This episode is going to be a little different than what you're used to hearing on the podcast... because we are making some big changes here.
In this season, we're telling the story of our new application and company, Skwerl.
Ryan Orrico is your usual host, and he's also the Founder of Unusually Focused. But we're making some big changes around here. So for this series, Kass is taking over as Producer and Host.
Even if you're a first-time listener, you might Ryan him from some of his past shenanigans...
like #randomtalkingvideo, the viral trend he started on Instagram that has people all over the world speaking more confidently and unapologetically.
Or Rabbit Hole, the edgy marketing course for people who love money and want to help people, but don't want to look like every other boring asshole promoting themselves on the internet.
Or, the app Ashton Kutcher almost invested in - one that would have had every feminist pounding down the door to our offices had it been successful... Hottie Spottr.
These big changes I'm referring to all started when Ryan decided he wanted to learn to code...
He'd had been involved with tech companies, startups, and apps in the past, but he was never the one, should i say, "behind the keys." Not until recently.
Now, if you know about coding, you know there are countless courses you can take to learn everything from how to design a basic web page, to how to create a powerful, and possibly even dangerous algorithm like Facebook or Tiktok, or any of those mainstream applications most of the population is using. You also know that there are hundreds of perfectly experienced app developers all over the world.
Well - Ryan didn't want to take any of those courses and he didn't want to hire any of those developers. He wanted an app with opinions. An app that could use those opinions to motivate people to write better, and more often. He wanted an app that could help his customers in the same way he would... and he wanted to build it himself.
So he opened Chrome on his Macbook. Googled, "how to code an app," and 2 months later... Skwerl was born. As of today, which for reference is September 15th of 2020 - There are 1660 beta users using the app on a daily basis.
We wish we could say, "we're just a few weeks from the launch day" or any other clarifying statement about what the plan is from here. But the truth is... we don't know.
Ryan built this technology because he wanted to learn to code, and now that it exists, we need to figure out how to use it to build a profitable, sustainable, and scalable company.
And in this series, we're bringing you along for the ride.
You'll take a seat in our company meetings as we find the answer to the obvious questions like, "what is our business plan?" and "how are we going to make money?"
To the more difficult ones, like "what actually motivates someone?" and "How do we incorporate those motivational triggers into an app people can use?"
We'll share the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Welcome to The Skwerl Series.
In episode one, we'll get to know the founder - Ryan Orrico.
Support the show (http://unusuallyfocused.com)