Matthew Barnett

These optimisations to clean up and remove 137 animations reduced 20393 lines of code from this well-known Australian scaleup website 🥲 🤠 When you're a startup/scaleup, your ability to scale your site efficiently means: - You'll have better conversion rates (quicker website) - Quicker page speeds - Easier to scale your pages for SEO, content etc. - Google will love your website! When you're a startup/scaleup, scaling your website is a really important part of the marketing function, and neglecting the foundations comes back to bite you in the future, it is worth getting a website partner to help with scaling your site, not just the branding agency who do websites on the side

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Christ, financial branding is dull- So here's a snapshot of some of the branding, AI imagery and web design work for Quanta digital banking at Prismal.io Quanta wanted a brand that stood out (we got this 💅) so I: → Created a glass liquid brand concept- as transparent, liquid and ever evolving as customers financial lives. → Paired liquid glass with frosting, harsh dark contrast and an earthy, fresh, organic palette → Created custom AI imagery and upscaled the shit outta it for pores, fine hairs and unmatched photographic realism. the outcome: A strong, modern and versatile identity that stands out, turning heads and converting customers into brand ambassadors. What's your branding saying about you to potential customers? - drab, uninspiring or totally misaligned from how you wanna be perceived? Drop me a message, let's chat.

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This drove a 26% CR increase 🚀 A 30% ATC increase... 🚀 And 16% more orders... 🚀 Liz Fedorak @ Ethique came to Because🌈 with this problem: How do I quickly stand up personalization on my website without getting my developer involved? And once I know it works, do I really have to ask my developer to now hard code it long term? This is one of my favorite things about the platform we've developed at Because🌈. It's a CRO solution like you've never used before. We don't BS you when we say it's no code like most of the legacy personalization platforms out there - it REALLY is. You can actually use Because for not only messaging AB testing, but also long term personalization implementations on your site. Once an AB test performs well, you can choose to publish the campaign live to 100% of the audience... (like for example what Ethique did with a quiz personalization message to a Klaviyo segment of users with a specific quiz result). This would traditionally take weeks to scope and build with developers (or a painful process in legacy platforms), but with Because, the Ethique team was able to stand it up in less than an hour. Fully connected into their Shopify site 🤝 Fully integrated into their Klaviyo data 🤝 Anyone else recently struggled with this problem? I'm happy to chat personally and walk you through a demo of how Because works. Booking time for first week of December right now so shoot me a DM ✨

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This is an unexpected joy of running a design and venture studio. Our work with startups, founders and exciting scale ups brings lots of fun, tensions, and opportunity. But, seeing how CEOs and Founders grow rapidly, often in short timeframes because of the unique industry, political, economic challenges they face is so insightful. It’s a privilege at ZeroSixty Design to have a front row seat and help shape that journey a bit too. Yes, growth happens everywhere, but the type of disruptive and ambitious founder led businesses we often work with brings a unique place to observe this growth and change in real time - at a pace that’s sometimes not observed in larger or slower organisations. It’s fascinating, educational, and offers unique lessons that are transferable across sectors. #change #designforimpact #experiencedesign #design #startups #growth

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If you use our testimonial tool, you'll send this to your customers to get testimonials and Google reviews. Have a play. Cheers Farzan Testimonial Donut #testimonials

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Last week we hit an exciting milestone of more than 200 brands live using Raleon. 🎉 Being transparent - there's at least one thing I'd do differently. We waited too long to charge for the self-serve part of our product. Why? We wanted more product feedback faster. We wanted more data for our AI. Makes sense in theory. But here's the reality - it made it more difficult to analyze and tune our "growth engine". It also made it more difficult to really measure the value signals. Don't get me wrong - we'll always have a free plan. Supporting early-stage brands is part of our DNA. So how are we applying this lesson? Rather simply. When a new capability we roll out makes sense to charge additional for, we do it at the outset. Gift with purchase being a great example. It's a much better test of interest and value.

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I'm a bit behind on promoting Founderoo's latest stories. This is Ryan's story of jumping out of supply chain world into tech. Story number 112. See how Ryan Gilbert has: 💵 Achieved $2K monthly recurring revenue 🚀 Attracted over 70K monthly visitors to workspaces.xyz 👥 Built a community of over 12K members 📈 Transitioned from a supply chain job to joining Loops as employee #1 after acquisition 🌐 Created Workspaces, a popular destination for showcasing work-from-home setups My top 5 takeaways from Ryan's journey: 👉 Identify trending topics that resonate with your interests 👉 Start small by repurposing existing tools like Substack 👉 Leverage your network and featured guests for initial growth 👉 Consistency is key - never miss publishing new content 👉 Side projects can open doors to new career opportunities "Turn your passion into a side hustle, and it may just become your new full-time gig." 🔗 To read Ryan's full story, tap the link in the comments below. Farzan Ryan

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This just keeps getting better and better 😍 ... As a recovering perfectionist, the scrappy early days of building something from 0 to 1 are highly uncomfortable for me. Add in the variable of about ~14 other people you need to work with to pull something off, and you've just taken that discomfort level from 10 to 100. But I'm learning to love it - this process of being OK with something evolving over time, learning and improving as you go and I'm growing a lot as a person as a result (if I can say so myself...!). I am SO proud and grateful for the amazing team of volunteer correspondents we've gathered to bring together Pulse Check (the new monthly newsletter from Overnight Success). They've been super patient and flexible as we've worked through the scrappy bits of pulling it together and now we're all seeing the rewards in the form of not only more subscribers (we'll crack 400 this month! 🤞 ), but also genuinely valuable, engaging content people are loving! 🎉 . If you haven't already, check out this month's edition and you'll find these gems... 💎 Kirstin Hunter & Preethi Mohan launching the first ever Investor Leaderboard for our 'Funding the Balance' initiative. Gav Parry offering a super insightful perspective on the role of tech innovation in the music industry. Lea Rausch's insights about Aussie startups going global, as gleaned from chats with Gecko.rent founder Ben Kennedy and Maxine Minter of Co Ventures. Berenice Chong putting a spotlight on the new Curtin University Venture Studio. Andrew Harding talking about Main Sequence's investment into the fascinating world of sustainable apparel dyeing via Xefco. Erin Howell answering the question - WTF is the Bitcoin halving...? Dickie Currer giving the 101 on how Australia's innovation ecosystem stacks up globally. Leila Oliveira with tips from Bae Juice founder Tim O'Sullivan on lessons from their recent fundraising round. Holly Clark explaining why agritech innovation is so challenging, feat insights from Olympia Yarger at the recent FutureAg Expo. AND Anna Mackenzie sharing her ever-insightful and perfectly articulated case for 'optimising for creativity' (and ideas on how to do it!). Phew..! It's a lot of amazing content all in one edition! 🤓 Check it out 👇 🚀

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In 2021, I published "How Is Webflow Tracking? The State of Webflow in New Zealand - 2021," which has been the top-ranked article on Google since then. Given its success, I now released an updated review for 2024. Key insights from the new article: 🔹 Webflow Adoption in New Zealand: As of May 2024, there are over 3,500 live Webflow sites in New Zealand, making it the ninth most used CMS in the region. 🔹 Surge in Search Volume: The search volume for "Webflow" in New Zealand has skyrocketed, increasing from 480 monthly searches in 2019 to around 2.9K in the past year. This growth underscores the rising interest among businesses and individuals in leveraging innovative web development tools. Psychoactive Studios continues to lead as a Webflow Enterprise Partner in New Zealand, driving the platform's adoption and pioneering new technologies. We're excited about the growing community and the future of web development in our region. Read the full article to explore detailed insights and regional trends: https://lnkd.in/gMzHZ6vF #Webflow #WebDesign #WebDevelopment #DigitalInnovation #PsychoactiveStudios

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There's a glaring irony among NFPs in the Australian startup ecosystem... They preach "know your customer" but often fail to practice it. Want to see how? Let's break it down... 👇🏾 What NFPs preach: "Always talk to your customers." What NFPs practice: Making assumptions about customer needs. What NFPs preach: "Use data to drive decisions." What NFPs practice: Relying on gut feelings and outdated information. What NFPs preach: "Build for diversity and inclusion." What NFPs practice: Creating one-size-fits-all solutions. Remember... NFPs in the startup ecosystem give great advice to founders. But the real winners are those who don't just preach, but actually practice customer-centricity. Have you noticed this disconnect in the startup ecosystem? Share your observations in the comments. ---------------------------------------------- Found this useful? Repost for your NFP startup ecosystem to "know their customer". ♻️

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We’ve hit 9 months and Halaska Studio is itching closer to $1,000,000 🤯🥳 We started with guns blazing and picked up 13 clients within our first few months, realising quickly that we needed to change some things... We raised our prices from $9 / $12k to $18k/mo, resulting in less clients overall, but a better return on investment for both the client and us. The success of the studio may seem sudden but the truth is we’ve been building up to this for over 18 years. Here’s some things that have contributed to our success: ⚡️ Clients trust us We’ve spent years working in some of the world's best companies, from Google in big tech, CBA in fintech, Immutable in web3 and Infinex in DeFi. We know what it takes to deliver. ⚡️ We’re transparent We’re building in the open, changing our pricing, showcasing WIP work and admitting when we’re wrong. We understand the importance of honestly to long-lasting relationships. ⚡️ We do the right thing We want to do the best by the client, which means flexibility. We don't set a default process, we adapt to the client's needs and make the most of the time together. ⚡️ We do it the right way We are a valued design partner to our clients, acknowledging that it’s not just about the output, it’s about the journey to get there. If you ask us, we get to do the fun part, so try letting the clients in on that makes the experience more enjoyable. ⚡️ We have the context We focus on web3 and AI as they are spaces we're the most passionate about, we're also well aware of the impact that great UX can make. Deep context helps your solve and adjust to get to an optimal solution. ⚡️ We have design mastery Our time spent working amongst the best UX, UI, product designers & researchers in top companies have taught us how to solve problems at any scale. Too few 'experts' have this grounding which is why we think we have the secret sauce. There’s many other contributing factors and we’ll keep sharing as we find them. In the mean-time, we wanted to thank every one of you for the overwhelming support so far. We're hiring the best design talent, delivering world-class products, pushing the web3, AI and design space forward and having a lot of fun 🎉

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DESIGNERS DOWN UNDER! Let’s prototype an AI-powered experience together... or actually, lots of them! Veronika Kindred and I are leading a Sentient Design workshop in Sydney on 28 Nov as part of the Web Directions Next conference. https://lnkd.in/dXYGvnZr (Save $100 with code joshnext when you buy a conference ticket, or $200 with code joshworkshop when you buy a workshop-only ticket.) You'll learn to use machine-generated content and interaction as design material in your everyday work. The focus will be using AI to create new *experiences*—radically adaptive interfaces—not just churn out assets. Here's what you'll do over the course of this full-day, hands-on workshop: - Prototype a new product: identify, imagine, and design AI-powered features that solve real problems (not just “because AI”). - Get your hands dirty working with models directly to learn their strengths and quirks. - Explore radically adaptive interfaces that are conceived in real-time based on user context and intent. - Discover emerging UX patterns that go beyond "slap a chatbot on it." - Learn the art of defensive design for when AI is weird, wrong, biased, or worse. - Learn to guide user behavior to match the system’s ability. - Embrace responsible practices that build trust and transparency.

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Feedback is the secret to startup success!   In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Mas Abdi (PhD), the founder of Easy Apply, shares the hard truth every startup needs to hear: your product isn’t complete without honest customer feedback. Mas discusses the emotional challenge of taking critique on something you’ve built from the ground up, and why it’s necessary to constantly iterate and refine based on what your users actually want.   If you're a founder, you’ll find this clip packed with golden advice on building tech products that hit the mark.   Check out the full episode. The links are in the comments!   Let’s take your ideas to the next level with DevReady. Whether it’s startup guidance or full-scale app development, we’ve got you covered.   #TechInnovation #Entrepreneurship #CustomerFeedback #AI #DevReadyPodcast #ProductDevelopment

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More things I've learned after interviewing 100+ Bootstrapped Startup Founders. If you want to get into ecommerce but are unsure what to sell. The stepping stones for ecommerce businesses are dropshipping and resale businesses. Dropshipping, for those unaware, is finding an item already sold in bulk in one region and working with the manufacturer to bring it to another. For example, you see that the Chinese are selling a really popular brand of can opener in mainland China. You decide you want to get this can opener into the US. You get the manufacturer to agree to the deal and start listing it on Amazon. Every time you receive orders, you pay the manufacturer for the cost of the item+shipping and they ship directly to the customer. The benefit of dropshipping is you put the cost of shipping and warehousing entirely onto the manufacturer. All you have to do is find the market, and place the ads. The downside is you'll only earn a small amount per unit. Little risked, little gained. You'll also go out of stock frequently since you'll probably only want to order after you have a certain order volume for a bulk discount. That's why dropshippers eventually evolve into resellers. Resellers are like dropshippers but they take on more risk. Resellers order items from manufacturers in bulk ahead of time, warehouse them and send them onto the final customers. Because you're taking on logistics and purchasing in massive bulk, you can "find" more money. Normally, it's better to start as a dropshipper because becoming a reseller without knowing market need is risky. Once you have a successful reselling business, you have everything you need to move into ecommerce. You'll already have warehousing, logistics, and probably a good supplier figured out. You may even have your own website. Now you just have to figure out what to sell. Fortunately, you've probably seen what's popular and already chosen a niche demographic for your reselling business. Heck, you can even ask your customers what they want to see in your store. One of the best examples of this kind of process was an Australian business I interviewed called Ozdingo Shopping run by Mal Badawi. They pretty much did exactly the process I listed above. However, instead of manufacturing their own products, they started using their reselling store to give local creators a national market. Now they have their own warehouse and are making a huge mark on Australian ecommerce. Read their story here: https://lnkd.in/gXDh7SNy I'm posting insights from my almost 2 years writing about founders every day until I run out and then I'm gonna do reruns. Check out my stores on bootstrappers.com!

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Do you work with Startups or Scaleups? When our Founders, Startup / Scaleup Leaders, or Startup Employees join Aussie Founders Club's free membership on Frontcover, they then unlock exclusive offers for products and services. On the list, we currently have offers from companies like: Rapha: 6 months FREE on their recruitment system Heatseeker: A 30% disount on their subscription which gives you access to tools for generating value propositions, conducting live competitor audits, and running in-market experiments Mayfly Ventures: A free 45 minute Product Strategy Session HubSpot: Discounted access to Hubspot for Startups which opens you up to MANY MANY offers for startups BetaTrends: A 25% discount on their analytics subscription Granton: A free 30 minute consult to discuss eligible grants for your startup ScoreApp: 50% off your first month (I love Scoreapp) Informly: 10% off your Idea Validation report (I've used this - their reports are incredible) Also offers from my own businesses: Kairos: Offering exclusive AFC rates for your first hire placed through Kairos Mployd: Discounts on services for startup employees looking for work I've got many more in the works but if this sounds like something you and your business wants to get across, getting you in front of your target market and supporting them with an exclusive offer - you can! Fill out our EOI form and we will be in touch - link here: https://lnkd.in/gWqN32cb

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I completely agree with this post shared. It's a common misconception that startups need millions in VC funding to be successful. At IntelliOptima, we're living proof that this isn't the case. We've been bootstrapping for 8 months now, and despite the challenges, we've made significant progress in building a platform that enables users to collaborate with multiple AI agents in real-time. Our platform allows users to communicate with AI models like GPT and Perplexity Sonar, which can validate answers and provide a more dynamic interactive experience where users can share prompts and responses as if they where the one prompting, while also chatting each other. It's like teams, but SuperPowered with all your favorite AI models, but the cool thing is they can interact with and on each other. We've received great feedback from our users, and we're excited to see how our platform can solve real-world problems. We're focused on building a product that our customers love, rather than trying to appease investors. By doing so, we're able to maintain control and equity, and we're confident that our platform will speak for itself.

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"The UX Ladder with Mariam Khan" is a conversation beyond pixels – a deep dive into product cultures, inclusion, and the untold stories that shape our experiences and trends. Join in to explore the nuances that drive meaningful user experiences and innovative designs. #UXDesign #ProductCulture #Inclusion #DesignTrends

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What a crazy, beautiful month it’s been in SetSeed land. We knew the plugin/platform problem was big, but whoah… Daily requests for help; local, nationally and globally. Customers tired off having to enter the multiverse to manage their website(s) as their business or organisation grows. Even agencies asking for help. 🥹 Websites that engage, empower, inform and sell a product or service. Both public and private websites; multiple requests for membership portals even. Māori and pakeha. Meanwhile, another school production sold out their evening tickets in a few days; and we online launched the Rotorua Monopoly game… which sold so fast that within 20mins we were limiting numbers per order.* *Rapidly developed a new feature overnight to facilitate that, such is the power of our framework. We’re going up against multiple worldclass platforms and winning against them. Yes, multiple. Thankfully, we’re growing the team too! However, the lawn has now gone viral and it’s time I win against that with the mower.

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In back-and-forth talks with a B2B SaaS startup interested in working with VEC.studio, they wondered why I'd dedicate most of the first month of our engagement designing a product narrative. These timeless words by Leo Bunnet (in the 90s) say it all:

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