

Ask HN: What Are Some Things I Can Do To Help My Startup Be Successful?  - zxlk21e

I&#x27;m a first time startup founder. I&#x27;ve been doing the &quot;work for myself&quot; thing for the last decade... finally stopped doing &quot;me-too&quot; sites and rolled up the sleeves to build something that doesn&#x27;t exist.<p>I&#x27;m a horrible marketer and I don&#x27;t have deep pockets. For the record, my startup is a hobby marketplace. Overcoming the chicken and egg scenario with bounties and incentives placed on listing &quot;wanted&quot; items, leverage special relationships not available to the general public of collectors... essentially focusing on bringing liquidity to markets where it traditionally has not existed.<p>My space is one where the light from the Techcrunch&#x27;s of the world doesn&#x27;t shine. I really don&#x27;t have the opportunity that many of the tech startups do.
======
Sujan
Go where your hobbyists are right now. Forums, usenet, blogs, mailing lists,
whatever. Tell them about it, why it's better than what is there right now,
and ask them for feedback.

If it is two-sided (as almost all market places are), go to where the sellers
are, too. Contact them individually, they will be happy to find better
marketplaces.

~~~
zxlk21e
Excellent feedback. This is exactly what I've done and it does work. Now I
just need to get them to stick around and actually use the thing.

