LeadMeNot · B2B2C · digital wellness and blocking app
Sell bulk app licenses to universities and churches to give their people
5-6 universities and first churches signed in ~6 months; 5-7% of $108K ARR
Workedpartnershipsmarket-selection
What they did
Same consumer product, different entry point: instead of acquiring users one at a time via paid media, sell licenses to organizations that already care about the problem (Christian universities investing in discipleship and student counseling, churches, therapists and treatment providers, employers). The institution is both the customer and the distribution partner, so two customers must win: the institution (buy and renew) and each individual (activate and keep using). Value prop to the institution: rollout help, redemption infrastructure (org codes), and an anonymized admin dashboard of usage. Waited until the product was multi-device and on iOS before pitching seriously. Founder-led sales; contracts pushed to 12 months. Inspired by Headspace selling into insurance plans. Example: Asbury University bought 200 licenses for student leaders as a pilot year, intending to roll out to all students.
What happened
In ~5-6 months: 5-6 universities (mostly cold), one church signed and two verbally committed; Asbury bought 200 licenses. Institutions are 5-7% of ~$108K ARR. Renewal rates unknown.
- Stage
- Scale (~$100K ARR consumer app, 5 years after launch)
- Effort
- ~5-6 months of founder-led selling, 150-200+ deals in pipeline
“So, the the the cool thing is like, it's the same product, right? It's a different entry point.”
“the institution becomes both a customer and a distribution partner, right? So, two customers have to win.”
“we've amassed these logos in five or six months, and like Asbury was cold, right?”
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More from this episode
- LeadMeNot: Pitch Christian universities and churches first, and lead openly with your faithEarly institutional wins are mostly faith-based universities; host calls it the easiest yes
- 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