Shoot Pro Webcam & Telestrator

After spending two years doing everything I could to make a different app, as I learned more and more about marketing and product validation, I decided to pivot to focusing on Shoot instead of pouring more effort into my other, unvalidated product.

I started adding new "Pro" features to Shoot, and a "premium updates" faux-subscription in-app purchase.

However, since people love Shoot for its simplicity and "plug-in-and-forget" usability, I didn't want to overcomplicate it. But I had many other things to offer this user base so I started Squares TV (https://www.indiehackers.com/product/squares-tv) where I began assembling content, interviews, a mailing list and validating new tool ideas.

When COVID hit back in March 2020, everybody started looking for ways to move their business online and discovered my app in the process. At its peak Shoot was selling $300/day. I'd raised the price to "slightly more than I was comfortable with" and this paid off!

I hadn't touched the codebase in years so in order to support all my new users I quickly rebuilt the app from scratch and started adding the different features people needed.

I'd quit contracting 9 months earlier and was heavily focused on an entirely different app. This app was handled largely as a side-project. But the fact I'd cut my costs meant that the revenue from the app was enough to cover my rent and bills, so I could stop using my savings.