Shipping Wake Check, Small Wins Updates, and Getting Out of My Own Way
What happens when you actually ship instead of perfect
Wake Check Is Live (And Already Needs Updates)
As of December 1st, I released WakeCheck onto the App Store.
The Minimal Viable Product (MVP) for WakeCheck:
User Flow – There’s a list of restaurants that have been recently inspected, and then when you tap on the restaurant, it goes to the restaurant details.
On the details screen, it has the restaurant name and then it goes straight into the violations and the grade score. When you go down the screen, you can see the health stats, and then you can see the map at the very very bottom along with the restaurant information.
On the Insights Screen, I need to make changes to. For the production version, the loading is not buffering like I saw during testing.
It just shows as blank squares where the loading indicators should be and that’s concerning. It does show the insights after 2 seconds but the user may look at it and think it’s not working if there are no loading indicators. So I need to go back and make changes to that.
I definitely want to do a redesign of the app because it isn’t great. I mean it looks professional but it looks too ‘bleh’. It’s not sectioned off the best and I would prefer if it was.
But this is an MVP. It does exactly what I want it to do. The other features and such will come as time goes on.
As of Dec 2nd, I’ve only had one user download the app. That means that at least one person has seen the app. Whether or not they lived in North Carolina, I don’t know, but somebody saw it.
The Decision: Just Do the Videos Already
I’m getting the thought in my mind to just go ahead and spend the money on ads. Still make little videos so that people can see what the app does.
If it goes viral, it goes viral, whatever, but at least you’re putting it out there and not just doing Threads in Bluesky where people aren’t seeing you much.
I already know that videos work better for me (has in the past).
So I need to either pay for more traffic, and or I need to post videos.
It’s about me getting out of my own way and just putting the videos out there, not thinking much about it and just doing it.
Small Wins: The Latest Release
Okay, so for Small Wins, I’ve pushed out version 2.1.0. It’s got a bunch of changes. I made some standard updates, but the main thing was fixing the flow, especially with milestones and categories. I finally made the category selection multi-select, which is something I really wanted.
I also tweaked the export/import functionality. There’s a whole list. I’m honestly getting to a point where I feel like I won’t have to make massive changes anymore, which is huge. That frees me up to focus on my other apps and, critically, promoting it. The Small Wins is a whole business now with the workbook, and starting a dedicated community group on Mailer Lite.
Oh, and speaking of Mailer Lite: I added that new pop-up in the app for joining the email community. That’s how I’m grabbing emails, along with the freebie offer that’s already in there.
Smart Rating Prompts: Getting Those Stars
I also made a change to the rating review trigger. This is a smart move, I think.
It’ll prompt the user after they log their first win, right after they finish onboarding. Then again at 25 wins, 150 wins, and then 250 wins. You can hit 250 wins in a year, easily. That means we could be looking at four or five ratings per user per year. That’s thoughtful growth.
The Quick Add Feature: Building What I Actually Use
I ended up submitting another version, 2.1.1, last night, but I rejected it before it could be approved.
I’m pulling it back because I realized I need to make some more changes, and I’ll probably make it a 2.2.0 update instead.
Here’s why: I was doing my daily reflection using the app, and it hit me: there needs to be a quicker way to add an entry. That is a feature I need for myself.
Right now, to add an entry in Small Wins, I have to go through too many screens every single time, and I just don’t want to.
So, I’m brainstorming a design where it’ll just be a bunch of rows, and I can quickly punch in a new win under a category. If I want to add a description or details, then sure, I’ll jump into the full form.
Creative Ideas and The Wake Check Snag
I have these ideas brewing for the splash screen animation.
Since small wins add up to big gains, what if the animation shows little tiny dots or circles being poured into a pot, and it grows into the Small Wins logo? Or I could show the math adding up.
I’ve got to figure out the animation, though, which means I may need to hire someone to animate the icons and the mascot I already have.
Content & Growth Plan: Next Steps
I think I’m going to run paid ads for the workbook first.
For content, I need to get started on those blogs—I have a ton of voice memos that need to be transcribed and turned into actual posts. The next big thing is the mini-guides: Small Wins for Entrepreneurs, for Moms, etc.
It’s about giving a specific rundown: “How do I find small wins as an artist?” “How do I use this for entrepreneurship?”
The goal for this week: Schedule out content for the whole month, create one overall content plan, and finish one mini-guide.
Other big things I want to do: get the kids version of Small Wins out, and I really need to get the Android version out. I wish it had just worked how I thought with React Native, but the compiling issues are so annoying.
Small Wins This Week (And a Caveat)
I gained three subscribers yesterday: one for the Android waiting list, and two for the freebie guide. Here’s the weird part: those two subscribers for the guide didn’t even open the email! So I’m thinking, “You’re not even going to get the guide because you aren’t opening your email!” That’s an immediate signal that my messaging or delivery needs work.
I still need to update my website—add some privacy policies and make it look a little more seamless. The product pages are kind of ugly right now. There is absolutely no need for the image on the product page to be so freaking huge.
So, lots of great things coming up. My email list goal is 10 subscribers by the end of the month.
Key Takeaways
1. Ship the MVP, fix it later. Wake Check is live with known issues (blank image squares, design that’s not quite right). That’s okay. It does what it needs to do. Perfect is the enemy of shipped.
2. Build features you actually need. The Quick Add feature came from actually using Small Wins for daily reflection and realizing the friction point. Use your own products.
3. Stop doing what doesn’t work. Threads on Bluesky aren’t getting reach. Videos have worked in the past. The answer is clear, just get out of your own way and make the videos.
4. Email capture means nothing if they don’t open. Getting subscribers who don’t open your emails means your messaging or delivery needs work. Pay attention to what happens after the signup.
5. Document your journey.
6. Set specific, time-bound goals. 10 email subscribers by end of month. One guide this week. That’s how you move forward.
What’s one feature you need in your own product that you keep putting off?
