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Val Sopi

Val Sopi
A Successful Product Hunt Launch <p>blogstatic's <a href="https://www.producthunt.com/products/blogstatic#blogstatic"...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
<p>blogstatic's <a href="https://www.producthunt.com/products/blogstatic#blogstatic" target="_blank">first PH launch</a> (documented&nbsp;<a href="https://valsopi.com/launching-on-product-hunt">here</a>) was in December of 2022, three months after the <a...
Val Sopi
Year 2300 <p><i>From all that is currently happening to us, I want to believe that we’re at the dawn of a new...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
<p><i>From all that is currently happening to us, I want to believe that we’re at the dawn of a new era </i>✊</p><hr><p>I&nbsp;am&nbsp;predicting year 2300 to be the one when we’re living the progressive dreams of today.<br></p><p>By then we have reached a new...
Val Sopi
The Waiting Room <p>Growing up I was always told to work hard, wait my turn, and good things will...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
<p>Growing up I was always told to work hard, wait my turn, and good things will happen.</p><p>However, I've been the most successful when I didn't wait.</p><p>The "waiting room"&nbsp;is the worst place to be in.&nbsp;</p><p>You're at the mercy of someone else letting you...
Val Sopi
The incredible March 2024 <p>March was an absolutely insane month for <a href="https://blogstatic.io/">blogstatic.io</a>. The...
10 months ago
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10 months ago
<p>March was an absolutely insane month for <a href="https://blogstatic.io/">blogstatic.io</a>. The majority of this spike I can attribute to the <a href="https://blogstatic.io/blog/pricing-2024">price change announcement on March 1st</a> and customers were rushing to lock in...
Val Sopi
Test <p> Some super </p> <p class="top-button"> <a href="#top">🔝</a> </p>
a year ago
Val Sopi
Things I love about blogstatic <p>blogstatic had another above $1K month.</p> <p>$1,208.38 to be exact.</p> <p>This was the third...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p>blogstatic had another above $1K month.</p> <p>$1,208.38 to be exact.</p> <p>This was the third +$1K month overall, since <a href="https://valsopi.com/blogstatic-chance">rebranding</a> back in 2022.</p> <figure><img...
Val Sopi
AI will make humans better <p><i>Context:&nbsp;Read&nbsp;<a...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p><i>Context:&nbsp;Read&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theredhandfiles.com/chatgpt-making-things-faster-and-easier/" target="_blank">Nick Cave's letter</a> first.</i></p> <p><i></i>—</p> <p>ChatGPT (or similar) are just tools!</p> <p>Nothing more.</p> <p>They're akin to when tools...
Val Sopi
A change in how I share my open finances and a new self–imposed public challenge <p> A bit over a year ago, I wrote <a href="https://valsopi.com/setting-sail">a post</a> in...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p> A bit over a year ago, I wrote <a href="https://valsopi.com/setting-sail">a post</a> in which I talked about embarking on a journey to financial freedom. Specifically speaking — I took out a personal loan so I could focus on solely building products. </p><p> With that...
Val Sopi
One year since "setting sail" <p><i>For context, read <a href="https://valsopi.com/setting-sail">this article</a>...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p><i>For context, read <a href="https://valsopi.com/setting-sail">this article</a> first.</i></p><p><i>TLDR:&nbsp;A year ago, I took out a loan and went all–in pursuing my financial freedom. The words below are an update a year on the day.</i></p><hr><h2>Poetically...
Val Sopi
On using time <p>One thing I've gotten really good at over the years is using time in terms of how it affects my...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p>One thing I've gotten really good at over the years is using time in terms of how it affects my product-making process.</p><p>Back in the day, when I was greener, I&nbsp;used to rush things, not just for the sake of rushing to get them out of the door —&nbsp;but I would get to...
Val Sopi
Summer 2023 finances <p><a href="https://twitter.com/valsopi/status/1680156076036030464" target="_blank">Monthly tweet...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/valsopi/status/1680156076036030464" target="_blank">Monthly tweet update</a></p><p>Looking back at the tough June, I thought I should clear up a few things as the much better July is almost over.</p><ul><li><b>🫣 Bummer:</b>&nbsp;June tanked with...
Val Sopi
Focusing on progress, not the goal <p><span style="font-size: 21px;">Rion, my 11-year-old son, plays tennis.</span></p><p>He first set...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p><span style="font-size: 21px;">Rion, my 11-year-old son, plays tennis.</span></p><p>He first set foot on a tennis court when he was 18 months or so. His cousin was practicing back then, so he would tag along with his aunt to the tennis courts.</p><figure class="none"><img...
Val Sopi
Where is blogstatic now? <p>blogstatic is growing slowly at around 20% month-to-month.</p> <p>Currently, it's hovering at...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p>blogstatic is growing slowly at around 20% month-to-month.</p> <p>Currently, it's hovering at ~$700/month in revenue.</p> <p>Since pricing is currently "yearly" only, each month starts from zero.</p> <p>It will be interesting come October 2023 when the first yearly upgrades...
Val Sopi
The downsides of building in public <p>I first started "building in public"&nbsp;back in 2017.</p> <p>Not sure if the term existed back...
a year ago
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a year ago
<p>I first started "building in public"&nbsp;back in 2017.</p> <p>Not sure if the term existed back then, but I started talking about my newest product at the time (Claritask), which I ended up <a href="https://bootstrapping-saas.transistor.fm/episodes/claritask-sold"...
Val Sopi
Marching into March <p>February was yet another month with unexpected expenses on top of my planned budget of -2500....
a year ago
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a year ago
<p>February was yet another month with unexpected expenses on top of my planned budget of -2500. They were again family related.</p><p>The lesson here is that my personal budget is way too tight without much margin for any unexpected expenses, especially with two growing kids and...
Val Sopi
Financial Update: February 2023 <p>In January, I managed to pay myself $500 for the first time — from my Saas making —&nbsp;since...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>In January, I managed to pay myself $500 for the first time — from my Saas making —&nbsp;since setting sail on <a href="https://valsopi.com/setting-sail">my journey to financial freedom</a>.</p><p>The plan is to keep paying myself at least $500 each month going forward, hoping...
Val Sopi
What a year! <p>One of the things I'm most proud of in 2022 was that I stuck to some personal habits like going...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>One of the things I'm most proud of in 2022 was that I stuck to some personal habits like going to the gym, eating well, and meditating.</p> <p>I believe these habits helped me get more in tune with myself and get the confidence necessary to take bold steps, like taking out a...
Val Sopi
Launching on Product Hunt <p> <b>Diary entries, aka Table of contents</b> </p> <ul> <li><a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p> <b>Diary entries, aka Table of contents</b> </p> <ul> <li><a href="#wednesday7">Wednesday, Dec 7</a></li> <li><a href="#thursday8">Thursday, Dec 8</a></li> <li><a href="#thursday8">Friday, Dec 9</a></li> <li><a href="#monday12">Monday, Dec 12</a></li> ...
Val Sopi
blogstatic numbers for November <p>Coming from <a href="https://valsopi.com/blogstatic-numbers-october-2022">October</a>, November...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>Coming from <a href="https://valsopi.com/blogstatic-numbers-october-2022">October</a>, November was again another solid month.<a href="https://valsopi.com/blogstatic-numbers-october-2022"></a></p> <table><tbody><tr><td><b>blogstatic</b></td><td><b>October...
Val Sopi
blogstatic numbers for October <p>I announced the new blogstatic pricing ($19/year) and launched the <a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>I announced the new blogstatic pricing ($19/year) and launched the <a href="https://blogstatic.io/blog/rebrand">new website</a> on October 11th.</p> <p>As I was considering the new pricing and the pros and cons, I wrote this in my daily business journal:</p> <figure><img...
Val Sopi
Giving blogstatic a real chance <p>I have never really given blogstatic a real chance to succeed.</p> <p><b>Up to now, I've said a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>I have never really given blogstatic a real chance to succeed.</p> <p><b>Up to now, I've said a version of any of the following.</b></p> <ul><li>"It's a side project..."</li><li>"I did it in ~30 hours..."</li><li>"It's growing slowly without much marketing..."</li></ul> <p>And...
Val Sopi
Runway extended by an Angel <p> About a month ago, on September 1st, I made a big leap:&nbsp;I stopped my consulting work...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p> About a month ago, on September 1st, I made a big leap:&nbsp;I stopped my consulting work for the 3rd time to chase my SaaS dreams.</p> <p> Up to September, I supported my SaaS making with consulting and contract work. Which wasn't an ideal setup for making...
Val Sopi
On the first page of Hacker News with Subsection <p><i><a href="https://subsection.io/" target="_blank">Subsection</a> is an app that helps create...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p><i><a href="https://subsection.io/" target="_blank">Subsection</a> is an app that helps create support docs, such as user guides, knowledge bases, documentation, and changelogs.&nbsp;</i></p><p><i>Below I describe the launch of Subsection of <a...
Val Sopi
A fresh new start: Investing in myself towards financial freedom and sharing my personal and... <p> <i>This is the first of many updates in the <a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p> <i>This is the first of many updates in the <a href="https://valsopi.com/financial-freedom">Financial Freedom</a> series, where I hold&nbsp;myself publicly accountable for my big challenge ahead!</i> </p> <p> <i><b>TLDR:</b>&nbsp;Towards the end of this article,...
Val Sopi
Going steady <p>blogstatic has been going well. Better than any other app I've ever ran. Not sure what it is....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>blogstatic has been going well. Better than any other app I've ever ran. Not sure what it is. Could be that my experience over the years has caused for me to cover all the usual pitfalls, so everything looks good to the new client: from the marketing website all the way to the...
Val Sopi
High productivity in a workday <p>On a given workday, you only have a few hours at your disposal to create.</p> <p>Commit to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>On a given workday, you only have a few hours at your disposal to create.</p> <p>Commit to relaxed focused work in two blocks of 3-hours each.</p> <p>Take a 1-hour break in between.&nbsp;Meditating 11 minutes. Walking the rest.</p> <p>Drink plenty of water. Coffee and...
Val Sopi
Year in review: 2021 <p> I had a solid year compared to the shit-storm 2020 had brought on.</p> <p>Back in January...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p> I had a solid year compared to the shit-storm 2020 had brought on.</p> <p>Back in January 2021, I had made a pact with myself that I would be more mindful about my time and the things I would get myself into throughout the year (personally and...
Val Sopi
The Word that guides my year <p>Sort of without fail and unplanned, every year in December, I usually think of a word that I want...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>Sort of without fail and unplanned, every year in December, I usually think of a word that I want to live by the upcoming year.</p> <p>Depending on what kind of year I have had, the&nbsp;Word for the upcoming one should represent the practical step ahead for...
Val Sopi
Quitting when I sense “the grind” <p>One change I’ve made recently in my product making process is that I stop as soon as I sense that...
over a year ago
51
over a year ago
<p>One change I’ve made recently in my product making process is that I stop as soon as I sense that I am “pushing it”.</p> <p>I quit immediately.</p> <p>Right there and then.</p> <p>If I don’t feel fresh, my work will look stale.</p> <p>I hit more “in the zone” states this...
Val Sopi
Work less <p>A friend recently boasted how they're working 15 hour days. To which I replied with a concerning...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>A friend recently boasted how they're working 15 hour days. To which I replied with a concerning "Why?" and was met with a distant look.</p> <p>My friend thought I'd metaphorically pat him on the back.</p> <p>I didn't. No surprise there.</p> <p>Supposedly the industry he's in...
Val Sopi
My 2 lessons when it comes to pricing a Saas product <p>I was listening to two founders on Twitter Spaces talking about both ends of the spectrum when it...
over a year ago
51
over a year ago
<p>I was listening to two founders on Twitter Spaces talking about both ends of the spectrum when it came charging for their Saas. One wanted to charge (and they are), the other one didn't care about it so much (for now). Then a discussion about the founder of <a...
Val Sopi
What is leadership? <p>With so much going on in the world and information traveling faster than ever before in the human...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>With so much going on in the world and information traveling faster than ever before in the human existence, it's easy to lose track of the basics.</p> <p>Feeling overwhelmed is a result of our values, thoughts, being challenged.</p> <p>The first response is naturally to...
Val Sopi
Quitting is for the naive <p>Pop culture glorifies quitting. I have done it. There's nothing glorious about it. Having your...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>Pop culture glorifies quitting. I have done it. There's nothing glorious about it. Having your savings dwindle fast is no fun. Time is relative. You have no idea how fast it flies when you need it the most. Especially when you have no contacts in the industry nor an audience....
Val Sopi
What it's like to make and launch a product, for me. <p>I've been making Saas products since 2013. My very first product was a project management tool...
over a year ago
37
over a year ago
<p>I've been making Saas products since 2013. My very first product was a project management tool that included invoicing, time-tracking, and a plethora of other functions.</p> <p>The idea was to be better than others at cheaper prices. Whatever "better" and "cheaper"...
Val Sopi
The Benefits of NOT Being Online <p>Hey, you probably know me as the founder of <a href="https://claritask.com/">Claritask</a> or as...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>Hey, you probably know me as the founder of <a href="https://claritask.com/">Claritask</a> or as a Podcaster where I nakedly talk about my <a href="https://bootstrapping-saas.transistor.fm/">Bootstrapping Saas</a> journey.</p> <p>Since early this summer I took a sabbatical...
Val Sopi
Get Lucky <iframe src="https://share.transistor.fm/e/eb7cbb63" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<iframe src="https://share.transistor.fm/e/eb7cbb63" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" seamless="true" style="width:100%; height:180px;"></iframe> <p>In the past year or so, I’ve been thinking about Luck a lot — in terms of how a chain of random events can...
Val Sopi
I'm done making <p><em><strong>UPDATE:</strong> This post got such a great response that it inspired me to start...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p><em><strong>UPDATE:</strong> This post got such a great response that it inspired me to start playing and building <a href="https://claritask.com">Claritask</a> while documenting it out in the open</em></p> <p>—</p> <p>I'm going to let you in on a great secret.</p> <p>Do you...
Val Sopi
Punctuality Above All <p>Here's a quick rundown about the article. For more read on below.</p> <iframe width="400"...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>Here's a quick rundown about the article. For more read on below.</p> <iframe width="400" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qn_jAtoDieY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <p>//</p> <p>There are these two small restaurants close to one another...
Val Sopi
Hello world <p>I started toying with the web circa 2000. Since then, I have always wanted to have my own space...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
<p>I started toying with the web circa 2000. Since then, I have always wanted to have my own space where I can spit out my thoughts, unfiltered, on my very own domain.</p> <p>I was able to start a personal blog several times, but then got sidetracked.</p> <p>I aim to keep this...