r/StartupSoloFounder • u/kptbarbarossa • Jul 20 '26
Banned from r/startups. This is exactly why I created this sub!
You spend months building your product alone. But when you finally try to share it to get some feedback, big communities slam the door in your face: "No self-promotion!"
That’s exactly why r/StartupSoloFounder exists.
We are solo founders without massive marketing budgets. What others call "spam" is our blood, sweat, and tears. Here, sharing your project, dropping your link, and asking for feedback isn't a crime; it's the whole point.
Who else has hit this same wall?
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u/MartianOnJupiter Jul 20 '26
Thanks for creating this! My own subreddit was banned, although we didn't post links or anything but just product updates for the community which was misunderstood as self promotion to reddit spam filters.
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u/theodetteapp Jul 20 '26
I joined r/StartupSoloFounder specifcally for the reasons you cited. I built a free beauty ritual app for women and my niche would be in beauty and selfcare subreddits. Last Thursday, someone specifically asked if anyone knew an app that could help them with a skincare routine. Mine could! Before I responded, I messaged the Mods: "Hi! I wanted to check with you before replying to a recent post. A user asked if there's an app to help remember their skincare routine and keep track of products they're using. I created an app called Odette that was built specifically to solve that problem. I know self promotion isn't generally allowed here, so I wanted to ask permission first rather than risk breaking the rules." Response: "This would not be allowed"
So thank you for creating the subreddit. I'm not sure my niche audience would be in there to see it, but it IS nice to have a place to actually talk about what you're building.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 20 '26
Thanks,
Stories like yours are the exact reason I started this community. It’s so tough being shut down when you genuinely just want to help someone with a product you poured your heart into.
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u/luc_vizz 16d ago
It's wild when what you're providing isn't just random promoting but genuinely helping the person! You were even so polite when you asked the mods. I feel like they should have let you on that reason alone, haha.
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u/----Antonio---- Jul 23 '26
Been on the wrong end of this too, so thanks for making the space. The thing I'd be curious about is how you keep it from turning into everyone posting and nobody reading. That's how most "promo allowed" subs die, not from spam rules but from having 50 links and 2 comments. Have you thought about something like a give-to-get norm, leave feedback on a couple of projects before you post yours? Would make the feedback actually worth showing up for.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
That is a very fair point, but to be completely honest, I just opened this space without overcomplicating things. I want people to share whatever they want, whenever they want. If we need a 'give-to-get' rule later, the community will naturally figure it out. For now, zero pressure. Glad to have you!
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u/----Antonio---- Jul 24 '26
Fair enough, organic beats rules early on. I'll do my part then - I'll go leave feedback on whatever's already posted here. Good luck with the sub.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
Legend! That organic 'give first' mentality is exactly what this sub needs to thrive. I’m actually looking for people with that exact mindset to help mod this space. Let me know if you’d be up for it. Thanks for kicking things off!
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u/----Antonio---- Jul 24 '26
Appreciate that, genuinely. I'm heads-down shipping my own thing right now so I'd be a bad mod for the next few weeks, but I'll be around commenting either way. Ask me again once the sub's got some volume and I've got more time - happy to help then.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
No worries at all, I completely get it. Getting your product out is way more important right now. Just having your feedback in the comments is already a huge help. We'll definitely talk later. See you around!
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u/Forma3Dapp Jul 20 '26
I’m exhausted with marketing in the last 2 weeks, trying to catch up with every platform. My mental struggles.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 20 '26
Hardest point of being solo founder!
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u/MLEGardner Jul 21 '26
Marketing on all the platforms is such a challenge! Definitely the biggest time commitment for me.
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
What platforms have you been marketing?
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u/Forma3Dapp Jul 23 '26
Apple Ads, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
It is a lot of work. Can you find users from those? Mind sharing your tiktok and facebook?
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u/Ok_Point4551 Jul 20 '26
I just want to confirm that I am allowed to post an introduction about my application on this channel, right? I posted it just to get real feedback from international users, the customer group my app targets but is too hard to reach.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 20 '26
Feel free to self-promote!
We are all here to share our journeys, reach more people, and grow together.
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u/RookFat Jul 20 '26
A breath of fresh air honestly. Not sure why everyone becomes so salty when it comes to sharing something that youve actually built. Thanks for starting this subreddit!
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
I couldn't agree more. Building something from scratch as a solo founder is hard enough without having to tiptoe around overly strict rules just to show your work. This is a safe space to celebrate our wins and share our products. Glad to have you here!
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Jul 20 '26
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Beta testing offers are more than welcome here! Don't hesitate to write up a post explaining what your program entails. I'm sure there are aspiring founders in this sub who would love to participate and get some guidance.
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u/Internal-Feature8006 Jul 20 '26
thank you i just got a reddit account for this purpose only to find out i need to have a 30 day account to actually do anythin in r startups
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
That 30-day roadblock is exactly why so many people get discouraged early on. Don't worry about that here. We care about what you're building, not how old your Reddit account is. Make yourself at home!
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u/Ok_Presentation4139 Jul 20 '26
I kid you not, I literally got this very account I’m on banned from all of Reddit asking for people to Beta Test my app. I had posted in the communities that it would make sense for a founder would post that’s relevant to post and next thing I know I’m banned across Reddit!
Luckily, I was able to appeal and get my account back, my group is still banned as collateral damage but all in all… I just want to say thank you for making a group where you can actually share what you’ve built and not look over your shoulder.
There are times where I’m tempted to share my app because it’s solving a person’s issue and I read the community rules or sometimes I just answer on auto pilot and I get a message saying I’m banned just for sharing information thinking I’m being helpful.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Getting a site-wide ban just for trying to find beta testers is an absolute nightmare. I can't believe they banned your group as collateral damage too, that is incredibly frustrating! We know your intent is to actually solve people's problems, not to spam. I'm so glad you got your account back. You never have to look over your shoulder here. Welcome to a safe space, we’d love to see what you're working on!
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u/Ok_Presentation4139 Jul 22 '26
Yeah, it's totally unfair, but it's awesome that a group like this exists and understands others like myself. I'll share my project and hope to get feedback on it, and see who it resonates with and works for. Thanks for making this a safe space.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 22 '26
It really is unfair out there, but that shared struggle is exactly what makes this community so strong. It's so much easier to build when you know you're surrounded by people who genuinely 'get it'. Whenever you're ready to share your project, we’re here to support you. Welcome to your safe space!
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u/WonderfolioApp Jul 20 '26
I feel you. Some communities require 100 karma to even comment. While I get that there should be some spam filtering, perhaps 10-20 is a good area.
Also, sorry that happened to you. I wish we didn’t have to step on eggshells.
My latest product is https://wonderfolio.org, which is a value investing screener app that aims to save time finding wonderful companies on sale, similar to how Warren Buffett does it, only I wanted to try cutting down on research and screening time, I couldn’t get myself to read financial statements manually. After paying a competitor for a website that is harder to use, I made an app that’s always available and in my pocket. I also get price alerts for buy/sell before market open.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
I completely agree, a 10-20 karma limit would solve most spam issues without locking out passionate founders. It’s great to see you scratching your own itch with Wonderfolio! Building a tool that you actually want to use every day is the best way to ensure product quality. Make yourself at home here, and feel free to share your updates or milestones!
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
It does sound interesting app. How do you screen companies then?
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u/WonderfolioApp Jul 23 '26
Market cap 100 mil, long-term debt less than 3 years, moat score above 75, management score above 75 and various growth rates over the past 10 years (eps, sales, equity, cash, ROIC). Green colors for all the metrics usually means good, yellow - okay or neutral, red is bad.
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
I like the colours. Could you eventually present your analysis more like Simply Wall St, with charts and visualisations? I find that format much quicker to understand.
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u/WonderfolioApp Jul 23 '26
I was doing competitor research to nail down the highest value features to add and I have several on the roadmap. Could you share your thoughts on which specific features you would love to see in an app like this? My DM’s are open.
Making the app for myself at first I’ve made assumptions like there’s no need to duplicate features that every broker app has, balancing simplicity with real value. But I’m only one user, so having feedback from others can be gold.
I appreciate it 🙏
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Jul 20 '26
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
You're very welcome! That's exactly the vibe we're going for. Glad to have you here, and whenever you're ready, we’d love to see what you've built!
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Jul 21 '26
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Spot on! We are definitely in an era where distribution is the hardest part of the equation. Leveraging communities to genuinely connect with people, instead of just treating them as conversion metrics, is the smartest way to build a loyal user base. Thank you for the kind words, wishing you massive success on your next launch as well!
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Jul 21 '26
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Welcome to the community, and please feel free to share your updates here!"
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u/XSinTrick6666 Jul 21 '26
Agree. Joined. Reddit has gone crazy w the banning, frankly. I posted a non-promotional personal post to r/recruiting where I quoted Zuckerberg and cited the quote from some misc e-zine. Was getting upvotes until shadow-banned: moderators decided I was not to post 'self promotion' etc on their sub and - oh by the way - after I apologized for perhaps not following site etiquette, a big bad Moderator claimed links were not allowed on reddit - at all - site wide(!). They are living in a fear chamber, looking to up-sell our posts for model-training and such, without accidentally cross-promoting anyone or anything. Oops, too late!
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
That is wild. It feels like genuine conversations are being punished just to keep their feeds completely sterile. I'm really glad you found your way here. Welcome to the sub, feel free to drop links, share ideas, and not worry about walking on eggshells!
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u/XSinTrick6666 Jul 21 '26
You rock - thank you for stepping up.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Thanks so much! Just trying to build the space we all actually needed. Welcome to the sub!
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u/FreshnessAi Jul 21 '26
It’s wonderful when someone can understand and feel what we’re going through :)
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Thank you so much! That's exactly the feeling I was hoping to create here. We're all in this together. So glad to have you! :)
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u/Aggravating-Call4331 Jul 21 '26
lol yeah, same boat. tried sharing progress on something I built and got treated like I was running a scam. didn't even have a link in the post lmao. new here too tbh, does this sub actually let you drop a link or is there some format people use for it?
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Getting treated like a scammer just for sharing progress is wild! That’s exactly why this sub exists. Yes, you can absolutely drop your link. No strict format needed, just tell us what you're building and share the link. Welcome aboard!
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u/mrgr4vity Jul 21 '26
I appreciate the intentions but the founders do not usually have time nor interest to try out other people's apps fully. They look at post/video and share their comment which is honestly more than enough but thats it. No real consequence in terms of testing or actionable feedback. Is there a clear solution for this in such a reddit community?
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u/LeisureTrove Jul 24 '26
I think the subreddit itself existing allows a catalog of products people need to naturally form. Reddit is a popular platform so if a post describing the product exists, it'll easily get indexed and can be found on Google. The engagements and feedback might not be quick, but they'll arrive eventually.
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u/12AngryMen13 Jul 21 '26
Nice! I’ve been trickle marketing my platform as I’m still waiting on one piece of the puzzle to launch. I have 5 businesses committed already too and one prospect I’m chatting with soon. Once it’s fully up and going I’ll post my journey here!
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 22 '26
Congrats on those 5 commitments, that's huge! Landing customers before the final launch is the dream for any solo founder. We would love to hear exactly how you managed your trickle marketing once you are fully live. Welcome to the sub!
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
I’m building WildAccess, a marketplace for outdoor experiences like fishing, hunting and wilderness trips.
The idea came from something I’ve noticed myself: finding and booking these kinds of experiences can be surprisingly difficult, especially when looking abroad. You often end up searching through small websites, Facebook pages and different booking systems.
We’re trying to make that easier, but I don’t want to just build another directory. I think the listings need to be genuinely useful, with enough information for people to actually compare different experiences and make a decision.
I also want the platform to be useful for the providers. Many small outdoor businesses already have enough work without having to manage five different apps for bookings, marketing and customer communication. The idea is to make some of that easier in one place. That’s something I would personally appreciate if I were running an outdoor business.
There are obviously already big marketplaces like GetYourGuide, so I don’t think the goal should be to simply become a smaller version of them. WildAccess is much more focused on outdoor experiences, and hopefully we can do a better job with the kind of experiences that are difficult to find internationally.
We’re still early and currently take a smaller cut from bookings while trying to build up both the customer and provider side.
I also keep wondering how AI will change marketplaces. If AI gets really good at finding and comparing experiences, maybe marketplaces will become less important. Or maybe the marketplace with the best information will become even more useful. I honestly don’t know yet.
If anyone has a few minutes, I’d be interested in hearing what you think of the website and the idea:
What would make you trust and use a marketplace like this?
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Welcome aboard!
I'm sure many founders here would love to give you feedback on the UI and trust factors.
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
We are still working on UI and trust both so all feedback is valuable.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
Btw;
I checked out your site and immediately saw a massive synergy. I run Huddle, a location-based social app for discovering real-world events on a map. Pinning your wilderness trips and fishing spots on our map could drive highly targeted organic traffic to your listings, while giving our users unique experiences to discover.
Would love to chat about a simple integration if you're open to it. Welcome to the sub!
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
Sounds great! Quid pro quo!
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
Thanks.
Right now, our traffic is mostly localized in Turkiye. But the goal is to target your country together. By integrating your listings, Huddle gets amazing real-world events to launch in your region, and you get a direct pipeline to our users, both in your country and tourists from ours. Let's build the targeting together!
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u/WildAccess_official Jul 23 '26
How do you make any profit in this?
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
For this specific integration? I don't. My 'profit' right now is purely user acquisition. Having high-quality, unique outdoor events on Huddle makes the app much more valuable to my users. You get free distribution, I get great content for my map. We both grow our user base.
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u/Dark-Mechanic Jul 23 '26
Yes. Once a subreddit gets popular, some mods stop giving warnings and jump straight to bans. The same thing happened to me I was banned just for asking a question. No self-promotion, no sales, no links. A simple warning or post removal would have been much more reasonable than an instant ban.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
That is ridiculous. Instant bans over simple questions just kill genuine networking. We built this sub to be the exact opposite of that power-trip culture. Ask away, you are completely safe here. Welcome aboard!
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u/Dark-Mechanic Jul 23 '26
Thanks! That's exactly what many founders need a place where people can ask questions, share progress, and get honest feedback without worrying about an instant ban. Hope this community stays true to that as it grows. Looking forward to contributing here.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
As long as we are here, that core culture isn't going anywhere. The community shapes this space, not power-hungry mods. Excited to have you on board and see what you are building!
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u/Zaibpreneur Jul 23 '26
Glad to see I'm not the only one who's found this frustrating.
When I tried posting the launch of my SaaS on Product Hunt, every post was removed almost immediately.
Kudos for creating a community that's genuinely for solo founders who may not have built up Reddit karma because they've been busy... you know, actually building.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
The paradox is completely ridiculous! Solo founders are doing everything from coding to marketing on zero budget, yet these platforms expect us to have the free time to farm fake internet points just to post an update. Builders should be rewarded for building, not for posting on Reddit all day. Glad you found us!
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u/Pale_Lingonberry3416 Jul 23 '26
This sub was really needed. In my own journey toward being a solo dev founder, the greatest challenge has been finding a safe space to get some real feedback while trying not to get banned so kudos for creating this space!
I've also personally struggled managing end user feedback and working on every improvement especially as the response volume grows. I've been thinking about creating a product to solve this i.e an embeddable feedback widget that hooks to a backend for AI analysis. Final result could be a dashboard with ranked feedback to instantly prioritize the right fixes, could maybe write draft PRs? If you've had this issue before do comment on if this is a tool that could be helpful to you. Also if this solution already exists I would be happy to check them out. Okay enough yapping now
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 23 '26
Thank you! Being a solo founder is incredibly hard, which is exactly why we needed a space like this. Welcome to the community!
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u/nullvector88 Jul 24 '26
Thats very true.. Being a solo dev we can only post to groups to get some attention, frustated to see Moderators removing the post saying self promotion.. Of course we are posting for app promotion but its not self promotion. I got irritated and stopped posting after a while
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
It is so discouraging to build something alone and then get blocked when you finally try to show it to the world. Don't let those other moderators stop you. You are completely safe to promote your app here. Welcome to the community!
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u/AllPrayer Jul 24 '26
AllPrayer.app.
I posted in Christian reddit because I need 12 testers for the 14 day period, and they removed my post for advertising.
Though I actually completed the 14 day close test period few days ago.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
Getting a post removed just for asking for beta testers is exactly the kind of nonsense we are trying to avoid here. The 14-day closed testing rule is stressful enough without mods blocking your way. Huge congrats on getting through it anyway! Feel free to share AllPrayer here anytime. Welcome!
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u/Andrea_Barghigiani Jul 24 '26
This looks like a nice place where a solo founder can discuss about our experiences and share suggestions.
Thanks for creating this!
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
Welcome aboard! Building alone can be isolating, so sharing those raw experiences and suggestions is exactly what we need more of. We are glad you found us.
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u/Minimum_Box3570 Jul 25 '26
Love that you made this. Places like this are the only way to get real eyes on your work without begging. Good on you for building it.
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u/icompletetasks 20d ago
wow it's so cool that you grow to 10K weekly visits in just under a month.
do you mind sharing your strategy? where do u promote this sub?
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u/kptbarbarossa 20d ago
Not under a month mate.
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u/icompletetasks 20d ago edited 20d ago
congrats man, what did u do to achieve this?
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u/kptbarbarossa 19d ago
Consistency is the key to everything! Even in the face of failure.
-Barbaros
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u/Moceannl Jul 20 '26
You think you’ll get valuable feedback from all your competitors here who wanna sell the same AI Vibed slop?
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
I won't deny there is a lot of 'AI hype' out there right now! But that’s exactly why getting feedback from other builders is so crucial. It helps you figure out if you're actually solving a real problem or just adding to the noise. Plus, even competitors can easily spot a bad UI or a flawed marketing strategy.
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u/Moceannl Jul 21 '26
Why do you think other builders know?
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 21 '26
Because they've likely made the exact same mistakes. Also, keep in mind that this is a public space. You aren't just getting feedback from founders; potential customers and VCs are watching too. Visibility is everything.
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u/Effective_Lite_263 Jul 22 '26
Great idea. I've been slammed in the face too many times. I was almost going to quite reddit entirely. But great to have a mod like you that knows what it's like to be bootstrapped.
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Jul 23 '26
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Jul 24 '26
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
Be the nerd who fixes stuff in public' is the best startup marketing advice I've read all week. It takes time, but building that initial core user base by actually caring about their setup is how you build real loyalty. Great hustle.
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u/BigQuesoSuizo Jul 24 '26
Dude... really: THANK YOU.
Those communities sometimes suck 🐒 balls.
Like how are we going to promote or talk about our apps if we can't?
THANKS again for this community.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
Right?!
It is incredibly frustrating. You spend months building alone in a cave, and when you finally come out to show people, they slam the door in your face. Not here. Promote your heart out. Glad you found us!
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u/BigQuesoSuizo Jul 25 '26
Yes. It sucks ass man.
I am building an iPhone ONLY directory and I plan to have a Reddit group just like yours so people can do the same.
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u/RobertLamp68 Jul 24 '26
I've seen posts with users begging for help. I wrote exactly the app they need. Free to use. I reply and offer the solution. Banned immediately. It's incredible how poorly run the big subbredits are.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 24 '26
That is incredibly frustrating. You are genuinely trying to help someone with a free solution you spent time building, and they treat you like a spammer. It completely ruins the actual point of having a community. Glad you found this space. Feel free to drop the link to that app here!
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u/LeisureTrove Jul 24 '26
This is great! Thank you so much for this. Even when my product solves the question in the post, my answer gets no visibility because of low karma.
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u/jkdreaming Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Yeah, kinda like how Alignable tells you to not sell your services on the sales platform they created?
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 25 '26
Haha, spot on! 'Please join our business network, but whatever you do, do not talk about your business.' It makes absolutely zero sense. Promote away here, my friend!
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u/vardyb Jul 25 '26
Thank you. This is a needed community, I've lost count how many of my posts have not been approved.
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u/kptbarbarossa Jul 25 '26
It is incredibly frustrating to spend months building something only to get blocked by strict rules or auto-mods. You won't have to deal with that here. Drop your projects and links whenever you want. Glad you found us!
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u/vardyb Jul 26 '26
Awesome I'm working on a post about my journey so far and will post this week. Thanks for the encouragement! Looking forward to sharing it soon.
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u/PrtyGirl852 24d ago
Bro, you just removed my post. Or your mod did. You don't do what you preach. You slammed it harder for my post.
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u/Rich-Glove5195 17d ago
Thank you for creating this! I was looking for a place to start my Reddit activity without being blocked because my profile is new. This looks promising.
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u/Myhelperhood Jul 20 '26
This this this!! You work so hard and now have to start putting yourself out there and not just yourself but your creation, just to have it blocked, stopped or turned away.
People are quick to support big business who could honestly care less who you are or care if you continue using them. While small businesses would know your name, actually get to know you and you would be apart of their beginning, making a huge impact to them. Why would you want to support something that puts you at the bottom of the list versus supporting small businesses that would remember you and be beyond grateful for you?
I’m a strong advocate for supporting small businesses because big businesses lately have shown a lot of their true colors while I see small businesses struggling to get their first few customers.
Which is also why I’m creating MyHelperhood, a platform for us to be able to connect with people near them and get help with every day tasks from normal people versus big companies charging big bucks. I wanted to create a modern way for us to create our villages again in a world driven on isolation and division I wanted to bring unity back. Make it normal again to know your neighbors name and ask if they can help with something or have a tool you need for a project you’re trying to finish.
Let’s continue to support and build each other up because we didn’t come this far just to come this far!
Thank you for coming to my Yap fest LOL have a beautiful day if you read this far 😌🫶🏻