The interviewed I mentioned earlier got rescheduled due to technical difficulties, but it is now up on Mixergy’s site. You can see it here.
Topics include:
- Why would teachers want to play bingo anyhow?
- How did you pull this off while full-time employed?
- What is it like being a Japanese salaryman?
- What is the next product? (Spoiler: Not telling you yet, come back in May.)
- How did you get traction early at the start?
- How do you make your processes more reliable to maximize on the effectiveness of your time?
I’m pretty happy with how it came out, although given that it was about 2 in the morning when I recorded it due to time zone differences, sometimes my ability to speak in coherent sentences leaves a bit to be desired. If you have any questions, feel free to comment here or there.
The interview was really good. I watched it live. The crazy work weeks that included sleeping at that hotel sounded intense.
Is it strange not working so much since your started working on your own software full time?
Also, do you have any product launch tips? I’m about to release an iPhone app on Tuesday and I noticed on Twitter that you are about to release your new product too.
It has been a bit of an adjustment to not working salaryman hours, but I’m loving it. I’ve seen my friends more in the last 6 weeks than in the 6 months prior to that. I’m taking to almost every member of my immediate family every week, sometimes multiple times a week. I’m going to church and the gym again on a very regular basis. And I’m making progress on the business.
The isolation is taking a bit to get used to, though. If I don’t actively push myself out of the house on a weekday, I’d never speak to anyone. There is also a social angle to consider: you fit into Japanese life very easily as a company employee and not quite so easily as a solo entrepreneur. That isn’t a trivial consideration when you get stopped on the street by the cops, who ask you why you’re in a residential neighborhood at 3:30 PM (when any decent Japanese salaryman is at the office… and I was enjoying a stroll in the spring air).
Blog about your product launch and ask your friends to do the same. Other than that, take a look at Peldi’s startup marketing tips — they are fantastic.
http://balsamiq.com/blog/2008/08/05/startup-marketing-advice-from-balsamiq-studios/
Nice. Sounds l like the transition is going well. The solo software entrepreneur is definitely a recent invention so I guess it comes with some awkwardness for people who have no idea about software or online business (most people).
I’m actually sort of going in the opposite direction. I’ve been programming iPhone apps alone for almost a year but now I’m applying for jobs and looking to work with other people more. I’m glad I got myself in the mode of making things myself though. Definitely going to continue doing that.
Thanks for tips and the link to Peldi’s article. Lots of good stuff and long term marketing strategies there.