Startup vets with a big IPO try again 25 years later. Will it work?

Colin and I aren't first-time founders. We were part of the Web 1.0 generation and built NetZero into a public company during the first internet boom. We've seen what happens when a genuinely new product category catches on.

That doesn't mean we know how to do it again.

In many ways, the odds are stacked against us because The Notifier is a "Zero to One" product.

Peter Thiel popularized the term "Zero to One" as a business framework. It's basically about creating a completely new or groundbreaking innovation that did not exist before, rather than copying or slightly improving what is already out there.

Google didn't invent search, but was Zero to One because its PageRank algorithm was vastly superior to other search engines.

The iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but was Zero to One because it transformed mobile phones from communication devices to pocket-sized personal computers.

My first startup, NetZero, wasn't the first internet service provider, but was Zero to One because its tracking and ad targeting were way more advanced than what existed at that time.

The Notifier is a Zero to One product because it changes how organizations, developers and products can broadcast messages that people trust and actually see.

The Notifier is one shared app for alerts. Instead of every organization needing its own app to reach the user's phone, people choose which organizations they want to hear from and receive their alerts in one trusted app. Users don't register, don't share their email or phone number and can pause, resume or leave alert groups. Their personal information stays private and they maintain control.

Selling a better solution to a known problem comes with established playbooks, and Indie Hackers is a great resource with an amazing community to help you with that.

But what about this?

"How do you launch a product that people aren’t searching for because the category doesn’t exist yet?"

That's what we are trying to figure out. There's no established playbook. Our past success doesn't provide the answers, but it might provide some hints.

One experiment we're running is an unofficial Indie Hackers case-study alert group. When Indie Hackers publishes a new case study, we send group members a Notifier alert linking directly to the original article. It gives us a way to dogfood the exact onboarding and alert experience we're asking businesses to use.

You can see it here:
https://thenotifier.app/developers/see-it-work/

We think developers will understand The Notifier faster than marketers.

We think letting someone experience The Notifier before explaining it will convert better than a traditional landing page.

We think privacy and trust will resonate more than “better than text messages."

That's what we think ... for now.

We'll keep you posted on how things go and report back on what worked and what didn't:

• What audience understands the product better?
• What type of outreach is proving more effective?
• What messaging angle is getting someone to sign up?