BeHard · B2C · challenge accountability app
Build the first version in one week, cutting features until it fits
Almost all of the founder's successful products started this way
Workedvalidationfeature-development
What they did
Pick the top-scored idea and build it in a week, removing anything that would take too long. BeHard's first version was a bare challenge list (first workout, second workout, 10 pages). Use AI coding agents (carefully with autonomous ones); an 'agent factory' could test many ideas before investing human time.
What happened
Guest says almost all his successful products (BeHard, Passion) were built in a week.
- Stage
- Pre-launch (MVP)
“Pick top a top one idea, then just build it in a week and launch. Usually uh, I almost all of the products that uh we were kind of like successful, we build in a week”
Related topics
Get tactics like this every Monday
New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from this episode
- BeHard: Score every app idea 1-5 on interest, skill and opportunity, then build the top oneFounder says it picked his successful products; no numbers
- WidgetBox: Build fast for a brand-new iPhone feature, like iOS 14 widgetsBecame one of the top ~3 widget apps
- BeHard: Catch people already searching for challenges, then add creators, then paid adsReached over $1M ARR
- BeHard: Use creators early, when a video's download spike is easy to seeTens of millions of TikTok views; can beat paid ads with the right creator
- BeHard: Post TikToks and Reels of yourself doing the app's challenges
- BeHard: Make store screenshots yourself in two days before paying designersQuick self-made set beat 3 weeks of designer work and an agency's 5 versions
- BeHard: After launch, find the weakest step, test a fix, and scale what paysFounder's standard process; no numbers
- Give the app away free for life for a short promo windowRevenue went from ~$200/month to $90,000 in the first year
- Build the app people are already searching the App Store forGot downloads right away; monetizing took more work
- Sell weekly plans instead of yearly onesWeekly worked better than yearly; no numbers
- Launch with plain app screenshots and put all effort into keywords$1,000 in the first month from ASO alone
- Post lots of short social videos for a utility appAbout 75K total views but little growth
- Add lots of long-tail exact-match keywords to Apple AdsDidn't work; too little search volume
- When only two exact keywords convert, switch to a broader Apple Ads campaignWorked a lot better; no numbers
- Title emails 'Our most popular workouts' instead of explaining benefitsWorkout completion rate doubled
- Parallel Live: Post content about the idea and validate it before building the appWent on to over $1M ARR
- Momingo: Judge ad spend on 3-month customer value, not first-month return
- Run Google app install ads in one cheap country for under 10 cents per installUnder $0.10 per install in some markets; conversion still to be checked
- Pay podcasters in your niche a cut of each sale they bring inHost recommends it for indies; no numbers
- Show the paywall first; ask people to sign up only after they say yesHost finds forced sign-up first means people usually won't pay