Shot Pattern · B2C · golf strategy GPS app
Compare your trial numbers to public benchmarks before selling, then say no
Declined $75K; 2024 revenue ~$185K and $500K+ ARR a year later
Workedexit-ma
What they did
When a strategic buyer asked for downloads and users, Eric instead showed conversion metrics against RevenueCat's State of Subscription Apps benchmarks (25% trial start, 75% trial conversion). He asked Very Good Ventures what it would cost to build the app, asked others for advice, and set a high ask. Buyer's final offer was $75K with a hint they would build it themselves. After advice from Seth Miller (Rapchat) via the Sub Club community to call the bluff, he walked away; Curtis Herbert (Slopes) later advised not to anchor on the number since deals get re-traded in diligence.
What happened
Months of flat revenue and regret, then 2024 revenue about $185K and ARR past $500K.
- Stage
- Growth (early traction)
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Turning a Side Project into a Six-Figure Subscription Business – Eric Duffett, Shot Pattern“I don't want to go on downloads, it's still like almost nothing. Like let me figure out what I can do here to show you just how well this app is performing.”
“I talked to Very Good Ventures, who I I know you you guys know them over there, and said, "Hey, what would you pay to build this?" and they didn't say exactly, but they gave me a ballpark range that was helpful.”
“Seth basically said, "Well, F them, like let them try."”
Related topics
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More from Shot Pattern
All 33 Shot Pattern tactics- Run a quick screen recording of your app with your own voiceover as an adGot 80-90% of spend and beat both creator ads; $1.57 per install
- Run Meta install ads with at least three videos and about $300 a day$1.57 per install (under $1 early); $1 spent returned ~$4
- Use an interest-free credit card to keep profitable ads running until Apple pays you~$100K net income in one summer push
- Fill your paywall with a long feature list so buyers see a great deal12% fewer trial starts (21% to 18%) but significantly more revenue
- Launch in weeks with just two features no competitor offers$1,000 revenue by the end of the first June; users asked for more
- Post a teaser of a feature you're halfway through buildingFirst viral tweet; reached a pro who won a tournament and led to a $75K offer
More from this episode
- Shot Pattern: Build an app for something golfers already do by handEarly trials and paying strangers with little effort, unlike the first app
- Shot Pattern: Post helpful golf tips on X with app screenshots, starting before launchA few trial starts after each helpful post; slow steady growth
- Shot Pattern: Pay $5,000 for golf course data, then dig through it for new featuresFound data for a new expected-value feature that went viral
- Shot Pattern: Tweet a teaser of a feature you are still building25-40K impressions from ~1,000 followers; influencer calls and a buyout offer
- Shot Pattern: Add features users already want, then double the price to $75 a yearPrice now ~$75/year; no separate conversion impact reported
- Shot Pattern: Run image-only ads for a couple of weeksAbout break-even; switched to video
- Shot Pattern: Pay golf creators $750-$1,500 per video and run the videos as adsCreator ads were not the winner at first; still used as ongoing ad content
- Shot Pattern: Make a quick screen recording of the app with auto captions and run it as an ad$0.70 installs vs $3.50-4 revenue per download; drove 2024 to ~$185K
- Shot Pattern: Use an interest-free credit card to spend more on ads that pay back2024 revenue ~$185K; founder paid himself $100K
- Shot Pattern: Give golf video creators the app for free and ask them to mention itMany posted once; no numbers given
- Undaunted Golf: Email all 300+ college golf coaches one by one about the appAbout 5 replies: 2 'unsubscribe', 1 hostile, 2 asked for Android
- Undaunted Golf: Try a few Twitter adsDidn't work; founder calls it a weak effort
- Shot Pattern: Answer support for 30 minutes each morning and 30 minutes each night