LeadMeNot · B2B2C · digital wellness and blocking app
Pitch Christian universities and churches first, and lead openly with your faith
Early institutional wins are mostly faith-based universities; host calls it the easiest yes
Workedmarket-selectionpositioning-niche
What they did
Started with Christian universities (already investing in discipleship, counseling and forming students under a specific worldview) and churches, rather than secular schools like Yale or Duke. Faith is front and center in every pitch rather than muted, because Christian buyers are sensitive to anything disingenuous. The host recommends the same move to a Muslim-focused game founder: go after Muslim schools first.
What happened
The 5-6 universities signed are faith-based Christian schools; the host calls this the easiest yes available given the founder's background.
- Stage
- Early (first institutional deals)
“If we start with like Christian, and I started with Christian universities, is hey, they're already investing in things like discipleship, and um, student in counseling”
“So, that's the easiest yes that you could have gotten given your background, given how you built it, and the the reason for you building it.”
“I can't go into a church and talk to a pastor and subtly talk about my faith. Like, it is a like front and center.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- LeadMeNot: Sell bulk app licenses to universities and churches to give their people5-6 universities and first churches signed in ~6 months; 5-7% of $108K ARR
- LeadMeNot: Pitch churches on 'digital wholeness' for their congregation, not porn blockingStill being tested; no numbers yet
- LeadMeNot: Give each organization a code members type in at the paywall for full access150 of 200 licenses redeemed on the spot at a campus talk; ~1 month of dev
- LeadMeNot: Charge organizations through a web payment link and pay 3%, not the app store cutOnly a 3% fee on institutional revenue
- LeadMeNot: Promise buyers a usage dashboard, show a mockup, then quickly build a demoSale closed before the dashboard existed; demo ready by the next meeting
- LeadMeNot: Cold email organizations with your personal story and keep asking for 15 minutesAsbury's 200-license deal and most university deals came from cold outreach
- LeadMeNot: Ask your network, investors and every prospect to introduce you to other buyersOne ministry call produced three intros on the spot
- LeadMeNot: Offer a free 1-2 month pilot to a small group, with success goals agreed upfront3-5 of a 10-man church group found it helpful; elders want it church-wide
- LeadMeNot: Sign organizations for 12 months, and lock the price if they commit for 3 yearsNo renewal data yet; first contracts just signed or sent
- LeadMeNot: Charge early organizations little, to collect logos and stories rather than maximize revenueInstitutions are only 5-7% of ARR so far; partner logos now on the website
- LeadMeNot: Send partner schools ready-made campus marketing materials so students sign up
- LeadMeNot: Bid on a state agency's public request for gambling-blocking softwareAward still pending (decision by October 1)
- LeadMeNot: Quietly pitch the app to your own church while it is Android-onlyFailed: only two members used Android; waited for iOS and multi-device first
- LeadMeNot: Put up a hard paywall: monthly with no trial, free trial only on annualSome users paid $100 just to get past it; founder was surprised
- If fewer than 5% of installs start a trial, switch to a hard paywallHost's first move for such clients; niche hard-paywall apps reach 10-20% install-to-paid
- LeadMeNot: Grow an Android-only app with Google ads, then add Apple ads and MetaHost says Google alone hit revenue milestones; no figures; Meta not yet profitable