mikeokner
Joined 11 years ago
Karma
531
Submissions
135
Member since
Jun 5
Recent submissions
Comment · 6 years ago
Comment · 7 years ago
That’s sort of the vision I have for https://www.naverator.com/. Make planning the actual specifics of a particular trip easier, but also make it easier to discover and share ideas with others both within the site and on other platforms.
Comment · 7 years ago
You're right, it is all manual for now. I do like the idea of some sort of import, but it's intended for a more general audience. I'm not sure my mom would figure out how to create and then import a CSV.
Comment · 7 years ago
Neat project! If anyone's interested in more of a full-featured web app for travel planning, I've been working on developing https://www.naverator.com/
Comment · 7 years ago
> The ability to take the feedback and double down in just a few days is motivational.
Maybe. I took it slightly differently. They received negative feedback after a 10 minute pitch, and immediately dropped everything to change their product & strategy to appease a potential investor.
Was monetizing in this manner at this moment the right strategy for them? That's a pivotal decision to make and not one I'd throw together at 2 am to try impress a party with no skin in the game.
Comment · 7 years ago
It's all done through AWS Cognito so it's something I got working with the default code-based method and then moved on to other things. I'll look at reprioritizing a confirmation link to smooth that process.
I do care somewhat about confirming accounts in general just because it cuts down on spam/abuse, and it ensures someone didn't fat-finger their email and then can't regain access when they forget their password in a month. Also, I have on the roadmap a feature for configurable reminders/notifications, and services like AWS SES track bounces. Too many invalid recipients and you run the risk of getting throttled or suspended.
Comment · 7 years ago
I mentioned in another comment that I've been working on something targeted more at the personal vacation space: https://www.naverator.com
TripIt is good for business travelers and works for personal, but it's very utilitarian. I definitely see space in the market for something more visual & pleasure-oriented.
Comment · 7 years ago
Seems like as good a time as any to Show HN (or shamelessly plug my side-hustle, depending on how you look at it):
It's a trip organizer/sharing platform that aims to be the place for you to collect all the various bits of information & reservations & such for your trip. Currently web-only but mobile on the roadmap as well as offline/export functionality which was one of the nice features of Google Trips.
Feedback welcome. I know it's still a little rough around the edges. Hoping to have things buttoned up nicely in another week or two and then start advertising it more officially to everyday folks.
Comment · 8 years ago
Really cool! I love simple solutions like this.
Comment · 8 years ago
Don't think of it as a call for a quote, think of it as an initial sales contact. An unsolicited inbound phone inquiry is about the strongest possible lead you can possibly get. The potential customer typically won't expect you to provide a full quote on the spot, but will expect to have a brief conversation and either a follow-up email with pricing details or a follow-up formal sales/demo call scheduled.
In terms of pricing/value, you should already have estimates of value for different customer sizes/use-cases and put together prices based on those estimates. On the call, it's your job to learn as much as you can about their problem so that you can determine how best to solve it with the products you offer and where it falls on your pricing scale.
Don't do on-prem unless they pay you a boat-load more and SaaS isn't an option they're willing to consider. It's way more of a headache.
NDAs are usually fine, but better to pay a lawyer a couple bucks to throw together one for you and try and use that one all the time rather than having to review a bunch of different ones coming from other companies.
Travel is case-by-case. Definitely not necessary for just a quote, and not strictly necessary for sales if your video demos/sales calls are on point, especially if your customers are tech-inclined.
Comment · 8 years ago
You should not start charging double to existing customers (which is why Stripe doesn't allow you to edit existing plans).
You should keep them on a grandfathered plan for at least a period of time and/or nag them to upgrade (optionally with a discount for their trouble).
Remote: Willing (some travel OK too)
Relocate: No
Technologies: AWS (SA Pro), Go, Python, JS, Scala, Linux, Postgres, Dynamo, Cassandra, Redis, Terraform, Ansible
Email: michael (at) okner (dot) com
Resume: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeokner/ (full PDF available via email)
I have substantial experience architecting and building modern, cloud-native applications and leading a remote team. I currently oversee the platforms used by thousands of developers & scientists at a Global 250 in a SRE/Architect role. I am most interested in roles that involve leadership & development of technical/software products.