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u/webstar_forever 4 hours ago I will not promote

I built an app to solve my own problem. How do I know if it's a real business opportunity? "I will not promote"

So Hye, I'm a young solo founder, and I recently launched an Android app. The idea actually came from my own problem. I used to forget things a lot that were really important to me. So, I started building something that could help me capture these thoughts quickly before I forget. Honestly, in starting, I was just making it for myself only. It's basically an Android app where people can quickly capture their thoughts from notifications or home screen widgets without opening the app. AI processes those thoughts and organizes them into to-do tasks or memories or reminds users based on the type of thought. Basically, i wanted to make something by which I can capture my thoughts in friction of second. But after spending a month and infinite hours in it, I realized that maybe I'm not the only person facing this problem. There might be many people who struggle with the same thing, so I decided to make it publicly available. Now its publicly available but I'm confused about a few things. **Is this actually a genuine problem that enough people have, or it's just my own problem?** And even if people need it, can I actually build a business around it? Right now, the app is completely free. Users have to put their own AI API key to use it. But I'm not sure if it's the right approach for the long term or how I should think about monetization. So, I wanted to ask here: * How can I validate whether enough people genuinely need a product that I made just for myself? * How can I figure out the right target audience and position the product? * How can I determine whether people would actually be willing to pay for something like this? I'm still learning, and I would really appreciate advice from experienced people here.
9 comments held Reddit says 0 on reddit ↗
  1. u/theslightburl 1 4 hours ago
    Making people paste in an API key is a pretty quick way to filter out anyone who isn't already technical, which might be skewing your idea of who actually needs this. The people who'd benefit most from quick capture without friction are exactly the ones who'd bounce off a setup step like that. Validation at this stage is less about whether the idea is good and more about whether anyone keeps using it after a week. Watch retention before you think about pricing, because a note-taking app that gets abandoned in three days isn't a business no matter how smooth the widget feels.
  2. u/webstar_forever OP 1 3 hours ago
    Thanks, you made a good point. The API key setup was initially just for myself, and I'm planning a premium version where users won't need their own key. nd I see it more as a thought capture or thought dump app than a notes app. I believe people who constantly forget things will find it useful, but I'll definitely look into retention.
  3. u/Inaamul_hasan 1 4 hours ago
    Next time, once you use it, give it to your friends who might need it. Ask for a review. Then start your validation. Make a waitlist with a simple landing page. If people seems to be interested, double down and scale it. Or else kill it.
  4. u/webstar_forever OP 1 3 hours ago
    I think I'm going to make this, bcz the response i got from my friend was really good.
  5. u/AnonJian 1 4 hours ago
    I recently launched an Android app.
    Who didn't? It's called scratching your own itch. And it is done to ignore a vast array of competitors and skip market demand research. Which is why -- the instant they crap one out -- they are posting a fishing expedition here in preparation to spam. Yet they all miss one thing. They don't explain what happened through use of the McGuffin. No mention of actually benefitting through use. What's weird is they haven't had time to chart the positive outcome *anybody would want in order to check it out or subscribe.* What benefit did you realize, time savings? Wouldn't that be the thing to flog in front of potential users? It is a curious omission for everybody's 'not self-promotion' posts to share.
  6. u/alexid95 1 3 hours ago
    don't survey willingness to pay. give 20 users a week, then put a $5/month paywall on the feature they used most and measure conversion.
  7. u/webstar_forever OP 1 3 hours ago
    That's quite interesting, thanks!
  8. u/[deleted] 1 3 hours ago

    [removed] — already gone when the archive first saw it

  9. u/[deleted] 1 3 hours ago

    [removed] — already gone when the archive first saw it