A new beginning

You may not realize this, but up until now Useful Fruit has been a side business. I worked a day job 4 days a week, then did Useful Fruit on Friday, in the evenings, and on weekends. That may sound like a lot of time, but it’s also the time that has to cover my family, my church, and other activities. But it was enough, and was a great way to get started as I didn’t have to worry about running out of savings or finding other sources of fundings to get going.

That said, since starting on Pear Note for iOS development, this has not worked well. Supporting and maintaining one application while trying to develop a new application is hard to do on the side. Consequently, Pear Note for iOS has taken a lot longer than I wanted, and is still far from being done. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting patiently for it.

This post is not just an apology though. It’s an announcement of change. Today was my last day at the day job. From this day forward, I am now working full-time on Useful Fruit. I’m not going to promise a release date, but I will pledge to pick up the pace significantly.

But Chad, I saw your revenue numbers last post and they don’t look like enough to run Useful Fruit and support your family.

Yes, you’re right. The additional revenue from the Mac App Store helps, but I definitely need to increase revenue to sustain this full-time. I’ve got some savings that can buy me some time to do that, but feel free to tell all your friends, acquaintances, and grocery store cashiers to check out Pear Note to help me get there :) .

4 Responses to “A new beginning”

  1. BentB says:

    As a dedicated pearnote user this calls for a big applause. Thump up and full steam ahead, Chad! As a consequence of this I will today – right now actually – order an ipad2 and leave it in its package until PearNote is ready for Ipad. I will sit every night with longing eyes and hearts and look at the box and just wait. Promise, cross my heart …

  2. Joe Ferguson says:

    Chad, I cannot tell you how much a help PearNote was in studying for my Masters. I will hopefully find an iPad tomorrow and will happily be part of an army of beta testers. Congrats on your move to independence. All the best to your family.

  3. Tom says:

    I use this all the time in my job as a reporter. I’d suggest maybe a yearly subscription fee that will continue to pay for updates, new versions etc. It’s such a useful tool for me I’d pay to keep it current.

  4. Mike Rohde says:

    Congrats Chad – I’m catching up with my comment backlog and wanted to encourage you in your new step of faith.

    I like to share Pear Note as a solution to all sorts of people I meet, and those who see it in action really love the app. It’s great to know I’ve been a small part of helping you make this great app a useful tool for many people who need it.