Michael Drogalis

Michael Drogalis' Substack chronicles his journey of bootstrapping ShadowTraffic from inception, sharing insights on launching startups, product development, marketing strategies, and self-improvement. It reflects on the challenges and milestones of building a business solo, emphasizing bootstrapping, customer engagement, product validation, and personal growth.

Startup Launch Strategies Bootstrapping Product Development Marketing and Sales Customer Engagement Goal Setting and Productivity Self-Improvement Facing and Overcoming Challenges Product-Market Fit Time Management

The hottest Substack posts of Michael Drogalis

And their main takeaways

Week 22: Now it's personal

58 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
  1. Feeling a strong personal attachment to success or failure in your work is a mental game flaw.
  2. Recognize that failures in your work are not solely your fault, and mistakes are important for growth.
  3. Be aware of wasting time, whether working for yourself or someone else, and strive to use time effectively.

Week 18: My system for self-improvement

78 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
  1. Improving at decision-making involves focusing on what you can control, not just short-term outcomes.
  2. Use A-C analysis to understand your current skill levels and make corrections to improve.
  3. Incorporate mini-warm ups, cools downs, and daily/weekly retrospectives to continuously make micro-improvements in your skills.

Week 11: I launch in 48 hours

137 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
  1. Write down a detailed plan for your product launch to stay organized and focused.
  2. Raise awareness about your launch before the big day to get more support and reach.
  3. Consider giving away your product for free initially to encourage usage and attract potential customers.

Week 16: I closed two customers

78 implied HN points • 17 Dec 23
  1. Start by validating your idea with potential customers before building a product.
  2. Engage with prospects to understand their needs and provide solutions.
  3. Persistence and preparation are key in closing deals and growing your customer base.

Week 1: I said I'd do what?!

196 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23
  1. Starting a company means more than just telling people about it - it's about the hard work that comes after
  2. Having a structured marketing funnel can help attract and retain customers over time
  3. Creating a landing page before a product helps to focus on the customer's problem and gather feedback
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I'm launching 4 startups, with 4 products, in 4 quarters

196 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
  1. Launching 4 startups with 4 products in 4 quarters, each run by one person.
  2. Realized that VC funding isn't the only way to build a company; bootstrapping works too.
  3. Small companies can succeed, even with just one person if the problem size is right.

Week 10: I'm at the edge of my ability

98 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
  1. Closing your first customer isn't the only goal; focus on building a customer base.
  2. Be clear about pricing early on to avoid confusion and debate later.
  3. Remember that it's okay to make mistakes as a beginner; learning comes with practice.

Week 9: What I'm afraid of

98 implied HN points • 29 Oct 23
  1. Fear is accumulation of unanswered questions or uncertainties.
  2. To overcome fear, answer the underlying questions to gain certainty.
  3. Techniques like playing out the fear scenario and reframing questions can help alleviate fear.

Week 15: Who sells the product?

58 implied HN points • 10 Dec 23
  1. Consider listening to feedback from potential users before making product decisions.
  2. Prioritize product roadmap based on performance and real-life user requirements.
  3. Engaging directly in sales can help optimize product development process.

Week 7: Experiment over, I'm all in

98 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
  1. Committing to a specific goal can drive focus and productivity.
  2. Setting deadlines can create a sense of urgency and increase output.
  3. Maintaining a sense of detachment can help in letting go of bad ideas and moving on to new ones.

Week 14: I've got new goals

58 implied HN points • 03 Dec 23
  1. Identify real problems your customers face to sell your product effectively.
  2. Do things that don't scale at the beginning to validate your ideas quickly.
  3. Keep your sales pipeline moving and focus on setting up technical wins for the future.

Week 2: Closing a 6-figure deal in under 5 minutes

117 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
  1. Creating intrigue can help attract early customers by revealing a glimpse of your product.
  2. Goal-setting is crucial for focus, with a balance between results-goals and process-goals.
  3. Regularly review your goals to stay motivated and on track with your business objectives.

Week 4: When this happens, don't flinch

98 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
  1. Product/market fit is crucial; it's not just about people liking your idea, they need to be willing to pay for it.
  2. Don't flinch and focus on pursuing customers, even when it's tempting to just work on coding.
  3. In early-stage software engineering, sometimes the fastest way to test value is to ship a basic version, even if it means making security compromises.

Week 17: How to take an anxiety-free break

39 implied HN points • 24 Dec 23
  1. Take detailed notes about your current work progress to guide you when you return from a break.
  2. Journal to release any lingering thoughts and emotions before your break to truly relax.
  3. Set clear goals for your return from a break to maintain productivity and focus.

Week 12: Did it work?

58 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
  1. Building in public can generate momentum for a product launch.
  2. Investing in the getting started experience is crucial for a successful launch.
  3. Focus on continuously recruiting new users and providing value to them for sustainable growth.

Special edition: I launched the product

58 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
  1. Michael Drogalis launched a new product called ShadowTraffic
  2. Promotion links include Product Hunt, Hacker News, Twitter, LinkedIn
  3. Quick ways to learn about ShadowTraffic: tutorial, examples, docs, Twitter

Week 23: Restarting the machine

19 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
  1. Set goals: Have long-term, weekly, and daily goals to keep you moving forward.
  2. Talk to people: Building relationships takes time; be open with your time and learn from others.
  3. Post on social: Even if it feels odd, sharing on social media helps you connect with your audience.

Week 5: I've got the green light

78 implied HN points • 01 Oct 23
  1. Focus on usability to attract paying customers
  2. Ensure clear and helpful error messages for user mistakes
  3. Make it easy for users to make and correct mistakes quickly

Week 8: I picked a good toolchain

58 implied HN points • 22 Oct 23
  1. The choice of a good toolchain is crucial for running a business efficiently.
  2. Using familiar web tools ensures both speed and flexibility in design.
  3. Leveraging mature technologies like Clojure and JVM ecosystem can be beneficial for development and debugging.

Week 6: Where good ideas come from

58 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
  1. Screen early users for commitment to the problem, decision-making ability, and clear path to a deal.
  2. Good ideas often come from interacting with users, asking about their problems, and listening to feedback.
  3. Launching a product can bring different kinds of stress, whether from sales and marketing or product and engineering tasks.

Week 19: What no one tells you about the early stage

19 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
  1. As a founder, it's important to realize you can't control other people's time.
  2. Periods of silence and solitude are necessary for long-term thinking and problem-solving.
  3. Receiving passing interest in your idea means there's more work to do for product/market fit, which is valuable feedback.

Week 3: I'm a terrible psychic

58 implied HN points • 17 Sep 23
  1. Building a business in public involves sharing your progress from day 1.
  2. Admitting you can't predict the future allows for rapid learning and adjustments.
  3. Rethink marketing strategies based on feedback and experiment to find what works best.

Week 13: What I learned from 60+ sales calls

4 HN points • 26 Nov 23
  1. Control the pace of the sales call and lead the conversation
  2. Establish credibility quickly by sharing relevant background information
  3. Make sure to focus on solving a concrete problem for the other person and offer a clear deal

Week 21:

0 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
  1. Consider how fast your product can provide value to customers after they purchase it.
  2. Many technical products require setup and further investment to start providing real value.
  3. Design products with the potential to deliver value from day one to enhance customer retention and product-market fit.

Week 24: I'm on call

0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Customer Support Prioritization Product Development
  1. Building a good product doesn't guarantee seamless adoption - expect growing pains, and embrace the process of refining based on user feedback.
  2. In times of high pressure, having a clear prioritization system in place helps tackle critical issues efficiently and prevent feeling overwhelmed.
  3. When customers rely on your product, prioritize swift and effective support - early adoption is crucial and customer confidence is easily lost.