Table of Contents
- Tell us about your product and what inspired you to start it?
- How long did it take you to acquire your first 50 customers, and what was your growth strategy?
- Which technology stack are you using and what challenges and limitations does it pose?
- What are some of the most essential tools that you use for your business?
- What have been some of the biggest insights you've gained since starting your entrepreneurial journey?
- Your recommended books/podcasts/newsletters etc.:
Florian Mielke is the founder of WorkTimes - Hours tracker and overtime calculator for iOS
Tell us about your product and what inspired you to start it?
WorkTimes is an iOS app to track and manage your hours worked. It also calculates your overtime, annual leave, sick days, and more.It is primarily designed for employees who want or need to track their hours. Either their employer does not provide them with any, or they want to compare their hours worked tracked to their employer's reports.
In 2008 I was employed and wanted to know more about my overtime, as our working time model was based on trust working hours. So I created the first version of WorkTimes to track my hours worked and overtime.
Over the years, I built a loyal customer base, but as the business model was payed-up-front, I couldn’t generate any significant revenue.
That changed in 2021 when I switched to subscriptions. Since then, I have been able to grow WorkTimes revenue massively.
How long did it take you to acquire your first 50 customers, and what was your growth strategy?
That was back in 2009 when I released the first version of WorkTimes, so it took just 1-2 months. But as the app's price was $2.99 (payed-up-front), it wasn't that of a deal.
When I switched to subscriptions, a lot of my existing customers subscribed.
I focus on ASO (App Store Search Optimization) to continue and extend that growth. It's like SEO for the App Store. Over 95% of new customers are coming through the App Store search. So being an iOS app, it's essential to have a look at ASO constantly.
In addition, I recently changed how I show new users or non-subscribers the paywall:
1. I show it much more aggressively than before
2. I redesigned it and added much more visuals than before
3. I only show the annual plan by default instead of both (annual and monthly)And it pays off.
Recent trials have gone through the roof.
Which technology stack are you using and what challenges and limitations does it pose?
WorkTimes is a native iOS app. As I started building it in 2009, it still contains many Objective-C codes. But this more and more gets replaced with Swift.
Building native for iOS has one significant limitation: you can only sell your product on Apple platforms.
What are some of the most essential tools that you use for your business?
- Xcode (for development)
- Git Tower (for managing everything Git-related)
- Sketch (for all visuals)
What have been some of the biggest insights you've gained since starting your entrepreneurial journey?
In the past, when someone asked me what I do, I usually said: "I build apps for the App Store". Nowadays, I change that and say: "I have a software business". That was one of the most important mind shifts for me. It automatically changed my thinking about sales, marketing, business plans, etc. Before that, I didn't care about these things.
The first and most crucial change till then was to switch my apps from payed-up-front to subscriptions. I doubled my subscription pricing three months ago to find the "best" price. The following months will tell if that was a good or bad move.I currently plan to reach out to a new user group. That will be a big step and a huge investment of my time. But if it works out, it’ll be awesome.
So, always search for and try new things.
Your recommended books/podcasts/newsletters etc.:
Book: "Growth Hacker Marketing" by Ryan Holyday
Podcast: "Build Your SaaS" by Justin Jackson
