Month 6: July 2026
When an endeavor is new, enthusiasm helps keep forward momentum. When an endeavor finds success, success itself aids forward momentum. In the messy, uncertain middle, it's harder to carry on with enthusiasm and positivity. The draw to call change direction or call it quits is real.
That's where I'm at right now. This past month was the most challenging one so far. I have a sense of what I need to do, but little conviction I'm doing the right things.
I Know the Where, Not the How
I feel somewhat content about my effort, but feel no conviction about my distribution strategy. The thing is, I have this belief that when making big decisions, it's worthwhile to spend extra time thinking about them. Think deeply, move slowly.
I haven't followed this and I find myself anxiously diving into half baked distribution strategies. Thanks to some time off this month, I've made the conscious decision to slow down and choose my direction wisely and intentionally. That's the intent, at least. Rather than spray and pray, I'm slowing down.
For many years, my intuition has gently and persistently told me that making and distributing useful apps is my way. With the uncertainty in my distribution strategy this month, I've had endless desires to change direction. Distractions disguised as opportunity. Build a web app. Copy an existing successful product. Start a service business. Set the side work down for a while and focus on yoga and spirituality. What they all have in common is quitting my current path when the going got tough and starting a new path at level zero. That is a surefire way to never reap the benefits of compound growth.
One thing I know is that perceived progress solves all my problems. Most of July sucked, then at the very end I got a surge of downloads and attention on a few apps. That felt great and gives me motivation to continue. Progress is always the name of the game. It feels good to move forward.
July's Work
What did I actually do this month? Good question. I honestly don't know. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off.
My intent for July (and August and September) was to pick one app, FIRE: Retirement Projection, and try to grow it. I made SEO pages, I worked on App Store Optimization, and I made a half-assed effort to take the advice "go where your customers are and talk to them."
Only a week into then month, I retreated into building the app: making it better, adding features, and not actually trying to get it in front of more people. Why? Because I genuinely don't know what daily action to take to get the thing in front of meaningfully more people.
I've written before about how I think about my work: daily behaviors create artifacts > artifacts help to meet goals > goals help to realize a vision. Daily behaviors > artifacts > goals > vision. The thing about distribution is I'm yet to identify a sustainable daily behavior for it.
The app itself is actually shaping up really nicely into something I am much more proud of. Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, has a quota that is something along the lines of "you should be embarrassed about the first release of your product." The way I interpret that is to not let perfectionism get in the way of progress. I tried to follow that, and now I'm trying to get my apps to meet my minimum acceptable level of quality. None are really there yet, but I'm getting there.
By the Numbers
This month, my numbers actually grew a meaningful amount (by percentage). I can't really point a finger at why though, so while I'm happy about the growth, I don't consider it a success. More like a fortunate nudge from the App Store.
Impressions = times an app showed up in the App Store.
Clicks = taps through to the app's page.
Downloads = installs.
Revenue = my cut after Apple's.
What's Next
What's next? Still distribution. Still slogging along trying to find my way.
I am seriously considering short form video as an option. It seems a bit crazy because I think short form video is rotting brains across the world.
The thing is, video fills my creative cup, and to me there is a sharp difference between a consumer and a creator. I want to make more things and consume less things.
I have a history of enjoying video creation and editing. My dad made awesome home videos when I was a kid - holla Gary. It was his profession my entire life through college so I had tons of exposure to video editing. I made videos through middle and high school. I took many years of video class. I used to love making vines and snapchats. At some point, my disdain for socials took me off of snapchat but I still find a pull in this direction. And fortunately for me, the world is addicted to tiktok.
If I can crack that code, make it feel like a worthy daily effort AND a creative outlet, that work might flow downhill and help solve my distribution problem. It would require a ton of effort and a long commitment, at least a few months before rendering a verdict. It won't be easy, but I think for a B2C consumer app maker, it is a viable channel.
I'm trying to simplify. In a perfect world, I'm doing the same thing every day. Make a video, work on the apps, check feedback, iterate, repeat. Forget the extraneous complications. Keep it simple, stupid.
That's where I'm at. Lots of uncertainty right now. It's tough to sit with, but I'm doing my best.
My Ask of You
For the love of all that is holy please download my apps and leave a rating and review. Tell me what works. Tell me what stinks. Give me some type of feedback. I'm craving it. You can have codes to make them all free, I promise. Just reply to this email and I'll send it to you.