5/5

The images live in the bundle so they needed to be copyright safe and I decided this was a perfect opportunity to use AI!

Let me know what you think of the results...

4/5

I needed to know how long I had until a user would hit that 20mb limit.

So today I built tools which create years worth of mock logs with a sensible distribution of selfies.

3/5

And I have a cloud back up solution which will

- Keep user data secure,
- Ensure only the owner has access
- Have zero public discoverability
- Keep my costs down

But the backup solution is going to take me a few months to build and I'm getting ready to launch the new features.

2/5

Even with years worth of logs, the backup size is only 1-2mb.

That was - until I decided to introduce progress pictures...
Essentially creating a ticking time bomb for cloud backups on Android.

I managed to get selfies down to 100kb~ with good enough quality for tracking progress.

I'm not trying to compete with other apps or build yet another investment driven tech business.

I'm building something cool, with bears.

5/5

But at the same time
- It costs me nothing to run (except my own time)
- I can build things that work for me and the community
- I maintain creative control

And most importantly I can build stuff because it's cool.
I don't need to justify why I'm building a feature, I can just build it.

4/5

It's also why so many businesses quickly destroy the good will of their communities by littering their expensive products and subscription services with ads.

I don't want that for Bearly Fit.

Sure, it takes me a little longer to build stuff. I'm a solo dev with a life.

3/5

This easy access to money has created a wave of start ups that grew too quickly and spiral as investment dries up.

Creating huge teams and then jumping on every trend in a desperate attempt to stay relevant and keep investors happy.

It's why you see so many companies jumping on the AI train.

2/5

Part 7/7

Mostly - I'm just trying to find a healthy balance between everything.
I am having a lot of fun and really excited to see where these adventures will lead!

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps other people trying to grow / build in public

Part 6/7

Finally - I started a new contract 🥳.
(Not shown in the git stats below)

It's expected to end in August, but there have been hints of a permanent offer

So that's exciting!

Part 5/7

Outside of Bearly Fit...
I've announced Deadly Business - my game dev project.
which already has 140 followers on LinkedIn.

I've started to learn unity and over the coming years we'll be building a horror themed business sim - in public.

Part 4/7

This is 2 months of "organic" growth so really is just the beginning.

In August I plan to release
✅ Life logs
✅ Workout session improvements
✅ Some more exercises
✅ Fix issues you've all kindly raised.
✅ Add exercise search to the website
✅ Release our first merch

Part 3/7

On the socials side
- 1940 followers on LinkedIn
- 57 followers on Bluesky
- 71 followers on IG
- 180 people in the community

The positive response to my app has been incredible and frankly a little overwhelming.

Part 2/7

I know people are enjoying them and honestly it's really useful for me to look back on when self doubt takes over

In July we finally got @bearly.fit live on iPhone!

- 419 people have downloaded it already
- 17 people have left reviews
- 9 people have subscribed