On the podcast: The right way to raise prices, the painful lessons from picking the wrong tools, and why you should respond to every single app review.Top Takeaways✍️ Start surveying as soon as you start developing, and don’t stop. Identify your MVP by understanding customers early on, and develop new features with key customer insights when you’re growing.? Bundle extra value if you must raise prices to soften the blow of a tough sell and demonstrate attentiveness to customer needs.? Cheaper, easy-to-integrate tools might not scale on infrastructure and unit economics, which could lead to a painful re-engineering process down the line.?️ Plan for scalability from the start by adhering to solid software engineering principles and ensuring your tooling integrations are easily switchable.? Provide premium support for a premium product price. Respond to every store review — each interaction leaves a lasting impression on customers and drives loyalty.About Vince Mayfield?‍? Co-founder and CEO of Talking Parents, an app that helps divorced or separated parents manage communication and share responsibilities.? Vince and his partner jumped from professional services to building a scalable app with $10 million in ARR.? “People like to compartmentalize elements of their life and they don't want to have a million apps.”? LinkedInLinks & Resources‣ Connect with Vince on LinkedIn‣ Check out Talking Parents‣ Talking Parents on Instagram‣ Talking Parents on Facebook‣ Talking Parents on Pinterest‣ Talking Parents on X (formerly Twitter)‣ Get Talking Parents from the App Store‣ Get Talking Parents from Google PlayEpisode Highlights[1:35] Origin story: Making money while we sleep is the ultimate goal — Vince talks about how he moved from agency to product company to $10 million in ARR.[4:44] From hired gun to product growth: Lack of app monetization and not understanding customers early on may make pivoting to a product focus challenging.[7:59] Risk management for risk mitigators: How do you make money from the court system? Easy: Switch focus to the real customers.[10:32] Freemium tinkering: Vince dives into the app’s early strategy for monetization and subscription — burning through close to $1 million in the process.[12:59] Chartered surveying: When it seems like an app is charging too little, asking customers what features they want and need is the ticket to nailing down value.[15:59] Downhill slalom vs. uphill climb: Raising already low prices can be delicate, but bundling additional value with a rollout often softens the blow. Look for opportunities to layer on deeper value.[28:33] Nudges and needs: From surveying to app instrumentation, Vince and his partner had to understand the customer journey before making the right moves.[32:08] The ultimate tool belt: Not paying attention to how apps can scale from the very beginning is an easy mistake for app developers to make — especially when using tools.[38:28] Best-in-class assessment: Starting with best-in-class tools isn’t always doable, but adopting good software engineering techniques as you go is a satisfactory quick fix.[41:28] Lightning round: Vince talks about why support matters and how that translates into running a business and customers’ responses.