Using Webflow's cms and Jetboost to create a filterable website

What is it:

Support Local Businesses during Covid-19: El Pasoans for El Paso

What did I learn:

1. Product feature - Jetboost.io - Creating a dynamic filterable list in Webflow is hard. When I first started looking for a home for Side Project Stack 1.5 years ago, Webflow was insanely complicated in figuring out how to build a filterable list. Then came along Jetboost.io. A match made in no-code tool heaven. Because now this gives Webflow a ton of new product capabilities.

Jetboost.io is essential if you are building a list within Webflow. Jetboost.io also does many other things like allow you to create a favorite option so that when a user favorites a post in the list it can prompt a user to sign in ad gate keep that information.

2. Product Strategy - allow people to add restaurants. Using Webflow's native forms, reasons why to do this when using Webflow. Is that it eliminates using one more additional tool. Also, it helps create a form that is much more native within the application. You are able to fully style and size the form to however you want it. There is more of a learning curve to be able to do this, but its a drawback to using something out of the box like Typeform or others.

3. Product Strategy - We saw this with the previous product, Doomsday Snacks. During the pandemic, everyone went instantly into protect your own city mode. A perfect way to rise to the challenge and provide immediate value is focusing in on a smaller geographical area. Because it is his city, when Seth first started this app, he had the respect of all those businesses because he was one of them and lived in that town.

There is a great valuable lesson here in the power of scratching your own itch. In the guide The Lean Side Project I talk about how you don't need to create a fancy business model canvas to decide about creating your product. You just need your story, an itch to scratch, build an audience and some no-code tools to add value. And because you are speaking from your story and whatever itch you have to scratch, you are already an expert! No feeling of imposter syndrom. Just that you've felt the pain and you become the first customer/user.