
Tell HN: just made my first dollar on the Internet from my freemium web app - combiclickwise
..and I am surprised at how good it feels. Its not much (just $12) but I feel it is a huge mental step forward for me, which I thought many here could relate to :-)
======
leftnode
If you don't get a high, a rush from selling something to someone, you're not
cut out to be an entrepreneur.

Congratulations on your first sale.

Last month I sold my first piece of software online and I literally woke my
wife up to tell her. I also sell guns and gun accessories. Last night, a
customer purchased $1100 worth of products. In an industry with tough and
large competition, we somehow convinced him through our website to give us
$1100 of his money. Two years later and my business partner and I still send
each other texts when an order comes through.

It's such an amazing feeling.

Again, congratulations on your first sale and I hope many more to come for
you.

~~~
bjonathan
Sidenote, I dont want to be a buzzkill but be carefull with your 1100$. I
worked for an ecommerce website a few months ago, when we launched we received
big orders we were so happy but unfortunately it's turn out that we had been
scammed by people with stolen credit card. Scammers are always looking for new
ecommerce to scam, they love ecommerce that are fresh because it's easier to
scam newbies :/

I know nothing about your business, and I wish you all the luck in the world,
just wanted to warn you. Congratulations for your work ! (and your energy :) !
)

~~~
cullenking
Since he is selling firearms, he'll be shipping to a FFL located in the state
of the purchases. Buying firearms is (usually) highly regulated, so the
background and ID checks to complete the purchase should rule out most chances
of fraud.

------
RiderOfGiraffes
I remember getting my first check through the post, and the first time someone
handed me cash. This was 15 years ago, and I still remember them clearly.

Well done.

May I make a suggestion? Start keeping a diary. Nothing big, nothing fancy,
just notes about things like this. If you become an entrepreneur full-time
you'll want to go back and read about days like this.

Congratulations.

~~~
leftnode
Yup, a small Moleskine notebook is perfect. Fits in your pocket and you can
jot down milestones like this.

~~~
edvinasbartkus
It will cost him $12 he just earned! But Moleskine is great, not loosing the
shape for many years and it is great to have it many years after :)

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Sodaware
I have my email client set up to play a cash register sound every time an
order goes through. It sounds dumb, but it never gets old.

~~~
chopsueyar
I actually recently set up something similar. I use opengateway with
authorize.net and it will post to a url during a transaction. I have it post
to a local server, that plays a specific .wav file depending on the
transaction type.

There are 5 transaction types and I use a slot machine, cash register, bells,
and crowd cheering noises.

Got the idea from this movie <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251757/>

~~~
rabidonrails
Ours play Shoot To Thrill (AC/DC)

------
csomar
Good move. Yesterday, I got around $5 from Squidoo for a lens that suddenly
become popular and was able to get 300 views in a month. I made it, if I
remember well, months ago and forgot about it. But man, it only took me 10 or
15 minutes to make it and that was all I have done.

So I thought about it and decided to dig in for some keywords and create even
more pages. If I only have 20 lenses like that, it would make me $100 a month.
Not that much, but nice money to pay my Internet, phone and SaaS bills.

I'm writing this comment to tell you that I feel your happiness. Although it's
a very small and tiny amount of money, you are very happy. I know it, because
I'm feeling it right now.

May be it's the effect of money that comes from selling products and not
working under a boss. Already felt it when selling scripts on CodeCanyon.

Nice work and now improve and promote more your product!

~~~
dspillett
> May be it's the effect of money that comes from selling products and not
> working under a boss.

I think it is more of an affirmation thing. It was for me first time I was
paid for a product all those years ago. It was originally written (quite
naively and so badly in many ways, but it worked!) because I needed it so it
didn't have to make money: but when it did it felt very good because someone
else thought that my work was worth paying a little for.

------
dangravell
Many congratulations, and thank you. "Thank you" because I know from my own
experience that these kinds of posts are extremely motivational.

I made my first sale a year and a half ago, and recently increased the sales
so that I could go full time. Maybe I should've followed my own advice and
posted it on HN: [http://www.elstensoftware.com/blog/2011/01/21/going-
fulltime...](http://www.elstensoftware.com/blog/2011/01/21/going-fulltime/)

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks and congrats on going full time

------
geoffw8
We've just put up a calendar on the wall, crossing off the days we're making
money.

Feels VERY good!

~~~
combiclickwise
Nice take on the Seinfeld technique. I will try this.

~~~
cot6mur3
Thanks for naming the idea. For those wondering what the Seinfeld technique is
but who are too lazy to Google at the moment:
<http://www.nevblog.com/motivations-the-seinfeld-calendar/>.

------
shazow
Congratulations!!

I just started last month too, and my first batch of customers with recurring
payments are about to recur tomorrow. I'm both incredibly excited and worried
(no one unsubscribed yet).

~~~
combiclickwise
Thats awesome. :-)

------
thomasb
Congrats! It is a big deal. Now while sales < 1000000 do ;)

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks. :-)

------
hanswahn
I'm still waiting for my first dollar from my password generating android app
"Password Specialist". It was added in Dec 2010 to the market and still 0
sales :)

~~~
socialmediaking
hate to be a stick in the mud, but aren't passwords hard enough to remember
when they're not randomly generated?

------
cnamshspairne
I love reading stories like this.

There is no greater motivator than seeing that first sale or first deal come
through the door. I've been lucky enough to have that feeling with two
companies now - and it never gets old or tired.

I love the comments about waking/emailing PayPal receipts to wives. I did the
same thing. I still do when I good sized deals come through. As leftnode said
- that's the high of being an entrepreneur.

Congratulations on the sale. Hopefully it will be the first of many. It's a
really good idea - I've forwarded it on to a few friends in PR and marketing
agencies. Hopefully at least one or two of them will send $12 your way before
long...

~~~
combiclickwise
oh thats great. Thanks a ton for the forwards

------
goombastic
Congratulations! It probably is the sweetest feeling ever, esp the feeling you
get when you realise that something you built was of value to someone else.

I demand a "first sale party" on behalf of those of us who aren't YC funded.
:)

~~~
combiclickwise
yes... I am up for it

------
vgurgov
Congratulations on your first sale! Ysd I had another sale on my 4-month old
startup, so I know how it feels to get this paypal/gateway emails.

Good luck!

------
wiradikusuma
congrats on your first dollar! i had exactly the same experience last week!

i bought a domain more than a year ago, been doing development ever since but
progressing very slow (it's a solo project and i have a full time job). last
month renewal notice showed up and made me think, "wow, it's been a year, and
it's still in my laptop."

now it has been launched. and last week i got my first paying customer. i
literally cried and jumping around in excitement, and immediately gtalked my
girlfriend. very stupid considering it's less than $10, but it gave proof that
"my idea works" (it's just an e-commerce for Indonesia market).

anyway, nice work and always positive minded :)

~~~
combiclickwise
>>>now it has been launched. and last week i got my first paying customer. i
literally cried and jumping around in excitement, and immediately gtalked my
girlfriend. very stupid considering it's less than $10, but it gave proof that
"my idea works" (it's just an e-commerce for Indonesia market).

Thats how a felt. Please post the link

------
artmageddon
I have yet to break into web development(and start a company etc. to make
money online) but I finally finished an app for a local business that has
started making payments to me. Getting checks feels nice. Congrats!! :)

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks

wow.. its amazing how many of us share this feeling about the first sale

every sale actually. congrats

------
thenomad
Congratulations. It's a huge moment when you suddenly realise you've made
something that strangers on the internet are willing to give you actual cash
for.

I'm still slightly bemused by it myself :)

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks

------
lolizbak
This must feel good indeed, congrats! You just did the MVP of customer
development. And a great prototype for brand monitoring. Good luck!

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks. It does and is also very motivating. I feel that if I can sell one I
can sell more.

I am thinking of working on the UI and the positioning a bit more.

------
someonetrue
Congrats. Happy for you. It is a $12 you will remember all your life. Relish
it.

------
pdenya
Congrats! I just sold my first product online last month. Great feeling.

------
mleonhard
Congrats! I'm anticipating my first sales early next month.

~~~
combiclickwise
best of luck

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rmc
congrats! Just repeat a few times (!) and you're rich :)

~~~
combiclickwise
I am on it already :)

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ssebro
Congrats- I'll have a beer for you!

~~~
combiclickwise
lol Thanks

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democracy
Well done, congratulations!

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks

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strepx
congratulation on your first sale. few years back i as one of you :)

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks. feels great. You can post your story so we know the road ahead :-)

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moblivu
Congratulations mate ! :D

~~~
combiclickwise
Thank you

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JoshKalkbrenner
Congrats!!!

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lamby
Congratulations!

Link? :)

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks. Here it is <http://www.trackthisnow.com/>

~~~
thomasb
Very cool app

~~~
combiclickwise
Thanks.. It was originally designed as a free software. I introduced the paid
option when I realized there was a demand for it, especially from the PR
industry.

------
jijoy
Congrats on first sale :) What's your app's url ? Share with us ....

~~~
combiclickwise
here it is <http://www.trackthisnow.com/>

