In this episode of the Building Bigfoot podcast, host Jonathan interviews Erin Walker, the founder of Pencil Bible, a Bible app that allows users to draw, highlight, and make notes as if they were using a pencil or highlighter on paper. Erin talks about his journey to becoming an entrepreneur and how he came up with the idea for Pencil Bible. He discusses the challenges he faced along the way, including running a Kickstarter campaign from an unapproved country and finding a programmer to work on the app. Despite these challenges, the app was launched in March 2020, with 50,000 downloads and 1,000 subscribers for the pro version. Erin shares his lessons learned and advises listeners to have patience and enjoy the ride.

Erin Walker is a family man, entrepreneur, and Jesus follower who is passionate about flying, the internet and connecting with other entrepreneurs across the globe. He is the founder of Pencil Bible, a Bible app unlike all the other Bible apps. One that is a full creative suite of tools and enough white space for creative freedom and to journal to your heart's content. All you need is an iPad and a stylus.

What we discuss:

[00:00:00]

Erin talks about the growth of Pencil Bible in the USA app store reference category.

[00:01:28]

Jonathan asks Erin to share his story and how he got to where he is today,.

[00:09:26]

Erin discusses how he came up with the idea for Pencil Bible.

[00:11:26]

Erin discusses his plan to create a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for his app, and the challenges he faced due to being a male South African citizen.

[00:16:59]

Erin talks about his struggle to find a trustworthy developer for his app and how he eventually found one in Austin, Texas.

[00:19:18]

Erin and Jonathan discuss the importance of perception in business, using the example of Erin's company, Polaris.

[00:31:07]

Erin talks about finding a solution to his campaign on Indiegogo after crying to the Lord for help.

[00:33:18]

Erin discusses his fear of finding a programmer for his app, Pencil Bible.

[00:39:53]

Erin talks about the process of getting translations for the Pencil Bible app and the challenges of dealing with big publishers who own different translations.

[00:51:27]

Erin discusses the current state of the Pencil Bible app, including bug fixes and plans for future updates, such as adding more translations and an Android version.

[00:54:15]

Erin reflects on the lessons he has learned in his entrepreneurial journey, including the importance of patience, being present, and taking chances.

Episode Resources:

Erin Walker | Linkedin

Erin Walker | Facebook

Erin Walker | Website

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