djsamson

Recent college graduate, currently a marketing intern, but I want to try out sales before I decide which job to apply for by mid-summer. I don't have much sales experience but I want to learn by doing. Which startup (preferably in the Bay Area that has reached some level of traction) will let me sell their product on a commission basis, remotely in my apartment, working part-time? My end goal is to improve my sales skills and get a job in Silicon Valley by July. Thank you!

I am taking part in a business plan competition at my college next week and I was wondering if HN could give me some feedback on my landing page: www.MailTheHouse.com

Basically, I want to create a web and mobile application where people can write a formal letter they want to their State/Federal representatives but mail it using the internet. I'm going to have an automatic printer and have someone who will manually fold/stuff envelopes. My goal is to secure advocacy groups as my clients and allow them to coordinate mass mail campaigns.

What do you think?

I'm pitching in my school's business plan competition next month and my startup idea includes a feature that would require automatic printing for standard (8.5 x 11") paper and envelopes. The text would be submitted by a user through my website. I was wondering if there is preexisting software that can accomplish this?

I'm a college senior, business development/marketing/sales background with a couple NY based startups and I'll be relocating to the Bay Area in May. I have two favorite startups (both YC funded) that I am extremely intrigued by. These products/services get my heart pumping and I don't want to work for anybody else. I know I can help them grow (I've done it for much less interesting value propositions).

I told them both I'd work for low/no pay remotely to prove myself before I relocate. I had a Skype chat set-up for one (which I got blown off) and I gave my cell phone number to the other who hasn't since called me.

I'm thinking about doing this: what if I sell/market their product and show them I am capable? Send them a list of customers I found for them, it would be like free lead generation? One company is B2C so this would be a little bit more difficult. My biggest issue is I couldn't approach these prospects as working for the company since this would be unethical. But maybe I can work around it?

What do you think?

This idea hit me in the barbershop the other day. My barber is quite busy and he has a sign-in sheet that no one uses. So the three barbers have to remember who came in before who. Furthermore, they are forced to have the awkward conversation of asking would you like me to cut your hair or do you want someone else?

This is my idea: a mobile app that lets customers sign in and pick a specific barber or any. Then his/her name gets added to the list on the barber's phone to let the barber know who's next. This app would also have two important features. Customers could create appointments through the app (I currently have to awkwardly text my barber who sometimes doesn't write back). And I could have the user sign in with their phone number or their facebook name. Which would allow the barbershop owner to keep track of the 'churn rate' of specific customers. While giving him a way to contact customers regarding new specials or just reminding them to come get a cut.

Has anything been done in the tech sector for barbershops? Does this sound viable? I'll do customer development interviews if I think there's potential here.

I am a college senior who has a somewhat extensive business development/sales background for my age. I am interested in building my resume even more as I plan on relocating to the Bay Area after graduation. Here is what I'm interested in doing:

- I will sell your product or service on a commission-only basis (no upfront fees or anything).

- I'm interested in B2B, but I'd consider B2C if it was the right circumstance

- I'm looking to help a product that's already has a history of being sold (I don't want to help validate a new product that's never sold).

- Allow me to study your product for a week or so before I get going and be willing to answer any questions I have.

The prospects of your product need to have been closed via phone or e-mail (I can't do in person demonstrations). I can send you my resume if you'd like to see it. Also, please let me know what percent commission you'd be willing to offer. Check for my e-mail under my name.

Thank You.

I was sitting in Finance class today and my professor was explaining how he decided on buying a new Mazda Miata. But instead of paying the asking price or going to our local dealer and negotiating, he called and submitted the price he'd be willing to pay to every Mazda dealership in our area, even some up to 500 miles away. He figured even with flying out somewhere and driving it back he still ends up saving money.

This got me thinking. Why isn't there a disruptive startup that helps prospective buyers submit bids to dealerships? A buyer would determine what type of car/features he would want and submit it to the service. Then the startup would automatically send the information/bid to however many dealerships of that brand was in the selected mileage he was willing to travel to. This would make car dealerships of the same brand compete with each other which would result in a lower price for the consumer.

This startup could monetize from either angle. I'm guessing car buyers would be willing to spend a small fee ($25-$50) if it meant saving them hundreds or thousands. Meanwhile, dealers might even pay for the "leads."

Is there already something like this? Is this viable?

I'm moving to the Bay area next summer and I plan on becoming a business developer/salesman for a startup. I have two questions:

1.) How do you find growing startups that have really interesting visions? I read Tech Crunch, HN, etc. and sometimes I find some and I think how the hell have I never heard of them?! Obviously there has to be more out there.

2.) Is there a Monster.com for Silicon Valley startup jobs? I've been reading Angellist and I really like how they are upfront with salary and the skills they need. Are there other sites like this?

I'm a college student and have a good business development background for my age. I currently work at a minigolf place as my part-time college job which is driving me insane.

I was wondering if there are small to medium sized startups who need help cold e-mailing/cold calling prospects or need help promoting their business? Do startups hire remote workers or is this just a thought I've created myself? I'd be looking for pretty low pay since I'm just interested in building my resume and replacing my part-time job.

I’m a business founder of a startup looking for a tech co-founder and having some struggle with it. Without going into too much detail, the major differences between me and the stereotypical “biz guy” are the following:

1) This startups website is already developed and built 2) This startup has already generated some revenue

I was initially looking for a co-founder who is in my geographic location, but everyone in my network already has their hands full. Plus I’m moving to San Francisco next summer so I guess this isn’t a huge must. At this point I’m really just looking for a good developer who can make some weekly updates for me. Maybe contribute a little bit of design? This startup relies heavily on promotion which would be 100% me. I just need someone to help me make adjustments technically.

I’ve tried out co-founder websites and have had no luck. I’m not sure if these types of websites are just not useful? I feel like this proposition would gather some interest since this isn’t your typical “please build my idea” offer.

I'm thinking about launching a gift buying service for men to help them pick out gifts for their wives and automatically sending it to them before significant dates. The problem I'm facing is that many women handle their husband's credit cards. Seeing my company name on their credit statement would definitely get these men in some trouble and defeat my sales.

Is it legal and even possible to have a different name appear on their credit card statement? I remember reading a few years ago about porn companies doing something like this but I can't find any information on it.

Thank you for your help.

If you have a moment, please let me know what you think of my a) landing page design and b) overall value proposition.

I'm looking to see if this idea validates before I invest more money into it. Any growth hackers have suggestions for advertising it? I'm going to pay a little bit for AdWords, not totally sure what keywords I'm going to go for ("Girlfriend Gift Ideas" maybe?). This is my first startup idea and all of my past startup job experience is with B2B. I’m not totally sure how to get in contact with boyfriends/husbands to get them to my page.

GiftBrother: www.GiftBrother.com

This idea popped in my head during work today. I was hoping HN would a) tell me if this is viable and b) let me know if anyone is doing this right now.

I'm a business student going into my senior year of my undergrad degree. I'll be moving to Silicon Valley next year and after having internships all year for startups in NY I'd like to take a swing at things myself. I don't have a tech co-founder so I've been focusing on ideas that would not be insanely expensive to outsource, like the following idea.

I was thinking how my friends have a pretty difficult time shopping for their girl friends for anniversaries and special holidays like Christmas. I also observed how my own girl friend gets really excited over random gifts I give her during circumstances when I'm not in trouble or when it's not a special occasion. Yet guys don't really remember how little things can make their partners that much happier.

Enter a new service. A paid, monthly subscription service where men signup and answer a questionnaire regarding their girlfriends/wives favorite things and tastes. A customer would receive one gift a month matching the inputted data. If he didn't like it he could send it back and not be charged for that month. The gift could even come wrapped for an additional fee. The mailing would include a non-descriptive return address so if their wife/girlfriend found the box it would just look like he purchased something off of Amazon or another retailer.

During the beta phase I'd probably purchase from retailers based on the inputted preferences. And then eventually workout deals with wholesalers when I can purchase on a mass scale.

The key problem this startup would be solving is men's difficulty for shopping for their partners. It would allow men to avoid spending time shopping for random, "just because" gifts. And while they would still shop for their own personal Christmas/anniversary gifts, this service would provide an additional gift for these occasions.

What do you think?

I am a non-technical entrepreneur who has a startup idea for employee scheduling software. My plan is to have the creation of the minimum viable product outsourced. I'm not attempting to find a programmer who will work for free in exchange for equity, but all of the programming firms I've talked to said they don't take projects that cost less than $8k.

This is out of my price range, but it is discouraging because I was much more comfortable hiring someone with the same geographic location as me (Syracuse, NY). I was wondering how I could go about having this product built on a budget? I'm not trying to build anything flashy or intricate. Just a basic design with the main features that solve the problem I've identified. My plan is to have the person I hire build my basic MVP, then I would establish a customer base and then go back for more improvements/features/attractiveness to the front-end.

Thank you for your input

I realize ideas are worth nothing without execution so I'd like to share my thoughts with the HN community in hopes of learning some insight. I'm at college and work a minimum wage job and the small business owner I work for literally writes all of our hours in a small notepad. He often forgets to text us when we're working and when we want time off we have to leave post it notes on his desk which he inevitably loses. I'm guessing other small businesses might not be this bad but if they're using the same paper method they probably have some of the same problems.

My MVP idea is simple: build a web site that sells monthly subscriptions for employee scheduling software. The employer would have his own log in and would be able to input employees and when they're working on an online spread sheet. Employees could view this spread sheet online to see when they're working. They could also log in to trade shifts with someone or ask for time off in advance.

I have two problems. First, there are a decent amount of software companies doing this: http://employee-scheduling-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

What intrigues me however is that virtually none of the businesses I've worked for or the ones my friends work for use any of these software. Some of these companies offer extensive features which is intimidating to me. But I feel like there is hope because a) this market is far from mature (not many small businesses have embraced this technology yet from my experience and b) I could offer less features initially and also charge a smaller fee than the competition.

My second issue is I'm not technical. If my customer dev interviews go well, I'm going to pay out of pocket to get this made. Is it realistic to think I could pay the same developer to do front end/back end development? Would this be an expensive project?

Thank you for your input