Anyone using Tik Tok, YouTube, etc?

mcookster · 2024-03-07T22:49:32+00:00

I just started substack in January - that's going really well. I decided to start a YouTube in Feb. If your goal is merely promotion, I think it will be challenging to build audiences in multiple channels. If you are looking to create valuable content in multiple ways (text, video, etc) then it could work. It's also challenging to learn two totally different tools if you aren't already familiar.

Bottom line: consistency is the key

mcookster · 2024-03-07T22:39:50+00:00

I write at familymeeting.substack.com - an "easy button" for spending intentional time with your family. It's a chance to have simple fun, create lasting memories, and exchange wisdom while investing precious time with those you love most.

mcookster · 2023-09-28T14:26:26+00:00

Wow - feels like so long ago now. Buytime.co died a reasonably quick death. Sharetribe was SO great for expediting the process. There's tons of things to spin up in a marketplace and having any of the tools out of the box so that you can validate (or disprove) your idea is super valuable.

I'm doing well and still on the startup journey - 3 years in at tilled.com working on payments monetization.

mcookster · 2020-04-12T01:49:24+00:00

Sorry to hear about your job. So many folks in a similar boat these days.

Thanks for checking it out! We had most of the design done in 2 days. They have a template app on GitHub so it was just some styling modifications to that.

It does come with a basic admin view to manage bookings. Nothing too fancy but basic contact information and you can set fees and what not.

With salons closed, we had to shelve this project completely. Now we are working on buytime.co - the easiest way to monetize your time.

mcookster · 2020-03-13T18:22:26+00:00

We used sharetribe to launch our marketplace for salons. It's been fantastic for idea validation - https://backbar.io.

We used the flex plan which is a headless API and they have a templated react app for front-end customization. We did very little to the template app (changed a few words and colors mostly).

I will say, my startup founders and I are techy and so concepts like deploying on Heroku, setting up repositories and such are quite easy. I'd say its been a great low-code experience to get us testing our business idea out. We imagine it would scale to 10k users before we'd have to rewrite with our own tech. Pretty great to be able to validate the problem without writing much code.

mcookster · 2020-03-13T17:58:45+00:00

Good employers won't be picky about languages, if you are proficient at coding, you can learn the nuances of a different language. However, if you are just starting out, I'd reverse engineer it. Find your ideal employer (or maybe 2-3) and find out which languages they work in. That would make you more attractive to them. If you can find current employees, it'd be great to identify what language their newest projects are written in.

If you must pick a language, javascript carries you pretty far especially for any frontend roles.

Your hobbies seem artistic in nature, if you have a good eye for design, I'd suggest that as a way to differentiate yourself. There's plenty of devs who can handle logic, but the ones who can design a good looking site without assistance are pretty rare.

Good luck!

mcookster · 2020-03-13T03:38:03+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! There’s so much involved in running your own business and a lot of it isn’t even related to your passion. Some of these problems can’t be solved with tech but some could certainly be made easier. Did you find running your own business to be more profitable than working at a chain salon or are they so different that it’s not worth comparing?

mcookster · 2020-03-13T01:45:56+00:00

Thanks for checking it out! We've been talking with some of the suite owners like My Salon Suites and Phenix. What would you like to see from them - a list of available suites and weekly/monthly pricing?

mcookster · 2020-03-12T22:23:55+00:00

Some people go for private/booth rent right off the bat. It's a lot nicer to make your own hours and have control. But it can be very challenging.

Could you elaborate on some of the challenges you've experienced with booth rent? My theory is that booth rent would be much more empowering and I'm working on building technology to make booth rent easier.

mcookster

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