Notes from Chris

Episode 983

Leigh Isaacson and her sister Casey are dog people through and through. They join the estimated eighty-five million households in the U.S. who call their canine friends “family.” On top of their love for all things dogs, until a few years ago, they both had very demanding careers. Casey skews more creative as an Art Director and was in New York City. Leigh’s background is in TV news reporting and homeland security and is still based out of New Orleans.

Their pupners in crime help them relax and unwind from their busy lives. If you’ve ever come home to an enthusiastic dog who acts like your return is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to them, you know the feeling of unconditional love they give.

But, finding love of another sort proved difficult—for Casey in particular. A few years ago, she was dating a guy who wasn’t really a dog person. He tried at first, always allowing her pup to come over when they were hanging out. But, quite quickly, things began to change and, toward the end of the relationship he didn’t want the dog in his apartment.

The pangs of heartbreak followed. Before too long, Casey found herself single again, crying on her sister Leigh's shoulder. “‘I wish I knew from the start that this wasn’t going to work because of my dog,” she said.

But every cloud has a silver lining … and out that sadness came the bark of an idea.

Leigh and Casey, like everyone else their age, had seen the recent rise of dating apps like Tinder. They also knew that there’d been a corresponding rise in popularity of niche dating apps for those looking for a specific type of partner.

Together they decided to launch a dating app, specifically targeting dog lovers. They figured they could overlap the enormous pet industry, with the rapidly growing online dating industry. It seemed like the perfect idea with only one problem: neither of the sisters knew how to create an app… Doggonit!

With time to dedicate to their idea they applied to IDEAx, a local tech incubator and training ground for new businesses. They were accepted and received a hands on developer who’d help them turn their idea into reality over the next four months. The time flew by, and soon they were ready to launch their creation. They called it Dig. It all happened around Valentine's Day 2018.

As far as apps go, Dig is on a path to success. Over a hundred and ten thousand people have downloaded it and are searching for their perfect puppy-loving partner. They’ve already received stories of couples getting together … and in some cases, even a couple’s dogs falling in love first.

0 The sisters have a very specific plan to start monetizing their users directly once they reach certain milestones. That will include monthly subscriptions and additional features for rabid fans of the app, with pricing starting from just a few dollars a month.

Even though the Dig app has only been around for one and a half years—that's around 10 dog years—so their track record is impressive. They’ve proven that combining the pet industry with online dating is indeed quite fetching.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Dig: Check out Leigh and Casey's app. Maybe you'll find that special dog lover you've always been looking for.

SEE ALSO:

• Flight Instructor’s App Takes Flight, Earns $30,000: Urs Camenish wanted to create an app to help him grow his income. But, he’d never owned a smartphone or used an app in his life.
• Rehearsal App for Actors Earns $500,000: Not satisfied with the iPhone’s built-in Voice Recorder, a radio host and acting coach creates his own app to help actors rehearse. It goes on to earn more than $500,000.
• Spanish-Language Bible App Generates 1 Million Downloads: Opportunity knocks for a Utah accountant and leads to a fortuitous side hustle making $70,000 in one year with a $0.99 app.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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