The Shipaton was intense, but it gave space to one of the most creative periods in my life.
After going for two months nonstop, I realized how tired I was. Still, I have heard creators talk about the fear of losing momentum right after hitting a big milestone. I felt that fear too.
Knowing the Shipaton was coming to an end was exciting but also terrifying. It’s the reason many of us procrastinate on shipping: The possibilities are endless when the project lives in your mind. Once it’s out in the world, you’re confronted with limitations and reality.
If anything, I trust I can do it. I can turn my app into a success.
Working at a tech company I admired taught me something: success doesn’t come from the company, but from its people. Every person has a spark, an individual sense of drive and curiosity. Companies don’t have a secret formula, what truly matters is people coming together and figuring things out.
Now as an independent developer I see the same at work. It’s all about learning, experimenting, and sharing your work with the world. We all have it in ourselves!
Launching a mobile app is just the start. Here’s what I am planning to do next to keep the momentum going.
On the surface, I’ll keep what’s working: ship content and code every week.
The new challenge is finding balance between improving the app and expanding its reach.
There’s a whole new set of abilities to learn, one at a time. Incremental learning compounds, and that’s how indie developers I admire have had success with their apps.
What I do next will be guided by instinct and the learnings I get from the Everything but the Code book as I read it.
So here are the next priorities:
- Officially launch my app
- Take a short break
- Implement a public roadmap
- Improve website
- Add support documentation
- Implement analytics
- Improve App Store Optimization (ASO)
I’ll share updates as I keep figuring things out. So far, Minder has 65 active users and 1 subscriber without actually promoting the app.
During the Shipaton I learned to ship before I’m ready and publish consistently. The next step is to find a rhythm for continuous improvement that keeps the momentum alive.