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I sell freemium software that blocks distractions on your computer so that you can focus on doing work. Unlike my competitors, it's a one-time payment business
by fbelzile 7y ago
I sell freemium software that blocks distractions on your computer so that you can focus on doing work. Unlike my competitors, it's a one-time payment business model.
The idea for my product first came to me when a friend in university had trouble staying focused on writing papers. He was constantly playing World of Warcraft and needed a way to temporarily block himself from playing the game. So I quickly made a little VB.NET app and service that would watch for the game executable and kill the process if it starts. It did the job well enough and he ended up graduating :)
At that point, some other students approached me and asked for my little app to help them study. That's when, half-way through university (2010), I made a website for my app and had it available for free. I continued to maintain it and over 4 years, added more features including: blocking websites, adding breaks, scheduling, and passwords.
In 2014, I split the product into a free and paid tier. It wasn't an easy decision, but I was spending a lot of time on it by this point and customer support was also starting to take a serious hit on my personal time. In about two years (2016), I was making more money from the paid product than my well paying government day job. So, I decided to quit my job and work on my business full time.
Although I felt it was risky, the alternative was passing up an opportunity many people dreamed of having. I never planned to start a business in the first place and I kind of felt/still feel imposter syndrome. For now, I'm just enjoying my new found freedom and continue to be thankful for my new job. I'm going to keep it a lifestyle business for now, but I wouldn't be opposed to selling it as my exit plan.
I've spent (effectively) $0 in advertising since developing it and I'd say my customers come from organic search, external links, and word-of-mouth.
- shadowfax92 7y agoCan you share numbers airing how much you Male yearly from this?
- cityzen 7y agogreat autocorrect!
- shadowfax92 7y agodamn, typed on my iPhone :(
- amwelles 7y agoYour software is a godsend for me! I absolutely love it and attribute my focus at work to it. I bought the full version as soon as my trial ran out a few months back. It works especially well alongside Forest. Keep up the good work!
- bashmydotfiles 7y agoAwesome! What is the name of your app? I've love to check it out
- jumbopapa 7y agoAny possibility of a linux compatible version?
- hnick 7y agoHave you considered integrating haptic feedback for those of us who might need a stronger slap in the face to re-learn our habits? :)
- whitepoplar 7y agoWow great copywriting on your homepage. I love the main line.