Goooooooooood morning, Juicers!
The moment Apple unlocked the alarm app for developers, a quiet bell rang for indie hackers everywhere. Not just a wake-up chime, but a huge cha-ching.
For years, the alarm system on Apple devices was sealed off – a walled garden, no entry. No customisation. No community-focused tweaks. No fun. Just one of the most-used apps in tech history sitting there… untouched.
But now it’s open season. And while everyone else is building obvious, mass-market plays, we’re going the other way: niche, weird, founder-first.
Let’s juice it.
THE BIG IDEA: Unlocking the Alarm for Indie Hackers
Apple’s alarm app has been a closed-loop for over a decade. But the rules are changing. The latest updates allow developers to build into it.
That means:
✅ Alarms that talk to other apps
✅ Sounds that aren’t garbage
✅ Rituals, habits, and motivation embedded directly into your wake-up
Think about it: Over 2 billion Apple devices. Every one of them has an alarm. Most of them suck. That’s not just a feature. That’s a platform.
But instead of chasing the general market (because trust me, it's gonna get crowded fast), we’re zagging hard:
We’re building an alarm for indie hackers.
THE STORY: The Rise of the “Wake Up and Build” Ritual
Picture this:
You wake up to your “Build Mode” alarm. It’s not just noise – it’s a message from your future self. It reminds you what you’re building and why. Maybe it shares a morning mantra. Maybe it kicks off your AI agent workflow.
You stretch. You smile. You don’t hit snooze – because you’re on a mission.
This isn’t the aspirational fantasy of joining the 5am club. It’s your ritual.
And rituals are sticky. Especially when they’re built for a very specific type of person.
Going niche gives us:
Lower CAC – we can target exactly where founders hang out.
Higher retention – a tool that feels made for you gets used.
Higher LTV – we can add features, integrations, and upgrades people actually want.
⏰ WHY IT MATTERS: From Alarm to Action
Alarms = frequency.
They’re one of the few digital experiences you can’t skip.
And if you can turn that moment from jarring wake-up to empowering start-up... well, you’ve just hijacked the first 10 seconds of someone’s day. Every day.
A morning momentum engine.
➕ THE NUMBERS
Need convincing?
2B+ Apple devices
Alarms are one of the most-used native apps
Android alarm apps are doing 5M+ downloads, with average reviews around 3.6 stars (room for improvement, anyone?)
And some of the reviews are… well not great.
🎯 Estimated CAC per Download
Channel | CAC Estimate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Organic Social | $0.10–$0.50 | Highly shareable “wake up and build” vibe |
Meta/IG Ads | $1.50–$3.00 | Niche targeting, solid ROI |
TikTok Creator Collab | $0.75–$1.50 | “Startup vs Normal Alarm” UGC gold |
App Store Search Ads | $2.00–$5.00 | Pricey, but intent is 🔥 |
Blended Goal: $1.50 CAC
Totally doable with smart creative.
📜 How to Implement: Rapid Validation and Iteration
The path from concept to reality is all about quick validation. We start by identifying the top features that would truly resonate with our target audience. Maybe it’s the ability to get the latest news from their favorite platforms, or a built-in timer for focused work sessions.
Ask founders a few questions about their habits and routines already: what timers/alarms do they currently use. Where do they discover new apps etc. Once we have these key features outlined, we create wireframes and mockups to bring the idea to life visually.
Next, we run test ads targeted at our indie hacker communities. These ads serve as a litmus test to see if people are interested enough to click through and potentially download. This quick and cost-effective method helps us gauge demand before we even write a single line of code. If the interest is there, we move forward. If not, we iterate on the concept until we find the perfect fit.
👂 Inside the Lab: Welcome to Club300
This isn’t just another “community”.
This is our inner circle. The cockpit. The first 300 on the inside.
Going live in July.
Spots are limited – not because of some fake scarcity funnel…
…but because we actually want to know every single person in the club.
What is Club300?
It’s our paid membership.
For builders who want more signal, less noise.
And early access to tools that’ll make your lunch hour feel like launch hour.
Club300 (JuiceLabsMVP)
🧪 What You Get
📘 Playbooks That Actually Work
Not theory. Not filler.
Proven frameworks to find ideas, validate demand, and ship your MVP.
💬 Real Community, No Wannabes
A builder-only zone.
Share wins. Get feedback. Ask the dumb.
Move faster because you're not doing it alone.
🎥 Behind-the-Scenes Builds
Watch us build real businesses in real time – tech stack, validation, customer growth, the lot.
Steal what works. Skip what doesn’t.
🛠️ Bonus: You’ll Get All This Too (No Extra Cost)
We’re rolling out founder-first tools, like:
The Idea Bank (1,000+ startup sparks with demand signals)
Rapid Validation Tool (get idea feedback instantly)
Founder Fitness Scorecard (align your energy with the right biz model)
You’ll get them all. Free. Just for being early.
💸 Pricing (Tiered & Capped)
We’re rewarding early believers forever. Once your tier’s locked, it stays locked:
1-10 – $10p/m – Click to redeem
11-40 – $20p/m – Click to redeem
41-300 – You’ll see when it opens 👀
Club300 opens in July.
Founders who sign up now lock in their tier early.
Because the real MVP… is you.
And this is where the builds begin.
The best startup ideas aren’t “new.” They’re unlocked.
And when a $3T company quietly opens a locked door that touches 2B people’s mornings... alarm bells ring – good ones!
What are you gonna build?
Built in public. Shared in real time.
This isn’t inspiration. This is execution.
– Team Business Juice (all 4 of us – that’s right, we’re growing!)
🧃newsletter.trybusinessjuice.com/ | @trybizjuice
P.S. Got something weird, broken, or brilliant?
Send it to [email protected] – or forward this to a friend who needs less fluff and more fuel.
P.P.S. You’re still here? Awesome – fancy doing a poll? We’d be super grateful!!