Frites Finder
An app to find local Friteries in Brussels.
Frites Finder crossed the mark of 200 users in only 2 days! That is amazing, since it's the result of only organic initiatives, and gives me more confidence that the app might be a project worth investing more time on.
Since I can’t list the it on App Store and Google Play (Frites Finder is a side-project challenge of launching products with a zero budget), the list of marketing channels I explored were:
- Social Media: Twitter, Facebook (including Belgian groups I’m into), LinkedIn;
- Online Forums: Subreddits (Belgium, Brussels);
- Makers’ Communities: Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, NuCode;
- Self-publishing: By writing this blog post here (http://bit.ly/2KGTj3a).
Other organic channels that I have not used yet are email marketing (by sharing this story with my personal e-mail list) and self-publishing on Medium.
Hi everyone,
I'm excited to share with you Frites Finder (http://bit.ly/2yM8Mt9), an app and personal side-project I've put together in 10 hours!
This little app is my way to thank Belgium for bringing Frites to the world. You can find Friteries, check opening hours, and discover and compare local sauces.
This is the second project (out of six) I challenged myself to launch with a zero budget.
Hope you like it, and would love some feedback!
PS: As usual, here's a small post I wrote sharing the process, lessons and mistakes (http://bit.ly/2KGTj3a) 🚧
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I'm a Belgian and I approve this app!
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Love it! This is making me want to come back to Belgium!
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As a fellow Belgian, I also approve this app!
I think Frites (fries in English) is a great product that everyone should try when in Belgium (as you mentioned, don't call them "French fries" as fries were actually invented by Belgians) so an app to make the discovery of great "friteries" (fries-making food stalls) - because there are also some not-so-great ones - is a good idea.
Some ideas:
- Belgian beers recommendation: It would be great to combine the app with some Belgian beers, depending on the mood of the person or other attributes.
- Meal recommendations: What about fricadelle, poulycrocs, and those kind of things that go along with fries?
- Social element: Every Belgian should eat Frites at least once a week to remain true to its roots. It could be great to have a small reminder "You haven't eaten your fries yet" and then invite a friend to join.
I am coming back in a few weeks to Belgium and will certainly use it!
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Thanks for the great suggestions @Vinrob !
My intention was to release an MVP as fast as possible to get some feedback, and that was possible by using Glide (amazing product btw). Of course, there is a price to pay for all its speed and simplicity: Apart from using the official templates, there is very little possibility of customisation.
There are many other suggestions I've been receiving from enthusiastic Belgians since the launch, but that will require rebuilding the app on a different platform. My time is scarce, however, so I'm not sure when version 2.0 will come out!
PS: If there's any app developer searching for fun side-projects reading this, feel free to get in touch!
After struggling with time management in the previous month, I wanted to start a project that could be built fast. My free time is scarce and there are a number of important tasks I knew I’d need to conclude.
A number of positive reviews of low-code app builders made me curious to try to build one on my own, so I started brainstorming ideas with friends. As I’m staying in Brussels for a month, I figured it would be nice to create something related to the city as well.
The idea came naturally since all of my Belgian friends and I love frites. Friteries are a meeting point in Belgium, and you people can spend the whole day discussing the quality of frites or what sauce is best.
As stated by Reuters, “there are more than 5,000 frites vendors in the country of 10 million people, which means there are 11 times as many stands per capita as there McDonald’s per American”.
Every single friend I mentioned the idea of an app to list friteries said they would definitely use it, so I decided to build it. If for anything, I’d also have fun on the process by discovering new places and sauces.
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haha going to Brussels in a month, this is awesome
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Hey Danilo, interesting idea!
When I read this:
"After struggling with time management in the previous month..."
I thought I'd plug my project since it is for people who want to build things (like me) with more focus and less distraction: https://www.deprocrastination.co/homeGive it a try!
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You mean something like https://www.seattlefoodtruck.com/ ?
I'd love that. -
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Thanks Joe!
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What have you had the most success with to obtain installs organically?
Top 3 channels were Indie Hackers, FB (with great feedback from some specific Belgian groups) and Whatsapp (lots of link sharing), in this order.