

Ask HN: What did you do after launching app... - ajm_5338

Just launched our app, DormChat. Getting good traction. Now what?<p>That&#x27;s the oversimplified thought process. What I&#x27;m curious to hear though is personal experiences on what you did for the days, weeks, month, after launch.
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User8712
I spent a year or two building out the app, growing the user base, and adding
new features. After that, my focus redirected to improving server performance
with the growing traffic, handling support for users, refactoring code,
managing advertising campaigns, A/B testing affiliate offers, and trying to
develop a long term plan to stay relevant.

In short, my time went from building an app, to building a business.

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ajm_5338
How large of a team?

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User8712
One. I have enough work for 4 or 5 people, but I prefer to keep going solo. It
slows growth a bit, but I don't have the headaches of managing employees, and
it allows for more freedom in my daily schedule.

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ajm_5338
Ever bring in anyone in a consultant type role? i.e. just to advise on a
certain aspect (UX, UI) or to help with increases in workflow.

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User8712
Nope, I'm fairly confident in my ability to direct the site in the right
direction, and to handle the development side of things.

1\. I do have volunteers that assist with support. The app brings in roughly
50,000 support tickets a year, so their help is important.

2\. I try to automate everything. Anything that goes to support needs to be
handled with the click of a button. Otherwise the smallest task becomes
overwhelming when you multiply it by countless users. If I can't automate the
task, I try to find a way for the community to get involved in helping.

3\. All important changes are reviewed by the community. I consult with the
users regarding any design or interface changes. However, users are against
the idea of change, and they don't typically know what's best for them. My job
is to sort through their feedback, and to make the final decision.

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ajm_5338
All great info. Thank you.

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ajm_5338
I guess to elaborate, I'm more or less a one man team. (outsourced some
development)

User8712's outline is great. Still would love to hear more stories but also
curious about the people aspect. When did your company bring in additional co-
founders/employees/support? Did you outsource any of this to minimize cost?
What thresholds of users did it take? etc.

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anderspetersson
Listen to your customers.

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iSloth
However be careful, catering for every customer feature request, change etc...
can be a vicious cycle that does more damage than good.

