On being transparent that Toofr is just me
When I first started Toofr, even though I was the only person working on it, I’d refer to myself in the plural.
“We launched a couple of years ago.”
“We’re going to release that feature soon.”
“The biggest difference between us and them is…”
And so on. My other solopreneur friends have a name for this little white lie: The Royal ‘We’.
I wanted Toofr to look bigger than it was because I thought it would instill more confidence in my customers. Or rather, telling a customer that Toofr was just me might cause them to look elsewhere.
A few months ago, after leaving Scripted to go full-time on Toofr, I changed my approach. Now when people ask, I tell them that Toofr is just me. In my newsletters, I stopped saying “we’re doing this” and instead say “I’m doing this.”
The reaction has been the opposite of what I’d feared. The people who call in and ask me about Toofr’s history and how big it is seem pleased when they find out it’s just me. They like having a direct line to the founder. They respect me for it. They wish me well and want to help.
As far as I know, I haven’t lost any customers to this revelation, and I think that’s because they recognize that it’s unlikely for a small, profitable business to go under. I’m not going to over-leverage and implode. I don’t have those growth pressures so I can run Toofr in a manner and at a pace that makes me comfortable.
Turns out it makes my customers comfortable, too.
Companies fall apart when they lose control of their cash. Toofr has never lost money and I don’t expect it ever will.
‘I’ can be certain of that.