Tuesday, February 28, 2012

We launched a free version of SoDunked!

Happy almost Spring!

As we announced at the end of last year, we released a free version of SoDunked!. We did it to see if a free version would help sales of the paid version or increase downloads so that we could consider adding some InApp purchases or ads. (Our free version is just the plain dunking game part without the social networking options.)

This has been an exciting experience so far. Here is a look at the data.

 
Free App Sales Trend
Paid App Sales Trend
If you compare the downloads for the paid versus the free app during the same period, we had about 100fold  more free apps as paid apps downloaded in the same period. The free apps peaked around the week after we released it. The paid app sales spiked at the same time as the free app. We think this means that the free app did, in fact, drive some sales. The effect was short-lived though. The paid app downloads are not as high, but seem to persist more steadily (and that has been true all year) than the free app looks like it will. But, it is early yet. We know that we need to do more promotion (thanks for all you are already doing, Lyle!!). Still, it is exciting to see the downloads and we have learned a lot to take forward with us on this journey.

Now, get out there and dunk someone! And be sure to tell someone else about SoDunked!.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

When other things take priority -- The juggling act of running a small business

Image c/o Frank C. Müller
via Wikimedia commons
January got busy--so busy I haven't been on here to post a new entry in weeks, but not busy enough to distract me from eating second breakfast and double dessert.... As our youngest would say, "stupid scale!"

I need to write more about the free version of SoDunked! (we released a free version last month!), our progress or lack of progress in taking next steps in the life of our business, and also get some exercise. But, like everyone who has a business like this on the side (like everyone period), Lyle and I have managed what we can for SoDunked! but been focused on other things out of necessity. Lyle has a new day job, I am at the start of the busiest time of year at my day job, it's open house season at the public schools in our area, I had jury duty, we've had some family visits out of state, and everyone has been sick.

When you run this sort of business on the side and your other responsibilities are at front and center, this side business can get sidelined. We deal with the critical things about the business (bills, taxes, basic maintenance, people ) and let the rest slide until we have time again. We anticipated this about our lives so we took the risk to start this business rather than a restaurant or a brick and mortar shop. We hope we can set aside more time more often to make this business a success. We hope that it will grow into something that will demand more attention all the time. And, we really hope it will earn enough money to draw us away from the gravitational pull of the rest of our lives.

I'll be back to talk about SoDunked! and our future plans as soon as I can. For now, I will repeat the classic January mantra for so many Americans: "must go to gym, must go to gym" and take a few minutes of down-time to dunk the scale.

We are grateful to have day jobs and to be worrying about this 'extra' job when so many people we know and hear about have lost and are still losing jobs. Best of luck to everyone we know who is struggling or juggling. Be sure to take good care of yourselves and be hopeful.

If you are extremely annoyed at someone these days (boss, candidate, entertainer, all of the above?), remember you can take it out on them without hurting a fly or anyone's feelings by dunking them with SoDunked!

Dunk someone today!