I read an article this week about the "Tyranny of the Marginal User." The author discussed how large companies focus more on attracting new customers than retaining current ones — primarily due to unit economics and internal company politics. It's a fascinating read from the perspective of a Google insider. And it talks about products … Continue reading Focusing on Customer Retention Features
Category: Product
The Rubber Band Effect
When AI researchers Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin tried to explain generative AI to journalists in early 2022 —when just a few hundred researchers and early adopters were toying with the new tech and long before it became mainstream— journalists would nod along while being shown how a prompt would generate a never-before-seen image. “Oh … Continue reading The Rubber Band Effect
ChatGPT: Goldmine or Minefield for Indie Hackers?
Everybody in the indie founder community is talking about ChatGPT. Some founders discover how powerful it is as a writing tool, others have it build their products, and some entrepreneurs are even building businesses on top of OpenAI's conversational chat-based AI. Beyond that, it's a meme now: everyone is talking about how everyone is talking … Continue reading ChatGPT: Goldmine or Minefield for Indie Hackers?
The SaaS Solution-Workflow Fit
Every single founder out there quickly hears about the product-market fit. But many entrepreneurs go for years before thinking about another such "fit" that is pivotal in how well your market responds to your product. Let's talk about the Solution-Workflow Fit. As a software entrepreneur, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of … Continue reading The SaaS Solution-Workflow Fit
Negative Reviews are Good for You
I was recently listening to the early episodes of my favorite Star Trek podcast, and the hosts talked about the unfairness of a particularly nasty Apple Podcast review. One star, paired with a snide comment about the show. One of the hosts was confused: why would anyone who this show clearly isn't for leave a … Continue reading Negative Reviews are Good for You
The Forever Transaction
Next time you're at a gas station or a convenience store, and you're ready to pay, look at all the things they shove in front of you, hoping to sell you yet another high-margin product: sugary snacks, soft drinks, processed foods, lottery tickets. They call this the "impulse sales zone:" every single item is a … Continue reading The Forever Transaction
Managing Expectations: Making Good (on) Promises.
https://youtu.be/91ZGnnR-O4U Expectation management. What is that? It sure sounds like mind control. I don’t think my expectations are anything that someone else can manage. Nobody can dive into my mind and magically alter what I believe will happen. The only thing you can do to impact what I expect is to make promises. There is … Continue reading Managing Expectations: Making Good (on) Promises.
The SaaS Market Maturity Paradox
SaaS businesses are most impactful in entirely new markets and the markets they have been serving for a long time. Anywhere in between, starting a new SaaS business has the potential to create a product with reduced effectiveness. There is a "small improvement trap" in every industry that many SaaS business endeavors fall into. While … Continue reading The SaaS Market Maturity Paradox
Make it Easy to Cancel
It is a great retention strategy to make it easy for your customers to cancel your product. You may lose a few payments, but you gain something much more important: an ex-customer who feels respected. I see way too many founders paying way too little attention to the last interaction with their customers. They're missing … Continue reading Make it Easy to Cancel
Of Tangibility and Lawnmowers
Ever since Danielle and I moved to Canada, I've been having a few new adventures. Getting to mow the lawn in our backyard was one of them. For a city boy like me, this was a novel and exciting activity, and it definitely impacted me. Danielle pointed out that I have been talking a lot … Continue reading Of Tangibility and Lawnmowers