This episode is special because we tell the stories of building our app company from the ground up over the past eight or so years! We talk a lot about our first app and how we built it with no experience because we truly hope it will inspire some of you to try something scary in the future. That said, we’ve accumulated a good bit of experience 6-10 apps later (it depends how you count them!) and we’re excited to share our journey with you in this episode!
You can stream the episode here on the blog or on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, and Stitcher.
Show notes:
-We talk about pre-Internet life. We’re among the last generation of people who remember a totally unplugged childhood. We both grew up with no home Internet and no smartphones, which is so crazy to think about now. We each once took a cross-country road trip with paper maps—so weird!
Links to our apps …
A Beautiful Mess App
Our first app! You can read about our first app launch here. You can also read our first reflective post about our app business journey here. This app is now retired, but it was a huge turning point in our business and a highlight of our lives … and a great story. We’re so thankful we took the leap.
Party Party App
Our second app. You can read about it here.
A Color Story App
A Color Story is probably what we are best known for and has been our most successful app with more than 13 million installs currently. We started it to bring something fresh and clean to the photo app space and over time it evolved into a full editing suite that caters to a lot of different styles and creative directions. We collaborate with influencers often to bring their unique edit styles to our audience in packs.
We have a bunch of great tutorials for A Color Story here.
A Design Kit
We talk in the episode about how A Design Kit was meant to be a replacement for our original ABM app when it became an “elderly app.” It is a replacement, but it’s also so much more. The brushes and collage elements are some of my favorite out there!
Filmm App
Filmm is our newest app, which launched earlier this year. Filmm is a video app that launched as a video filter and effects app, but is quickly evolving into a full video editing suite. We’re so proud of it and as we hinted at in the episode it has some amazing new features launching soon.
Previous to this app, Emma and I had never had a partner as a founder, but for Filmm and for Template (below) we partnered with Zoë Sugg of Zoella (she’s also very well known for her YouTube channel). She’s been an amazing partner as we navigated our first video app! We gush about her quite a bit in the episode, so I’ll stop gushing for now.
Template
OK, so I had to go back and record a disclaimer since we talked rather confidently about how Template would for sure be out before this episode went up. Well … we recorded this episode about a month ago and we were wrong. It’s pretty normal for an app to be delayed a few weeks, and we’re excited to (HOPEFULLY) launch it this month.
I will say, I have NEVER been this excited about an app. I have all the butterflies of our first app all over again, and it’s going to be VERY exciting to see you all using it soon!
Follow Template on IG for the best peeks!
Before I move on from apps, I just want to acknowledge that YES it feels weird to talk about our successes so openly. For years, we sort of tried to minimize that part of it because it felt like bragging. But on the flip side, we are experiencing so much freedom on our new platform via the podcast. And to be honest, it feels really good to be super open about all kinds of different topics. We really feel like it’s worth it (but still please don’t leave us mean comments, OK, PLEASE). 🙂
OK … moving on to the other segments!
Elf on the Shelf was invented in 2005 by a mother and daughter (AWW!!) you can read all about it here. We LOVE Elf on the Shelf in our home … like SO much.
You can watch some “Celebrities read mean tweets” here. I love this segment—good job, Jimmy Kimmel.
Haha—and if you want to see my modern farmhouse table DIY, here’s the link. I actually got ANOTHER almost identical comment yesterday here. Fun fun!
Thank you SO MUCH for listening to our podcast!! If you want to support us, could you please post about your favorite episode on IG this week?? That would mean so much to us! We are still VERY much in the experimental/learning/growing stage, and your support really means a lot to us!
Love you! Elsie + Emma
15 Comments
You guys are truly an inspiration! Can’t wait to give this a listen on my commute to work tomorrow! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Hi! I just heard your episode and wanted to look at Collin’s projects/collaborations, so I checked your “about” page and your contributors page, but I couldn’t find him! Is there somewhere else I should be looking?
Hi Maria! You can find his projects in our wood working archives – http://abeautifulmess.com/category/wood-working 🙂
Hi Maria- I just noticed that and I have no idea why he isn’t on there- but we’ll get him added back on. :))
This is my current favorite podcast- you two are fantastic and you inspire me when you talk openly about your successes so… please keep doing it!
Will “A Design Kit” be available for Android?
Hi! It’s not currently on our list, but Filmm is coming soon! xx
Awww man… A Design Kit was the one that sounded most exciting & useful to me, so I’m bummed it’s not on Android! I don’t do much photography but the brushes/stickers, etc. sound super cool!
Elsie & Emma,
You two are two of my business and entrepreneurship role models. You handle your businesses with such grace and I have always appreciated your openness. I love, and think that more people should too, how you talk about and describe your successes. There is nothing wrong with describing what leads to success, especially for women/non-male owned business. It is important that you talk about it and I am grateful that you do! Keep talking about your success, it’s not bragging, it’s fact! You two own successful businesses, this isn’t a hobby, and as a part of your customer community, I’m pleased to contribute to and learn from your successes.
-Nicole <3
Love all your apps! I have then all and actually still use A beautiful mess sometimes!
You two are so inspirational
I have been loving your podcast!! Thanks for taking the extra time to put it together! If you were willing to share, I’d love to hear more about putting together a team (for all your businesses)! And more about running an AirBnB—how did you choose a team/local people to help with that? Great job so far!!!
Just downloaded them all, thank you! <3
I LOVE acolorstory. I just wish the other apps were also available on Android!
I still have and (occasionally) use the ABM app! I remember I was so excited about it and probably waaaay over used it when I first got it. Didn’t realize it was “elderly” and no longer even available! LOL. I’m so interested in the other apps you have made and will definitely be downloading some of them.
I’ve been following both of you on Instagram for a while now and checking the blog now and then, but I’d say the podcast is a revelation! I feel like in a couple of episodes I’ve gotten to know you so much better and I really like what I’m discovering! 🙂
Pleaaase do a podcast about more tech stuff! I need inspiration and a little motivation to launch something of my own! 🙂