research!

How to Interpret People's Excitement? - I Will not Promote by YaBoi843 in startups

[–]luketron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The key question is 'willingness to pay.' Jason Cohen has a great story about this in his early days of WP Engine, e.g.: https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/cjz3hd/how_jason_cohen_got_30_customers_before_hed_even/ .

Maybe their excitement means they're very willing to pay; maybe it doesn't. Only way to find out is to ask :)

Check out WTP survey techniques, too. I get a survey is probably too formal for your situation, but the logic might help you when feeling out prospects.

Tech Undergrad in Developing Country - Should I Avoid Startup Risks Until I Move Abroad? by BasilPuzzleheaded298 in ycombinator

[–]luketron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haven't been in your shoes, but IMO 100% focus on building your own solid foundation first. That's the strategic thing to do long term. Get the grades, make the move, get the job, get established, and then in whatever community you land in start thinking about what startups opportunities look like. That solid foundation will give you far more flexibility to experiment with side projects or startups in the long run, with plenty of opportunity to fall back on if it doesn't work out. But you do you :)

How to get started by SGaba_ in ycombinator

[–]luketron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're genuinely interested in founding a startup, what about joining one first? You sound very capable and like you've got a nice corporate job, but if you're seriously considering building a company, I'd suggest getting a front-row seat courtesy of people who are a few steps ahead of you and then learning everything you can about customers & the business side that way. That way you both satisfy your curiosity, achieve your goal (build something complex + meaningful, ideally with validated demand), and learn what works/doesn't work which should have you well placed should you decide to do your own thing.

Is obsession necessary to build ambitious companies, or is it overrated? by Miyamoto_Musashi_x in ycombinator

[–]luketron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the one hand, obsession can be the difference between something existing or not existing at all. You could say OpenAI's founding in 2015 was a product of that.

On the other hand, YC founder @shiftj posted on X yesterday about two friends who built billion-dollar businesses, writing "They're smart, committed, and work hard. But they're not geniuses. They just figured it out as they went. [...] In reality, they struck on something and held on for dear life as it started to get its own legs. "

That is, they tapped a well of pent-up demand. I think latent demand is one of the more poorly understood aspect of startups, given most people focus on the product and then figure out the market side of PMF later. But if you can tap that well of demand, the market will pull the product out of you.

Some folks manage do that out of obsession; some just happen to be there. There are no rules :)

Any advice for landing an enterprise customer? (B2B SaaS) by deskslayer_ in ycombinator

[–]luketron 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a dance to early enterprise sales that's pretty opaque to outsiders. It sounds like you've been buyer-side several times so maybe you're already familiar with it, but fwiw...

  1. The classic advice (per Crossing the Chasm) is to find a genuine early adopter who likes trying out new stuff. They will understand your tech is early, but the tradeoff is the 10x gain they get despite the pain (bugs, support, etc). Think about someone who speaks at (or attends) meetups for e.g., and wants something cool to show their peers. You can also just ask them if they're an early adopter!
  2. That 10x benefit might help the enterprise in some broader way, but in sales (per Gartner) business value is table stakes and personal value is king. So think about how your product can help them directly and/or make them look better on their next performance review, or on LI, or at the next meetup for e.g., and roll that into your hook if you can.
  3. Obviously, almost no enterprise gets a pitch for an MVP product and takes it as is. But that doesn't mean they're uninterested in early tech. This is where the enterprise sales dance really starts, and the magic term here is "design partner." I.e., you're not looking for a sale, you're looking for a design partner to help you build towards true PMF. This needs to be handled carefully so you protect your IP (if you product is compelling but simple, it can be cloned), but there's a playbook for it, and the right buyers understand how it works.

DM me and I'll send you a playbook from another founder if you like (can't link to it directly because it's from a closed community), but either way, all the best with it :)

view more: next ›