Invertedpassion
invertedpassion.com · Personal blog · on HN since 2017
Paras Chopra, founder of Visual Website Optimizer, writes about startups, mental models, pricing and psychology.
What HN saysHN commenters hold up the site as a well-made personal blog worth getting inspiration from, and cite his pitching post as good advice for life generally.
23HN people shared it
6linked it in comments
117stories submitted
1.2Kstory points
3 months agolast shared
2017people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Mental Models for Startup Founders3 people · 6 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 2Homepage3 people · first shared 2018
- 3Why many B2C startups pivot to B2B2 people · 7 points · first shared 2018 · 1 comments on HN
- 4Startups shouldn't solve technically hard problems2 people · 6 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 5Why you shouldn’t set prices based on value created2 people · 5 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 6A Primer on Dopamine2 people · 5 points · first shared 2024 · 2 comments on HN
- 7Why is enterprise software so ugly?2 people · 4 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 8Notes from the Book “The Shallows”2 people · 4 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 9How Money Works2 people · 4 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 10Copying ideas is highly underrated2 people · 3 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 11Notes from ‘Skin in the Game’ by Nassim Nicholas Taleb2 people · 3 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 12How to critically dissect a success story2 people · 2 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 13Modes of Living2 people · 2 points · first shared 2019 · 1 comments on HN
- 14Startups live and die in a multidimensional landscape2 people · 2 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
- 15The Anti-Productivity Manifesto2 people · 2 points · first shared 2023 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
paraschopra · 2020-06-10
There are a few podcasts and interviews about the initial days of VWO. You may find the following resources helpful:
[1] My very first interview in 2012: https://mixergy.com/interviews/chopra-visual-website-optimizer-intervi…
[2] A relatively recent one: https://inc42.com/startups/wingify-paras-chopra-saas-startup/
[3] I've been blogging about many lessons I've learned on my blog https://invertedpassion.com
kaushikt · 2019-06-28
I've been fiddling with figma lately for this purpose but I do like some of the examples here.
I will be seeking inspiration from paras Chopra's https://invertedpassion.com
Quite well done.
r_singh · 2020-02-25
Hey there varlock! It's a good thing you're asking this question here.
Now the answer to your question[s] will really depend on what it is you're trying to build (and more importantly, sell).
Take for instance a website like Stackoverflow, it will be quite hard for anyone to develop and get people to use an alternative for the same because the entire value the website delivers is derived from its user base.
However, if your idea is something like Mailchimp, it will be a lot easier for you to build and sell the same because the value delivered by the product depends mostly on whether it works for prospective users and your ability to convince them about the same.
> What would you do to differentiate the product? What steps would you follow?
I would pick a niche (subset) from the market the incumbent player is catering to and build something superior catered only towards them and then grow horizontal from there.
> Or would you drop the ball altogether (hopefully not!)?
Hello no!
Depends of whether networks effects are an important aspect of the incumbent's success and the resources that are at my disposal. So if I don't already have a bunch of money or risk appetite (even in terms of time), I wouldn't really invest myself in doing a marketplace sort of thing (where network effects matter i.e. product value is derived from user base).[1]
If network effects don't matter and I can build and sell this thing on my own or if I at least have access to the sort of people that…
kanishkdudeja · 2018-03-29
Paras Chopra's blog - https://invertedpassion.com/
sillysaurusx · 2025-01-24
Your post https://invertedpassion.com/your-30-second-pitch-shouldnt-be-about-you… applies not just to business but to life in general. Talking about someone else and focusing on what they want is how to make friends (and other benefits).
I really like your site. It’s kind of the inverse of pg: not really essays, but still focused and numerous, even if short. It manages to be general without being shallow: there are so many interesting topics that it’s hard not to get pulled in, which for me was reminiscent of stumbling on pg’s essays in 2007.
Thanks!