SAAS Execution, Dane Maxwell style

[lolo08]

any update?

 

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[MartinH]

Yeah definitely, here's my update:
I stopped pursuing the Dane Maxwell path although I found many problems to solve along the way.
I solved one of those problems myself (no SaaS, just sold the finished product). It took me about 3 days to program and put $2k in my bank account. That was definitely the most money I ever earned in such a short time.
One business owner who I met twice even wanted me to market a finished product that he had been working on in his free time but after long consideration I declined It simply wasn't what I wanted. My heart wasn't in it.

You see, I just turned 22 and until recently I couldn't name any skill that I'm good at. Good enough to charge money for.
Now Dane's philosophy is that you don't actually have to have technical skills, you just need to ask the right questions, create a mockup and let the pros take over. This is not who I am.
I started programming because it was something I really wanted to learn and also because I believe that not understanding how web applications work and (more importantly) what they can do is really negligent considering the time in which we're living. Luckily I found a mentor for RoR and I'm currently working for that mentor.
I also just finished my MVP for the learning platform I want to create and this is something I'm really really excited about, it's simply something that resonated with me.
My last company was a learning application for law students and it didn't take off because I neglected many vital aspects of that business and barely did any market research.
I learned a lot from that experience and I'll do it better this time.
In September I'll move to Berlin to work on my Start-Up and maybe join an incubator and also to find a third co-founder for my project.

 

[FLYmk]

Interesting to read a bit about your journey. The question I have is 'What is the best use of your time?' Honestly, jumping around in programming could take you months (just a guess as I don't know your learning capabilities) but generally you should focus on who you ARE, not who you WANT to be...because the value of your time doesn't change.

Finding who you are is worth the weeks it could take discover.

 

[Deleted25186]

I am currently a student in Germany and just curious.
How and where did you find a "mentor" for Ruby
and how are the projects going at the moment?

 

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[MartinH]

I wasn't looking for a "mentor", I was simply looking for freelance developers in my proximity to work for (because I needed money). And when I met a developer I liked I offered to work for him and as it turned out I couldn't program my way out of a paper bag so luckily instead of ditching me he decided to show me the ropes. He probably wouldn't consider himself my mentor, more like my employer but that's alright with me, I'm learning a LOT from that guy. And projects are going pretty well.

 

[najz]

MartinH, You are my inspiration and made my day. Thank You.

 

[Fotis]

Really loved the thread Martin!

Any update on how your projects go?

 

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[SEBASTlAN]

any progress @MartinH ?

 

[Bingo]

Yeah definitely, here's my update:
I stopped pursuing the Dane Maxwell path although I found many problems to solve along the way.
I solved one of those problems myself (no SaaS, just sold the finished product). It took me about 3 days to program and put $2k in my bank account. That was definitely the most money I ever earned in such a short time.
One business owner who I met twice even wanted me to market a finished product that he had been working on in his free time but after long consideration I declined It simply wasn't what I wanted. My heart wasn't in it.

You see, I just turned 22 and until recently I couldn't name any skill that I'm good at. Good enough to charge money for.
Now Dane's philosophy is that you don't actually have to have technical skills, you just need to ask the right questions, create a mockup and let the pros take over. This is not who I am.
I started programming because it was something I really wanted to learn and also because I believe that not understanding how web applications work and (more importantly) what they can do is really negligent considering the time in which we're living. Luckily I found a mentor for RoR and I'm currently working for that mentor.
I also just finished my MVP for the learning platform I want to create and this is something I'm really really excited about, it's simply something that resonated with me.
My last company was a learning application for law students and it didn't take off because I neglected many vital aspects of that business and barely did any market research.
I learned a lot from that experience and I'll do it better this time.
In September I'll move to Berlin to work on my Start-Up and maybe join an incubator and also to find a third co-founder for my project.

Hi Martin,

I am a Berlin-based artist with an entrepreneurial mind. I would like to get in contact with you about your experience at the foundation. can you please drop a line at pronto@casamarziano.com ? Would be nice to grab a beer too

cheers

Matteo

 

[YaWeil]

Thanks Martin for this great thread. I just discovered Dane a few weeks ago, and am about to jump right into idea extraction, so reading this has spared me a lot of trial and error I think.

I'm also interested in how your journey progressed. Would you mind sharing some updates? Thanks in advance, and keep it up!

 

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