December's Gossip

For the first time since we started building the app back in March 2025, I’ve spent more time away from the desk than at it. Samar and I flew back to the UK to surprise my family for Christmas and honestly, it was the best decision we made all year. That said, it hasn’t been easy for Samar. She’s been away from Brazil for three years, and with our current commitments, getting back there just isn’t possible right now. That part weighs heavy, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

BudgetBro has taken a back seat over the past 14 days. We’ve been quiet on social media, and from the outside it probably looks like nothing’s been happening. But that’s not really the truth. If anything, this break has helped us see things more clearly. The progress we have made is coming to terms with the worrying number of in-app issues we’re facing. It’s not glamorous progress, but it’s real, and it’s something we needed to acknowledge before pushing forward again.

December Goals

In November’s recap, I set what I thought were fairly realistic targets. This was after not hitting any of the goals I set in October, so I tried to be a bit more grounded. These were the targets:

• App is out for testing prior to December 20th.
• We triple our total monthly views over all social media platforms 
• We beat our Novembers crowdfunding total of 1.4%
• All the BudgetBro team, the followers and blog readers have a blessed Christmas.

So what did we achieve?

• App is out for testing prior to December 20th. ❌
• We triple our total monthly views over all social media platforms ❌
• We beat our Novembers crowdfunding total of 1.4% ❌
• All the BudgetBro team, the followers and blog readers have a blessed Christmas. ✅

Thankfully, when I wrote these goals, I knew the last one was a bit of a safety net. It felt important to include, just in case the rest didn’t land. Looking back, I’m pretty glad I did.

What's Going Wrong? Why Aren't My Targets Being Achieved?

If I knew the exact answer, I probably wouldn’t be writing this in the first place. And to be completely honest, it’s been taking its toll. I’m losing sleep. I’m comfort eating and have put on far more weight than I’d like to admit. The bank balance is dropping faster than I’m comfortable with.

But despite all of that, we’re still here. Still building. Still fighting.

App Testing: I set a deadline of December 18th with the dev team, giving us a two-day buffer ahead of my original December 20th target. On paper, that felt sensible. What I didn’t expect was what happened next.

The more features we implemented, the more problems surfaced. Instead of moving closer to stability, we uncovered more cracks. When our deadline was up, we’d logged 62 separate issues. That number hit hard. For everyone involved.

It was genuinely morale-breaking, but there was no way to spin it. We had to be honest with ourselves, accept the reality of where the app was, and push the timeline back yet again.

Monthly Views: Tripling monthly views was naive. Simple as that. I knew I was flying back to the UK for the first time in three years. I knew content output would drop. Yet I still set the target anyway. This one doesn’t frustrate me as much because it was avoidable. A lack of planning, not a lack of effort.

A lesson learned, even if it took missing the goal to see it clearly.

Crowdfunding: This one’s harder to write. December closed at 0.00%. No movement at all. That’s uncomfortable, and honestly, a bit embarrassing.

About six weeks ago, we consciously decided to put crowdfunding on the back burner and focus more on informative, value-led content. The problem was that this strategy relied heavily on app footage and real testing progress. And without the app being ready for testing, that content never materialised.

So we ended up stuck in the middle. No app content to push. No crowdfunding momentum. Just a lot of work happening quietly behind the scenes, with very little to show for it publicly.

What's Changed in The Last 30 Days?

Not a great deal. And honestly, that’s good news. It means we’re feeling more confident in the direction we’re heading and not reacting impulsively to every small setback. The main changes have been focused on the website.

The homepage layout has been reworked to highlight app features more clearly while reducing visual noise. It’s simpler, easier to understand, and does a better job of explaining what BudgetBro actually does within a few seconds of landing.

The crowdfunding page has also had a major revamp. These changes are based on real feedback, how users are navigating the site, and the need for clearer, more direct messaging. Nothing guessy. Just responding to what people are actually doing.

The updates aren’t live just yet, but we’re aiming to have everything implemented within the next 5–6 days.

How Do I Feel About Current Progress?

If you’ve been reading these monthly recaps, you’re probably laughing at my ongoing inability to actually get this app out the door. And honestly, that doesn’t bother me. Thick skin comes with the territory.

These recaps usually read like three parts pessimism and one part optimism, but beneath all of that, I’m completely clear on where this is going. I understand the end goal. And even when the storm feels bigger than expected, that goal hasn’t moved an inch. Without doubt, we’re building an app that will be dominant within the market. Not because it’s flashy, but because it actually means something. The creativity behind it, the intention, the ecosystem, the way it’s built for real travellers, it's unmatched.

So no matter how messy the present feels, it’s temporary. The problems we’re dealing with now don’t outweigh the number of travellers this app is going to help. And that’s the part I keep coming back to.

January Goals

I had to think hard about this one. For January, I’ve decided we’re not setting goals. I’m starting to realise that while goals can be great for momentum, they can also pull focus away from the issues that matter most right now. Hitting targets means very little if the foundations underneath aren’t solid.

We’ve got a serious mountain to climb over the next eight weeks. Previous deadlines have already been pushed, and financially, I can’t afford any further setbacks. That pressure is real.

What’s also real is this: BudgetBro is part of who I am. It’s in my DNA. And regardless of how difficult this stretch gets, I’m not giving up. Not now, not later, and not even once the mission itself is complete.

Love Big JR.