When your startup is just starting out, it’s not only your grandmother you have to explain it to - it’s also your friends, casual acquaintances, and sometimes even yourself. Especially if your product is a subscription management service, and your user base barely outnumbers your Facebook friends. But this early stage is exactly when you need to learn to talk about your business simply, honestly, and with humor.
Subscriptions: Small Expenses, Big Problems
A startup is always about a lack of resources:
- Time
- Money
- Nerves
And then subscriptions enter the picture:
You think:
“This service for $8 is nothing…”
“$15? I won’t even feel it.”
“This SaaS - I need it!”
A month later:
- Your balance is empty
- Your card statement shows a trail of forgotten charges
We currently have 60 users - not a crowd, but already a reason to reflect:
If subscriptions can be a problem at this small scale, what happens when we grow?
Why Are We Making SubSweeper, Even If We Haven’t Taken Off Yet?
Honestly? We haven’t revolutionized the market - yet.
But we’ve already realized some crucial things:
- Subscriptions are a pain, even for small teams
- Manual tracking is difficult and boring
- Automation is essential from day one - to avoid future messes
We built SubSweeper for ourselves, and for startups like us.
Even at the MVP stage, with just 60 users, each one matters - they help us fight subscription procrastination.
How to Explain a Product When You Don’t Have "Wow Results"
This is where the fun begins.
You can't flex with "We saved millions," but you can be honest:
- Talk about the pain you’re solving
- Share your experiences and mistakes
- Don’t be afraid to joke about yourself
Show that you’re just like your users:
- Searching
- Testing
- Failing
- Trying again
How I Explain SubSweeper to My Grandmother (And Not Only Her)
When Grandma asks me what I do, I don’t talk about MVPs, retention, or churn rates.
I say:
“Grandma, I’m making a thing that helps people remember what they pay for every month. So that money doesn’t just flow away like water from a leaky bucket.”
And you know what?
That line works not just with Grandma - it works with friends, acquaintances, even early users.
Because honesty and simplicity always work.
If you’re just starting out:
- Don’t be afraid to talk about it
- Don’t invent fake success stories
- Share your real experience, mistakes, and discoveries
That’s your true value to other startups.
And if subscriptions are already cutting into your budget - Give SubSweeper a try. We’re still early, and every user and every opinion matters. Together, we’ll find a way to stop subscriptions from slowing down your startup.
P.S.
If you want to discuss subscriptions, startups, or just chat - Write to me. I’m always glad to meet new people!
