Order Hand

My wife used the original "MVP" for all of one weekend, before going back to spreadsheets. The reason? The two-week MVP was just too rough. No editing of contacts, orders, or products. The invoice numbering didn't match existing orders (and that couldn't be changed). So, she decided it was better to stick to the spreadsheet for tracking orders until the app was ready.

Well, that day is today, because I just finished adding the ability to edit/delete/archive products. So everything is editable now, including the invoice numbering. I even added gross profit calculation. We can finally import our spreadsheet orders, and switch to the app.

The next milestones: billing (so I can charge users for the app), and then a public MVP.

I'm most nervous about the marketing/distribution situation. The app is for small businesses that sell primarily via WhatsApp. I've discovered that there are no online groups dedicated to them. Well there are, but they're full of spam.

So, I'm finishing up the public MVP with no waitlist of people eager to use the product, and no clear idea of where to find them yet. I'm going to have to get creative, and start looking for specific types of small businesses.

My wife sells stingless bee honey via WhatsApp (and in-person). She was using spreadsheets to keep track of sales which was rather horrible.

I tried looking for apps to help her, but they were all CRM apps designed for sales teams. Hence, the idea was born: a tool to quickly record and track sales made via WhatsApp.

NOTE: Most likely, all the other apps are made for corporate sales teams, because that's where the money is...

I had a deadline: two weeks until a market event. I really wanted her to use the new app, instead of write things down manually (and copy them into the spreadsheet later).

Added twist: I'm writing it in C++ (the language I know best), using a partially written web-app framework that I've been working on.

How did it go?

I got a basic version working... less than an hour before we had to leave for the market. It was very basic, the mobile layout was broken. But it worked.

You can check it out here: https://orderhand.com/

I welcome feedback, especially on how to market it, and get the first users (beyond my wife).

What's next?

I'm building a proper MVP. One that I could actually charge for. This means getting all basic functionality done, including subscription billing.

I could get away with not implementing basics such as editing or deleting products and contacts because only my wife was going to use it.

I totally get the "if you're not embarrassed by your first version, you didn't release soon enough." Nevertheless, that first release does have to deliver basic value.