4 ms·

The only thing the app did was: list the chores; pay the kid. Without the payments the app was a list app. Not really going to pay the bills.

imgabe 10y ago
Why do you even need an app if you're paying your own kid? Presumably, their account will be at the same bank as your account. I've had accounts with BofA and USAA and they both have super easy ways to send money to anyone else with an account at their bank. I'm sure most other banks do too.
- cityofdelusion 10y ago
  This is what I am wondering as well. Both of the banks I have used in the past (one large national, one tiny credit union) have special "youth" checking accounts that can be co-owned by parent and child. Both of these banks had apps that let you transfer money between your own accounts super easily, and like you mentioned, between any accounts at their institutions fairly easily. You mentioned USAA, and I believe they actually let you send money to any old e-mail address (method of transfer depends on recipient and who they bank with). The banks themselves aren't really sitting on the sidelines and waiting for disruption. Lots of them run "incubators" for their internal teams precisely to stay relevant. Apps like this face a real uphill climb.
- theinternetman 10y ago
  > Why do you even need an app if you're paying your own kid? It answers the first world tech-bro problem of having to keep cash handy and engage with your kid face to face not face to screen to screen to face.
xigency 10y ago
A distributed list app, actually, which is more functional and builds a network of users. It's possible to move out of monetary plans from that point to a bulletin board at least. Which can be free or $2 to download.
- jerf 10y ago
  Distributed list is, to a first approximation, a solved problem. I wouldn't suggest trying to build a business on it. You need that twist that sets it apart from Keep, to name just one example.
  - xigency 10y ago
    I've never even heard of Keep, but I've heard of chores.
    - tdicola 10y ago
      Go start up any Android phone and look at the installed apps.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
    - jerf 10y ago
      Well, the full domain will probably give you a hint of why I'd want a very solid "twist" before I went up against it: https://keep.google.com/ https://keep.google.com/ It's a default install on many Android phones I've had. Your app isn't going to get that. And, just because I've been on the internet a while and I know what comes next, let me repeat my point: Yes, you can compete with built-in apps, but you need a twist. "Shared lists" is a solved problem; if that's all you've got, you've got nothing.
  - cookiecaper 10y ago
    I don't necessarily agree that one should avoid re-solving "solved problems". Couldn't someone have argued that social media was a "solved problem" between MySpace, Friendster, LiveJournal, etc. before Facebook and Twitter came along? What about the new restaurant down the street? Isn't "getting food" a solved problem? Not only is there nothing wrong with copying a successful company and implementing a business model that's been proven many times over, but it's far and away how most businesses start. There are a lot of wealthy people out there who got fired or laid off and just decided to start up an entity that directly competed with their former employer. Zero creativity involved in the conception of the business and zero uniqueness in their core value proposition. The customers differentiate on the dressing. Of course it's worthwhile to consider whether the field is crowded or not, but that shouldn't be the sole consideration.

imgabe 10y ago

Why do you even need an app if you're paying your own kid? Presumably, their account will be at the same bank as your account. I've had accounts with BofA and USAA and they both have super easy ways to send money to anyone else with an account at their bank. I'm sure most other banks do too.

cityofdelusion 10y ago
This is what I am wondering as well. Both of the banks I have used in the past (one large national, one tiny credit union) have special "youth" checking accounts that can be co-owned by parent and child. Both of these banks had apps that let you transfer money between your own accounts super easily, and like you mentioned, between any accounts at their institutions fairly easily. You mentioned USAA, and I believe they actually let you send money to any old e-mail address (method of transfer depends on recipient and who they bank with). The banks themselves aren't really sitting on the sidelines and waiting for disruption. Lots of them run "incubators" for their internal teams precisely to stay relevant. Apps like this face a real uphill climb.
theinternetman 10y ago
> Why do you even need an app if you're paying your own kid? It answers the first world tech-bro problem of having to keep cash handy and engage with your kid face to face not face to screen to screen to face.

xigency 10y ago

A distributed list app, actually, which is more functional and builds a network of users. It's possible to move out of monetary plans from that point to a bulletin board at least. Which can be free or $2 to download.

jerf 10y ago
Distributed list is, to a first approximation, a solved problem. I wouldn't suggest trying to build a business on it. You need that twist that sets it apart from Keep, to name just one example.
- xigency 10y ago
  I've never even heard of Keep, but I've heard of chores.
  - tdicola 10y ago
    Go start up any Android phone and look at the installed apps.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
  - jerf 10y ago
    Well, the full domain will probably give you a hint of why I'd want a very solid "twist" before I went up against it: https://keep.google.com/ https://keep.google.com/ It's a default install on many Android phones I've had. Your app isn't going to get that. And, just because I've been on the internet a while and I know what comes next, let me repeat my point: Yes, you can compete with built-in apps, but you need a twist. "Shared lists" is a solved problem; if that's all you've got, you've got nothing.
- cookiecaper 10y ago
  I don't necessarily agree that one should avoid re-solving "solved problems". Couldn't someone have argued that social media was a "solved problem" between MySpace, Friendster, LiveJournal, etc. before Facebook and Twitter came along? What about the new restaurant down the street? Isn't "getting food" a solved problem? Not only is there nothing wrong with copying a successful company and implementing a business model that's been proven many times over, but it's far and away how most businesses start. There are a lot of wealthy people out there who got fired or laid off and just decided to start up an entity that directly competed with their former employer. Zero creativity involved in the conception of the business and zero uniqueness in their core value proposition. The customers differentiate on the dressing. Of course it's worthwhile to consider whether the field is crowded or not, but that shouldn't be the sole consideration.