Focus101: A Journey of Passion and Change
I launched Focus101 about two years ago. It took about two years to develop, from idea to running service. Building it was a massive investment of both time and money (I’m not secretly rich, so it was massive for me), and my vision was simple: a free, unlimited co-working platform that would rely on user support for sustainability. Why? Because I believe people are good and they will support us. We got lots of thank you emails, positive messages from people loving the platform (and one memorable one, not so positive). They all make my day better and I am grateful for them. But as much as I’ve appreciated every message of thanks, positive feedback doesn’t pay the bills.
I want to thank all the supporters who gifted Coffees, or upgraded even though they only do a few sessions a week. Like my friend from the US West Coast. Hope the beemer is still running. Or my friend from Arizona. Might take you on that “Arizona experience” trip to the desert. Or some of the others who constantly give me feedback on UI or report issues, give suggestions and help me debug. I appreciate each and every one. Can’t mention you all, though, you know who you are.
In the last two years, with little to no marketing (we spent all the money on development and I suck at marketing, but I do try), we reached a few thousand users and those users completed nearly 20,000 sessions—adding the time spent in Rooms, that’s around 20,000 hours spent together! For context, that’s enough time to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy about 2,000 times. I personally funded everything—no investors, no shareholders, just a labor of love (I didn’t seek investors or shareholders). But now it’s time for Focus101 to become financially sustainable.
What’s Changing?
Starting soon, we’ll be adjusting our free and premium tiers. Here’s what to expect:
- Premium for Early Adopters: If you’ve participated in at least 13 sessions by the end of the year (lucky number in Italy and I do love Italy), you’ll get premium access! This is a way to reward those who’ve been with us from the start. You’ll keep it as long as you do at least 5 sessions a month—plenty of flexibility, even if you take a vacation. If you do fewer, you’ll switch to the free tier automatically.
- Buy a Coffee Supporters: Your premium access remains tied to your current plan. Once it expires, it expires. If you’d like to join the early adopter premium, just email me and we’ll make it happen.
- Premium Tier: No changes here. Premium stays as is – thank you for supporting us! You keep us going.
- Free Tier: The new free tier will offer limited sessions (5 per week), with unlimited room access (subject to change). Repeat sessions are becoming a premium feature – if you have them running, they stay, but new ones cannot be added.
When Will This Happen?
These changes will likely start with the new year, though the exact date may shift.
The date by which sessions need to be completed and attended to get the premium upgrade is December 31st, 2024