Ask HN: I'm selling my mobile app, before launch. Is it a good idea?

1 points by davidbwire 9 years ago | 2 comments

I have been working on different ideas within the faith-based space (Christian Community) for the last 2 years. But for $1,500 I got from friends, I have paid all bills from my pocket.

The first concept (sanicms.com) failed with good reasons, but it brought in a new idea (Notisha.com) which I'm now selling before launch.

I'm selling because I've basically run out of cash to push it through the pilot phase and the conflict with my fiancee has gotten to unbearable levels, all because of what I've been working on.

I haven't quite given up on it (Notisha.com). If I had some cash I would still pursue it. Raising money at this stage would likely not be possible as there's no traction.

What would you have done if you were me?

Here's a link to the auction (https://flippa.com/7997879-notisha) and a small rant I had a while back (https://hackernoon.com/im-done-building-technology-solutions-for-church-cb6f60d77617#.ju8gujrg3)

davelnewton 9 years ago |

I can't think of any way to answer this question in a meaningful way.

SaniCMS sounds like something for sanitation, btw.

> [...] they seemed to be cautious to not say something that criticizes the product.

Well yeah. In general, people don't want to come across as sounding critical. The feedback loop is a two-way street--the responsibility for gathering accurate, honest feedback doesn't lie just on the people you're trying to sell it to.

> The church is too cautious to try out new things.

That's a pretty broad brush. It sounds like you put a lot of eggs in a fairly small basket. That's not generally the most effective approach, while understanding it's good to have at least someone on board before going broader.

> They preferred buying the product but at a very low price or getting it for free.

Huh. That's so weird.

Regarding Notisha: there seems to be nothing "faith-based" at all around a Q&A app. While having a target market is swell, if your focus is too narrow, you're missing a ton of potential opportunity.

At this stage in your startup mentality, I think attempting a sale might be the best approach. Startups require grit, unwavering dedication, and a willingness to stay with it.

You already have the app and the infrastructure: why can't you float it on the side?

davidbwire 9 years ago | |

Thank you for your analysis of the post I made earlier. I have learned a thing or two from it.

If the sale fails, I'll definitely do it on the side but with a few tweaks.