Under the Radar 328: Five Years of Enough
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Sep 25, 2025 David celebrates five years of Widgetsmith, reflecting on its explosive growth after iOS 14 and the power of saying no to scalability pressures. He shares insights on why he prefers to remain hands-on with every aspect of his business, from coding to marketing. The duo discusses strategic design choices that limit operational burdens and avoid user-generated content to steer clear of moderation hassles. Additionally, they explore the importance of defining 'enough' in both business and life, emphasizing satisfaction and work-life balance.
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Rapid Rise After iOS 14 Launch
- David explains Widgetsmith launched with iOS 14 and unexpectedly exploded in popularity via TikTok, reaching tens of millions of downloads in the first week.
- He had to react quickly and wondered whether to leave indie development or scale the company after the surge.
Keep Core Work While Outsourcing Select Tasks
- Decide which parts of your product you will keep personal and which to outsource to protect the lifestyle you want.
- David kept core code ownership while hiring designers and helpdesk contractors when needed.
Varied Work Keeps You Engaged
- Doing varied product work yourself keeps you close to both the problem and the solution and preserves joy in building.
- David values switching between low-level code, UI, design, and marketing as part of indie life.