I Started a New Business. It Didn't Go Well...
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
- All that aside, check out my keyboard lightmode here if you want to 😉 go.aliabdaal.com/keyboardvid
Also, apologies for the weird looking zoom call and some audio being out of sync, it's because we're noobs and the grain recording only showed 1 person at a time so we did our best to make it look more natural. Anyway, enjoy! xx
If you're interested, here's Hipyo's video: • A UA-cam Guru Just Ma...
By the way, you can watch this video in a few other languages by changing the audio settings xx
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📈 If you want to start or grow a UA-cam channel: go.aliabdaal.com/exp
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WHO AM I?
If we haven’t yet before - Hey 👋 I’m Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur and I’ve somehow become the world’s most followed productivity expert. Through my videos here on this channel, my podcast Deep Dive and writing, I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you be more productive and build a life you love.
PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜
⌚️Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:27 - The Context
3:52 - Why Did I Make the Keyboard in the First Place?
7:56 - How Long Did It Actually Take to Make?
10:27 - Why Did I Price It at $159 Dollars?
16:09 - Is This Actually a Good Product?
18:08 - What Was Hipyo’s Biggest Problem?
22:19 - How Much Money Have We Made From It?
22:42 - Lessons Learned
32:18 - Call with Hipyo
35:41 - What is one thing that you're taking away from this?
I hope you enjoyed this video, was tough to make 😆what did you guys think?
Hey Ali!
One day u will watch this video and will see how far have you gone and how big your business has come! This is what I can promise u! Just keep going regardless of these people
I love how you deal with that!! And that you shared that!! Really! Makes me like you even more than I already did bevor! Keep up just being the way you are and thank you so much for inspiring and sharing your journey with all of us 🙏🏼🫶
🐐
I felt really sorry seeing you out of your comfort zone.
Posting a video about a product gone wrong and being completely honest about it is a very respectable move 👍
Showing how you turned a tough situation into valuable lessons -refreshingly honest and super helpful. Appreciate you keeping it real!
40 minuets ?
I do agree, but absolutely not clever to open up numbers, and specifically make the argument that price is due to scale. Price is value people pay for it. Hermes sells expensive bags to the right customer at the right volume, not because they only can make 10
I totally agree
Right. 3 months later and the product is still listed for sale at the exact same price with the same issues. This is obviously a fairly calculated move and the real item he's trying to protect is the 5k courses which the keyboard video and comments also ragged on. Ali obviously needs to neutralize this commentary because if there's enough negativity it'll eventually attract scrutiny upon his 5k courses and those are his actual bread and butter.
Show me a man who hasn't failed, and I'll show you a man who has never tried. It takes a lot of courage for someone to share their own mistakes, and I really appreciate you doing that as many others can learn from your experience. Thanks Ali.
I am not interested in tech whatsoever but this was really refreshing. Everyone who tried to start a business knows you will fail and fail repeatedly and its very discouraging to see people on social media who only show their highlights and success. And if it makes you feel any better, I really like the design of that keyboard lol.
I appreciate you confronting this in a very objective and open way, so that we all can learn from it. Coincidently I’m launching my own keyboard, and I’ve felt similar things. Thanks for sharing your unique insights and lessons.
Wishing you the best Ali!
Okay here's my thoughts on this: you tried something you had never done before, something you had no experience with, you did a reasonably good job but it wasn't perfect. You admitted to making mistakes, you responded to criticism in a reasonable way without getting defensive, despite the fact that you felt embarrassed.
Somebody as smart and successful as you, Ali, not only made mistakes but admitted to them. That gives hope to me and to everyone who isn't quite there yet. It's okay to try something new and not be perfect.
I'm about halfway through the video so I may have more comments later. Anyway, good job!
I mean, Linus, a tech guy, took years to release a fkn screwdriver.
Best response! This x1000
Product strategist here.
Enthusiast communities can often start holding products to very weird, seemingly arbitrary and constantly evolving standards. Mechanical keyboard enthusiasts in particular can get really caught up in gasket mounts, or types of lube, or whatever the latest hotness is. HOWEVER, that doesn't absolve your responsibility to understand that market and where your product sits in it.
Re: The whole 'is it scummy' discussion...
I think it comes from not really having defined who its for, beyond "someone who doesn't know enough to choose something better". You get to define the target market as "They care about and want different things than the enthusiast" with absolutely no problem, but I think half-baking it by saying "Oh that group /isn't/ the market" is probably unhelpful as it's basically just saying "If you don't like it, you're not the market". The MKB enthusiast /loves/ value-for-money and spec-sheet comparisons, so will interpret "I can get these specs/materials elsewhere for less" as "You're ripping people off because you're famous", and will get righteously indignant about that feeling. Saying "You're not the market then" will just come off like saying "You're not dumb enough to fall for it, but someone else will".
It's tricky with an early product/company to carve out a meaningful proposition (especially in something that can feel as commoditised as MKBs), but I'd encourage you to really think about who the user really is, who could know about every other competitor on the market and still pick yours. That I think will give you a clearer idea of a path forward.
Awesome break-down! It sounds like it was maybe not a good enough job of doing market research in the productivity niche and not understanding what his audience wants? Super cool comment.
@@thelifewithnate In effect (and you can hear it a lot in how Ali talks about the genesis of this project) he's started with a solution (a business that can outlast him and monetise his audience) and gone looking for a problem (I guess minimalist-ish vibe keyboards), rather than starting with a problem and gone looking for a solution.
Like he said - businesses are just organisations that charge money for solving problems. In this case it feels like they started with the charging money part, not with solving problems.
@@MattDiffey Thank you for pointing to what I feel a lot of marketers promote - Priority #1: building an income through a business Priority #2: Solving people's problems.
I'm not naïve enough to think that people should just start businesses out of the good of their hearts. And this is something I've struggled with myself and having FOMO about not having passive income or products in addition to my services.
But the focus really has to be on what the customer needs/wants and to pursue THAT with the heat of a thousand suns. Perhaps there were a few hundred suns missing on this endeavour? Or the Priority #1 was equal or stronger than Priority #2.
Regardless I am impressed by Ali's candour and reflectiveness and appreciate his willingness to share how he failed forward.
@@MattDiffeyyes, and I think this is what Ali has done wrong. He should try to fix people's problems first and then if he can monetise it, that will be a bonus. He didn't start his UA-cam channel to make millions; he wanted to educate & help. I think he should stick to that.
Not “scummy”. Personally I don’t care enough about keyboards to want to spend lots of time researching keyboards. From my perspective, if I wanted to buy a keyboard, I’d look at the lightmode one since if it’s good for you it’s probably good for me too. I’d be thankful that you saved me having to go and spend a bunch of time learning all the geeky details about keyboards… and that lines up with your productivity purpose. I respect your honesty and I love your book!
Gained a lot of respect for you from this video. It takes a lot of humility to put something like this out.
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No need to shout sir.
Thank you for having me on and facing this in a transparent and productive way!
Howdy Hey
LEAVE ALI ALONE!!!!!!😸
Thought you should read my response - As a fan of both of you guys, I disagree with your conclusion Ali. You're both focused on a different audience. I don't think it's on you to make the best mechanical keyboard at the best price. That would be on him if he made one. Which is why he won't, because it's not really feasible at his scale. You have a different audience that expects something completely different. For example, I'm a record producer. If my audience bought a cooking pan from me, they should expect a cooking pan that makes sense for another record producer at a fair price. That's not your lane. It's his. Just as if he made productivity videos, no one would expect them to be like yours. Don't beat yourself up. What you did makes sense and being reviewed by someone like him is an unfair place to put yourself in. I'm not a cook. You're not a custom keyboard builder. - And to be clear, what HipyoTech did wasn't wrong either. It was perfect for his audience. No reason you both need to please the other's subscribers.
@@REAPERMania The pan analogy doesn't really make sense as a pan has nothing to do with what you do. If you were to produce a peripheral related to what you do, I'd hope that you'd make it good and not just market the shit out of it while being a very poor value offering in comparison to the rest of the market. For instance, if you made a MIDI keyboard, priced it to compete with the higher-end of the market, and your product had the quality of a competitor at half the price, you made a bad call. It doesn't matter if you aren't making it for "MIDI Keyboard enthusiasts", you made a bad product that your audience is going to buy because your name is attached to it.
No one expected Ali to create a keyboard for keyboard enthusiasts, but he definitely could have done better in providing a fairly priced peripheral that he approved of to his audience.
Respect to Ali for facing criticism head on, he clearly cares about making the right decisions, but let's call a spade a spade here, he made a mistake.
@@thatmfdiego A pan is still something I use in my life. Record producers also need to eat. A mechanical keyboard isn't something that you need for productivity either. If it makes you more productive, use one. But this product does what it claims to do. It's a good mechanical keyboard, it looks nice and if you like it, it may make you more productive. It's a bit expensive but so are other luxury items. I paid $80 for a desk pad that is made of felt. Way overpriced but the difference between $30 and $80 isn't that big of a deal for me. Just as a $159 keyboard isn't a big deal for me. My daily driver was $105 but I have about 6 keyboards and many of them are over $250. All overpriced if you ask me. If mechanical keyboards are your hobby, you probably wouldn't buy this keyboard unless you happen to love the choices and look. But it's not a bad product. Had he made a great mechanical keyboard, it would have easily cost $350 with the way things scale for a creator like him. And I would argue asking your fans to spend $350 would be a real scummy thing to do as great keyboards are available for around $100. This one costs more because it's coming from a smaller creator. Not a huge corporation.
The first time a friend mentioned your channel to me was somewhere around 2019, 2020 - before COVID.
So longitudinally, seeing your rise to success on UA-cam and in business has been something I’ve followed for many years.
But it’s videos like this that give the feeling of “ah, that’s why I remember subscribing to Ali.” Not for being the #1 most followed productivity guru, or very successful in online business, or even for the fellow doctor status…but for just being a dude trying to do his best to create something cool, on an uncertain journey. That’s what I relate to the most, and also learning the most vicariously from.
So the video is much appreciated 🙏
felt this one in my soul as someone who's been here since 2019 too
Agreed 100%. Ali has formidable academic and entreneurial accomplishments, yet shows up on his channel humble, raw, and honest, but also without diluting his content down to trite affirmations or long winded personal narratives without any lessons to glean. I love when people achieve exponentially more than the average person yet stay relatable and grounded throughout their climb.
100%. I don't watch any of his normal uploads, which are usually the same fundamentals repackaged into a new video (not always though; he does share fresh ideas). I tune in for these life and business updates which shows the reality of things and how he is continually learning. Even the productivity expert doesn't have everything figured out - that's what gives me relatability and is the core reason why I am still subscribed.
love this take. we're all human, ali included :)
Ali , my first comment ever on your channel and reason is: I got so much from your honesty, your humility and your introspection ( almost more then the countless other videos of yours that I watched ).
We often look at people from the out thinking that they take action and they win without seeing some of the struggles they also have in the process.
As a young entrepreneur myself this helped me more than you could ever imagine.
Thanks for the share
Regards
Thomas
Hey Ali! Been following you for a long time since you were a medical doctor but never commented. However, this transparent and candid video of you sharing your side of the story is one I need to comment. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, being transparent, and not belittling your critics. Your resilience to push forward despite so many challenges is admirable as most of us would've just folded.
I totally agree with the key-man risk part of the business. All the best in Lightmode!
Failing this early means you learn quicker and win faster. Good luck with your next products!
As one of those 206, I love this video. Ali, you're not scummy. I bought this keyboard because you made it. I have a few others - including a Keycron - and I wanted another type of switch. So I was excited when you launched the yellow switches. In your previous videos, you frequently review tech products at different price points and features and what works for which person. I like mechanical keyboards but I don't have hundreds and hundreds to spend on them. So yeah, I trusted you. And for me personally, you didn't let me down. I love the keyboard. I also love that you did this video in the first place and that you're vulnerable and open-- that is your brand. That is why people are drawn to you. Thank you for this keyboard. Thank you for this video. Thank you for this channel. Thank you for these feelings that we all have on different scales. This is why viewers stay with you. Not because a product makes profit or doesn't.
Hope you have some compassion and pride for yourself today and going forward.
I agree, honesty, empathy and compassion for his audience is Ali’s brand! I am glad he is willing to be so honest and transparent. This video sets such a great example for all creators, aspiring creators and the general audience. Thanks Ali!! 🙏🏼
Amy is right on the money. I am on the website purchasing a keyboard now. Not because it's the "best", but because it's maker is trustworthy and wants to do better. That's a story I want to be part of.
I watched your integrity driven, honest , fair and deeply humbling assessment of your journey with this product and I was so humbled myself by your openness, grace and humility in facing this difficult situation, hand in hand, side by side openly and fully with us.
I have been referred to you from my stoic exploration and have just seen a magnificent example of the fundamental values by you demonstrating true stoicism at its best, in your outlook, intention and drawing of healthy, truthful, unbiased, stringent, deeply considered and bravely unfiltered conclusions here.
This is not simply about the keyboard dilemma, this is bigger picture revelation that I or anyone else lucky enough to see this can remember and apply thoroughly to our own stumbles and failures.
Most especially your comment in the gut feeling you had that you put to the side - so relatable and so powerful.
So refreshing.
Thank you thank you thank you.
I’m looking forward to ordering my keyboard and when you have designed and endorsed the new bag I will be preordering one of those.
Go well.
Onwards and upwards sharing your gifts, inspiration and insights.
I was going to write a comment asking if you had gotten any feedback from those that purchased your 206 keyboards and what did they think? Then I read @amyyoder768 and thought well there is one and the purchaser was satisfied. I am not in the need for a keyboard, but honestly, I came very close to just purchasing just because I don't have a mechanical keyboard, although I have been considering getting one for several years now. Maybe I would give this a go as a test bed to see what I like and don't like. Ultimately, didn't because I am a wireless keyboard user, I like the freedom of being not being tethered. But I was close:)! Lastly, I think this product development and launch was well worth the lessons learned. You are young, and the knowledge you and your team gained from this launch is priceless. Best of luck on all future endeavors!
Thanks for sharing! The fact that you show what lessons you have learned, and the fact that not everything is so smooth... this is worth a lot in the YT space!
Thank You for making such genuine video. I have never commented before but seeing how you always been transparent with your journey it's feels so good. The product doesn't feel scummy. I think you can make it better and successful too. Again Thank You for being transparent. GOOD LUCK FOR THE NEXT PRODUCT!
The humility in this video is refreshing
Ali, the thing that makes you so genuine human being is that you are really ok with being vulnerable! Many people would hide the confusion and embarrassing feelings from the camera!
This is what I used to and trying to share in my own UA-cam channel!
because your vulnerabilities will be misused
Ali, I love your authenticity and transparency...and your courageous vulnerability. You are an inspiration to watch, you just being you. Funny thing, I discovered you while researching keyboards and your video about how to start a UA-cam channel led me to "Just get going" with my own. Whatever you do next, just keep being you. You're a light. Lightmode!
oh my thank you for sharing this! I feel so bad for you at the same time I so RESPECT you for putting yourself out there like this - and to show us what actually happens to a lot of business owners, the failures and the outside judgement. No one is immune and this insight helps us to deal with ours. THANK YOU!
This is big inspiration. Getting something out there is key. Some folks get so scared that they end up shipping nothing.
It's me... I'm some folks
No pun intended
@@jjf0478 I'm not sure I see the pun ?
@@MatteoMarra3 key like on a keyboard 🤣🤣
@@jjf0478 hahah omg how did I miss that
At the beginning I thought that I would skip on the video as it doesn't relate to anything I do. And then you said: "Watching this video made me feel bad. ... Thank you for making the video." That stopped me and glued me to screen.
I love the way you went through everything. The ability to look at mistakes, taking in the feedback, and making conclusions on what to do next time - that was off the chart. Excellent 👍🏻. Thank you for making this video.
I think for me the big takes a way it is trying to do too many things at the same time without dedicating to the product full focus! Ali, it is better to try things that not do it. It was 200K mistake maybe… I don’t think so your next product digital or physical will be amazing thanks to this experience! Thank you for making this video I doubt it in watching it, I didn’t want to have a depressing feeling but actually motivated me to really focus in my new dream project! Thank you Ali again!
Hi Ali👋, being following you and your videos for quite a long while and benefiting from the content you put out 👍👍thanks for sharing!!
Don’t be too hard at yourself on just this little project, I am sure you will be ok and do better after this! Be nice to yourself and enjoy!! Don’t have to win every round .. you beat majority of us in putting things out and actually doing it!❤❤
I myself had been floating some business ideas for decades and seen some of business make so much sense and there is always someone who came and executed so well and take the whole market.. A reminder to myself .. don’t let any business opportunity slip by again.. 💪💪 you did it and be proud of yourself !!❤❤❤
He is probably one of the only UA-camrs who thought about his actions and audience more than just monetary gain from the keyboard sales. I am 100% sure that majority of the audience would have not even know about this keyboard failure, but the fact that he still addressed it, knowing that this might harm the brand image (at least in the short term) really shows honesty
and the beautiful thing is that this is the most authentic take that makes people connect magnetically to you. selling = helping and not all ventures are successful and that is ok
This my be one of my favourite videos from your channel. I know it's commonly said to turn a mistake or failure into a learning opportunity, but to see it in as close to real time as possible, is truly inspirational. Kudos to you for your candid openness and willing to face criticism head on. While at the same time, also standing for where you disagree on the points of difference.
This is why I love your videos… vulnerable and open. We don't see this often. A new level of respect for Ali.
Ali congrats for making this video. Never stop being real as I really value how open and honest you are about your success AND especially your failures. This video teaches us a lot!!
This is brilliant, you are doing the exact right thing! take it for what it is. learn and grow with failures! most of us have a hard time with accepting defeat, but its how you rise from it that shows who you are.
This honesty is the main reason why I subscribed to your channel couple of years back! Success and failure of a product is also a part of learning process. Keep going and stay the same as you are! ❤
I think one challenging part of the keyboard and tech space is that there are a lot of metrics on "performance" and "feel" that are very difficult to quantify. Product weight, texture, sound, movement - all are so subjective and so dependant on the environment its being used in. And youre competing against brands that have either built followings and trust, or built their business to the point of having the scale to provide lower prices/better value. Its a challenging space to break into, and I applaud the effort. I haven't followed your business or journey, and my first exposure to you was from Hipyos video - but what I saw wasnt scummy or a cash grab. It was a faltering first step, and your video here really addresses many of the issues I sensed from Hipyos video.
I think your commitments and understanding of where things went wrong, and identifying where you'd solicit feedback in future opportunities, really shows that you're being mindful of your audience and your brand, and are willing to be humble regarding your own biases.
For future launches, I would consider reducing your own presence on the recommendation of the products, and letting reviewers champion the product instead - to reduce the implicit "productivity authority" bias that suggest a boost /improvement simply by your involvement. Your points with Hipyo at the end around a great feel/experience/aesthetic were great. Sell it for what it is - the right keyboard for YOU, here's what that keyboard is, if a customer likes that then they should buy it. Treat yourself like an influencer for your product and share why its good for you specifically.
I appreciated the humble approach, and the honesty, and the rawness of the video. I hope to see more forays into tech and solutions for people - building a sustainable brand, that doesn't depend on the Key Man, is an uphill battle. This is a good start, even if it doesn't feel like it.
Absolutely loved the resiliency of looking at some hard truths without condemning or justifying yourself, but searching with compassion where you went in the wrong direction. Priceless the distinction between MFBT vs Obsess over quality, and how they bring different benefits and the priority of one over the other shifts over time. Ali with this and with your coaching sessions in your deep dives you're setting a whole new level for the idea of "building in public" and I find this incredibly inspiring amd refreshing. Thank you ❤
Your honesty is appreciated. It's quite a bold move to address the constructive criticism head-on. Keep growing into the best version of the man you can possibly be, and the rest will fall into places. Best wishes!
Thank you for sharing your experience so openly with us. I love that you built the keyboard not for a "strategic" business reason, but because you actually found it cool and just to see how the experience would be like. That's my definition of building a business around your dream life rather than the other way round.
Keep doing what aligns with you Ali. You are an inspiration :)
I have watched many of your videos, but this is honestly the best one.
We all need to know how to learn from our mistakes but few people share the details of how they actually learn from their mistakes. At best, people share it several years later, eg "I did this it failed, so I did that, and then it succeeded". When lessons are shared several years later, they lack the nitty-gritty details.
So thank you for sharing your failure while it's still very raw.
As for the main lessons here, don't spread yourself too thin and don't skip user testing, those are transferable to all businesses.
Props to you bro, it took a lot of courage to put this out there. I really appreciate how honest and organic this whole video is. It's also fascinating to see the business side of things, especially coming to terms with the shortfalls and learning through your mistakes. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?
Specifically on the keyboard, I don't follow anyone on socials so this is my 1st time hearing about it. TBH my opinion if someone like you were to put out a keyboard would just be that, it's just an "Ali Abdall" keyboard. In no way am I expecting this to be the best choice of mechanical keyboard, cos I know for sure people who's been making keyboards for years would be so far ahead of you. So if I do buy it, it's to support you and cos I like the design.
I always respected your views and the interesting topics you talk about. I follow you since years, but you became my "hero" with this video. Thank you so much to be so brave and honest! Everyone talks about owning their mistakes, and learn from them, but sharing these publicly...you really lead by example. I undersand that this must have been difficult for you, but for me, your video ment a lot in processing my own fear of failure in a healthy way and (not just knowing how I should approach, but) really practicing growth mindset!!! Thank you so much, it gave me a lot of courage to get up and continue workig towards my goals. (Similarly to your previous "how i failed" videos, but this was....different)
The transparency and vulnerability on display here is so inspiring in a refreshing way!! There’s so much to learn here about how to grow from valid criticism and using failure as a springboard for future success 🙌🏾🙌🏾 thanks for making this video man, really appreciate what you’re doing here!
For me, this was one of the most interesting videos I've seen recently. As I'm also currently working on building a brand and community myself, it's just super interesting to see how small details that you haven't thought about enough can harm your reputation and that you should be 100% aware of what you're doing to protect yourself as good as you can from brutal and not always comprehensible criticism. I think it's also important to keep in mind that it's always easy to criticize, but really hard to actually build something.
Thank you for these honest insights!
It's also great to hear that you're continuing to work on it and not getting discouraged so easily 💪 I'm curious to see how well v2 will be received.
I think that this is a very good video, it is a very transparent way to learn about your mistakes and how we could learn about this too. Most of the time we don't share our failures and I think that those are the moments when we learn more. Thank you!
You are so real for this. Such an inspiration! The way you are handling this “failure” is really powerful and shows more of all your wins.
Watching this video felt like talking to a good friend, while I didn't even have to say anything, the friend just asked himself all the right questions and made the right conclusions. So wholesome... 😇🙌
I have watched your several videos, Ali. This one touched my heart and made me comment, you are pure gem!
I guess you are the only few, who could still be sincere and authentic for a long time to come!
Like always, just be honest, loyal and sincere to us. Thank you, Ali!
You deserve more success!
Such a good video! The lessons learned are A+++. It's also so important to detach personally from a "failed" launch/product so you can instead get curious in trying to figure out how to improve the product. You'll also get way more backing if you do a future launch now that we're bought in on your integrity + self-awareness on this!
thank you, Ali, for being open even about the failures! I'm sure you will put it on track! Could you please call the war in Ukraine "the war", not "the stuff in Ukraine", people are dying daily from Russian missiles there :(
Totally agree.
I learned a nice thing
"When a person become more successful than others, people will not appreciate him on his success but if he did one thing wrong even mistakenly, they will just leave no stone unchecked in harassing them"
These things should not discourage the successful one cuz from 99 percent success he only got 1 percent failure
I really love this video - The criticism you faced seems like it was needed, happy to see a youtuber still being humble.
All that aside - The reason this looks/sounds scummy is:
A lot of people would kill to be in your position - being able to launch their own product. Something that I would myself love to do.
But when you said you didn't give it time, or rushed with certain things like marketing, those are things people solely focused on launching this product would never make, because so much would be at stake for this to go wrong.
I don't think anyone with the dream of launching a physical product has 300k to shell out but if they did, they would do it right.
Atleast that's what I think. :)
I like the process of how you handled the different views on your product and extracted the lessons learned! A strong and powerful way to grow!
This is commendable Ali. Even in failures there are lessons to be learnt.
Thank you for your transparency and honesty. It’s refreshing
I'm only halfway through but it really sounds like "Yeah the product isn't great, but we're not targeting people who know what a great product is." If you're admitting it's not priced well, it can't compete with products half its price and your justification for that is "We're not targeting people who know that", should this product exist? I get you want to start a self-reliant business but what's the benefit for your consumers? What makes this a good product for them?
It's really good the amount of transparency in this video though. I don't think it's a "scam" or a "cash grab" but I do think every product needs to begin with "Do people need this?".
Agreed. He’s not bringing anything new to the market and as much as he’s trying to argue it’s not a cash grab, it is. If he’s not actually drawing up the designs himself and a factory is doing the work, then he’s just white labelling it.
@@boostaconfiance Well your point of him selling a mediocre product based on his name alone is... exactly everyone's criticism?
Okay, I don't know anything about marketing. You don't know anything about the product in question. We aren't talking about two identical products with different colours. He didn't release a different colour version of a different keyboard. He released a worse product for the price compared to other products on the market.
Imagine an iPhone 15 costs £1000. Now imagine I release an iPhone 13 for £1300 and I'm selling it to my audience. Would you argue the same thing you're arguing now? (If you would, you'd be wrong). That's what he did. He released a product with fewer features (gasket mounting, foam padding, different connectivity options, different key switch options) for about 50% more than it would cost to get all of this stuff. So I ask, why does this exist? If it doesn't exist to be a good product, it exists to be sold based on his name (something he said he doesn't want) and to be sold to people who don't know any better. Exactly everyones criticism. Welcome to the party.
+1 Think about the consumer value if you want this to be a standalone business. Otherwise it’s just a merch business where fans will buy products to support you but the product doesn’t add value to the consumer. Which is fine too but that didn’t sound like the genesis of this business.
Exactly!
Not necessarily. As they build the brand people will trust it for the convenience, and also the price will get more competitive as their sales go up.
wow! Love this video. Learned a lot about how you think and your process of actually learning. Thank you so much
Hey Ali. I love that you took this whole experience and put it out there as a lesson learned and how to improve in the future. We are all learning and growing everyday. I love your insights into Feel Good Productivity and strive to add it into my daily life as much as I possibly can. I also love that you are always transparent in how you work your business as well. You have taught me so many things through your videos and tbh you are my favorite youtuber. I love the look of the keyboard and if I was into mechanical keyboards would totally buy it. I am so excited about the possible release of the bag! I have a major bag problem and have never been able to find one that meets all my needs so can't wait to see what you will design and release.
Ali, you are the best. We love you!! I have loved this channel because it really doesn’t feel like a UA-camr trying to make clickbaity videos. It feels like a friend who learns new things, from exciting people and experiences, and shares it with me.
This video, you sharing about this failure, its totally visible how hard was it for you, but you still did it and have been transparent. You have no idea how much you have inspired by just doing that.
Love you Ali! You are the best and you are a champ! We trust you.
Hi Ali, this is my favorite video of yours that I've watched in a long time. More than your regular productivity videos, this video showed what goes on behind the curtain for your business in a way that felt really interesting and authentic. I think there is so much content out there talking about "how to" become an entrepreneur and get financial freedom and build a business, and so little on the tough decisions that need to be made, and what it feels like to have things go wrong, despite your best intentions.
Especially your thought process around how your business really relies on you as a person and how you were seeking to diversify through a new hardware brand was very interesting. Those were concepts I haven't seen addressed directly by content creators before.
BTW, totally resonated on your point about perfectionism. Perfectionism has been totally demonized in favor of the "move fast break things" approach, but it can actually serve a very useful purpose as your internal alarm bell. And you probably only have perfectionism because you have pretty good taste-why throw that away completely as if it's a personal fault and not a major strength? Yes a bias for action is important, but not without self-awareness and capacity for reflection alongside it.
Love the humility in this, business is not easy. One thing I'm taking away is the importance of user testing - from the creator, to experts to the average person.
It’s really refreshing to see large creators talk honestly and openly about their failures. It was clear that you were a little uncomfortable talking about certain topics at times but you did for transparency and we respect you for that.
I am tempted to buy the keyboard as a reminder that even the great people I look up to fail, and failure is just a jump start to learning.
Thank you for making this video.
I think it's very cool that you had a call with this guy. The version 2 has to involve his expertise. You may even collaborate with him as a professional or designer and share the costs (so he can also promote it).
You inspire me so much! This is the absolute correct approach to addressing this. Bravo 👏
Unrelated but the rotoscoping is INSANE!! Look at how well his hair is separated from the background at 1:07 fool job editors!!
It is insightful to see the behind the scenes process that went into creating your keyboard. I think the move fast and break things method was still useful for this project since it has helped you to be introspective, learn from your mistakes, and make adjustments. Thank you for sharing this and allowing us to learn from your process!!
Just bulk it to a course. The highest course payers get a keyboard.
The next 10 people who buy a top-tier course will be sent a keyboard.
Not the end of the world. Use it as a course bonus.
Genius!
Good one
Talking about your failures and sharing its lessons. Its very admirable.
Especially in the world where most people hide their flaws and failure
I appreciate you acknowledging the criticism and not shrugging it off as hate. That takes a lot of guts. But there's a lack of consistency in the point you're making that I do not agree with. You start the video saying that you're building a business that does not rely on your person. This is also reflected in the marketing material. But when Hipyo makes the point that the board does not compete, you hide behind it being your flavor of keyboard. Anyway, best wishes for the V2, the backpack and other products.
Respect for sharing this Ali. So important to show that immense success involves taking risks, so you're going to have failures.
my take aways:
-don't have the first business be a product if the goal is net profit early on
- different strategies are needed at different business stages
- being a real human is okay and being able to communicate that effectively gets people to watch until the end of a video
Thanks for being honest and giving us a glimpse into behind the scenes. Wish there were more people like this!
I had been following your videos from quite some time now, and seeing you trying to progress in life than living without a purpose is highly commendable and inspiring to the rest of us. Working hard to go beyond your current potential and exploring the territory of product-related business world is not an easy step and I'm personally truly pushed to go beyond my own limits so I guess whether your keyboard is perfect or not, your step into this new territory is enough to go further more into it. 👏👏👏
things I learned
- admitting your mistakes is very nice; builds trust
- I relate to the trusting your gut thingy
- when starting a project or something you need bias towards action and in the middle you need bias towards quality
This is exactly why I like your content! You always share your journey with highlights and lowlights. I appreciate you!
Yes Mee too
I think one thing that really resonated with me was "What got me here won't get me there". I agree with you that its very easy to just keep doing what you're doing because it worked in the past. But sometimes you need to evolve your strategy along with your situation. Especially because sometimes what works right now may still work in the future, but it might not be the best or most efficient way forward
Congratulations on your learnings from this process, and most of all for sharing them with others. This is actually a video I've been wanting to make myself. As someone who spent their house deposit on starting a SaaS project that failed, I resonate with a lot of the learnings you took away from it; especially trying to do too many things and not focusing on fewer goals. There is no success without failure, and I often find that I learn more from my failures than I do from my successes. Keep building! 🤙🏼
Elite level of humility and self awareness!
Awesome video, congrats Ali on the good work.
You see lots of people having temper tantrums about this sort of thing but you haven’t, Ali. In the words of Dieter F. Uchtdorg “It's your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life's story will develop.” That’s why you’re a role model to so many and will surely grow from this and achieve a lot more going forward. Thank you Ali.
I appreciate that you are vulnerable and curious. You are at top of your game in one area and a novice in anew area. Both can coexist. I like the behind the scenes perspective and talking out our thinking.
whole comment section of this vid is so positive even though any1 who knows anything about what he did and the keyboard space knows how blatant of a shameless cash grab this product was from start to finish. How do grifters get away with this so easily is beyond me.
This must be one of my favorite videos you’ve made. This was uncomfortable to do but you did it. Respect lvl 10000000000 ❤
I think there's nothing more educational to beginner entrepreneurs (which I would guess is a subset of your overall audience) than hearing a story like this and learning from the mistakes. I think it's awesome that you were transparent and shared the ups and downs of this venture. Keep up the good work!
This is great! Really appreciate the open conversation.. good to see the ups and the downs.. I would not feel too bad though.. you don’t have any obligation to anybody, you are trying to put more good things into the world and you can’t make everybody happy and that is OK.. keep it up!!
Ali, on and off follower from years ago here. You're an absolute legend. How you can publicly do this in such an authentic and open way shows your immense courage. Most people would just try to bury something like this and forget it even existed. You decided to face it straight and own up to it. Kudos on your big balls, it's awesome that we still have people like you in this world.
One minor thing you didn't really discuss, but I'm sure you'll be familiar with. You wanted to do this keyboard and brand because you wanted to build something that existed outside of your day to day. That's not a good reason to build anything. The world doesn't care that you want to detach your time from your earnings. A good reason to build something is that you're going to make the world better by doing so. Do that for the next product, and I'm sure your earnings and personal integrity after the path will be happy.
BTW, maybe you shouldn't have listened to the naysayers and should have continued doing stationery. Stationery is awesome, and people pay insane amounts for what is essentiali ;) a notebook. If it's good quality and makes me feel good I also do it. I'm sure there's potential to turn that into a solid brand if you FOCUS.
All the best in your journey, and thanks for what you've given everyone so far
Video is so good that I had to subscribe immediately. I am doing dropshipping because it will always be viable since people need to buy things. If you can find good products and make your store appealing, you will be really successful. My strategy is to use some product search tools (my favorite one is using a little bit of winnerzila. I love how affordable their lifetime plan is, and I paid it off in one week). If someone is wondering, my favorite niches are pets and electronics. You can always have good money in these.
Hey! Sounds really interesting, would u mind explaining your drop shipping work in more detail? I would like to have some sort of income. Greetings
spam
@@MM-uv3vb bruh 💀
Dropshipping is washed and not a real business. Your value proposition is negative, and no advertising doesn’t count as value proposition.
It is NOT scummy, Ali.
It might not be the your best business decision at the moment, but maybe will become such. Or not. That's business risk and you will learn from it. 'Lucky' for you, you have the means through your business to use this as a learning opportunity instead of it being detrimental to your and your team's existence.
Whatever you take from this experience will better you and your company and its direction. You'll grow from here.
I love all the videos and have watched your journey from your Cambridge days. Keep up the great work. You are an inspiration to so many people. That seems to be your true North Star.
I admire your transparency here Ali. Thank you for being vulnerable! Physical product businesses don't sound easy, I have tried it on a small scale. Best of luck with it all 😃
It is good to see you being really authentic. Good luck with your products.
Great video. It's nice to see the real and not just the curated image. As someone who does music production gear videos I always try to frame things as "I'm not telling you what is best for you, I'm telling you what is best for me that you might take a look at to see if it is also good for you." If they blindly trust me, they will grab something, but I'm also saying they should see for themselves if they have any doubts. THanks for everything you do. I've watched since you were at about 200K subscribers and it's been inspiring to follow along. CHEERS!
Music production gear videos is an awesome niche! How did you get started in that?
@@thelifewithnate I've been using the gear to produce and perform electronic music for decades and I decided to make the videos I wish I'd had when I was learning. I still produce and perform a lot and the UA-cam videos is a way to try to help others enjoy it as much as I do.
As someone who likes mechanical keyboards I probably wouldn't buy your keyboard specifically. But also I don't feel like I am your target audience.
Any consumer considering purchasing something should do their own research to see if there is anything better and at the end of the day purchase the product that they like. You made something that looks good and put effort into that you think your target audience would buy.
I hope you manage to break even on the keyboard and make an even better V2 in the future!
The way that you have turned this into a learning experience is an encouraging thing to see as learning from failure and seeing failure as a good thing is something I personally try to keep as a core principle myself.
I love this man! Ahh, you are such an inspiration! Thanks for this video 🙏
I felt deeply encouraged to buy the keyboard after watching the video just because of Ali's sincerity. That is what we lack today on the market.
For me, I'm buying the product not because it is a perfect mechanical keyboard, I'm buying it because it is produced by Ali and his team. I'm buying this because of the people and brand. Back in 2019 when I first started university I was in a total slump. Then I discovered Ali's channel and his exam tips and other study-related content back then really helped to lift me out of those swampy days. Now, fast forward to 2024, I'm sorta in my dream school and still watching Ali's channel to get inspiration for life and work management. Great job, Ali! Sending support!
this is lovely, but still, this is what i hate about influencers. we have this parasocial relationship and we feel affection and the need to support people who are just doing their job. you are buying an expensive product from a person you admire and feel that he helped you, well he didn't help you for free, you already made him money watching his videos! if you genuinely like the product, then ok it makes sense (I personally find the blue keyboard stunning to look at), but I would not buy it just to support a guy on the internet, but if you find value in it!
I watch your video everyday first thing in the morning as it’s quite insightful and inspirational. Your honesty and truthfulness in this video is really appreciable. It’s allows everyone of us to think it’s okay to fail but the willingness to acknowledge and learn from our mistake is a trait we all need to nuture in ourselves. Great video and good luck!!
What I took away is that you have inspiring courage. Courage to build and courage to reflect openly! Authenticity is a rare find and failure brings valuable lessons and wisdom.
For me, the difference between The Rock's tequila and this is that The Rock made a product that's made to be consumed, costs around $30-40, and if I don't like it, no big deal, I just won't buy it again. But in an age where many people are struggling to afford basic necessities and also becoming increasingly aware of the amount of waste they produce, especially when it comes to tech waste, the admission that you consider your $160 keyboard (a significant amount of money for most, and a product that should ideally be used for years) to be a "minimum viable product" as you said, is kind of a gut punch.
I bet a lot of people bought this just because they wanted to support you and trusted your opinion, only to hear that it wasn't a product you really cared about a lot or put a lot of effort into. Like, of course everyone should do their own research when they make any purchase. But the appeal of your channel is that you give out sage advice and generally come across as trustworthy, and this kind of pulled the curtain back for me, like, "Oh yeah, this is just a guy making money on the internet."
this feels like you read the transcript of the video and thought to yourself, “I’m gonna pick out some things he said where I can give them the least generous interpretation possible and convince myself he’s a jerk”
@@seanmaguire3099 Your feelings are valid, but that wasn't my intention at all. I actually watched this video all the way through two or three times as I've been wondering if there would be a response to the HipyoTech review, and gave my genuine feedback about the situation. I'm still subscribed to the channel, I'm still going to continue to watch Ali's content, and I definitely don't think he's a "jerk".
It's hard to toe the line of making money from your audience (that's not meant to be a negative statement, that's just what's happening) and being perceived as someone to go to for honest advice. Ludwig's "I Am Not Your Friend" video comes to mind for me, as it was just a reminder that it's still important to approach these kind of things with a healthy level of skepticism when one party has a financial interest in whatever they are promoting.
My comment wasn't intended as an attack or a call-out, it's just my interpretation of something I felt wasn't specifically covered in the video. As I said, I'm still subscribed and still looking forward to future content, I just wanted to respond to something in the video.
I thing that what he was trying to say was that you have a very large audience and many people (including me) truly admire you. So if you made a keyboard those people would buy it without doing much research as they have the feeling. Apple fanboy type something.
BTW thank you very much for the amount of value you added to my life.
yeah but I guess Ali's opinion is - so what? if people don't want to do research, that's on them. he's not scamming them, he's selling a product he's proud of and uses himself. I personally know more than the average person about mechanical keyboards, but much less than an enthusiast, and if I liked the aesthetic of this, would be happy to get it. people can choose how they want to spend their money and the onus isn't on the person marketing to spell out all the research for them. it's simply to market the product. e.g. show the best attributes and why they should buy it. to that end, ali did a great job, and even went further and talked about some of the cons, which is totally unnecessary and seldom done by most companies.
i enjoyed this video. my fav video i have watched so far...its felt organic and from the heart, and i guess seeing you vulnerable is why i feel so. didnt sound rehearsed and your mistakes have taught me a lot. Thank you for sharing
I appreciate the introspection about all of this. The lessons learned are applicable in a lot of areas-thanks for sharing your experience.
I believe the product will do great after a few adjustments
This is why I subscribe to you. The value we get from every piece of content is really great. I really hope your brand takes off (that is keep putting the effort and then it will). Love you Ali!
I appreciate you posting this video! Not enough people talk about specific things that went wrong with their businesses and products. Keep it up! 😊
do not take this personally ; it's a part of the journey
I love that you shared this, as a full-time content creator myself I'm in exactly the same position as you - I don't want my business to rely on me for everything but that's the current situation. As a result, I've also been looking into creating a brand with physical products in my niche so all your learnings are incredibly helpful. Please keep sharing! I wonder if building a brand seperate to you, low-key not talking about it and establishing reviews from customers not knowing it's anything to do with you in the first place might build a stronger brand with feedback first, so any negatives don't come back on your personal brand but it would make marketing much more expensive. It's a tricky one! Look forward to hearing updates and to be fair, the keyboard looks great