Overcoming some of the most common SaaS MVP mistakes with Cory McKane of We Strive App

Cory McKane of WeStrive tells Geordie how the platform was born, acquiring funds for the MVP, and navigating challenges to develop one of the most popular fitness apps.

What You’ll Learn

• What was Cory’s original idea?
• How Cory hired his development team 
• What advice does Cory have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
• Why you should choose your development team carefully
• How Cory funded his MVP
• Why Cory advises against including a social wall in a program
• What big lesson did Cory learn from building his MVP?
• What did Cory and his team do to have the app reinstated on Apple Store?
• Considerations that Cory makes before adding new features to his application
• Building a relationship with your competitors
• How the WeStrive pricing works

In this Episode:

Cory McKane, CEO, and founder of WeStrive started his journey with zero experience in startups, apps, and entrepreneurship. However, venturing into the app development industry triggered in him a passion for startups. He speaks to Geordie about his journey. 

Cory graduated with an accounting degree but had no previous experience with a fitness app. He tells Geordie that he acquired knowledge about startups, tech, and angels along his entrepreneurship journey. However, Cory has been passionate about fitness for a long time, according to his background story. Listen to the podcast for first-hand details into his fitness background. 

Previously, WeStrive was known as PerFIcT. Cory tells Geordie that the idea of PerFIcT had lingered in his mind for a long time. After graduating from college, Cory worked both part-time and full-time jobs for years while trying to understand the market. Along the way, Cory says he made numerous mistakes like working with the wrong investors, hiring unqualified development teams, and adopting the wrong platform.

It took Cory four years of mistakes before finally getting his idea right. Even then, the idea did not work, and he had to restrategize. How did he do it? Find out from the podcast. Cory gives a detailed explanation of his original idea that you need to hear from the podcast first hand. He explains the events that led him into hiring developers and how he invested colossal amounts of money on the platform.

The platform was not working from the word go, and there were numerous challenges along the way. Cory would later scrap it immediately after its release in the market. He found a different team and decided to pivot into SaaS. Cory learned many lessons from the experience which he shares with aspiring entrepreneurs. Get these lessons from the podcast. 

Choosing the right development team is ideal for the success of your application. Cory explains the struggles he went through while working with the wrong development team. At some point, he had to work more than 16 hours writing and rewriting his program manually. Listen to this podcast to learn from his experience. Cory cannot recall memories of his breaking point after the strain of disappointments. However, he moved to LA to try and re-strategize.

Amid numerous challenges, Cory transitioned from doing things manually. He also moved to Santa Monica to attend an accelerator program that never happened. While that was disappointing, Cory is happy with the relationships he formed from the experience. What relationship does Cory have with his current development team? He gives all the details in the podcast. Listen in to find out.

Cory did everything from waiting tables to operating uber only to fund his MVP. He mentions how frustrating it was to make so much money waiting tables and still be broke trying to finance the company. Cory would later find his development team in 2017. They both worked hard and launched the advanced version of the marketplace before finally pivoting in mid-2018. Cory speaks about the updated product and the various features they included. Listen to the podcast to find these out.

Just when Cory was ready to launch his product, Apple pulled it from the App Store. What happened next? Listen to the podcast to find out. Many investors advise against engaging in a feature battle. However, Cory says in an industry full of competitors, entrepreneurs should define their minimum features.

When it comes to adding features in the app, Cory says he pre-designs his updates two to three years prior. Working closely with the end-users is crucial for the success of any product. Cory mentions that they engage their community and listen to, and even initiate their update requests. Cory concludes by reiterating the importance of research before launching your MVP.

Resources

WeStrive.com

Cory McKane LinkedIn

Cory McKane Twitter 

Cory McKane Instagram