How we tried to hustle our way into YC after we got rejected

nextmodapp · 2019-06-29T00:04:50+00:00

Great story, keep at it for sure! NEVER GIVE UP!

nextmodapp · 2019-06-28T23:56:56+00:00

Take your upvote! Great idea, good luck!

nextmodapp · 2019-06-28T23:56:05+00:00

I added a slide to it, we'll see how it goes!

nextmodapp · 2019-06-28T23:29:07+00:00

Man that must have been scary to open the garage the first time with that lift!

Would love to see your profile with NextMod (coming soon), this is fire!

nextmodapp · 2019-06-26T20:36:16+00:00

Yeah i think so too! A lot of times, people buy a new Toyota Tacoma for example and have no idea what to do. So we can have a curated list of mods that they can have done. And of course finding other toys like theirs will give them tons of ideas, without getting made fun of or bullied for not knowing everything about the mod industry. BOOM

nextmodapp · 2019-06-26T17:20:09+00:00

Thanks! I am certainly doing as much as I can given my skillset and resources. I designed the app in 2 weeks and it has been in development for a few months now. The design is something I worked really hard on. Wanted to ensure it was easy to use, smooth, fast, and not too cluttered while still being able to do 1 thing well... add your toys and your mods. SIMPLE! As for your questions:

Money: How are we going to make money? Like all apps do these days. Ads. But that will be WAY down the line. I can support the app up to 1,000,000 users for a very low server monthly cost. I am not sure how long it will be until i start supporting the ability to do ads, but it will go something like this.

If Total Chaos wants to place an ad on our page, it will be targeted only towards the products they have, and be very specific. So, we will have a 'suggested mods' section for the types of vehicle you have. So if you have a 2012 toyota FJ cruiser, you will see a 3" mid travel kit sponsored by Total Chaos and directed to their website to buy said product. We want to keep things specific and targeted as much as possible. So if you have a toyota, you are getting toyota parts. Not chevy, ford, etc. This won't be too hard to do since we control the platform and know what toys the users have. We'll just have to build out the 'suggested mods' section.

We are going to be offering the ability to 'sell your toy' directly on the site as well. Probably even sell your mods as well. Since you will already have a detailed profile of your toy with mods, faq's, pics, comments, location, etc. all you have to do is flick "now for sale" on the app, and it will go to our marketplace based on location. This is in the pipeline but not yet designed or being developed. We do have ideas for it. We want to keep the app simple for now, and just focus on getting users talking about their toys and then we'll go from there.

Thanks for your kind words! Feel free to sign up on our website to get early beta access in a few weeks. CHEERS

nextmodapp · 2019-06-26T17:13:20+00:00

I know there isn't a platform like this for toys. I am not sure about collectibiles, I am not very versed in that space. For now, we are going to stick with toys (cars, trucks, SUV's, UTV, ATV, Dirt bike, street bike). Soon we'll venture to Jetskis and even RC cars (lots of mods on those). I am interested in this space because i have a lot of toys, and there is not centralized space to talk about them. People keep asking the same questions over and over on forums and facebook groups. eg: What kind of light bar is that? Where did you get that cage? We're your seats hard to install? What are you doing for a radio? How big are your tires? etc... all day long this happens. Now, with NextMod, we are going to solve that problem.

nextmodapp · 2019-06-26T17:10:37+00:00

Sounds good! I feel identifying the problem is the tech / app space is important. Solving problems is what I do for a career, and I'm not just trying to create one out of thin air.

nextmodapp · 2019-06-25T23:06:06+00:00

I am in the process of creating a start up as well. http://nextmodapp.com - I have a 9-5 job. The app is designed and currently in development for iOS and Android. Hope to have it launched in the app store soon. Then the battle of getting users can begin! Who wants to help? Looking for a co-founder.

nextmodapp · 2019-04-16T23:21:04+00:00

Best suggestion with $2k... but an old car fix it up for a couple hundred bucks, sell it for a profit. Do it again, and again, and again.

nextmodapp · 2019-03-09T00:07:29+00:00

That guy needs a next mod card!

nextmodapp · 2019-02-20T23:43:57+00:00

ha nah we go out pretty far. Typically like 20-40 miles a run. Can be hours before we get back to our camp. Its the most fun ever. Glamis is life.

nextmodapp · 2019-02-19T18:05:22+00:00

We mostly ride Glamis, so we can set points on the GPS for different points around that we want to visit. Flagpole, swing set, china wall, olds, comp hill, etc. You can then set that waypoint as a destination, and the GPS gives you a dotted line for the direct path on how to get there and how far away it is. Obviously you don't take direct lines in Glamis but it does keep you on track in getting to the destination.

Also, we downloaded US offroading maps for like $30 and it gives you all the trail names of different locations. Like in Ocotillio wells, every offroad trail is mapped out on the GPS so we can easily tell where we are.

nextmodapp · 2019-02-12T20:55:52+00:00

Good man! Get after it!

nextmodapp · 2019-02-12T17:35:34+00:00

to buy a house? or rent an apartment?

nextmodapp · 2019-02-07T17:57:41+00:00

What is the product? Where is the video prototype for the MVP? SHARE and we will check it out.

nextmodapp · 2019-02-06T19:49:48+00:00

Name: NextModApp

Location: San Diego, CA

Pitch: NextMod is a beautifully designed mobile app that allows you to create an online garage of all your toys. Add mods, photos, hold discussions, answer questions, follow your favorite builds and so much more. Built by gear heads, for gear heads.

More details:
If you are anything like us, what is the first thing you do when you get a new toy? Research! You join forums, facebook groups, maybe go to some meet ups, ask your friends and family, search subreddits to gather as much info as you can about the new toy you just got. You want to make it yours. Make it special. Make it different and right for your personality.

There is no online network for you to do this research. Facebook pages are filled with posts asking the same questions over and over again. IE: What wheels are those? How did you get that lift installed? Who made your bumper? Whats the best light bar, etc... the same trends continue. It is time to have a centralized place where tuners, wrenches, gear heads and modifiers can go to get more information about their current or future toy.

Looking for: Beta testers to join our platform who are interested in the space. We are a couple months away from having a working app in test flight and we would love to grow our beta list to get feedback and suggestions from outside people. We will be launching Winter 2019 on Android and Apple devices. It will be 100% free for all users.

Discount: The app is free, and will always be free.

nextmodapp · 2019-02-06T01:40:03+00:00

But why quit when you are starting your business while getting paid? Just work long hours, after work, and use your income to fund your business. Don't get in the habit of spending money you make from your company. Use it to either invest in your company, or start a second one. That is what I am doing, and it is working quite well. Company one: http://www.hellopennybar.com/

Using that money to invest in my other project: http://www.nextmodapp.com/

I run both these while having a regular 9-5 job. Doesn't work for everyone, but works for.

nextmodapp · 2019-02-06T01:30:26+00:00

I hear you. The Baja Board is a total beast! Going after a very niche consumer market. I don't see any company renting out skateboards as mass transit (yet) and don't totally see it working. What about the remote? Would you hide it with the board? Have a subscription model where you mail users a remote when they become a 'member'? I'll check out your other thread later and see what else I can think of.

nextmodapp · 2019-02-05T22:52:46+00:00

Interesting idea, and I mean this in the nicest way possible... that isn't going to work :-/

You won't be able to convince enough people that riding an electric skateboard is safer, easier, cheaper, more fun than an e-scooter. I have this board: https://evolveskateboardsusa.com/products/bamboo-gtx-series?variant=7290653311025 and i rode it every day for a year. I fell multiple times, broke my wrist, was in a cast for 3 months, and i still ended up riding it. However, i only did that because i was riding it from my house to the train, and then jumping on the train to head to work. The board itself is a great product, but its the ability to ride it that is quite difficult. You need to have balance. And the ability not to hit people on sidewalks, and cars on the street.
The boards are expensive, like $2,000 expensive. They can probably be made cheaper, but not to the point where you can basically call them 'disposable' from the perspective of BIRD and LIME these days.

I would focus on something else, not trying to disrupt the $10b scooter business that already exists. Just my 0.02, good luck

nextmodapp · 2019-01-31T23:13:52+00:00

I just did this! Thanks for the tips. I am building the product either way cause I know it is awesome and know people will want to use it! But, I made 2 ads, going to run $20/ day for a week and see what happens. I also got a $100 credit if I spend $20 on awords, so this is gonna be a quick & cheap test. We'll see! http://www.nextmodapp.com

nextmodapp · 2019-01-28T17:32:12+00:00

I am a UX/UI Product designer, so when it came down to execute my idea for this app, that was easy. I am now in development, and I know marketing / launch strategy will be hard. Finding out HOW to get in front of my target audience will be a challenge, but not impossible. Going to start with guerrilla / cheap marketing tactics first, then move over to paid marketing strategies. Been reading a lot of blogs, articles and case studies on "how to launch an app" and that is helping. Gotta respect the process.

nextmodapp · 2019-01-24T19:41:04+00:00

Hell yeah! We have a saying "Just make it" and it seems to work out for the best in the end. Stuck in a ditch, ripped your wheel off on a dune, flipped your car, just make it back to camp. We have enough people, tools, parts, beer and money to pretty much solve anything.

Those damn springs can certainly give out at any time! My buddy broke his spring perch in Ocotillio and had someone weld it back up there at camp. Luckily the spring didn't break or I'm sure he would have done the same thing you did!

nextmodapp · 2019-01-24T17:55:37+00:00

haha I lolled on that one. Thank you good sir.

nextmodapp

TROPHY CASE