On the podcast, I talk to Aja Beckett about the challenges of building for the community you belong to, the power of organic growth, the user feedback that helped shape the app, and the support gap for GLP-1 users.

Top Takeaways:

🛠️ Build with Authenticity
Aja’s journey from social anxiety to a GLP-1 tracking app started with solving her own problem. By deeply understanding her community's pain points, she created a product that resonates with real users, not just the market.

📈 Community-Driven Growth
Rather than relying on paid ads, Aja grew the app through organic word of mouth. The GLP-1 medication subreddit became a launchpad, with users eager to share and promote the app. This grassroots, authentic growth drove both engagement and loyalty.

📊 Focus on Data-Driven Insights
Aja's app uses data visualization to help users track their medication journey, creating a tangible, shareable experience. By making health tracking both personal and visual, users are motivated to share their progress, which amplifies the app's visibility.

📲 Lean Into What Works
Aja learned the importance of App Store Optimization (ASO). By focusing on search terms like "GLP-1 tracker," the app naturally found its audience. It’s a clear reminder that effective product discovery often comes from aligning with what people are already searching for.

💡 Start Small, Think Big
Aja pivoted from a small, personal project to a scalable business by expanding her team when needed. Whether it's through funding or hiring the right talent, knowing when to take the leap and grow is key to maintaining momentum in a fast-moving space.

⚖️ Balance Profit with Purpose
When raising funds, Aja ensured her investors shared the same vision of prioritizing user needs over short-term profits. Building a sustainable business model centered on real value for users, while avoiding a "cash grab" mentality, allowed her to stay true to the mission.

About Aja Beckett:

🛫 Founder of Shotsy

📱 Aja Beckett created Shotsy, the go-to mobile app for GLP-1 medication tracking. She turned her personal health journey into a product loved by thousands, focusing on authenticity, user-first design, and a mission to empower people on similar paths.

👋LinkedIn

Follow us on X:

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM

Episode Highlights:

[0:00] The elevator pitch: tracking GLP-1 treatment with Shotsy
[1:26] From film and animation to a self-taught developer
[4:49] The painful shutdown of a promising moderation platform
[6:02] Learning to code out of necessity at TED
[10:05] Shutting down a startup and painting over the logo
[12:18] Why mobile apps became the best way forward
[18:03] Shifting from language learning to citizenship prep to health
[23:45] Solving her own GLP-1 tracking needs with data
[32:35] Beta launch insights: side effects, customization, and community
[36:59] Keeping core features free for a mission-driven business model
[47:35] How staying user-first helps Shotsy avoid paid ads
[58:26] Fundraising to compete with copycats and stay true to the mission

On the podcast, we talk with Ryan Jones about the power of product-driven growth, why traditional marketing strategies often fall short, and the challenges of acquiring users while staying focused on building great products.

Top Takeaways:

✈️ Product is the growth engine
Flighty doesn’t run ads or chase growth hacks. Instead, it builds features that users love enough to share. When the product delights, users do the marketing. Growth follows craft.

📲 Design for shareability
Virality isn’t an accident. Flighty’s most powerful loop came from obsessing over a digital flight log that people are proud to show off, building for moments users want to share, and driving organic reach without paid spend.

🛠️ Stick to your superpower
Try traditional growth tactics, then walk away. Every time the team moved attention from product to marketing, growth stalled. Knowing your edge (and staying there) beats chasing trends outside your zone.

📈 ASO over ads
App Store Optimization remains Flighty’s only paid channel. Beautiful screenshots, clear messaging, and owning key search terms outperform broad ad campaigns and let the product speak for itself.

📵 Say no to distraction
Ignore the conventional playbook: no Facebook ads, no paid UA, no spray-and-pray marketing. Flighty’s team builds what they’d want to use, stays close to user problems, and lets clarity guide the roadmap.

About Ryan Jones:

🛫 CEO & Co-founder of Flighty.

📱 Ryan leads the product, design, and growth strategy behind Flighty. It is one of the most loved travel apps in the world. He’s built Flighty into a top-ranked app through obsessive attention to detail, viral feature design, and user-first thinking.

💡 “Every time we focused on product, we grew. Every time we chased marketing tactics, we stalled. We just keep building what users love—and they do the rest.”

👋 LinkedIn

Follow us on X:

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM

Episode Highlights:

[0:00] The elevator pitch: giving flyers real-time confidence
[2:14] How Flighty’s digital passport became a viral growth engine
[4:37] The unexpected power users: pilots, flight attendants, and crew
[5:48] Why building product beats running ads (and how Flighty proved it)
[10:03] Designing frictionless sharing for one-to-one and one-to-many moments
[10:49] From failed “Spotify Wrapped” to viral success: the passport playbook
[14:29] Why screenshots are Flighty’s most underrated growth lever
[15:12] Owning App Store search: inside Flighty’s ASO strategy
[17:51] How Flighty landed in Apple keynotes and why it matters less
[19:58] Building for the dynamic island before users knew they wanted it
[21:22] What’s next: exclusive features, new foundations, and staying ahead of copycats