January 2013
2 posts
Feature and Growth
Build one feature and Build 2 ways to grow that feature.
We have a lot of ideas at JustUnfollow but we implement those first that are more likely to help us spread.
You are a fool if you aren't applying to Startup...
No offence but if you have an idea, want to startup or have already started up, need money, want to meet hundreds of like minded teams, want to be forced to learn a new language, want to know how good cheap wine can taste and you haven’t applied for Startup Chile then you better do it now!
Startup Chile in simple words:
1. US$ 40,000 equity free seed funding
2. Spend 6 months in Chile
3....
November 2012
1 post
2 tags
Refund
When your users ask for a refund just give it to them. There is no use reasoning or fighting with your customer over the refund. Just give it to them!
Only a small percentage of your users ask for a refund. I know you would have this whole “how can they get away with this. This is cheating!” thoughts in your head when someone asks for a refund. However, it’s a trivial thing....
September 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Do yourself a favor and use self hosted Wordpress for your company blog. I’ve tried a lot of blogging platforms but the best blogging platform from a business point of view is wordpress.
Of course, you don’t need to do this when you are just starting out as you can get started quickly using wordpess.com or tumblr . But once you have a bit of traction for your product, move over to a...
Nip it in the bud
When things don’t go right, when you have a problem, tackle it right away. The more you prolong hoping it would solve itself, the murkier it gets.
July 2012
1 post
Stay Focused
I’ve been greedy. Not for money per se, for success. While it’s good to be greedy for success, you shouldn’t lose focus.
New ideas are your biggest curse. When you get a new idea, lock it up somewhere. Stay focused, don’t think too much, don’t dream too much.
If you are building a product, build it and work on it till you can call it a success or a failure. Once...
June 2012
1 post
Barcamp Mumbai 9
Attended Barcamp Mumbai 9 today. On seeing so many people enthusiastically wanting to share their experiences with everyone I decided to hold an impromptu session about Startup Chile.
It was fun! I guess I’ll be doing this “Spread Startup Chile ” thing more aften now!
February 2012
1 post
3 tags
Incorporating a company in India
We decided it was time to incorporate a private limited company as we’re growing, are a team of 3 full time employees, 1 full-time consultant and another part-time consultant. I had no clue incorporating would be this easy. I did not have to go anywhere, everything was done by the guys at NovoJuris. All I had to do was scan a few documents. The entire process took around 30 to 45 days (there...
January 2012
3 posts
sifarsquill asked: Hi .. thanks for the helpful post on Chilean visa process. was super confused about the Police Clearance Certificate. You mention that you regretted buying a one way ticket, as opposed to a return ticket to Chile. Did the program pay for your ticket back? I would like to buy a one way ticket too because I don't want to deal with changing dates etc upon my return.
So, you have incorporated your company, printed business cards, got the swags made, decided what your title at your company would be, read articles that teach you how to name your company, read everything about how investors can con you, bought domain names, bought the “.org” “.net” and everything else, thought how you would venture into new verticals once this product is a...
While the majority is busy calling itself “entrepreneur”, “ceo”, “founder” and “chairman”, a few work towards building valuable companies.
December 2011
3 posts
First day at a driving class today. Hope to learn soon, looking forward to
being able to drive my new car.
Booked a Hyundai i20. Would be getting the car tomorrow, yay!
Problem with "How we got..." articles
The problem with articles like “how we got our first 10,000 users” or “How we made our first $10,000” is that they only work for the ones who wrote the article. You are different and you would need to do something different to achieve that. Read such articles to understand the process, but do not copy it. Build your own “How we got…”
October 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Start-Up Chile - things you need to know to obtain...
I’m part of the first batch of Start-Up Chile 2011. We are working on Buffr.com now working fulltime on JustUnfollow . The process to obtain a visa to Chile involves a few documents that you need to obtain in India and I thought it would be best to provide some info here.
If you’ve been selected into the Start-Up Chile program then the next step is to reach Chile. If you are in India...
1 tag
How to create a decent screencast of your website
It’s always good to have a screencast displaying the most important features of your website. I looked around to find websites or people who would make a screencast but nothing seemed to suit my budget. I realized getting a screencast can be expensive. Whenever I realize that, I do one of the two things. I either forget about the idea or I try to do it on my own. Since this was important for...
July 2011
3 posts
6 tags
Sunday: Indian lunch at Salaam Bombay
There’s an Indian fine dining restaurant near our place. We finally visited it today. I like the name - “Salaam Bombay”. It’s run by a guy from Madras and he said they serve only North Indian food.
So, in Chile we had North Indian food in a restaurant named Salaam Bombay being served by a South Indian!
The next time I go there I’m gonna take some pics and put them...
Chilean lunch at a friend's place
I was invited for a chilean lunch at a friend’s place. Chilean cuisine is usually bland (at least by Indian standards) but she was sweet enough to make some spicy salad for us. I’m not really a salad person but I just loved this one!
For the first time in my life, I actually ate an oyster, raw!!! All you do is squeeze lemon on top of it and eat it. I felt exactly the same as the...
Chile until now
It’s been almost 2 months since I landed here in Chile. When I was leaving India, I thought I would blog everyday but I haven’t been able to, I failed in doing that.
It’s been a good 2 months here. The people here are extremely friendly. No one knows english hence it can be a bit overwhelming at the beginning. But over time you get adjusted to the new language and though you...
June 2011
1 post
“I believe in need based entrepreneurship. Build a product you need, one that you...”
– Nischal
May 2011
1 post
4 tags
I would have never built twitter
I get excited whenever a new idea enters my head. A day or two I’m all happy, thinking how smart I am to come up with something like that. And then, it all comes crashing down when I tell myself that this idea is too trivial, I’m never going to make a big “company” out of this little idea.
Stop thinking like that! Your core problem lies in not understanding that building a...
March 2011
3 posts
2 tags
January 2011
4 posts
“When you’re not happy being happy, get married.”
– Nischal
2 tags
What happens at work after you quit
Things shouldn’t change once it’s apparent that you are going to quit a company. Your behavior towards work shouldn’t change and neither should your company’s behavior towards you change.
But, most of the time this isn’t the case. Employees tend to put on a lethargic attitude towards their work while employers start treating them as a step child. Then each starts...
1 tag
“I’m happy being me!”
– Nischal Shetty
1 tag
The story until now
I’ve been working as a software developer(Java) from the last 3 years or so. I got a job through campus placement at college and after about 2 years at my first job I moved on to work at an Indian startup named burrp.com which helps people find and review the best restaurants, spas etc in their city.
I officially resigned from my job last week, 5th of Jan, 2011. I will need to serve the...
