By the subsequent morning, greater than 1 million people had watched the video. Over the subsequent three days, the applying, Argo — Boating Navigation, obtained extra downloads than it had in three years and reached the highest of Apple’s obtain charts within the navigation class.
“I just wanted to try something that’d help him blow up and get him more followers and users,” Megan, 20, advised The Washington Post. “I just didn’t expect it to work.”
After graduating from the University of Delaware, Jeff Foulk moved right into a Joppatowne, Md., rental round 1984. With the Chesapeake Bay close by, Jeff turned enamored with boating on his Grady-White.
Although he ultimately ended up working as a protection contractor, Jeff stated he thought typically about constructing a marine navigation app. He had wished there was a handy option to find eating places, marinas and anchorages throughout the water. After years of speaking about constructing his splendid app, his spouse, Jean, advised him: “Stop thinking about it or do it.”
In November 2018, Jeff partnered with software program firm ByteLion to create Argo. Its identify was impressed by the legendary ship in Greek mythology.
Jeff stated he mixed options from Waze, Yelp and social media platforms for an software that means routes throughout each physique of water within the United States. It supplies updates on hazards, police and climate, and customers can share their experiences and photographs.
When the free software launched in September 2019, it consumed Jeff’s life. He talked about his progress at household dinners and on automotive rides and walks. At some level, his household gave him a navy blue shirt that learn: “WARNING! I will tell you about my app.” He stated he answered each touch upon the applying beneath “Captain Jeff,” an alias his 24-year-old daughter Kelly urged.
Argo attracted 1,000 downloads after 4 months and 100,000 by November 2022. Still, the app had not change into important among the many boating neighborhood. Jeff stated he has not but profited from Argo.
“I didn’t focus so much on marketing,” he stated. “It was really all about making sure the product was right.”
“We knew it could be so much bigger and have such a larger reach,” Megan added.
Megan, who stated she admires her dad’s work ethic, helped her dad get his first huge breakthrough at a Jan. 14 boat present at a Chicago conference heart. She uploaded a 12-second video to her roughly 200 followers, accompanied by a piano association of Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again.”
When Megan seen just a few hours later that the TikTok had obtained 1,000 likes, Jeff wasn’t impressed. But that modified as downloads accelerated.
Within 24 hours, about 93,000 people had downloaded Argo. Over three days, that grew to almost 152,000 downloads. Its roughly 1,200 opinions on the Apple app retailer exploded to 18,000.
At one level, on-line visitors was so intense that it precipitated the app to crash.
The subsequent morning, Jeff stated he awoke to round 4,000 emails, all of which he has tried to reply to. It was the ultimate day of the Chicago boat present, and Jeff stated a number of people who had stopped by Argo’s sales space talked about seeing his app on TikTok.
Argo stays one of the seven most downloaded navigation apps on Apple, the place it’s competing with in style apps corresponding to Google Maps, Waze and ParkMobile. The firm’s TikTok page exceeded 210,000 followers this previous weekend, and Jeff is brainstorming options for his app’s new customers.
With one other boat present in Fort Myers, Fla., this week, Jeff and Megan are excited to fulfill extra TikTok followers.
“Nobody expects anything to go viral,” Jeff stated. “I guess it happens when you’re not trying too hard.”
