Today is the first of October. Last month, I said I’d take advantage of the new month and use it as an opportunity to reset. Did I? Not in any meaningful way, but that could just be the depression talking. Let’s get into it. Here is a random assortment of things on my mind, instead of a heavily polished research article.
September was an emotional roller coaster. I launched my Fit Finder app for Android on September 6th to what felt like huge fanfare. Before I posted the announcement reel on Instagram, my best-performing video had 1,500 views. That was the metric I was hoping to beat. I was so anxious that I considered paying to promote the reel for a week to get more views. The response blew me away. It’s currently sitting at 80,000 views, 1,500 likes, 70 comments, and nearly 500 shares. I was in awe seeing the numbers roll in, the supportive comments, and seeing creators I admire congratulate me and share my post. At least half the comments and messages I received asked about getting the app into the iOS store because people wanted to use it.
It immediately went to my head, and I started imagining what life could be like if I left my corporate job and put all my time into developing the tool. I haven’t felt so accomplished or elated in as long as I can remember. I’ve been recognized for my accomplishments before, but never on such a scale.
Ultimately, the launch brought in 306 active users, 21 people who registered accounts, and zero paid subscriptions. At first, I was crushed and thought it was a failure. My goal was to get enough paid subscribers to fund the iOS app build and justify the time and effort I had put into the tool. I’m telling you this not as a sob story, but it was eye-opening for me, and maybe for you too, that Instagram views/likes/shares/whatever doesn’t directly translate to tangible support.
After sulking for a bit, I’ve learned this situation is typical. Users typically engage with a free app for months before committing to a paid upgrade. And, unfortunately for me, I made the free app very comprehensive, which disincentivizes subscriptions. I decided to push forward with iOS development anyway because I’m proud of what I’ve put together and think it’s a genuinely useful tool.
I still have faith in the tool’s trajectory, even if it’s not the quit-my-job-type revelation the Instagram views had me picturing. Todd Shelton reached out about how much he liked the tool; we talked on the phone for an hour, and he gifted me a pair of jeans in a fabric not publicly available. Seven Titans said they’d use the tool to help fit customers. I’ve had great conversations with Skinner American Goods about pattern making and gained followings from Self Edge, Iron Shop Provisions, and Manresa. Patience is a virtue; it’s just not one that came stock when the factory put me together.
Not all feedback this month was easy. Under one of my Instagram carousels, someone called it AI slop, and a brand I respect agreed, saying I’d just run their podcast transcript through ChatGPT and added no insight of my own. That stung, especially from a brand I own multiple pieces from and praise regularly. The carousel was a Canva template I used, and I probably made the slides a bit too clickbaity to draw readers to the full essay. The essay had plenty of insight beyond the podcast that was never acknowledged, but I still let the comment hit me much harder than I should have.
It’s a strange thing to be on the receiving end of a comment from a brand with a huge audience. A passing remark from them carries a weight that a stranger’s wouldn’t, and I’m sure they didn’t give it much thought before commenting. It made me think about how much small creators rely on the goodwill of the brands they cover. Without the implicit support of the brands I’m discussing, I really couldn’t talk about much at all.
Since the first week of September, views and readership have tanked, and my most recent reel got fewer than 10 likes. It’s been demoralizing for sure. Did I not do enough to capitalize on my momentum? Does the Fit Finder audience not have any interest in the other content? My writing has slowed, and I’m a week behind on my indigo article. It’s surreal. I started this Substack because I wanted to talk about my experience of learning to dress as a bigger guy and because I enjoy doing deep research. Yet the moment I got an ounce of recognition, I lost all perspective on why I started this.
Nevertheless, I persist.
The real reason you’re here, though, as we all know, is to see what my puppy looks like after another month. Here’s Mojito’s school picture.
One of my goals from last month was to get back to the gym more. I was previously going ~4 days a week, and the puppy derailed life in many ways. And as you can see, I absolutely demolished that goal. Suck it, August.
Last month’s goals:
- ❌ Gym 4x per week
- ❌ Publish twice a week
- ❌ Real effort at my day job
- ❌ Time with friends
- ❌ Being a good husband
- 😎 Bonus: Kept a puppy alive
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
It’s a coming-of-age novel about a college freshman spending the summer at an intensive language program in Taipei, hoping to connect with a culture she inherited but never fully understood. I’ve been a fan of Kuang for a few years now since reading Babel, but my favorite of hers is the Poppy War trilogy. I was lucky enough to grab this from the library on release day. I’ll let you know what I think.
Manresa’s FW Collection
I haven’t purchased anything from Manresa yet (besides a hat), but the Double Knees are speaking to me. Also loving the Guernsey sweater and chamois shirt. I was always too late to pick up their ravine shorts, but I hope to snag a pair when they drop next.
“Let Yourself Be Huge” by Cloudkicker
I honestly haven’t listened to much music in the past month, so here’s my favorite song. Each new section, a new instrument joins the chorus until the full symphony comes together, then slowly breaks back down. It’s beautiful and magical, and I find it very calming.
Batoner
I’ve heard this Japanese knitwear brand is of incredible quality, but I’ve never had a chance to see any of their knits firsthand. My local store, Moio, will start stocking them this fall, so I’m looking forward to seeing them and learning more.
Closet update
Not too much to talk about here. My only purchase this month was a pair of Balloon Pants from Frismworks. They might be my current favorite pair and extremely reasonably priced.
Goals for the month
See September. Kidding, kinda. Basically the same, but with more realistic expectations. I’ll be going to the gym 2x/week because I need to rebuild the habit instead of pretending I haven’t lost it. On the bright side, I did hit a few PRs in September, so it seems I haven’t atrophied as much as I expected. I’ll finish writing the natural dye articles on blue and green. I will submit the Fit Finder iOS build for testing.
Other random thoughts
- I still need Paraboot Michaels.
- I want to buy one of those Brick devices that make your phone useless. That will solve all my problems.
- That’s all my mind can store for now.
Anyways, thanks for reading.
Chaz
