I lost $100k before I learned this about myself

October 14, 2025

Hey there,

I made a mistake that cost Puff Count (now acquired) millions of views and over $100k in revenue.

When Puff Count started taking off, I was posting TikToks daily.

Some got thousands of views. Others hit millions.

But at some point, I got burnt out from posting every single day.

Instead of hiring someone to take over, I just stopped.

For a whole year, I didn't post a single TikTok.

Why didn't I hire a creator? Pure ego.

I thought I was the only one who could make viral content for my brand. I didn't trust anyone else with "my baby."

Other apps were crushing it with creator marketing while I sat on the sidelines protecting my precious brand.

That decision cost me over $100k in revenue.

While I was protecting my ego, competitors were scaling past me.

Here's what this expensive lesson taught me: The biggest killer of app growth isn't bad marketing or poor product-market fit. It's you and your ego.

We think we have to do everything ourselves. We can't let go of control. We're afraid someone else will mess up our vision.

But while we're protecting our ego, opportunities pass us by.

The moment I finally let go and started working with creators, everything changed.

I found creators who understood my brand better than I did. They made content I never would've thought of. Some of their videos outperformed mine.

Your app doesn't need you to do everything. It needs you to build systems that work without you.

Stop being the bottleneck in your own business.

Peace,
Steven