If you're running a business or startup of some kind, you'll appreciate this Hacker News thread where a reader asks: What made your business take off that you wish you'd done much earlier? Good question, and the 470+ comments means a lot of people have an opinion on this.
Definitely check out the full thread but here are some of the top or most-discussed suggestions:
- Market – I can see why people put this off. It's expensive and certainly not as fun.
- Monetize / Charge / Charge More – This is an interesting one. Do you wait because you're afraid monetizing devalues your reputation? Or do you go for it? Interestingly, one of the commenters that recommends this is making $10k per month from ads on a solitaire website. Crazy!
- Invest in SEO – We're definitely past the point where you can 'get there first' and win when it comes to SEO, so this is a good suggestion that I'm sure a lot of people overlook.
- Become a Specialist – Would only apply to certain types of businesses, but I love this advice. I think it's great to be able to say you're the go-to person for a particular niche within your industry.
Lots of the suggestions are quite in-depth so I didn't have the space to include them here in my brief intro. But I'm sure many of you will benefit from a lot of the comments if you're looking for ways to make your product or service take off.
Now on to this week's hand-picked productivity links!
