Chapter 15: Bonobo Budget
- Nathan Hoehne
- Jul 5
- 2 min read
Hand-drawn animation by Doina Titanu
Fiverr profile: https://www.fiverr.com/s/NNv0PXZ
Here it is! The prototype of my first app, Bonobo Budget, is ready to go!
If you’re on iOS, you’ll have to download “TestFlight” to get the app. If you’re on Android, I have to add you individually for the time being, so please reach out if you’re an Android user. Open the following link then click the relevant app store button and it will take you where you need to go.
Your participation in Beta and your brutally honest feedback is super duper appreciated. It’s pretty rough around the edges but we’re going for progress over perfection here. If you want a full breakdown of the budgeting method, you can find it at the same link. That should give you all the info you need to get started in the app.
I would love to nerd out about our budget, but this is an entrepreneurship blog after all so I'm going to gird up my loins and talk about the business model instead.
Business model: keep the basic version of the app free, and if there is enough demand, add advanced features that are paid for.
Why I like this approach: I can build without feeling like I'm ripping people off.
Since I'm not showing adds or laundering user data, if I ever make money off this app, it will be because people actually love the app, not because of marketing tricks. If y'all hate it, then I can put it on the shelf and leave it as a free gift to whoever wants to manage their finances like my wife and I.
Anyway, the purpose of this first app is not to make money but to learn and build confidence. True, it would give me exponentially more confidence to monetize it and get my first paying customer but lets get the banging product piece down first.
In each chapter I give one concrete step that I’ve taken so you can follow along.
Concrete step #15: Release your crapy app idea to the world and see what sticks
DISCLAIMER:
I've never done this before and I'm learning as I go. Be cautious because I will make mistakes, but also be inspired because if I can start a business, so can you.