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I can build anything, but only the void sees it

9 points by urbanogt5 ↗ HN
In the past month I built 10+ different ideas. Some games, some SaaS, some free tools. But I get no one using it, other than friends and family.

I need to find someone that can cover this part. Anyone up for building cool stuff?

14 comments

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almarcher
What types of things are you working on, I'm looking for a partner(s).
posterity
Hey. I'm technical and suspect you are as well, given you are focused on building ideas. It took me a while to figure out a marketing motion that built momentum and attracted people I didn't know to my tools.

Is marketing at all interesting to you? Because the starting point for me has been engaging with people actively talking about the problem my tools solve or in communities that would find games interesting or informative.

Happy to share more if you're in a spot where you've been trying to figure it out but it hasn't clicked yet. Also understand if you're more in the "I'd rather partner with someone else instead" camp.

mmarian
Try YC's co-founder matching platform. Start broad, then apply filters.
Leftium
Examine your list of 10+ ideas you built. Can you identify the "starving crowd" for each of them? Does a starving crowd even exist?

Lots of ideas seem cool. Far fewer ideas are are easy to sell. And often the ideas that are easy to sell are not the same as the cool ideas.

That's why I think building/marketing ideas "backwards" can be more effective. Certainly less risky. First identify the "starving crowd." Then build a hamburger for them[1].

If you identify a painful problem, people will ask how to pay for it even before you start development. I've witnessed this in person. If you describe the problem better than the prospects themselves, they will just assume you have the solution.

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[1]: "Starving crowd" story by Gary Halbert, one of the most successful marketers: https://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/direct_mark...

fragmede
Interview people who are vibecoding their dreams but are hitting the vibe wall. That's a pain point that's out there.
purple-leafy
I’m in the same boat and was considering teaming up with someone who can handle the “void” part for me because it’s extremely demoralising.

And it’s worse because I’ve had some projects do well. I recently built this browser word game for 6+ months which is dead in the water [0] so I’m thinking of pivoting it (to an llm benchmark environment)

[0] https://snibble.gg

hahahaa
It was hard enough pre-AI but now every person and their dog has 10 apps. I am not sure there is a magic marketing person that can take idea X and make lots of people use it. More like keep trying and get feedback. Find something those friends and family can't put down and pester you for features and fixes. Keep building, good luck!