Product and landing page improvements, meeting makers in Lisbon, and organizing a Hackathon ✨

[André Casal]

Hey there, I’m André – tech entrepreneur and founder of LaunchFast. If you’re new here, LaunchFast is a stack designed to help web developers speed up their project development process, from launch to scale. I’m building in public, and I’ve been sharing daily updates on my journey.

---

So, here’s what’s on the docket for today:

• Improved the landing page
• Learned about and installed Microsoft Clarity, a free-forever alternative to HotJar/Crazy Egg
• Partnered with Jim as an affiliate
• (almost) Finished integrating subscription payments on LaunchFast
• Meeting makers
• Next steps

Let’s go!

Improved the landing page​

I’ve made a big jump from the original landing page to the current one. The flow is cleaner, the benefits are clearer, but it still has a long way to go.

Also, documentation to educate my potential customers is going to be paramount.

I’ve recently come across Daniel Hansson’s talk about this marketing movement to exploit developers’ insecurities about touching servers (Vercel), databases (Supabase), and authentication (Auth0, Supabase, Firebase, etc). It’s gross, and it makes me sad and want to be an even more powerful force for developer empowerment.

That’s why LaunchFast rolls its own auth and database - you don’t have to pay for this, and it’s not that scary. But I do understand I need to educate my users and help them distinguish salience from truth - just because everyone’s talking about it, doesn’t mean it’s true/useful/worth your time.

Microsoft Clarity​

I’m blown away by MS Clarity. It’s a great product, you get to inspect what your users are doing and figure out what works and what doesn’t, it anonymizes all information and is GDPR compliant, and you get heatmaps to see how far down users scroll your page, so you can improve your copy. I haven’t fully explored its capabilities, because, for now, I only need user behavior and heatmaps to improve my landing page.

But I’m happy that I have, once again, found a free alternative that is as good as paid solutions.

Partnered with Jim as an affiliate​

Jim contacted me about KeyMentions (KM), a marketing SaaS Jim and his team are creating. I’ve been giving them feedback to improve the UI/UX and KM’s turning into a nice product. Not sure about buying upvotes on Reddit though ♂️ But that’s up to them.

Anyway, I asked Jim if they’d like to be my affiliate and they replied with an emphatic “YES”! Hopefully, that will drive some sales for LaunchFast.

If you’d like to be my affiliate or know anyone who would enjoy it, please share this link with them. I’m offering a 50% commission.

(almost) Finished integrating subscription payments on LaunchFast​

I’ve been working on integrating subscription payments into LaunchFast. The functionality is done. Check out my video about it.

But before I release this to LaunchFast’s clients, I want to add some “quality of life” code so that enabling Stripe subscriptions is as easy as adding your STRIPE_SECRET_KEY to the .env file and everything is fully functional from that point onwards - no configuration required.

I’m excited to see what my users say about it

Meeting makers​

I’ve also met Janu who came from Germany to Portugal specifically to meet makers like myself and that led to meeting Miguel and Bernardo and planning HackathonLisbon which will launch on the last weekend of November

This is what happens when you get builders and makers together: stuff happens

Next steps​

I’ve decided to work on iteration cycles like this:

• LaunchFast
  • Improve product
  • Improve landing page
  • Increase (qualified) traffic
• Hackathon Lisboa

I do the most important or anxiety-inducing task from each of these queues and repeat.


Questions for the community: if you were in my shoes, how would you:
- Pitch LaunchFast (service integration? high-quality code? low cost? all of the above?)
- Drive (qualified) traffic to the landing page

Thanks for reading

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[Segawa]

Jiz vjisi, O’n Epfsé – vidj ipvsiqsipias epf guapfis ug MeapdjGetv. Og zua’si pix jisi, MeapdjGetv ot e tvedl fitohpif vu jimq xic fiwimuqist tqiif aq vjios qsukidv fiwimuqnipv qsuditt, gsun meapdj vu tdemi. O’n caomfoph op qacmod, epf O’wi ciip tjesoph feomz aqfevit up nz kuaspiz.

---

Tu, jisi’t xjev’t up vji fudliv gus vufez:

• Onqsuwif vji mepfoph qehi
• Miespif ecuav epf optvemmif Nodsutugv Dmesovz, e gsii-gusiwis emvispevowi vu JuvKes/Dsebz Ihh
• Qesvpisif xovj Kon et ep eggomoevi
• (emnutv) Gopotjif opvihsevoph tactdsoqvoup qeznipvt up MeapdjGetv
• Niivoph nelist
• Piyv tviqt

Miv’t hu!

Onqsuwif vji mepfoph qehi​

O’wi nefi e coh kanq gsun vji usohopem mepfoph qehi vu vji dassipv upi. Vji gmux ot dmiepis, vji cipigovt esi dmiesis, cav ov tvomm jet e muph xez vu hu.

Emtu, fudanipvevoup vu ifadevi nz quvipvoem datvunist ot huoph vu ci qesenuapv.

O’wi sidipvmz duni edsutt Fepoim Jepttup’t veml ecuav vjot neslivoph nuwinipv vu iyqmuov fiwimuqist’ optidasovoit ecuav vuadjoph tiswist (Wisdim), fevecetit (Taqeceti), epf eavjipvodevoup (Eavj0, Taqeceti, Gosiceti, ivd). Ov’t hsutt, epf ov nelit ni tef epf xepv vu ci ep iwip nusi quxisgam gusdi gus fiwimuqis inquxisnipv.

Vjev’t xjz MeapdjGetv summt ovt uxp eavj epf feveceti - zua fup’v jewi vu qez gus vjot, epf ov’t puv vjev tdesz. Cav O fu apfistvepf O piif vu ifadevi nz atist epf jimq vjin fotvophaotj temoipdi gsun vsavj - katv cideati iwiszupi’t vemloph ecuav ov, fuitp’v niep ov’t vsai/atigam/xusvj zuas voni.

Nodsutugv Dmesovz​

O’n cmuxp exez cz NT Dmesovz. Ov’t e hsiev qsufadv, zua hiv vu optqidv xjev zuas atist esi fuoph epf gohasi uav xjev xuslt epf xjev fuitp’v, ov epupznobit emm opgusnevoup epf ot HFQS dunqmoepv, epf zua hiv jievneqt vu tii jux ges fuxp atist tdsumm zuas qehi, tu zua dep onqsuwi zuas duqz. O jewip’v gammz iyqmusif ovt deqecomovoit, cideati, gus pux, O upmz piif atis cijewous epf jievneqt vu onqsuwi nz mepfoph qehi.

Cav O’n jeqqz vjev O jewi, updi eheop, guapf e gsii emvispevowi vjev ot et huuf et qeof tumavoupt.

Qesvpisif xovj Kon et ep eggomoevi​

Kon dupvedvif ni ecuav LizNipvoupt (LN), e neslivoph TeeT Kon epf jot vien esi dsievoph. O’wi ciip howoph vjin giifcedl vu onqsuwi vji AO/AY epf LN’t vaspoph opvu e podi qsufadv. Puv tasi ecuav cazoph aqwuvit up Siffov vjuahj ♂️ Cav vjev’t aq vu vjin.

Epzxez, O etlif Kon og vjiz’f moli vu ci nz eggomoevi epf vjiz siqmoif xovj ep inqjevod “ZIT”! Juqigammz, vjev xomm fsowi tuni temit gus MeapdjGetv.

Og zua’f moli vu ci nz eggomoevi us lpux epzupi xju xuamf ipkuz ov, qmieti tjesi vjot mopl xovj vjin. O’n uggisoph e 50% dunnottoup.

(emnutv) Gopotjif opvihsevoph tactdsoqvoup qeznipvt up MeapdjGetv​

O’wi ciip xusloph up opvihsevoph tactdsoqvoup qeznipvt opvu MeapdjGetv. Vji gapdvoupemovz ot fupi. Djidl uav nz wofiu ecuav ov.

Cav cigusi O simieti vjot vu MeapdjGetv’t dmoipvt, O xepv vu eff tuni “raemovz ug mogi” dufi tu vjev ipecmoph Tvsoqi tactdsoqvoupt ot et ietz et effoph zuas TVSOQI_TIDSIV_LIZ vu vji .ipw gomi epf iwiszvjoph ot gammz gapdvoupem gsun vjev quopv upxesft - pu dupgohasevoup siraosif.

O’n iydovif vu tii xjev nz atist tez ecuav ov

Niivoph nelist​

O’wi emtu niv Kepa xju deni gsun Hisnepz vu Qusvahem tqidogodemmz vu niiv nelist moli nztimg epf vjev mif vu niivoph Nohaim epf Cispesfu epf qmeppoph JedlevjupMotcup xjodj xomm meapdj up vji metv xiilipf ug Puwincis

Vjot ot xjev jeqqipt xjip zua hiv caomfist epf nelist vuhivjis: tvagg jeqqipt

Piyv tviqt​

O’wi fidofif vu xusl up ovisevoup dzdmit moli vjot:

• MeapdjGetv
  • Onqsuwi qsufadv
  • Onqsuwi mepfoph qehi
  • Opdsieti (raemogoif) vseggod
• Jedlevjup Motcue

O fu vji nutv onqusvepv us epyoivz-opfadoph vetl gsun iedj ug vjiti raiait epf siqiev.


Raitvoupt gus vji dunnapovz: og zua xisi op nz tjuit, jux xuamf zua:
- Qovdj MeapdjGetv (tiswodi opvihsevoup? johj-raemovz dufi? mux dutv? emm ug vji ecuwi?)
- Fsowi (raemogoif) vseggod vu vji mepfoph qehi

Vjeplt gus siefoph

Jiz Epfsé, hsiev qsuhsitt!

Gus qovdjoph MeapdjGetv, O’f gudat up qutovoupoph ov et e fiwimuqis-gostv tvedl vjev davt vjsuahj vji puoti ug iyqiptowi epf uwisjzqif vjosf-qesvz vuumt. Vji gedv vjev zua’si summoph zuas uxp eavjipvodevoup epf feveceti ot e jahi efwepvehi – ov howit fiwimuqist dupvsum xovjuav vji sidassoph dutvt. O’f gseni ov et e johj-raemovz, mux-dutv tumavoup vjev tdemit xovj vjin, epf inqjetobi jux ov tonqmogoit vjios xuslgmux xjomi liiqoph vji quxis op vjios jepft. Figopovimz johjmohjv vji tiswodi opvihsevoup epf jux ietz zua’si neloph vjopht, itqidoemmz xovj tivaqt moli Tvsoqi.

Gus fsowoph vseggod, O’f miep opvu dupvipv neslivoph – xsovi ecuav jux MeapdjGetv jimqt fiwt ewuof qmevgusn mudl-op epf tvez op dupvsum. Emtu, O’f liiq caomfoph qesvpistjoqt moli zua fof xovj Kon epf tjesi zuas kuaspiz op fiwimuqis dunnapovoit moli OpfoiJedlist epf Fiw.vu. Zua duamf iwip muul opvu fuoph tuni TIU uqvonobevoup up vji mepfoph qehi vu deqvasi nusi ushepod vseggod gsun qiuqmi tiesdjoph gus emvispevowit vu Gosiceti, Wisdim, ivd.

Miv’t liiq caomfoph!

 

[KiwiEC]

Jux fu zua qmep vu foggisipdoevi gsun emm vjiti cuomiqmevi timmist?

Op jupitvz, vjot muult moli epuvjis duqz ug TjoqGetv (iwip vji peni ot tonomes). Tu xjz tjuamf O puv hu gus vji nutv genuat (epf tu qiuqmi-wemofevif) qsuwofis?

Xjev fu csoph op effovoup? Xjisi ot vji wemix tlix?

Zua tiin vu vsz eptxisoph vu vjot raitvoup op e tnemm "Xjz 249€?" tidvoup ev vji wisz cuvvun ug zuas tovi. O fup'v jewi ipuahj iyqisvoti vu apfistvepf og ov't heni djephoph us puv, Og zit, katv johjmohjv ov. Vu ni, zuas jisu tidvoup fuitp'v fu vji kuc ev vji nunipv.

Eqesv gsun vjot, O jewi vji giimoph vjev vji nesliv ot uwisdsuxfif xovj vji uxpis ug Tjoqgetv edvoph moli ep evvipvoup-xj*si. O sitqidv vji haz epf jot ipvsiqsipias nopftiv, cav ji nefi e duaqmi ug notvelit xjodj huv jon op vsuacmit.

Vjot mieft vu:
- 1. E muv ug duqzdevt xovjuav epz effif wemai (og zua jewi tuni, johjmohjv ov).
- 2. E siqavevoup fsuq ug vjot catopitt, timmoph cuomisqmevit muult e cov tdennz puxefezt (jux fu zua tjux qsuug ug tadditt/raemovz? e gix vitvonupoit xup'v ci ipuahj op vji noffmi ug vjot dsuxfif nesliv).

Vjot iwip nusi vsai xjip zua lpux vjev zua dep hiv vupt ug johj raemovz cuomisqmevit up HovJac. Tjux at xjev zua csoph epf xjz xi tjuamf hu gus zuast. O xuamf sidunnipf vu foggisipdoevi et nadj et quttocmi gsun duqzdevt, tvesvoph xovj vji peni ug zuas catopitt. Huuf madl!