The Startup Ideas Podcast
The ultimate guide to product building with the man who changed software
Mon, 09 Sep 2024
I’m joined by Jason Fried, Co-founder and CEO of 37signals, as we deep dive on innovative startup ideas, our frameworks to building products people love, and our thoughts on the current software landscape. 1) The "Scratch-off Ad" app idea:• Full-screen ad you scratch off with your finger• Blow into mic to clear "dust"• Chance to win prizes/coupons• Global, once-a-day experiencePotential: Massive user base, high engagement 2) "Shower Door Sketch" app concept:• Simulates drawing on steamy shower glass• Ephemeral canvas that fogs up & clears• Add shower sounds for immersion• Screenshot to save ideasPerfect for creative brainstorming!3) Key insight: Bring real-world experiences to digital• Leverage mystery, surprise, uncertainty• Create moments that can't be replicated• Tap into universal human experiences"There's some sort of deeper universal things to tap into here." - Jason4) The power of limitations in software:• Time-based experiences (HQ Trivia)• Visit-once websites• Apps with "open hours"Creates scarcity & increases perceived value 5) Hobbyist ethos missing in modern software:• Early internet had more quirky, fun projects• Less focus on monetization, more on exploration• Need for "weirder" apps and experiencesChallenge: How can we make the internet weird again? 6) Cozy software movement:• Make apps feel warm, comfortable• Contrast to clinical, cold modern design• Focus on user experience & delightGoal: Create software people genuinely enjoy using Want more free ideas? I collect the best ideas from the pod and give them to you for free in a database. Most of them cost $0 to start (my fav)Get access: https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas 🎯 To build your own portfolio businesses powered by community you might enjoy my membership.You'll get my full course with all my secrets on building businesses, peer-groups to keep you accountable, business ideas every single month and more!Spots are limited.https://www.communityempire.co/📬 Join my free newsletter to get weekly startup insights for free:https://www.gregisenberg.com/70,000+ people are already subscribed.To improve your rankings your business on Google and using AI for SEO, sign up tohttp://boringmarketing.com/FIND ME ON SOCIALX/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenbergInstagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/FIND JASON ON SOCIALX/Twitter: https://x.com/jasonfriedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-fried/37signals: https://37signals.com/Episode Timestamps:0:00 Intro02:17 Startup Idea 1: The "Scratch-off Ad" app 18:44 Startup Idea 2: "Shower Door Sketch" app concept:33:43 Frameworks for building products people love
Full Episode
But I'm like, well, what if you can make an ad that is the product? What if ads could be the product? How could you get people to look at these things as if that's the only thing they're there for? Now, great advertising is one thing, but there are very few great ads. So anyway, here's the idea.
So I think it could make a ton of money and literally there'd be almost nothing to do to make this thing happen, except getting the word out. And I think the word would spread so rapidly.
How much do you think about marketing when you think about an idea? How much are you thinking about how am I gonna get the first 100,000 people to download this?
I don't think about that at all. For me, it's like,
the idea any good i don't i think it is do i i don't know let's build something and see and then it's like a goosebumps feeling like i think we're on to something that to me is the best feeling in product development it's the feeling of i think we're on to something here but a lot of the a lot of it is the software industry is too serious it takes itself too seriously and i just would like to see some more people playing i'll say this it feels like this idea of cozy software that you're talking about
Feels like 1 in 100, not 50 in 100. Most software feels a bit boring right now. I'd like to see more weird in software again. Yeah, let's make the internet weird again. Yeah. I am so excited to have Jason Fried, someone I've looked up to for a very long time on the pod. Jason could be anywhere, but he has chosen to spend his time with us. Thousands of people who love startup ideas and builders.
And thanks for being here, man. Yeah, it's great to be here, Greg. Thanks for having me on. And I said, you can only come on if you have an idea. And your response was, I've got something I can't get out of my head. And so what's going through your head?
So I have had this idea for a number of years, which I don't like, actually. I don't like it because I think it's good, but it's ugly in a sense in that I actually don't, in a sense, I don't want to see this idea in the world. But there's something about it that seems so simple and that it would be so popular that I can't get out of my head. So here's the idea.
First of all, it's advertising based, which I don't like to begin with. So the whole premise of this I don't like, okay? You know, scratch off tickets, right? You know, little lottery tickets, whatever, right? My kid, my son loves that we get them every once in a while, five bucks worth and scratch them off, right?
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