Hello community,
I wanted to share my journey of starting and running a mobile app startup over the past three years. It’s been a rollercoaster ride with a lot of learning, very little successes, and some great failures. Here’s my story:
The Beginning
A few years ago, I embarked on a mission to learn mobile app development. My goal was simple: to build something useful while honing my skills. This led to the creation of a mobile app that connects users with local retailers and their special offers. The idea was to help users find great deals at nearby shops and boost local businesses by increasing their visibility.
The Journey
I single-handedly developed the app with the help of a few freelance experts. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience. I wore many hats – developer, designer, tester, marketer, and everything in between. Seeing the app come to life was exhilarating.
The Struggles
After some time, I decided to take the next step and make the app commercial. I formed a SARL (Société à Responsabilité Limitée) and put significant effort into marketing and sales. However, this is where things started to go downhill. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get the traction I hoped for. It turns out, I’m a just an good developer and very bad salesman and marketer. i kind of agreed
The Realization
While it’s a bit funny though about my losses, the failure was a tough pill to swallow. But it also taught me a valuable lesson about my strengths and weaknesses. I realized that while I’m passionate and skilled in development, sales and business management are not my strong suits.
The Next Step
Now, I’ve come to a crossroads. I’m planning to sell the app and close the company. It’s a bittersweet decision, but I believe it’s the right one. The app has potential, but it needs someone with a knack for business and sales to take it to the next level.
If anyone is interested in acquiring an app with a solid foundation and plenty of growth opportunities, please feel free to reach out. I’m also open to any advice or guidance from those who have been in similar situations.
Thank you for reading, and for any support or insights you can offer.
https://apps.apple.com/th/app/offers-lu-luxembourg/id1580353103
P.S. To all aspiring developers and entrepreneurs out there,
Remember: knowing your strengths and weaknesses is crucial. Embrace your journey, learn from your failures, and keep pushing forward.
by RepairPleasant905
5 comments
So, this post isn’t about the lessons you want to share with other people, but just a sales pitch for your app? Or is the wisdom you learnt going to be shared later?
sry to hear about
but you miss the android people…
you know FAIL?
First Attempt In Learning
😉
Interesting to read!
I think my learning curve into self employment is somewhat similar to yours in the sense that “wearing many hats” was an exciting but also sobering experience because it revealed some serious lack of skills such as the mentioned marketing abilities. Obviously you run into any new venture with a lot of optimism and even more naivety and in that sense I don’t think there is anything abnormal about taking more than 3 years to successfully commercialize a product, especially if you haven’t had external funding and are operating in the retail space where competition is quite tough.
So I guess my question is, what makes you consider to sell the project altogether as opposed to screen the market for a potential (marketing) partner.
Your problem is not the app but the target market. Luxembourg is notoriously averse to installing apps, and the tiny user base who spend most of the time within the border make for a minimal audience.
Most projects that monetize on the number of transactions in such a small niche market cannot take off.
Try approaching a mobile app publishing studio from Germany or France, see if they see potential in the app, and sign a partnership with them eventually. I’m pretty sure the first change will be to delocalize it and reach a broader audience.
Have you made use/considered making usr of the offers/ assistance of house of startups/ house of innovation? Lux is a very small market that requires quick expansion outwards, and that’s super hard to do without the necessary network/investors. (See e.g. Salonkee)