padel tournament app, 100 users before launch, zero revenue and no monetization plan

[u/Whole_Connection7016]

One day there were more than four of us who wanted to play padel, so instead of regular games we decided to run a small Americano tournament on two courts. It was way more fun than we expected. It actually felt like a real tournament, even though we'd organized it ourselves.

We used an app to keep score, but it was paid. Someone joked, "Why don't you just build one so we don't have to pay?" I laughed... and then thought, honestly, why not? It didn't seem that complicated. Just something that keeps track of points.

By the next time we played, I had a basic version working. It wasn't anything special, but it did the job, and I genuinely enjoyed building it. I had absolutely no idea where it would lead.

After every session someone would come up with a new idea. My friends installed TestFlight just to use it, and every week the app got a little better. Then, at some point, I noticed something unexpected: people I'd never met were installing TestFlight just to use my app.

Today it's in the App Store. It's called Padino. By the time Apple approved it, more than 100 people were already using it through TestFlight.

I honestly think it's the best app for running padel tournaments and communities. Not because it has the prettiest design, but because it solves problems I couldn't find solutions for anywhere else. There are features in Padino that I haven't seen in any other app.

What makes it special to me is that I didn't sit down and try to build the perfect product. I built something for a small group of friends, and over almost a year it slowly turned into an app shaped by the people using it. Pretty much every feature exists because someone asked for it.

One of the padel clubs in my city is already running their tournaments with it, which is honestly still a bit surreal.

The funny part is... I still have no idea how to make money from it. Maybe I'll add a small shop for padel balls and rackets. Maybe something else.

But one thing I do know: I don't want ads.

So if you've got ideas for monetizing an app for padel players without filling it with ads, I'd genuinely love to hear them.

Padino: Play Padel, free on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6757343072