

Ask HN: should you be 37Signals if there is no Microsoft? - keiferski

By that I mean: if there is no adequate solution to the problem you're solving, should you still aim to be super simplistic? The market I'm targeting <i>doesn't actually have</i> an adequate solution. There is no overly complex project management tool for me to streamline and simplify.<p>My potential customers are also essentially users of both; the simple and the complex/feature rich. As such, I'm worried that I will make my product <i>too simple,</i> alienating my "professional" customer base in the process. Ditto for vice versa.<p>My current thinking: be both super simple <i>and</i> feature rich; just package them as separate products. I.E. Basic Edition at $25/month, and Pro Edition at $49/month.  Thoughts?
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patio11
I think you think 37signals competes with Microsoft. 37Signals thinks it
competes with _email_.

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keiferski
37 complains about Microsoft all the time, so I just used them. Replace MS
with any large corporation that makes "bloated" software.

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petervandijck
You mistake the "low end" and "simplicity" for value and price.

If your product is very simple but solves a big problem, you provide a lot of
value and therefore can ask for a lot of money.

Amount of features != price. Value = price.

Search for the one or two features that offer a LOT of value, then charge a
lot of money, and forget all the other features.

Also, don't charge 49$/m. If they pay 49$, they'll pay 79$ or 99$, plus you
have more money to acquire customers.

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mtrn
One aspect is resources. Do you have the resources to put in 50 features
before you get your first feedback from an actual customer (who will provide
you with their wishlist of 50 new features you'll might want to implement)?

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keiferski
Great point. I don't have a ton of resources, so it does seem easier to attack
the low end first.

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christophe971
I would also argue that Microsoft didn't put out Windows Seven on their first
day of business. They put out DOS, which they didn't even really create.

Try your best to do a simple product, it is hard enough as it is. And you'll
get honest feedback from "simple" clients, which will be very useful if you
want to create something with much more features down the road.

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Mz
Complex problems don't always need complex solutions. Elegant solutions tend
to be superior anyway. You can add bells and whistles later, to keep it fresh
and growing, so your target market doesn't move on to the next 'ooh, shiny'.

