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Show HN: Solo founder launched iOS Development Agency as a Subscription (swiftapplab.com)

7 points by nikolai_tarasov ↗ HN
Hi there! I recently launched my iOS development agency with a subscription model, inspired by DesignJoy founder Brett Williams. My agency is among the first in the US (or in Texas, or in Dallas ;)) to offer iOS development services on a month-to-month basis. The subscription is flexible, allowing for pauses or cancellations at any time. With 10 years of experience in software development and success as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, I aim to leverage my expertise to help startups and other companies elevate their iOS development.

19 comments

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hilti
Great approach, but I‘d like to understand what exactly a request means. The website is not very clear about it so far.
nikolai_tarasov
A request is a task on the board. Usually it is a bit of work which can be accomplished in up to 2 days. If takes more than 2 days, then create a separate task. For the Pro plan, it states "2 requests at a time" which means I'll have to work 2x harder to complete 2 tasks during the same time frame I would complete 1 request in the standard plan. In subscription model there's no concept of "business day" and "weekend", every day is a business day. So if a client creates a task on Friday evening, for me it is still up to 2 days to complete it regardless if it's a weekend or not. Usually I try to deliver as soon as possible and to keep the high quality at the same time. I value client satisfaction and believe in long business relationships and a word of mouth.

Also, in SwiftAppLab client portal (Login button), I use Breeew for tasks and subscription management (see more at https://breeew.com/). By the way, Breeew was built by an indie hacker and the tool is pretty powerful, convenient and user friendly.

piterrro
What is there to show? What did you build? To my understanding you're providing a service in a subscription model, no product. You are not even asking for any particular feedback. Most cringe thing is, why do you write about yourself in a 3rd person?
nikolai_tarasov
The original plan was to run the agency with a co-founder, but since the beginning and in the nearest future I'm going solo, until my co-founder frees up from his full time job. That's why I used "we". Now there's a trend with productized agencies so I wanted to show mine because I haven't seen many such agencies in native iOS development. If you have any constructive feedback - I welcome it ;)
piterrro
What is a "productized agency"? Why should I choose you instead of a freelancer, hiring an engineer or hiring an agency that is not "productized" (whatever that means)?
nikolai_tarasov
A "productized agency" is a type of agency that offers standardized services packaged as products, often with clear pricing, deliverables, and processes. Productized agencies often specialize in specific areas, such as iOS development with SwiftUI, like SwiftAppLab. This means you're working with experts who have in-depth knowledge and experience in their field, leading to better outcomes for your project. Additionally, productized agencies typically offer transparent pricing and clearly defined deliverables, making it easy to understand what you'll get for your investment. This eliminates guesswork and helps you budget effectively.

I used to work for Fidelity Investments, helping them build their enterprise-wide Design Language System for iOS in SwiftUI. I remember how challenging it was to find SwiftUI experts. Many candidates who claimed experience with SwiftUI on their resumes actually had only basic knowledge. SwiftUI significantly speeds up iOS development that's why it's in high demand currently.

When you work with a productized agency, you don't need to "hire" them. Some clients schedule a quick intro call, while others subscribe to a plan and start adding their tasks immediately. The beauty of productized agencies is that you can pause or cancel your subscription, unlike with "non-productized" agencies, where you have a contract. In productized agencies, there are no terms like "hire" or "fire", but rather "subscribe", "pause", "unpause", or "cancel".

This way of working isn't for everyone. If you require your developers to attend meetings or need invoices with line items and hourly breakdowns, SwiftAppLab may not be the best fit. Additionally, while I specialize in native iOS development with SwiftUI, I can't be an expert in everything. If you need help with ReactNative or Flutter, for example, I'm not the best fit.

cpcat
I like the idea. You can mention some more specific use-cases like offer to build an MVP from scratch, then provide subscription based support. Or suggest taking-over a project from another outsourcing team, etc.
isawczuk
I like the idea. Pricing is a little bit odd, is small enough that I understand you will get other clients simultaneously, and large enough I want to gamble with East Europe dev agency.
nikolai_tarasov
I appreciate your feedback! While some clients prefer to outsource development overseas, others prefer to work with "local" US agency, since I'm located in Texas. Some clients may also have a project with sensitive information they don't want to send offshore (I worked on such projects). The local presence and commitment to client confidentiality can further differentiate SwiftAppLab from overseas outsourcing options.
8mobile
I like the idea, the graphics are a little too dark and please enter an email as contact.
nikolai_tarasov
Thanks for your feedback! I just added an email on the bottom of the page. Also there are links to my LinkedIn and X (Twitter) where you can DM me.
nsabine
Your FAQs has this question repeated:

- Is there a limit to how many requests I can have?

nikolai_tarasov
Fixed, thanks for pointing this out. I was going to add an additional question - answer there and it slipped from my attention.