Tell HN: I want to solve your problems

5 points by grep 14 years ago | 9 comments

As a developer or an entrepreneur, what are your biggest problems?

thorie 14 years ago |

My biggest problem is resolving disagreements, especially those that have to do with time. Some co-founders work less than others, but negotiating a fluctuating ownership percentage leads to many arguments. As one person's ownership declines, his inclination to work goes down even further in a spiral effect. They lose interest and stop taking initiative on projects. They become an employee: doing the minimum necessary.

The next biggest problem is solving problems that are outside my expertise. I can hack through any code, optimize and scale any database, but I can't figure out how to advertise a product effectively or get users. These problems stem from my lack of ability to network with others effectively.

Of course, I think solving these issues are at the core of the difference between a wanna-be founder and a real founder. I hope I can learn it.

michaeldhopkins 14 years ago |

Thanks. I want you to solve my problems too.

My biggest problem is that I seem to have lost the ability to enter a highly productive state because of interruptions. What do you suggest to help me enter that state more often that allows me to still keep on top of the things I am responsible for?

creativeone 14 years ago | |

Read seven habits of highly effective people. And, be assertive.

stonemetal 14 years ago |

As a developer my biggest problem is my organization's lack of testing across the board(unit testing, automated testing, poor testing done by the test team.) I have been pushing for better testing pretty much since I got here, but haven't made much headway.

As an entrepreneur my biggest problem is enough confidence in any idea to go for it.

curt 14 years ago | |

Let me give you my method, it might help. Don't go head first full bore into an idea at first. Build a quick, cheap prototype with only the main features and see how your target customer responds. Gives you a ton of feedback while validating or invalidating your idea without wasting a huge amounts of time. You might find that you need to pivot your idea or target a different group. So don't waste time and money on an idea before you prove the underlying assumptions.

staunch 14 years ago |

Reall Freaking Big One: Effective advertising.

It's still very much an unsolved problem. Google figured out their end of it, but the end-user is still left out in the cold. Ask anyone who uses AdWords if they think it's an intuitive or pleasant experience.

There are other kinds of advertising ripe for disruption too. A lot of people have money coming online and it's surprisingly hard to spend it effectively.

bmh100 14 years ago | |

staunch13, this is a very fascinating area for me as well, and I am looking to disrupt it. What is your biggest frustration?

8maki 14 years ago |

Studying English. There is no effective and low-cost way to study speaking English while living in Japan.

clistctrl 14 years ago |

I don't know what I don't know. I wish there was a site where I can tell how stupid I am in any subject :D