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‎GROWTH.md‎

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# OpenBoot Growth Playbook
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> From 207 to 2,000+ stars in 90 days
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---
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## 🎯 Positioning
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**One-liner:** "Set up your Mac dev environment in one command — no YAML, no learning curve."
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**Differentiators vs alternatives:**
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| vs Brewfile | vs chezmoi | vs nix-darwin |
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|-------------|------------|---------------|
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| Interactive TUI picker | Full environment, not just dotfiles | 10x lower learning curve |
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| No YAML to maintain | Web dashboard + team sharing | Actually approachable |
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| Shareable install URLs | Smart duplicate detection | Works in minutes |
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**Target personas:**
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1. **Individual devs** — "I just want my new Mac working like my old one"
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2. **Team leads** — "Everyone on the team should have the same setup"
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3. **Content creators** — "My audience wants to copy my exact dev environment"
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---
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## 🚀 90-Day Growth Targets
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| Week | Star Target | Key Milestone |
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|------|-------------|---------------|
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| 1-2 | 300 | r/macOS + HN Show HN |
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| 3-4 | 500 | awesome-mac listing |
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| 5-8 | 1,000 | PH launch + content wave |
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| 9-12 | 2,000+ | Dev influencer pickups |
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---
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## 📢 Top 3 Growth Channels
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### 1. Reddit (r/macOS, r/MacApps, r/devops)
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**Why:** Direct access to Mac developers who feel the exact pain OpenBoot solves.
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**Playbook:**
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- Post demo video (< 60 sec) showing full setup in action
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- Title angle: "Built a tool that sets up a fresh Mac in 3 minutes instead of 3 hours"
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- Engage authentically — answer questions, take feedback
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- Cross-post to r/MacApps after r/macOS gains traction
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**Template post:**
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```
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I got tired of the new Mac ritual (brew install x50, dig up old dotfiles,
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re-configure everything...) so I built OpenBoot.
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One command. Pick what you need in a TUI. Done in minutes.
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[Demo GIF]
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It handles:
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- Homebrew packages & cask apps
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- Dotfiles (clones your repo, symlinks with stow)
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- Shell config (zsh + oh-my-zsh)
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- macOS system preferences
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- Git identity
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You can also snapshot your setup and share it — your whole team gets
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the exact same environment with `openboot install <alias>`.
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Open source, no telemetry. Would love feedback!
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GitHub: [link]
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```
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### 2. Hacker News (Show HN)
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**Why:** Technical audience that appreciates elegant developer tools.
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**Timing:** Tuesday-Thursday, 9-11 AM ET (peak HN traffic)
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**Title formula:** "Show HN: OpenBoot – Set up your Mac dev environment in one command"
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**Success factors:**
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- Be online first 2 hours to answer every comment
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- Highlight technical decisions (Go, TUI library, stow integration)
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- Share the "why" — what made existing tools frustrating
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### 3. Awesome Lists
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**Priority submissions:**
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1. [awesome-mac](https://github.com/jaywcjlove/awesome-mac) — 75k+ stars, primary target
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2. [awesome-macos](https://github.com/iCHAIT/awesome-macOS) — 16k stars
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3. [awesome-devenv](https://github.com/jondot/awesome-devenv) — 2.8k stars
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4. [awesome-cli-apps](https://github.com/agarrharr/awesome-cli-apps) — 14k stars (TUI section)
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**PR template:**
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```
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- [OpenBoot](https://github.com/openbootdotdev/openboot) - Set up your
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Mac dev environment in one command with an interactive TUI.
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```
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---
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## ⚡ Quick Wins (This Week)
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| Action | Effort | Expected Impact |
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|--------|--------|-----------------|
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| Add GitHub topics: `setup-automation`, `onboarding` | 5 min | +discoverability |
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| Create 60-sec demo video (not just GIF) | 2 hrs | 2x engagement on Reddit |
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| Add "Who's using OpenBoot?" section to README | 30 min | Social proof |
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| Submit to awesome-mac | 15 min | +500-1k stars if merged |
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| Post to r/macOS | 30 min | First traction wave |
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---
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## 🏆 Product Hunt Launch
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**Recommended timing:** 2-3 weeks after Reddit/HN traction (when you have 500+ stars)
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**Pre-launch checklist:**
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- [ ] Hunter with 1k+ followers (or self-hunt with warm audience)
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- [ ] 5+ screenshots/GIFs showing key flows
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- [ ] Maker video (1-2 min, casual, shows personality)
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- [ ] First comment draft ready (shipped at 00:01 PT)
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**Positioning for PH:**
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- Category: Developer Tools
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- Tagline: "Your Mac dev environment in one command"
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- First comment: Share the origin story (the 2-hour setup frustration)
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---
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## 📝 Content Strategy
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### SEO Keywords (Dev.to, Medium)
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- "mac setup script 2026"
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- "best way to set up new mac for development"
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- "homebrew alternative"
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- "dev environment automation"
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### Article Ideas
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1. "I Automated My Mac Setup — Here's What I Learned"
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2. "Brewfiles Are Dead: The Case for Interactive Setup Tools"
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3. "How Our Team Onboards Devs in 10 Minutes Instead of 2 Days"
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---
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## 🔗 Resources
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For more open source growth tactics:
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- [Open Source Marketing Playbook](https://github.com/Gingiris/opensource) — GitHub trending strategies, awesome-list tactics
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- [Product Hunt Launch Guide](https://github.com/Gingiris/launch) — Day-of playbook, hunter strategy
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---
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*Generated for OpenBoot by [Gingiris](https://github.com/Gingiris) • 2026-03-24*

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