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Ask HN: Will many small businesses be interested in this?

12 points by JoshuaWisdom ↗ HN
So I recently launched a new startup called Wavestack. The idea is that rather than paying $3000+ to an agency or freelancer to get a decent website for your small business or early-stage startup, you pay only $79/mo to us for a very good website. It's not a website builder. We're a team of senior developers who help small businesses get their business online in an efficient but affordable manner. But do you think many small businesses will be interested in this, though?

*For those who will like to check it out, here is the link to the website: www.usewavestack.com

14 comments

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byoung2
This was my business model back in 2007 and it worked very well. Back then we used WordPress as the backend. Times may have changed now that there are lots of site builders and amazing off the shelf Themeforest templates. You can get a pretty custom looking site using WordPress and a $60 theme.

If you are serious about this, one thing to look out for is clients who are window shopping. They will waste your time and you might build the whole site only ro have them cancel after 1 month. Thst is why we went with a setup fee + monthly fee (e.g. $500 + $50/mo) so that the client has some skin in the game. I would also be careful with unlimited revisions...that is something that will eat your margins. Also, you should clearly spell out who owns the rights to the design in the event the client cancels (can I take my design with me?).

LurkingPenguin
I don't know (you'll have to see the response from the market) but based on the content of your site, I'd worry you're positioning yourself in a no man's land between non-technical small business owners (who will see you as expensive compared to cheaper and better established site builder offerings) and more technical business owners (who will see you as expensive for what you offer).

Some feedback on your site:

> Subscribe to a plan and send a detailed request about your business through Slack.

I'd guess many small business owners don't know what Slack is, and would expect you to drive the process before they pay you. Specifically, why would a business subscribe before they've had an interaction with you and developed confidence that you can meet their expectations?

> We use Webflow, which means we design in a real staging environment

This is mumbo jumbo to the average small business owner.

> Your website is specially designed for you, and it's yours for life.

What does this mean? What happens if I don't want to pay you anymore? Is it still my website?

Also:

1. You FAQ page states "startups that require complex features like database integration, chat systems, dashboards, and thousands of APIs should please not bother signing up" but a lot of small business owners won't understand what these things are. Are you really targeting small businesses or startup founders who for whatever reason don't want to build their own website?

2. A lot of things are really vague. For instance, what's the difference between "Standard" and "Priority" support? And "Standard" versus "Enhanced" "SSL and security built-in"?

3. $79/month for no more than 10 pages, no analytics???

4. Your latest projects don't contain links to actual websites.

5. There's no mention of whether business owners can edit the content of their website on their own. In my experience, this is probably one of their biggest requirements.

6. "Site optimization (SEO)" is listed as included in all packages. I'm guessing what you consider SEO might differ from what a lot of business owners consider SEO because it's impossible to provide actual SEO services for $79/month.

7. Unlimited revisions could really come back to bite you. Death by a thousand small cuts.

PaulMit
Why don't you want to make a Saas solution instead, a builder based on templates and design blocks (Readymag, Webflow, Tilda, etc)?

What are the pros of this approach? I agree with the comments above, it seems that this model is already outdated and won't scale.

XCSme
> you pay only $79/mo to us for a very good website

Why would you pay monthly for a one-time job?

Also, what if the customers stop paying after the site is ready?

byoung2
When I had a similar business model years ago, the monthly fee included hosting and maintenance. I assume this does too
JSeymourATL
> We're a team of senior developers who help small businesses…

That story is missing from your website.

Small business guy here— I like to know WHO exactly I’m dealing with and key members of the team.

Doesn’t matter if you are located halfway around the world. More important that you understand my needs and are responsive.

Gustomaximus
Isn't this post lightly disguised spam?

Stick the link in 'show' and get some feedback.

dougbarrett
Yea, looks like they're reselling webflow built websites, nothing really to see here. My first web development job was working for an agency that charged $500 setup fee + $49/mo there after. Nothing revolutionary about this.
giantg2
People charge $3k for a basic website? That's seems really high, especially if using something like Wordpress.
jawmes9
The justification I see often is helping with SEO as well
giantg2
I'm not that familiar with SEO, so maybe I've only done some very basics of it. I wouldn't think that would cost that much. You're basically looking for fast pace loads, cross-linking, and keywords, right? Or am I missing some much more involved stuff?
barry-cotter
Your work is worth what someone will pay for it, not what you think it's worth. You're an expert. For you this is quick and easy. Fot them to do something you can do in five hours might take 100 hours, or maybe 200. They'd need to learn how to do it.
ensemblehq
If you're looking to work with small businesses, my advice would be to focus on the solution of what a website solves vs just a straight up website. At the end of the day, small business owners ultimately want to grow their business and see you as a potential option to achieve that along with a website made by a site builder.