HN Explorer

ask: My internal startup tool is more successful than my product

6 points by DrorY ↗ HN
I'm an early staged startup. I've built a beautiful social playlist that can be embedded into every web platform (wordpress, website, facebook, etc.).

It's gaining its first users very slowly.

As part of my attempts to understand my user's needs I also built a dashboard where I share my internal analytics, tasks, bugs, features, income & expenses, communications with other companies and users. I share this dashboard with my power users (altogether something like 10 people).

The responses of the power users are overwhelming. They seem to be really enjoying this honesty and feel as if they there are taking an active part in my startup's life. I think this internal tool I've developed has greater potential than my original social playlist application.

I am thinking of giving this internal tool a chance, but I don't know if it's worth it. Making this internal tool into a standalone product will take a couple of months.

What do you think? Would you use such a product (both as a startup and as a power user)? Have you heard of startups pivoting and making their internal side tools into their main business?

9 comments

[ 0.22 ms ] story [ 35.4 ms ] thread
snaveint
Basecamp (37signals) was created as an internal tool and ended up being so useful they developed it into a product.
DrorY
Didn't 37signals start off as a consulting business, building applications for customers?
nionio
I would suggest you to do some more research. Maybe put up a landing page for your dashboard product and see with web analytics how many people are actually clicking on the "buy" button for the unfinished product. Compare that with the traction you get for your social playlist. In addition, look at the market and competition in both fields.

Many companies do pivots like that but the hardest part is always to make an educated decision and not to pivot around in circles.

DrorY
The tough thing is attracting people to a simple landing page. Google adsense won't even let you advertise a plain landing page.
sagacity
I think you just may have a great possible opportunity staring you in the face. At the minimum, don't just wash it off.

> Have you heard of startups pivoting and making their internal side tools into their main business?

Even if it may not have happened before, it doesn't mean it can't happen. After all, there's a first time for everything. :)

All the best moving forward.

strick
Twitter started as a side-project while the founders were busy working on odeo.com. Which one have you heard of?
pkamb
Can you show it to us?
kellros
Perhaps you've learned a vital viral startup method: Passion and no pay goes a long way making something that is meant to be free and useful.