I'm looking for examples to apply at my job.

I'm building projects in Webflow, but I need help understanding how to easily create those beautiful CMS cards.

I'm close, but still missing the 'ah-ha' moment (particularly Flexbox).

I'll buy you lunch and coffee in exchange 🍔☕

So, it's 10:37pm PST and I have this idea.

More than an idea, I have a domain (substats.com)

The deeper I dive into building products and "indie hacker" culture, the clearer it becomes that the audience comes before the product.

Lately, I find myself reading many newsletters - everybody is starting one. Some use Ghost, many use Substack. I'd love to know more of the metrics behind each newsletter and figure out if there's an opportunity to solve a problem and build a profitable business. The problem is that these stats don't exist, yet.

What's the idea?
- Exploding Topics for Substack Newsletters.
- Trends for Substack Newsletters.

Why?
"Do you want insights into the biggest gaps in the market that entrepreneurs can exploit tomorrow? In 1994, while working at a hedge fund, Jeff Bezos came across a report with a shocking stat: in the previous year, the internet grew by 2,300%.

“Things just don’t grow that fast, with the exception of petri dishes,” he explained later. “A nontrivial baseline growing at 2,300 percent a year is clearly going to be everywhere tomorrow, and so the question was: What kind of business plan would make sense in the context of that growth?”

He chose books, and two years later Amazon was founded."

The Opportunity (riches in niches):

As a maker, I’m constantly researching new opportunities for products I can build. Before I build, I need to find an audience that has a problem. This means:

Introducing Substats:
You see, each year nearly 627,000 businesses start each year and 595,000 businesses close. In order to increase our odds, we must ensure we're building products for an audience that exists - forget the adage "build it and they will come". But hey, this is my $.02

The longer I spend in the No Code Community, I find two kinds of makers -- the ones that want to revolutionize their industry and the ones that want a lifestyle business. No matter what... each starts with choosing your audience.

That's what Substats.com is -- stats for substacks.

The goal is to research Substack newsletters being created and analyze trends to find opportunity in existing communities. 

I plan to launch Substats and charge $299 per year as I expand the team and invest more into the product (and if you want more!). 

But for you, my early beta users, I'm charging a one time fee of $99 for lifetime access to reports which includes at least 4 new reports a month.

If you’re unhappy with the product, just tell me and I'll refund you your money...no questions asked.

Talk soon and good luck, 

- Chris Viglietta, Founder of Substats

I had an ambitious idea during the last week of this challenge. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off since I've never used most of these tools but... it works!!! 

What I Built:
An automated system that onboards users on Airtable via chatbot, collects info (name, phone #, payment), and sends/receives SMS texts. Additionally, I built a feedback system that pre-fills based on request: feedback, features, and bugs.

Stack:
Carrd, Airtable, Twilio, Zapier, Landbot, Stripe Airtable, Automations, Google Analytics

Detailed Overview:

1. Created a Twilio Base to capture contacts, create questions, and store answers.

2.  Created a zap in Zapier to send SMS messages daily.

3.  Found a $50 promo code for Twilio!
Note: Note: Try the Twilio Quest mission first ;) 

4.  Created a zap that connects Airtable with Twilio to 1. Send SMS 2. Collect Responses in Airtable (tbh, I had an "oh sh*t! it works!" moment 😉) 

5.  I cleaned my Airtable base because I was getting a random replies to my Twilio number (spam?) and am reaching to Twilio to get an answer. The problem is that those messages maxed out my Zapier Free Plan and it can cause problems in the future.

6.  I setup a simple SMS application using Airtable. This is a preview of the SMS message that will get sent out daily.

7. I created my landing page in Carrd.co and integrated a chatbot with Landbot.io to give people a test drive. This needs more work if I want to show off my product. 

I also want to offer a coupon and free trial to Makerpad members.

[PS Landbot is pretty f*ing sweet!]*

8.  I edited the landing page a bit and included a timer for #t30 launch day.

9.  I created sections to mimic multiple pages on my website. I changed the colors, fonts, and spacing was correct. I suspect the landing page is 95% complete — anything extra is just that... extra. I tried to write the story like a long-form sales page since this product is something that actually helped me.

10.  I integrated Zapier to pass user data from my chatbot into Airtable! I almost spend $100 for the Premium Landbot membership since I was prepared to learn how web hooks work... but thank goodness I didn't do that 😅 I did however pay for the $30/month version. I'm hoping I get a discount with my Secret membership 🤞

11.  WOW! I actually managed to create an Airtable Automation that runs a Twilio script (sends SMS) whenever a new Airtable Record is created. I'm trying to create a unique onboarding process where a user enters their number and they will get an SMS text right away.

12.  In order to make the API work, you need to get a code from this hacker-looking website.

13. BOOM! An entirely automated process using no code tools. Here's the flow:

15.  Installed Google Analytics on my Carrd site.

16. I clarified the product's value proposition with my friends' feedback. I'm trying to figure out how I can make it SUPER OBVIOUS to click the chat bot to demo my product. Hm....

17.  I added the JOA Science page and included relevant articles people can read through. I'll update this over time. Hopefully, people find this useful!

18. My goal is to funnel people to try my chatbot. The two points of entry is the chat icon in the bottom right and the "try JOA" tab in my navigation bar. Both initiate my chatbot.

After a LOT OF WORK , here are my updates for the week:

Any feedback?

Lastly, I created a product road map to prioritize product > features because I suffer from shiny object syndrome 😀

Lastly, I created a product road map to prioritize product > features because I suffer from shiny object syndrome 😀

Ex: I want to be notified when somebody talks about marketplaces, community, and newsletters.

My mission is to create a tool that inspires people to take action and do epic sh*t.

I updated my database of experiences in Airtable and used Adalo to create a game:

The original idea was to monetize with rewarded video ads or AdMob.

However....

I've begun to consider how I can bridge this online experience into an offline event.

I'm excited for the next phase of my app.

- chris