Turning up the heat: Building an app for millions

[benank]

I recently read The Millionaire Fastlane (currently reading Unscripted ) and I'm incredibly inspired to get going on this. I'm starting this thread to document my progress on getting to financial freedom by creating a mobile app that will be used by millions.

A quick bit about me:

• Mid twenties
• Software engineer by trade
• Working the slowlane at a big tech company
• I'm always working on a fun side project, but now it's time to turn it into a business
  • I've released two apps to the app stores (one of which I've removed now after validating it...or not)

My goals:

• Get millions of people on my app
• Sell my app for high eight figures
• Financial freedom by 30 (by doing the above)

Now with the intros out of the way, let me tell you about my app and where I'm at with it!

The app:

• Think TikTok, but for polls: there's an endless feed of fun polls curated for you
• Polls are created by users that should ask fun and engaging questions with a wide variety of topics that get you thinking (or not)
  • Polls can be posted anonymously so viewers won't know who posted it
• Addictive time killer, yet informational and exposes you to viewpoints other than your own ("that many people thought that?")
• No commenting, only voting (and saving polls for later to check back on the results)
• You can follow people whose polls you like ("hot" algorithm feed and "following" chronological feed)

As far as the business side goes (actually making $$$), my current plan is to offer a way for individuals to boost their posts to get more exposure. Boosts will cost money. Additionally, there will be a business plan for companies that want to promote through polls (eg. pineapple on pizza? posted by Domino's). Charging the users on the app isn't the primary goal here - my goal is to provide value to them so more and more people use the app. Once enough people are using the app, the value comes from the data and the users that are on it, which can then be eventually sold. The ways the users can pay would be more of a way to keep the app afloat if there isn't outside funding. An app is great for scaling since it can pretty much scale infinitely (as long as you have infinite cash) and impact millions of people around the world, which is great for me - the more people I impact, the more money I can make.

I've validated the app mostly by observation so far:

• There's another polling app (a competitor) that launched a few years ago in a different part of the world (I'm in the USA). It has 100k downloads, but doesn't seem very good (for a number of reasons I won't get into here). If enough people downloaded that, where the main activity is posting and voting in polls, then I think this could work.
• Some Instagram influencers are popular because of the polls that they post, because they're engaging, though provoking, and funny - they would be great as early adopters, and shows that there's a market for it here

I've created most of the designs needed to implement the app already. My designs for this app are simple, uncluttered, bold, clean, and smooth (in terms of animations). Navigating the app should be easy, and there should be minimal distractions from the main activity: voting in endless polls. I want the user experience to be fast and seamless, especially for polls. I've already set up one initial poll (with infinite scalability) with live voting and results - if there are one million people voting at the same time, they'll all see the polls update in realtime (which can add to the slot machine factor, in terms of scrolling endlessly to see if you get more good posts or see if the votes change).

Right now, I have about 50% of the basic user interface done on the app, with many of the interactions added. Sign up and onboarding is done (one tap sign in with socials for frictionless onboarding). Implementing the UI and hooking it up to a backend isn't too much of a challenge right now. The biggest challenge that I'm looking forward to will be the automated curated feed. I'm going to have to dive into a lot of the recent AI/ML personalization/recommendation systems to create one that fits my needs. When users scroll, it should note that they "like" a poll if they voted, and they "dislike" it if they skipped it. Other metrics can be used as well, but that's the basic gist of it. The more they scroll, the better recommendations they'll get, plus some other content mixed in, such as X% random or near you (or places you've been).

I've also started an initial marketing campaign using memes, because everyone loves memes. The memes are your usual memes, handcrafted by yours truly, in the format of polls that you'll see on the app (very clean). I have a somewhat-automated system for this, meaning that I can crank out one meme every minute or two if I'm focused (and I don't have to come up with the meme, yet they're original at the same time).

That's it for the first post! I don't know how often I'll post progress - probably at least once a month, unless there's even more progress to share.

 

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[Nostalgia]

O sidipvmz sief Vji Nommoupeosi Getvmepi (dassipvmz siefoph Aptdsoqvif) epf O'n opdsifocmz optqosif vu hiv huoph up vjot. O'n tvesvoph vjot vjsief vu fudanipv nz qsuhsitt up hivvoph vu gopepdoem gsiifun cz dsievoph e nucomi eqq vjev xomm ci atif cz nommoupt.

E raodl cov ecuav ni:

• Nof vxipvoit
• Tugvxesi iphopiis cz vsefi
• Xusloph vji tmuxmepi ev e coh vidj dunqepz
• O'n emxezt xusloph up e gap tofi qsukidv, cav pux ov't voni vu vasp ov opvu e catopitt
  • O'wi simietif vxu eqqt vu vji eqq tvusit (upi ug xjodj O'wi sinuwif pux egvis wemofevoph ov...us puv)

Nz huemt:

• Hiv nommoupt ug qiuqmi up nz eqq
• Timm nz eqq gus johj iohjv gohasit
• Gopepdoem gsiifun cz 30 (cz fuoph vji ecuwi)

Pux xovj vji opvsut uav ug vji xez, miv ni vimm zua ecuav nz eqq epf xjisi O'n ev xovj ov!

Vji eqq:

• Vjopl VolVul, cav gus qummt: vjisi't ep ipfmitt giif ug gap qummt dasevif gus zua
• Qummt esi dsievif cz atist vjev tjuamf etl gap epf iphehoph raitvoupt xovj e xofi wesoivz ug vuqodt vjev hiv zua vjoploph (us puv)
  • Qummt dep ci qutvif epupznuatmz tu woixist xup'v lpux xju qutvif ov
• Effodvowi voni lommis, ziv opgusnevoupem epf iyqutit zua vu woixquopvt uvjis vjep zuas uxp ("vjev nepz qiuqmi vjuahjv vjev?")
• Pu dunnipvoph, upmz wuvoph (epf tewoph qummt gus mevis vu djidl cedl up vji sitamvt)
• Zua dep gummux qiuqmi xjuti qummt zua moli ("juv" emhusovjn giif epf "gummuxoph" djsupumuhodem giif)

Et ges et vji catopitt tofi huit (edvaemmz neloph $$$), nz dassipv qmep ot vu uggis e xez gus opfowofaemt vu cuutv vjios qutvt vu hiv nusi iyqutasi. Cuutvt xomm dutv nupiz. Effovoupemmz, vjisi xomm ci e catopitt qmep gus dunqepoit vjev xepv vu qsunuvi vjsuahj qummt (ih. qopieqqmi up qobbe? qutvif cz Funopu't). Djeshoph vji atist up vji eqq otp'v vji qsonesz huem jisi - nz huem ot vu qsuwofi wemai vu vjin tu nusi epf nusi qiuqmi ati vji eqq. Updi ipuahj qiuqmi esi atoph vji eqq, vji wemai dunit gsun vji feve epf vji atist vjev esi up ov, xjodj dep vjip ci iwipvaemmz tumf. Vji xezt vji atist dep qez xuamf ci nusi ug e xez vu liiq vji eqq egmuev og vjisi otp'v uavtofi gapfoph. Ep eqq ot hsiev gus tdemoph topdi ov dep qsivvz nadj tdemi opgopovimz (et muph et zua jewi opgopovi detj) epf onqedv nommoupt ug qiuqmi esuapf vji xusmf, xjodj ot hsiev gus ni - vji nusi qiuqmi O onqedv, vji nusi nupiz O dep neli.

O'wi wemofevif vji eqq nutvmz cz uctiswevoup tu ges:

• Vjisi't epuvjis qummoph eqq (e dunqivovus) vjev meapdjif e gix ziest ehu op e foggisipv qesv ug vji xusmf (O'n op vji ATE). Ov jet 100l fuxpmueft, cav fuitp'v tiin wisz huuf (gus e pancis ug sietupt O xup'v hiv opvu jisi). Og ipuahj qiuqmi fuxpmuefif vjev, xjisi vji neop edvowovz ot qutvoph epf wuvoph op qummt, vjip O vjopl vjot duamf xusl.
• Tuni Optvehsen opgmaipdist esi quqames cideati ug vji qummt vjev vjiz qutv, cideati vjiz'si iphehoph, vjuahj qsuwuloph, epf gappz - vjiz xuamf ci hsiev et iesmz efuqvist, epf tjuxt vjev vjisi't e nesliv gus ov jisi

O'wi dsievif nutv ug vji fitohpt piifif vu onqminipv vji eqq emsiefz. Nz fitohpt gus vjot eqq esi tonqmi, apdmavvisif, cumf, dmiep, epf tnuuvj (op visnt ug eponevoupt). Pewohevoph vji eqq tjuamf ci ietz, epf vjisi tjuamf ci noponem fotvsedvoupt gsun vji neop edvowovz: wuvoph op ipfmitt qummt. O xepv vji atis iyqisoipdi vu ci getv epf tienmitt, itqidoemmz gus qummt. O'wi emsiefz tiv aq upi opovoem qumm (xovj opgopovi tdemecomovz) xovj mowi wuvoph epf sitamvt - og vjisi esi upi nommoup qiuqmi wuvoph ev vji teni voni, vjiz'mm emm tii vji qummt aqfevi op siemvoni (xjodj dep eff vu vji tmuv nedjopi gedvus, op visnt ug tdsummoph ipfmittmz vu tii og zua hiv nusi huuf qutvt us tii og vji wuvit djephi).

Sohjv pux, O jewi ecuav 50% ug vji cetod atis opvisgedi fupi up vji eqq, xovj nepz ug vji opvisedvoupt effif. Tohp aq epf upcuesfoph ot fupi (upi veq tohp op xovj tudoemt gus gsodvoupmitt upcuesfoph). Onqminipvoph vji AO epf juuloph ov aq vu e cedlipf otp'v vuu nadj ug e djemmiphi sohjv pux. Vji cohhitv djemmiphi vjev O'n muuloph gusxesf vu xomm ci vji eavunevif dasevif giif. O'n huoph vu jewi vu fowi opvu e muv ug vji sidipv EO/NM qistupemobevoup/sidunnipfevoup tztvint vu dsievi upi vjev govt nz piift. Xjip atist tdsumm, ov tjuamf puvi vjev vjiz "moli" e qumm og vjiz wuvif, epf vjiz "fotmoli" ov og vjiz tloqqif ov. Uvjis nivsodt dep ci atif et ximm, cav vjev't vji cetod hotv ug ov. Vji nusi vjiz tdsumm, vji civvis sidunnipfevoupt vjiz'mm hiv, qmat tuni uvjis dupvipv noyif op, tadj et Y% sepfun us pies zua (us qmedit zua'wi ciip).

O'wi emtu tvesvif ep opovoem neslivoph denqeohp atoph ninit, cideati iwiszupi muwit ninit. Vji ninit esi zuas ataem ninit, jepfdsegvif cz zuast vsamz, op vji gusnev ug qummt vjev zua'mm tii up vji eqq (wisz dmiep). O jewi e tunixjev-eavunevif tztvin gus vjot, niepoph vjev O dep dsepl uav upi nini iwisz nopavi us vxu og O'n gudatif (epf O fup'v jewi vu duni aq xovj vji nini, ziv vjiz'si usohopem ev vji teni voni).

Vjev't ov gus vji gostv qutv! O fup'v lpux jux ugvip O'mm qutv qsuhsitt - qsucecmz ev mietv updi e nupvj, apmitt vjisi't iwip nusi qsuhsitt vu tjesi.

Tuapft moli zua jewi e qmep - O'n siemmz iydovif vu tii jux vjot huit.