1. Q&A With a Software Developer Building in Public - Luke Urban
This week I was able to catch up with Luke Urban (@ThatLukeUrban).
Luke is a software developer that builds SaaS tools & apps, all while documenting his process on Twitter & Youtube. Luke is the currently founder of lens. & Beeper App.
Most recently he participated in the #BuildSell30 challenge where he built the Beeper App to sell on Microacquire in 30 days.
I hope you enjoy this Q & A:"
How would you describe what you do to a grandparent?
âI write down advanced to-do lists for a computer, in a language that it understands, to make things easier for people or to automate things that are repetitive.â
How did you first get into Software Development?
âWhen I was 13 I got a new computer and my mom wanted to change something on her website written in Flash. I actually reversed engineered it and reimplemented it with lazy loaded images(which back then I didn't know what lazy loading was).
When I was 15 I was jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones. (in a few days Iâll release a video on my YT channel about that).
I ended up studying CS and in the second year, I started working in a software house.â
If someone wants to get into Software Dev, or learn to code, where would you recommend they start?
âFigure out if you like solving problems first. If youâre the type of person who canât stand when something is not working or if youâre interested in HOW something works, then the job is for you. Learning software dev is extremely accessible nowadays. There are a ton of resources online.
My recommendation would be to sign to a bootcamp. This is something that will hold you accountable and invested. But the best bootcamp wonât make you a software dev if you donât commit ;)
As people we can learn everything. The question is if we like it.â
What founder in the tech space do you look up to the most?
âThis is tough! There are a lot of people! I would say that I follow Mike Slaats (TW: @mikeslaats) the most. Heâs not building online but heâs vlogging about it. His content is the easiest to digest and that is something I also want to do with my brand (with a little bit more coding spicing đ )â
Iâve been following along as youâve been building the BeeeperApp. How would you describe Beeeper, and where did the idea come from?
âBeeeper is a SaaS that helps with communication between staff and customers in restaurants/bars/pubs, providing owners with useful statistics to help them improve their business and make clients happier.
The app usage scenario is simple: You, as a customer, are sitting at the table. Your table has a QR code on it.
You scan it and you are prompted with a list of actions: âI would like to place an orderâ, âI would like to pay the billâ, âI have a questionâ. You pick one and the system is measuring the times it takes staff to reach the client. There are a few more features, but theyâre still in the makings.â
I also see youâve built the âlens.â photo sharing app. If you had to bet on one (Beeeper vs lens.) which would it be?
âMy heart is with lens. This is my passion project and I want it to succeed so badly that itâs actually becoming unhealthy đâ
If I gave you $1million/year for the rest of your life but you had to work on something or work a job, what would you do?
âDefinitely work on something! Thatâs my life goal actually. I want my âpassiveâ income to be able to sustain my basic needs. After that, I will make things - crazy things! So when can I expect my checks? đâ
What is your favorite podcast or youtube videos at the moment?
âAs I am learning videography I watch everything related to that so: Peter Mckinnon, Matti Haapoja, and many othersâ
How can people follow along with you or get in touch?
âI am available at almost every platform under ThatLukeUrban. Mostly I use Twitter. If someone whats to see/follow my work or what I am up to then I can redirect them to my YouTube channelâ
Thanks Luke!
2. Favorite Tweet of the Week: Reverse Engineering the Business that is Right for You
This week @theSamParr tweeted about how he reverse engineered his way to starting The Hustle,.
Sam Parr is the founder of thehuslte.co and he recently sold the business to Hubspot for $10âs of millions.
Hereâs how he did it:
I REALLY like this thinking⌠figure out a business that fits your interest, that will also make it possible for you to succeed. Not everything is going to work for you..
Crazy⌠same amount of revenue per employee when there were 30 employees vs 800 employees. Iâd much rather deal with 30 employees.
I love this way of thinking.
3. Business Idea of the Week: Ranking Lists
Youâre probably familiar with the Forbes 30 under 30 or the Inc. 5000, but these lists areâŚ. sort of BS.
Want to make it on Forbes 30 under 30? You better hire a good (expensive) PR firm, be ready to go through the applications process, and it wonât hurt to know someone influential or well connected at Forbes. Would I still want to be on this BS list?Absolutely.
Want your business on the Inc. 5000 list? No problem, youâll just need to apply, and pay the application fee. What if another business is growing faster that yours? If they donât pay and apply, they arenât even considered. Would I still want my company on this list? No doubt.
Even if the way the lists are put together may be questionable, they are still highly desirable to be on, and provide great marketing for those on the lists.
The Business Idea: Build a âMost Powerfulâ list in your local area.
For example: âThe top 10 Most Powerful People in Wilmington, NCâ.
How I would get started: Start with a blog, and post about interesting events, news, or stories from the area you are going to use. You can get started with WordPress and build out a basic blog to get some traction. Once you have some traction and an established website, itâs time to publish the list.
It is important to have a good idea of the actual powerful people in your area to add to the list, and you can throw in some curveballs to peak readers interest.
What makes this work? To really make this idea work, the list will need to go âlocally viralâ. You will want people on facebook talking about this, and the people on the list showing off that they are âOne of the most powerful people in ____â.
If you are able to get people wanting to be on the list, you will have a number of different ways to monetize.
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