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28 Comments

What assumptions have you made that support the existence of your business?

https://outofbeta.fm/episodes/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-QeMhyvqE

I was listening to a podcast by @mattwensing and his co-founder Peter.

They both had key assumptions on why their businesses should exist. They use them when times get hard or they need a confidence boost.

I think it is a great way for IHs to think about their businesses.

I look forward to seeing your replies in the comments.

Podcast - https://outofbeta.fm/episodes/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-QeMhyvqE

submitted this linkon September 5, 2019
  1. 7

    Versoly - Easily build a SaaS marketing site that actually converts

    Key assumptions:

    • Current tools are broken (built by hand, templates, other landing page builders, Wordpress)
    • More companies are looking at static sites as the solution to slow loading, high costs etc
    • SaaS is growing (We might not be able to get that many users to swap from their current systems but new SaaS companies are created everyday)
    • More collaboration on SaaS marketing sites (copywriters/SEO experts/etc)
    1. 1

      It improved a lot from the last time I checked it. Good job! I would change "roles" with "people", when you describe who can benefit from using Versoly

      What CMS are you using for the blog?

      1. 1

        Thanks!

        We used Ghost and converted it to a static site using wizardry :)

        1. 1

          Looks great.

          I understand that it is far from being a priority for you, but the possibility to add a blog would be great.

          1. 1

            Once a paying customer asks for it we will work on it asap :), that is our motto at the moment.

            It is also on the roadmap and should get done in the next 8 weeks.

        2. 1

          I am interested in this for zohunt.com. Any article on how to convert Ghost to wizardry?

          1. 1

            We used https://www.npmjs.com/package/ghost-static-site-generator then I wrote a custom python script to fix some issues it had.

    2. 1

      Your product is awesome! Better than almost everything I've tried. So much potential. Maybe you can introduce a paid marketplace for people to provide their own configurable components. ;)

      1. 2

        You have read my mind :), that is on the roadmap, complex pricing tables is the first thing to come to mind. I have seen cool demo pages as well.

        1. 1

          I recall the other thread about IH's helping each other. I think brainstorming online / providing feedback might be a useful thing to do. Perhaps we should host a regular online meetup for that. ;)

          1. 3

            @AntCas hosts https://www.indiehackers.com/post/15475103af which is good.

            There is also https://dialup.com/

            It is hard to get people to meetup from what I have seen.

            1. 1

              Thanks for the shoutout Volkan 😁

              For anyone interested, our next meetup is on the 12th and Courtland will be there answering questions.

              RSVP:
              https://www.mixily.com/event/3989256877746782315

  2. 6

    B2B SaaS Marketing Playbook — The no-fluff, tactical marketing playbook for B2B SaaS Founders

    Key assumptions:

    • We look for stories or references. The best storytellers will thrive. The most concise teachers will thrive. Weak stories and references will not.
    • After lots of testing, companies reach escape velocity with a handful of growth tactics. A no-fluff reference of hundreds of tactics used in an industry is useful.
    • Some of us learn better by pattern matching (seeing lots of concrete examples) than theory (abstract ideas).
    1. 1
      • Agree we need concise information, so many books that could be blog posts and blog posts that could be bullet points.
      • Yep so many tactics that are not talked about due to other tactics being pushed by "experts"
  3. 5

    Not assumptions, but I put together a quick Google doc to remind me why my idea has legs and how big the market is.

    I call it the "When I Get Discouraged" doc - maybe some indie hackers would find it interesting.

    1. 2

      This is a great idea! I struggle with discouragement sometimes as well, it might be a good idea to put something like this together for myself. Thanks for the inspiration!

    2. 2

      Very nice. I like the charts.

  4. 3

    NotifyCore - Track and Monitor Scripts and Jobs with Simple HTTP Requests

    Key assumptions

    • There's a market in between cron monitoring services and full blown log and alerting platforms
    • More companies will appreciate SaaS products that don't need access to their infrastructure
    • Developers will believe in a product that gets the basics right first, but has a vision for the future
    1. 1

      Was just thinking about how to track my jobs the other day. This looks so simple and awesome. 👏🏻

      1. 1

        Thanks! If you see anything that's missing or have other feedback, let me know.

  5. 3

    Testerbot - Automatic Web Application Testing

    • Test Automation is generally redundant and can be repeated across products. We use reusable modules for development, but not so much for testing. This problem manifested across the 20+ teams that I've worked on and hundreds of clients I've consulted for.
    • There isn't enough time or enough resources to test/automate everything. More and more companies are relying on SaaS products.
    • Customers will pay you if you can help boost their productivity, increase sales, or reduce costs
    1. 2

      I agree with all them assumptions.

      Signed up to the waitlist :)

  6. 2

    PartnerPave — The fact that big businesses like Verizon, Sprint, Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, Hulu, and T-Mobile are doing it.

  7. 1

    Smart Diet Calculator for everyone

    I made these assumptions while reading the "The Mom Test" book.

    If the project were to fail, what would kill it?

    • No one wants to see foods to have a healthy diet.
    • Everybody is convinced they already eat well.

    What should be true to be a huge success?

    • There are people who want to eat healthy, not wasting time for the tracking.
    • There are people who already do this, but pay much more.
  8. 1

    Privasim.com -, Privacy Oriented Apps and Services listed in one place. Also provides a simulator about data collection to create a need to End User.

    Key Assumptions:

    • DApps (Decentralized Applications) and Blockchain is still considered a niche.
    • Millennials and GenZ are not fund of searching multiple sites that offers the same thing, which is why AirBNB is a hit in these demographics (It's too tiring for us)
    • Tech Adoption requires an urgency which is what the simulator is for.
    • Dapp stores are too complicated to use for end users.
    1. 1

      Proofreading note on the homepage, should be "simple" instead of "simplistic".

  9. 1

    1brand.co - Easy brand guidelines that are better than PDFs

    Key assumptions:

    • Branding is a key advantage for those that do it well, and this is increasingly true as markets become saturated.
    • Agencies offer tremendous value with their branding, but their cost structures are out of reach for many SMBs.
    • If we can build software that makes branding more efficient, more effective, and more accessible, then everyone wins.