Thoughts and stories from bootstrapping a tech business.
After bootstrapping a startup in the consumer space (B2C) for 6 years, I’ve learned what makes an effective business model. One of the most critical factors is having recurring revenue. Here are three business models that provide recurring revenue: Biz model #1: Subscriptions Subscriptions are the holy grail
This week, the makers behind a popular iPad app announced a switch from a paid upfront to a freemium subscription business model, and in the process, they totally screwed it up. I have nothing against subscriptions models for apps. I actually encourage it! Our own app Astropad Studio app is
This is an op-ed I did for a local paper in support of the Open App Markets Act. Sen. Klobuchar, from our home state of Minnesota, is a co-sponsor of the bill. Mobile devices are a vital part of our modern society. They track our health data, store
The conventional wisdom for app subscriptions is to price affordably, like $1.99/month, and hopefully attract lots of subscribers at a low price. Then by having low pricing, fewer will reject the idea of subscriptions, and you’ll make up the difference with volume. But this is the
Or how you can estimate subscription revenue with a leaky bucket... Given Apple’s push behind App Store subscriptions and the number of apps that have made the switch like DayOne , Ulysses , 1Password , and our very own Astropad Studio , if you’re an app developer you should take
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from building and launching Astropad is this: managing your own psychology is your most difficult but also most critical task as a founder. When you’re working for someone else, it’s easy to blame your negativity and
Mac apps are trickier to build, and we aren’t likely to see that change in the near future