Building an app isn’t that hard and nearly anyone can do it now with the rise of the #nocode platforms out there (this is great, by the way!).

But, building an app that people will actually use and love…? Now that’s really, really, really fucking hard. I would know because I’m pretty good at building stuff (software, specifically) and I’m really good at building stuff that no one really wants (except me).

In other words, I have a lot of experience and a history of building apps that have been mildly useful and even easy on the eyes… but ultimately did not resonate with a large market and viscerally-felt business need.

I’m kind of over that shit.

So, as my team continues to re-imagine and re-think what we’re building and bringing to market, we have to get back to the basics… and the basics, especially if you’re building web-based software, is actually more about onboarding than it is solution-building, at first.

What is the quickest path to value? It’s actual an exchange of not just data but also trust — especially if you want to build something meaningful and enduring. Trust is hard to earn and very easy to lose, as we all know from first-hand experience.

Consequently, building the lightest and fastest onboarding experience should be a top priority, because nothing feels worse than telling someone “I love you” and then having to wait a long time for a response.

… that’s essentially what you’re doing with your (potential) customer.