

Ask HN: Should I pretend that my startup is already successful? - whitelies

For SEO reasons (after reading patio11's greatest hits), I'm starting a blog in parallel to developing my webapp.<p>Now, I realize that I could write posts in two different tones: admit that I'm at the very early stages of this product and that I don't have users yet, <i>or</i> I could talk like I already have several users and I'm talking about some topic because someone mailed me about it, and I felt like clearing things up.<p>Even features could be presented in this way: "Several folks have asked me to implement X, so I finally did it this weekend. Tell me what you guys think about it."<p>The first is the one I'm naturally inclined, but by judging by some unanswered emails I've sent, being sincere this way makes you look like you're begging for them, and no one likes that (aka a loser).<p>The second one would be a "white lie" which would make customers feel safer and confident about the webapp. This might also make them less forgiving to any errors I make in the early days.
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robfitz
Depends a bit who you're selling to and what you're selling. Governments
organisations have special data requirements that are difficult for a small
startup to reliably promise, for example. Clients and big brands want reliable
phone & tech support for at least a year, and need to know your tech can
handle the scale they operate at. There again, you'll need to posture as
larger and more stable than you are.

But just because you're at a disadvantage in these types of sales, I still
wouldn't recommend misleading anyone, since it's inviting disaster -- I'd
suggest choosing products/customers where small is okay.

One time purchases that don't rely on support, upgrades, or workflow changes
are easiest for big customers to buy from startups. On the other hand,
consumers enjoy supporting small businesses with small purchases, so I think
it's always in you radvantage to be honest there.

Jason Cohen's post on this is good and he's far more knowledgable than I:
[http://blog.asmartbear.com/convert-shortcomings-into-
advanta...](http://blog.asmartbear.com/convert-shortcomings-into-advantages-
without-lying.html)

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whitelies
I have to find some early adopters then.

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spooneybarger
What do you gain from these lies?

What do you risk if you are exposed?

