Hi there, I hope you’re doing well and your app is growing.

Another email for you, I wish you a good read!

In today’s email we’re going to talk about:

• Reflections on my own motivation

• Prepare 2026

• The burnout phase nobody warns you about

Let’s go! 🔥

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Reflections on my own motivation

This is not something that happened in a single moment. It is not the kind of story where you wake up one day and think, “I lost motivation.” It is something that appears slowly, almost quietly, when you look back at the last few months or even the last few years.

At some point, you realise that you are not as motivated as you used to be. Not because something dramatic happened, not because you hate what you are doing, and not because you want to quit everything, but simply because time has passed. The energy you had in the beginning is not the same anymore.

And that is what I have been feeling lately.

I think it is normal when you have been working on the same project for five years. WideBundle has been part of my life for a long time. I still care about it, and I still work on it, but I do not feel the same fire I had in the first year. Maybe it is because I have new ideas. Maybe it is because I want to try other things. Maybe it is because I now see myself doing more than just this one project.

It is not one cause. It is a mix of things that accumulated over time.

At first, you do not want to accept it. You tell yourself it is just a phase. You assume the motivation will come back after a good week or after shipping a new feature. And sometimes it does. But when you feel this for almost a year, at some point you have to be honest with yourself. If you ignore it for too long, it can turn into burnout. Not the dramatic burnout, but the quiet version where everything feels heavier and you start asking yourself questions you never asked before.

“Why am I feeling this way?”
“Is something wrong with me?”
“What changed?”

In reality, nothing is wrong. You just evolved.

There are many reasons why founders lose motivation. It can be because you want to move on to something new. It can be because you compare yourself too much with others. It can be because you work alone and the journey starts feeling heavy. It can be because you spend too much time on tasks you dislike, like support, instead of building features, which is the part you enjoy most.

Losing motivation does not always mean that the project is the problem. Sometimes it is everything around the project.
Too much support.
Too many decisions.
Too much pressure.
Too many comparisons.

These things consume you slowly.

This is why it is important to talk to other founders. People who understand what you are going through. People who also have Shopify apps and know exactly how the journey feels. With another point of view, you often realise that your feelings are normal and you are not alone. Sometimes they help you identify the exact reason behind your lack of motivation. Sometimes they simply listen, and that is enough.

If you want to recover motivation, you have to fix what is draining you.
If support is too heavy, delegate it.
If you work alone and feel isolated, build relationships.
If you feel stuck, try something new.
Write down everything that annoys you or drains your energy. You will quickly see what needs to change.

And sometimes, the reason you lost motivation is something you cannot change.
In my case, it has been five years. I cannot go back to the excitement of the first year. Maybe it is normal to want to do something different now. And maybe that is the sign I needed.

A lot of founders think motivation should stay constant, but it never does. Motivation is not a straight line. It comes and goes. The real constant is discipline. It is what keeps you moving during the weeks where the motivation is low.

Short-term motivation is a feeling.
Long-term motivation is a direction.

And both change as you evolve.

It is also normal to feel less motivated on a project you have been working on for years. This is why so many people jump from idea to idea. They are chasing the “new project rush” because starting something always feels exciting. But the real journey begins after that rush fades.

What matters is accepting that it is normal. You are allowed to change plans. You are allowed to explore new ideas. You are allowed to feel lost for a moment. The person you were when you started your app is not the same person you are today. You learned more, you lived more, and you have a new perspective.

So if you feel less motivated lately, that is okay.
Talk to people.
Look at what drains your energy.
Identify what you want to change.
And remember that motivation is not meant to stay the same forever.

It is part of the journey.

Prepare 2026

2026 will arrive faster than you expect.
The Shopify ecosystem is getting bigger, more competitive, and also full of new opportunities.
If you want to enter the new year with momentum instead of confusion, now is the moment to prepare.

Here is exactly how I would do it.

Review everything that happened in 2025

Before thinking about growth, you need clarity.
Most founders skip this part, but it is the most important one.

Ask yourself:
What worked this year?
What actually improved installs?
What improved activation?
Which features had real impact?
Which partnerships brought users?
What caused churn?

The advantage is simple.
If you understand the past, you can predict the next steps.
If you don’t, you repeat mistakes.

Simplify your app

By the end of a year, every app is heavier than it should be.
More buttons. More settings. More edge cases.

But simplicity is what creates revenue.
It increases activation, reduces support, and keeps your app sharp.

Review your UX.
Remove distractions.
Make your main feature obvious.
Fix onboarding before Q2 of next year so you have time to learn from real users.

2026 will reward apps that feel clean and fast.

Pick one growth channel and own it

Most founders try to be everywhere.
That is why they grow nowhere.

Choose one channel for 2026.
Partnerships.
Content.
Agencies.
Communities.
Local events.

Whatever fits your personality and your app.
Once you choose it, commit to it for the whole year.

A single strong channel always beats five weak ones.

Increase your speed

You cannot prepare Black Friday in October.
If you want a strong year, you need speed early.

Speed comes from:
Hiring someone for a few months
Delegating support
Cutting features that slow you down
Focusing on what actually moves the numbers

Speed is not about rushing.
It is about removing friction.

Strengthen your relationships

Growth happens faster when people know you.
The Shopify ecosystem is built on relationships.

Decide which people you want to collaborate with next year.
Join communities that fit your app.
Attend events where founders and agencies meet.
Show up regularly so people remember you.

This makes 2026 automatically easier.

Decide what kind of founder you want to be

This is the part nobody talks about.
Your app will grow only if you grow too.

Do you want to focus on product?
Do you want to focus on growth?
Do you want to start buying apps?
Do you want to prepare an exit?
Do you want to finally build a team?

If you do not choose your direction, the ecosystem will choose for you.

How I am preparing for 2026

I am reviewing all my metrics from this year.
I am simplifying WideBundle again.
I am building new growth systems.
I am hiring people for speed.
I am investing time in communities and events.
And I am thinking about what I want my company to become.

2026 will reward founders who prepare early.
Start now, and your entire year will feel different.

The burnout phase nobody warns you about

There is a strange moment in the life of a Shopify app. It happens somewhere between ten thousand and thirty thousand dollars MRR. You are growing, you finally have traction, and everything looks good from the outside. But inside, something starts to feel heavier.

Support increases. Feature requests pile up. Bugs become more complex. Your roadmap grows faster than your ability to execute. And because you built the app yourself, you still believe you can handle everything alone.

That is exactly what happened to me with WideBundle. I felt like I had to manage support, code improvements, plan the next features, and fix urgent issues at the same time. My days were full. My nights were full. And it became harder to enjoy the wins because I was always behind.

This is the moment where burnout quietly shows up. Not suddenly, but drop by drop.
The app is no longer too small to manage, but it is not yet big enough to have a full team. You are stuck between two worlds.

What saved me was accepting that I needed help. Delegating part of the support. Asking developers to take ownership. Letting go of tasks I used to control. When I did that, the pressure dropped. Activation improved, the product moved faster, and I finally had time to think again.

If you feel overwhelmed in that range, it is not a sign that you are failing. It is the moment your business is telling you to evolve.

Thanks for reading!

I’ll see you in the next email, in 14 days. Until then, take care!

Mat.