Ryan Kulp FAQ

What are some mistakes I should avoid when building Shopify apps?

Hey, I've been building a Shopify app (long time coming!) The app works we...

What were your first coding gigs, and how did you get them?

I’d love to hear more regarding how quickly you went from novice to earning ...

How would you get the energy of co-working space in a world where you can no longer be in the same place (Covid)?

let's dissect the energy of a coworking space, because it's not all good. ...

What do you think of no code?

every company is a technology company. suppose i sell oil: software sets ...

At what point during Launch School were you competent enough to start building web apps like Fomo?

for the enlightened reader, Launch School (referral link) is an online codin...

Is the Shopify App Store a good place to start building apps?

What is it like with the 20% Shopify tax.....

Should I learn design and front end development at the same time, or focus on one discipline and then move to the next?

New designer, but I want to end up building and designing my own products in...

What languages should I learn to start building web apps? Html, CSS, JS, Ruby on Rails?

What would you say would be the best way to get started. ...

Should product people/designers learn how to code? If so how come?

i won't say they should, but here's what would happen if they could: d...

What kind of hosting or servers do you like for deploying side projects?

i generally deploy apps via Heroku. it's not the cheapest... it's definit...

What's on your iPhone home screen?

most-used apps...

What is your biggest challenge or pain point?

this answer may be insensitive but i always keep it real. my current challen...

When's the last time you changed your mind on something you used to strongly believe in?

I followed you on Twitter, I know that you always take a stand on what you b...

What place do you have for God in your life?

God is not a task on my todo list. there is no place. He is part of my ident...

Audio books vs. physical books or both?

i prefer reading physical books but since i'm traveling full-time i switched...

Your only social media account is Twitter. What's the reasoning behind not having Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc?

my official statement on social networks: Facebook -- i don't have any...

Fitness: what do you do when you hit a plateau?

By (loosely) following "Fitness for hackers" I lost about 12kg pretty fast (...

How do you handle loneliness?

I did the nomad/freelancer thing for a year but at the end got an office job...

How can I get better at learning?

It seems like you learn things really fast, how do you approach learning new...

How did you decide it was the right time to get married?

I respect the whole getting married earlier/not being afraid to commit to so...

Would you rather make $50k self-employed or $100k as a full-time software engineer?

excellent question. it's the 21st century reincarnation of "what is happines...

Service vs Product businesses. If you had to start all over again which would you start first?

Looking to start my first business trying to see which business model would ...

Do you make angel investments?

i've invested in several startups and small companies (non technology busine...

What's your investment strategy?

I did all of this studying about investing and settled on passive investing ...

How does having more money change your worldview?

ever been to a buffet? first you eat some bacon. then a slice of pepperon...

What is your net worth?

i own more than $5mm in assets that generate > $60k profit /month. i'v...

How do i get $5?

because i only have $2....

What are 3 things you need to see before investing in a company?

i angel invest as well as purchase ownership of companies outright. in an...

What do you think of Venture Capital?

as a former employee of a venture capital firm, and a current founder of a s...

What tools/services do you personally pay for?

And how do you evaluate if paid vs. free options are better, and if opting f...

What SEO course do you recommend?

In your recently published article about your visit to Medellin you mentione...

Why wont you buy a company that uses paid advertising to scale?

never say never. BUT. i don't like advertising because it's a dependency ...

Who creates the best "can't miss" marketing content?

the best marketing content is not written by marketers per se, but by entrep...

Still recommend using blockspring integration, to share testimonials in < 30 seconds?

for other readers, i believe the person who asked this is referring to our s...

What advice do you have for aspiring marketers whose end goal is to work on their own small web businesses? How should they learn/prepare differently from those trying to follow a more traditional career path?

Most seek jobs, but it appears you seek projects. What advice would you give...

What are the best 'portfolio projects' amateur marketers can work on independently to prove (or form) their talents?

Alternate phrasing: how can a jobless marketer test their skills without see...

What are your thoughts on marketing gurus who sell courses/coaching?

Obvious options being people like Tai Lopez and Sam Ovens but then also the ...

What services or tools are you missing to help you for personal branding?

BrandYourself.com: Control Your Own Google Results is pretty great....

How much do tech brands spend on online advertising? any ideas and who spends the most?

Certainly B2B brands spend more, because the ROI on customer acquisition is ...

How do you define a pivot in Product development?

When you change your product offering dramatically or move from 1 market to ...

What was the first song you learned on the guitar?

Kumbaya. I was 13, locked myself in my bedroom, and waited for my parents t...

Where do I start if I want to leave my current life, move to NYC, and start fresh?

Creative opinion second, pragmatism first:Save money. You need ~2 months' l...

What books would you recommend for studying branding?

Go for the throat, read this instead:The Brand Gap But if you must read a bo...

What is the purpose of a brand?

I agree with other answers but in addition, a brand's "purpose" (from the ve...

How do I become a usability expert?

Like anything, practice makes perfect. To understand users, you should becom...

Is usability the antithesis of creativity?

No-- usability validates creativity. Have an idea you want to try? Throw it...

What are some of the most usable websites? Why?

http://Flippa.com does a great job simplifying the "buy a whole business on ...

How do you know you have product market fit?

E.g. Superhuman did this crazy NPS iteration ... maybe not that crazy but wh...

If you had to start all over and create a successful business from scratch, what type of business would you create?

i'd start a business where innovation happens behind the scenes instead of o...

Would you hire someone who doesn't show interest in climbing the corporate ladder?

Currently struggling with an applicant who applied for a "Sales manager" pos...

Who is the best salesperson you know?

And why? Ideally someone who isn't named Ryan Kulp....

How do you come up with business ideas?

For your big or small projects. How do you identify problems to solve?...

What ways did Proof rip you off?

I read it in your blog post and you said to email them (which I did) to no r...

How do you evaluate markets?

following a few angles by which i examine what's happening at a macro scale ...

How has blogging and writing your thoughts impacted your business decisions? Do you also keep a personal journal about business and how does that differ from what you share?

as the saying goes, "writing is thinking." first, i don't try to write. i...

What's your process for hiring remote workers?

Starting from advertising a role/taking applications - in fact, specifically...

When did you know to "make the jump" and become a founder?

there are a few paths you can take to arrive at this conclusion, and i've do...