43 of 57
Home/r/SideProject/#7924
70

How to waste 2 Year while building a startup.

r/SideProject
8/15/2025

Content Summary

The post discusses the author's experience of wasting two years building a startup without proper marketing. He emphasizes the importance of marketing over building, as even the best product is useless if no one knows about it. The author shares common pitfalls developers face, such as building for no market, overloading features, and not validating ideas before development. He suggests focusing on marketing from the start, creating content, and engaging with potential users. Several commenters agree, sharing similar experiences and discussing strategies for effective marketing, including 'Build in Public,' content creation, and early customer engagement.

Opinion Analysis

Mainstream opinion in the post and comments is that developers often focus too much on building and neglect marketing, leading to failure. Most commenters agree that marketing should be done before or during development, and that many startups fail because they don't validate their ideas or engage with their target audience. There is also a strong emphasis on the importance of 'Build in Public' and content creation as effective marketing strategies. Some debate whether it's better to build first or market first, but most agree that marketing is essential for success. A few commenters express concerns about the risk of others copying their ideas, but the general consensus is that marketing is more critical than fear of competition.

SAAS TOOLS

SaaSURLCategoryFeatures/Notes
CommuteTimelyhttps://commutetimely.vercel.app/Productivity/TravelA travel-related tool for commuters
runbotai.comhttp://runbotai.comAI/ToolsAn AI-based platform
bundle.socialhttp://bundle.socialSocial MediaA social media system
PanFlightshttps://panflights.com/TravelA flexible travel search engine
Gemini-AIAn AI model that can understand tool quality

USER NEEDS

Pain Points:

  • Ignoring marketing and focusing only on building
  • Not validating the market before starting development
  • Overloading products with unnecessary features
  • Building solutions without first identifying a clear problem
  • Lack of knowledge about effective marketing strategies

Problems to Solve:

  • How to avoid wasting time on unmarketable products
  • How to balance building and marketing effectively
  • How to validate ideas before investing time in development
  • How to build products that solve real user problems
  • How to learn and implement marketing techniques

Potential Solutions:

  • Focus on marketing from the start, not just after product completion
  • Conduct market research and competition analysis before building
  • Build simple, focused products that solve specific problems
  • Engage with potential users early to validate the idea
  • Learn and apply marketing strategies like 'Build in Public' or content creation

GROWTH FACTORS

Effective Strategies:

  • Marketing before building
  • Creating content and being consistent
  • Focusing on problem-solving rather than feature overload
  • Engaging with the target audience early
  • Learning from other builders and communities

Marketing & Acquisition:

  • Using platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram for promotion
  • Building a presence through 'Build in Public' communities
  • Creating a waitlist or engaging with potential customers before launching
  • Sharing progress and learning experiences publicly

Monetization & Product:

  • Starting with small, sustainable products instead of billion-dollar ideas
  • Focusing on solving real user problems to achieve product-market fit
  • Prioritizing simplicity over complexity in product design
  • Leveraging early feedback to refine the offering

User Engagement:

  • Consistently sharing updates and progress
  • Engaging with the community through discussions and content
  • Building relationships with potential users through direct interaction
  • Using social proof and testimonials to attract attention