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Growing to 800K users with this 1 strategy
Plus: Productivity Tools, Facebook reacting to AI, and more
Jamasen Rodriguez
June 16, 2023
What’s up side hustlers, Jamasen here, CEO of LoopGenius and author of Beyond9to5. If you’re new here every week we’ll cover one major tactic to grow your business, the latest news in AI, and awesome tools and resources.
In today’s edition
☝️ Tactic: Talking to users
🤖 Tools: Productivity, Branding, and more
🗞️ News: Facebook reacts to AI + 3 real passive income side hustles
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🔥 Tools for Side Hustlers 🛠️
🔍️ What we found for you this week 🔍️
VideoTap - Turn video content into 10x more content across platforms. This is one tool Gary Vee would love for everyone to use.
BeforeSunset - Productivity and time management are key skills to running a businesses, especially if you’re building one on the side. BeforeSunset is a killer app to help manage your day and get sh*t done.
BrandNames - This one is less of a tool, but a great guide to teach you the science of selecting a name for your company. A great read for sharpening your branding skillset.
LoopGenius - Working on a side hustle or need to amplify your reach on social media? LoopGenius leverages AI to make it incredibly easy to start. Build a landing page for your next idea, find influencers to engage with, and write great content.
Simple growth tactic that turned this side hustle into a 800K user platform
Hint: they say feedback is a gift.
Have you ever dreamed of turning your side hustle into a successful product? In today’s tech world, it’s pretty common to stumble upon inspiring stories of startups that began as humble side hustles. But spinning a side gig into a platform that 800,000 people love is no easy feat. And that’s exactly what JDoodle just did.
JDoodle is a coding startup where developers explore 70+ languages on one platform. The most surprising part? The company has been bootstrapped up until now.
They didn’t have funding. They didn’t spend money on marketing. They worked with a small team. So how exactly did JDoodle go from side project to a company goaling on 8 million users in the next 2 years?
If you’re somewhat immersed in the startup scene, you’ve probably heard this advice before: solve problems. It seems intuitive enough– find a problem people face and solve it via your product. JDoodle solves the problem of over-priced and complicated coding tools, which waste time and money for teachers, students and professionals.
But let’s paint a picture real quick…
Let’s say AI coding tools were just released, and JDoodle wants to stay on top of any new tech. So naturally, they pivot to AI and focus their efforts on integrating AI tools to the platform. After a few weeks, they notice a drop in user acquisition. Less people are signing up on the platform. The founder is confused, because they adopted the new AI tools before their competitors.
What do you think went wrong here? 🤔
That’s right, they didn’t listen to their users. Their desire to adopt the latest tech shifted JDoodle away from the problem to solve. Business goals and industry trends can cloud even the clearest of user problems.
Now, obviously that was a made-up scenario, because JDoodle didn’t bootstrap their way to 800K users by chasing industry trends 😜. They remained laser-focused on the problems they solve by doing one simple thing: talking to their users.
The founder of JDoodle, Gokul Chandrasekaran, told TechCrunch that the reason they gained so many users is because he listens to them. “Over the years, I’ve taken so much feedback on board from developers and built the platform according to their needs. Every single feature in JDoodle exists as a result of a user request or feedback,” Chandrasekaran said in TechCrunch.
Every single feature. Say it louder for our aspiring founders out there, Chandrasekaran!
Scaling a side hustle into a startup doesn’t require big capital or excessive marketing. You just need to hear your users and build for them.
Ready to get feedback on your idea? Here are 5 ways you can get feedback directly from your users:
Do 1:1 customer calls: If your company is still in the early stages, you can do individual calls with everyone who signs up on your platform. Ask them to share their experience using the product, any paint points they had, features they’d like to see etc.
Send polls and surveys: For fast feedback, send out a poll to your existing users to see how they get value from your platform and what they wish to see.
Go LIVE on Instagram or TikTok: Do a LIVE Q&A on social media, where your audience can ask questions and share their feedback on the product.
Set up a waitlist: Waitlists can help you gain traction for your business before it launches and get feedback from subscribers at the same time. Send emails to your waitlisters on a weekly basis, asking them for feedback!
User experience research: Try conducting a formal study with a test group of users. Ask them to walk through your product and complete certain tasks, then share their feedback on the experience.
Ready to turn your side hustle into a successful business?
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What’s News
🗞️ Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to have a significant impact on Facebook and Instagram: Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to incorporate generative AI into their products. AI could enable users to modify and enhance their social media posts, automate tasks like scheduling and content generation, and improve the overall user experience.
🤷♀️ Why you should care: AI is set to revolutionize social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, offering exciting possibilities for enhancing user experiences and transforming how we interact with these platforms. Read More
🗞️ You can’t succeed alone: Small businesses must collaborate and leverage each other's strengths for success. Building a network and outsourcing non-core business processes to other small businesses can save time and money while allowing owners to focus on their core competencies.
🤷♀️ Why you should care: By investing in expertise and supporting one another, small businesses can fuel economic stability and growth. Read More
🗞️ Three side hustles that actually create passive income: Many side hustles claiming to generate passive income are actually time-consuming and resemble part-time jobs, but there are three genuine passive income opportunities that require minimal effort for long-term earnings.
🤷♀️ Why you should care: The article provides valuable insights into three legitimate passive income opportunities, helping you avoid misleading side hustles and discover ways to generate sustainable earnings with minimal effort. Read More
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That's it for this week's edition of Beyond9to5. Stay tuned for more tips, news, and spotlights in our next issue. Until then, keep hustling!
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