Mike Gustafson

Marine Corps Veteran, Former MV-22 Pilot
Booth MBA

Building @pillars_inc.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

I’m gaining an appreciation for the “delta 4” rule more and more as I market.

Delta 4: For people to switch to your offering, you need to be +4 better on a scale from 1-10. So, if the current solution is a 5/10, yours should be a 9/10.

When I talk to people and their solution is already a 7/10 or higher, I have to try much harder just to say “Yeah, we’re a bit better than what you’ve got."

When they currently have a 5/10, it’s so much easier.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

It’s a little rainy out, and slightly cool. A perfect day to be building a little more.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

Still building. Still in public.

Highs: More meetings scheduled with potential customers.

Lows: After putting it off, it’s time to do a moderate refactor which I’m sure will create random bugs I didn’t anticipate.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@alwaysjoshp That’s tremendous performance. Congratulations.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@Joey_Walker82 I’m right there with you. Today, I’ll do a .7k and a LOT of debugging.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

Selling a physical component through an AI web app is actually pretty interesting, IMO. We have some drawbacks compared to pure play SaaS, such as not really having a true “freemium” model. One of the upsides, however, is we can get eyeballs by being seen in the real world.

Learning how to get the best of this hybrid situation is definitely tough, but I think it’ll be quite valuable later on.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@JustenEcom 100%. You get better too. Also, if everyone’s first thing was a huge hit, life would be very strange.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@BatsouElef I didn’t know that. Thanks. That was a useful read.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

One of the challenges I deal with is that I already trust my product. I use it a lot and like the output. I know it isn’t spying on me or harvesting unnecessary data.

Users don’t know that stuff. They’re more rightfully cautious. I have to get better at thinking that way.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@Joey_Walker82 It also humanizes it. I like reading people’s logs and seeing what they experienced. I’m not here for highlight reels.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

Still building. Still in public.

Highs: “We’d love to throw some support your way” -a local business manager.

Lows: Worst in-person demo of my life. Tried using the site through hotspotting and everything died.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

Nothing more humbling than trying to use your product under non-test conditions and realize how many fixes are needed.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

My current marketing thesis is simple. Web ads take strangers to my landing page. I have to hope they see the value, try the editor, and buy a card, at a high conversion rate.

Getting a card from me hits with full emotional impact, goes on the user’s fridge, and costs the same.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@shredandship It’s not bad. I know entrepreneurs now and it’s great to have a group with shared experiences like this. Nothing is going to beat the camaraderie I had in the Marines, but I knew that for years.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@codezeodev It’s really nice once you get used to it.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@imabhijeet_s Shipped 60s ago. Had a bunch of admin hangups. Can’t go to bed with these bugs looming.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

Still building. Still in public.

Highs: Doing outreach makes me feel like an entrepreneur, not an inventor,

Lows: I have a lot to keep building in terms of market development.

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@elgermerlo Thanks!

[Mike Gustafson @Mikejgustafson2]

@rocketshipalx It’s super cool to know we’re back at it with moon voyages again. I didn’t realize how many orbits of earth would take place before looping the moon.