I really hope this sets an example for other CEOs and executives. It is not just about the money but about the gesture that says a lot about how much a company really cares about its employees.
You need to provide more details. For example, are you planning on building the entire MVP on your own Vs. outsource pieces of it (design or back end etc.).
I totally understand your situation. However, your situation is definitely challenging considering that you need to be sponsored for H1B but do not have the relavant experience to justify the sponsorship which sort of negates the whole point of getting an H1B.
Out of curiousity, what do/did you work on while on H1B? You say that you want to do iOS dev. but you might have a better chance using your current experience to secure a sponsored job first. May be then you can try and explore.
The H1B factor may not be a non-issue as you point out. It is like the elephant in the room. In 2012, companies are not willing to mess with it unless absolutely needed. So in the OP's case, even though he has good intentions, recruiters are probably not going to understand the value he might bring to the table. I do agree with you though that the issue could happen with a US citzen as well but in case of the OP, his H1B status is definitely making it worse.
I prefer to see online demo or even better an actual demo account before I decide whether to sign up or not. However, keep in mind that a bad demo could make users quickly decide that they do not want your app. But certainly, if your product is what the user needs, chances of signing up might go up (I am just stating my opinion here though).
Good advice generally. I also use a technique personally which works very well for me even though it could sound absurd to some. I talk to myself from time to time (not in public though :) and that works really well for me to keep my focus, motivation and passion on track.
Your logo looks very similar to dropbox's except the color of course. Not sure if this would be a problem later on if and when you hit it big.
Also, I tried to click on "sing up" without entering anything just to see what happens. The list of error message is too many and redundant.Do you really need to say "Password missing password?"
Password doesn't match confirmation
Password is too short (minimum is 6 characters)
Password Missing password
Password is too short (minimum is 4 characters)
Password doesn't match confirmation
Email can't be blank
Email should look like an email address.
Password confirmation is too short (minimum is 4 characters)
My honest feedback, not much for me to even consider signing up. Put more info about what padseeker does for me as a user?
I have worked for many clients in my short 9+ years of corporate experience. One thing I can tell you for sure is that it is extremely difficult to understand the culture and work style unless you have really started working for the employer. There are way too many factors to look at which you can never figure out or know during an interview even if you ask good questions and the interview is very interactive.
How can you really know about each team member unless you spend time with them ? How can you really know how your boss likes to work with the team? How can you really know if it takes 2 weeks to get email access (corporate clients mostly) or if you will really be reporting to 3 different levels of management even though you were hired by 1 manager? Is your boss obsessed with punctuality in the morning (I had a boss once who would send emails to entire team if someone did not come in by 8:30 AM sharp).How can you know that you were hired for some specialist work but now asked to dive into things that you may not be interested in but gotta do it anyway.
The above examples are just a tip of the iceberg. You never know unless you go through it unfortunately. Do not let this discourage you though. My point is that you might be overthinking all this a bit. Ask questions in interview, go with your gut feeling and worst case, you can always quit. Focus on what value you bring to the table. people will always respect you even if the going gets tough.
depends on the type of website. I do not mind using facebook connect for non-critical websites but would obviously not use it for critical ones. Usually, I prefer email+passwd which lets me choose which email to use.
In general, quitting should not be considered unethical in today's world since there is no loyalty from the employer's side as well. In your case specifically, I do not see a problem quitting. In fact, it is something that you should do given your circumstances of being underpaid etc.
Whenever you have doubts about quitting or you feel bad about quitting, just remember. Your employer, not matter how good your relationship is with them, will not think twice if they have to get rid of you for whatever reason (budget always being an easy explanation). So do yourself a favor and quit if you really want to.
Mobile email pain point: Not able to open and read attachments that are only designed for desktops (e.g. word,pdf docs look horrible and difficult to scroll through in mobile)
Have you actually built all the sites you mentioned on the page ? The designs look great to me. Very clean.
I think it is just about right for the content. Anything more will make it too much.