It definitely wasn't an easy decision to quit my job at ClearVoyage. The people there are a joy to work with, and the work is mostly interesting.
However, it felt like the right time. The decision was also made easier by the fact that I already had a few things going...
Freelancing
I have been doing freelance development work for more than 7 years. Back when I started, my average "contract" was around $50, mostly doing WordPress maintenance.
Now, I regularly do work for $5-10K. Still nothing massive, but often enough to pay for rent and food. Having this definitely made the decision easier, as it lowered the risk significantly.
Mobile App for high schoolers
In Denmark, most high schools use the same system to handle schedules, assignments, grades and communication - Lectio. It was built in the nineties and, unsurprisingly, it is not very mobile friendly.
A user-built solution was made. As almost every high schooler in Denmark uses this system, it very quickly gained a lot of traction.
Back in December 2020, I bought the app for $25K. Today, it brings in about $1-2K a month. Also a huge deal in lowering the risk.
Savings
Perhaps most importantly, throughout the last few years, I have built enough savings to last for a few years, even if everything goes wrong with the other projects.
The decision
I am incredibly fortunate to be in a position where I can quit my job with almost no risk to my financial situation. At this point, the only thing I'm risking is my time.
When I first made the decision, I was still worried whether it was right or not. However, as I spoke to friends and family, I realised that every conversation made me more certain. It was the right thing for me.
Going forward
So, what am I going to do, now that I don't have a full time job?
I will be focusing on 3 things:
- Improving the Lectio app mentioned earlier
- Building an audience
- BravoApps
The two first are self-explanatory. But what is BravoApps?
BravoApps
When companies outsource the development of their mobile app, they often think it is a one time deal. The app is developed and released. Case closed.
In reality, an app (obviously) needs to be maintained. This can be quite a pain. Traditionally, you either hire a freelancer or an agency. The freelancer can quit at any time, and the agency is often quite expensive.
With either solution, you often end up paying for a specific number of hours (on retainer) every month. This means you need to use exactly the right amount of hours. Otherwise you (1) have wasted a number of hours you have already paid for or (2) you have to buy extra hours, often at a premium.
I want to solve that with BravoApps. It is a productized service that offers unlimited app development work on a fixed price subscription.
You know exactly what you are going to pay. And you will get the app development work you need.
I have just released a landing page for it: BravoApps.
If you want to follow along with the journey, feel free to follow me on Twitter @lukasgjetting. I will be sharing insights and numbers on an ongoing basis.
Now back to building!