Context
- I’m lost. Not sure where to take my app, and if I want to even do that. I have spent way too much time on it (400+ hours) and I’ve received nothing in return in the past year.
Feelings
- One thing I noticed is that after I talk about my app, I notice that I lose motivation for working on it. I believe this happens because I have yet to find someone who is just as excited about the app as much as I am
Thoughts
Future Plan
- 3 ways I can go:
- Private Beta (current plan)
- continue testing the app to see what possible problems my app could solve
- In some way I should do the kind of testing that I should have done last year before I ever set foot on the codebase. But this time I already have a fully working app
- I need to narrow down my target audience and conduct tests with them
- Public Beta
- Private Beta (current plan)
Possible pivot directions (all these need validation before putting any time working on them)
- Focus more on improving the conversations (my current app but more personalized and useful/valuable)
- notifying the users when they are beside the other person
- social media aspect to it
- AI to generate personalized questions
- question database (small-talks)
- Focus more on managing the relationships (CRM with a focus on asking better questions)
- AI to generate personalized questions
Raw thoughts (transcript summary):
Reflection on Goals and Vision
I’m feeling pretty lost right now. After talking to Roland yesterday and reflecting on our “ikigai” and plans for next year, I had a vision, but it’s still not very clear what my next steps should be.
I really want to launch my app, Roots. I want to get it out there and see people using it. But I keep doubting myself. I worry that it might not get used because, at the end of the day, it’s just a to-do list app—though it’s more focused on people.
The problem is that it might not be compelling enough for someone to download and use it, especially when it doesn’t have the full capabilities of other, more established to-do list apps. For people to adopt it, there needs to be a strong reason for them to use it alongside their current tools.
Concerns About the App’s Viability
This worry makes me think there’s something fundamentally wrong with my current plan. I’ve already spent so much time—around 400 hours—building, thinking, reflecting, and coding. In hindsight, I probably should have sought validation earlier.
Now I’m unsure what to do. I could drop the app in the next few days, but I’m hesitant because it feels like it would just be another project, like my previous app, SnipTube. That one got a few users, but they eventually stopped using it, and I moved on to something else.
I keep thinking about my other app idea, Orbit, and whether I should focus on launching that instead. Or maybe I should step away from building apps entirely and focus more on content creation and community building.
Content Creation vs. App Development
My friend Ali suggested I focus less on building apps and more on creating a platform where I can spread my purpose. While building apps aligns with my purpose to some extent, it’s hard to fulfill that purpose through these products.
It might be easier to achieve my goals by growing my presence on social media or YouTube. I enjoy making YouTube videos, but the editing process isn’t as enjoyable, which is why I don’t do it consistently. I post maybe once every three months, and that inconsistency is holding me back.
Stuck in Development
The app feels 99% done, but it’s been at that stage for over six months. It’s wild how much time it has taken without yielding any returns—whether in the form of revenue, users, or even job opportunities from learning how to build it.
I’m thinking about launching it as a private beta first instead of doing a full release. That way, I could spread it slowly and get feedback. But even that approach feels like it would take too much time, especially since I’m doing all of this on my own.
Strengths and Limitations of the App
One of the app’s biggest strengths is how easy it is to store and add tasks. But these days, there are so many tools, like Notion, that allow you to customize storage and create your own databases. That makes it hard to stand out.
To address this, I’ve been considering ways to expand the app’s features. One idea is to connect it to a database of conversation topics and questions that users can assign to specific people or groups. That way, when they meet someone, they can use these questions to spark meaningful conversations.
Potential B2B Approach
Another possibility is pivoting toward a B2B application. I could position it as a CRM tool focused on interactions with clients or users. This approach could make it more appealing to businesses, but it would also mean a lot more work and planning.
Final Thoughts
Maybe I’m on the right track and just need to be more patient. Good things take time, and maybe I need to give this app more time to evolve. I should probably keep talking to people and getting feedback, even though I’ve already done a lot of that.
The challenge is that I feel like I already know what needs to be done. It’s just a matter of deciding whether to keep pushing forward or pivot in a new direction.