Ludovic Bourgoin

MissTravel: Who says money can't buy love?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:24:00 -0400

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the #1 Travel Dating Site: MissTravel.

There’s something weird with this concept, of course (read the funny Youtube top comments below, you’ll get what I mean). But this post isn’t about morality, it’s about business, creativity and execution. I can’t stop telling myself these guys are awesome.

The Dating Industry

Look, the dating industry is huge: the market is already full of actors, that target the main stream market, like OkCupid, Match or eHarmony for the most famous, and niche segments for specialty lovers:

MeetMoi - The Mobile Matchmaker (location-based)
Geek2Geek - Find Your Geek Match
Grindr - Find Local Gay, Bi and Curious Guys (for men only)
PunkMatch - Hottest Spot To Meet Real Punk Singles
LittlePeopleMeet / TallFriends ( for Short and tall folks)
PositiveSingles (for people with sexually transmitted diseases)
AshleyMadison - Life is short, have an affair! (for married people)

MissTravel & Marketing innovation

Even though online dating looks really crowded in terms of offering, there’re always new and creative ways to approach a market, whatever it is. MissTravel is proving it by doing something totally new and that people do want in the real life: guys with money are loking for hot girls. Hot girls want guys who can pay for them while taking the sun and go to nightclubs (and drink “vodka cranberries”). Whatever this is debatable, the idea, as well as the execution of this dating marketplace is simply outstanding!

Possibilities are endless

I’m just wondering where this can stop: with Internet, the possibilities are endless. As I’m developing CoachOasis, a free and gorgeous marketplace for fitness classes, I’ve just searched Google for a dating site dedicated to sport & fitness lovers. Guess what, it’s already full of actors:

When is gonna be the day we find a dating site for dogs…? Wait a minute, it actually already exists: PetsDating.

Should you check your email? A flowchart by the brilliant Wendy...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:06:04 -0400

Should you check your email? A flowchart by the brilliant Wendy MacNaughton for a Forbes article on how and why to ignore your inbox.

Look Strong when Weak and Look Weak when Strong

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:52:47 -0400

It’s always important to give your team the perception of confidence, even when you aren’t. Its not always easy to do, but the risk of bringing the team’s morale down is far too risky. If you find that you need to vent or need moral support, make sure you have a co-founder. Sharing the burden, pressures and roller-coaster of emotions will be vital. It is not your team’s job to share it with you. When it comes to looking weak while strong… this can be utilized with competitors. It might prove to be more advantageous to allow your competitors to underestimate you. Be careful about what you divulge and how you do it.

What makes a good web app?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:46:30 -0400

1. It’s all about idea & execution

The first thing I want to say is that when coming up with an app (no matter the platform) is it can’t just be a good idea. You need to execute properly as well. I’ve heard developers say things like “I could have made Facebook [or Twitter or YouTube].” And maybe it’s true that they could have developed similar functionality. Hey, I have developed sites similar to Twitter and made a basic social network for sharing book reviews. But I didn’t develop Twitter or Facebook because of the execution. I didn’t know how to promote my app, there were probably some security flaws, and it definitely wasn’t built to handle a ton of traffic. Even if one of my sites back then did gain a lot of popularity, it would have failed. There are certain things I didn’t consider when creating a website because I didn’t have the experience. Here’s what I know now.

2. User experience

This one seems like a no-brainer, but I’ve seen too many apps where the developers do not understand how people will use their app. This likely stems from the fact they themselves don’t use it. I’ve been guilty of it too. I make an app based on my assumptions, test for the cases I know will work, and deploy it. As developers, we need to work harder than that.

When you develop an app, try using it for a week like a normal user and take notes on your experience. You may be surprised at what you find; a lot of times we’ll program something one way, and it’s not all that user-friendly or intuitive. That will fast track an app to an untimely death.

3. Look & feel

Design is obviously another important part of a webapp. A poorly designed one can send users packing before they even try it out. The design of the app needs to project the message you’re trying to send to users who would use it.

The landing page is just as much a marketing tool as it is a log-in page. It should be inviting and there should be an obvious action to take (hopefully that action is “Sign Up”). Once the user has signed up, he or she should be able to start using the app immediately. Core functionality should not be hidden, nor should the interface overwhelm the user. Helpful hints or guides are usually welcomed at this point.

4. Getting users

Getting users is always a tough task. Gone are the days of “if you build it, they will come.” You need to promote, sell, and prove yourself. There should also be a need/want for it. Cloning an already existing and popular webapp doesn’t usually work because people are already on a platform and are reluctant to switch. That’s probably why Google+ hasn’t taken off. Building something unique that people will use might not be easy, but it works. The best thing to do is look at what you need; if there isn’t something that exists to fulfill your needs, try building it. I’m willing to bet it’s something other people would want too.

"Pressure is what you live for… if you are going to be successful in life, you’re going to have..."

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:51:42 -0400

“Pressure is what you live for… if you are going to be successful in life, you’re going to have pressure.”

- Jack Nicklaus

When Gmail is Down, it's like the Apocalipse

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:18:00 -0400

==> Temporary Error (500) Numeric Code: 93

335 posts in less than an hour on the Google Group from people reporting this issue. when Gmail is down, it really looks like it’s the Apocalipse!

"I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful..."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:10:32 -0400

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

- Steve Jobs

Cold Shower in the morning!

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:46:35 -0400

TNW co-founder Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten believes that it’s never wise to get too comfortable — this is especially true for entrepreneurs and really anyone working in the startup space. Because of this, he’s been taking cold showers every morning…Yes it sounds crazy, and no I don’t do it often, but it’s honestly quite energizing.

In his own words, here’s why he does it:

There are several reasons why taking a cold shower is good for you. Something about your blood circulation, skin health and even testosterone levels. And although those are nice side effects I do it for another reason.

The reason I take a cold shower is to remind myself that my goal in life as an entrepreneur is not to get comfortable. My goal is to succeed in whatever I want to succeed in. If that means getting uncomfortable so be it.

Photo

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:52:07 -0400

"Head of Product responsibilities: (1) set up product strategy and vision, (2) come up with simple..."

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:45:00 -0400

“Head of Product responsibilities: (1) set up product strategy and vision, (2) come up with simple and creative solutions to the most complex problems, (3) getting things done shipping product by saying ‘no’ to 99% of feature ideas.”

- Michael Karnjanaprakorn, co-founder & CEO of Skillshare

"We know we have to build up the supply side first in any given area before going after the other..."

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:08:30 -0400

“We know we have to build up the supply side first in any given area before going after the other side. The first time a parent lands on our page, we know we want them to see a great supply of qualified options”

- Aaron Harris, co-founder and CEO of Tutorpsree

"Customer reviews allow people to learn about a product from the experience of others without any..."

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:27:59 -0400

“Customer reviews allow people to learn about a product from the experience of others without any potentially biased seller information. No wonder why everyone wanted to shop at Amazon. They had information that no other site had: they had the truth.”

- In Designing For The Social Web.

Startups: What are the reasons to open a startup very locally and expand it gradually, city by city? [Quora]

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:23:00 -0500

This question is very specifically about starting “very locally and expanding gradually, city by city” and that has an equally specific answer:

The main types of business that you are seeing this type of city-by-city rollout, right now, is in collaborative consumption (e.g. AirBnB; TaskRabbit, etc.) and group buying (e.g. Groupon).

In both cases - and, in addition to Paul Unterberg’s list - it’s mainly due to a combination of two factors:

1. The chicken-and-egg problem (i.e. what comes first: the users or the suppliers?) needs to be solved by having a CRITICAL MASS of suppliers lined up before consumers will come on board. This is best solved by working one city at a time, and only moving to the next once you have sufficient depth of coverage.

2. There is some reason why supplier selection needs to be made locally. Examples: for Groupon it is vetting the suppliers to make sure that can deliver; for TaskRabbit it’s making sure that the ‘rabbits’ (i.e. people performing the tasks, such as assembling your IKEA furniture) don’t drool and own an allen key.

"It’s surprising how much you become consumed by your startup, in that you think about it day..."

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:41:22 -0500

“It’s surprising how much you become consumed by your startup, in that you think about it day and night, but never once does it feel like “work.””

Sh*t Entrepreneurs Say!

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:59:44 -0500

Sh*t Entrepreneurs Say!

"If you have a great solution to a real problem, what are you waiting for? Any investor you pitch is..."

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:08:41 -0500

“If you have a great solution to a real problem, what are you waiting for? Any investor you pitch is going to be looking at lots of startups who are saying “our product already works, help us grow it”. If all you’ve got is a bunch of slides talking about how well researched your idea is, you’re going to have a tough time convincing someone to write you a check.”

- Michael Flaxman, Co-founder & CEO, priceonomics.com on Quora.

So You Want to Start a Web Startup

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:16:39 -0500

So You Want to Start a Web Startup

To the user, the interface is the product

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:26:08 -0500

"Your startup needs to sell experiences, not features"

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:08:17 -0500

“Your startup needs to sell experiences, not features”

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning...

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:35:00 -0500

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you become a successful startup founder and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”