Splash Secrets: the build plan
The product is built and shipped in five milestones, one at a time. Milestone 1 puts a working, revenue-ready product in front of users. Each milestone after that grows it, keeps it safe, and polishes it. The admin dashboard is not a separate phase; each part is built alongside the feature it supports. Effort is shown as a share of the whole build, out of 100.
Milestones
5
shippable steps
First launch
M1
the core product goes live
First revenue
M1
subscription live at launch
M1 share of build
29%
the largest single milestone
The core loop
A user shares a link, a stranger answers it anonymously, the user answers back, and that question and answer become a public post. Other people see the post, discover the user, and send more messages. This loop is what makes the app grow, and every milestone builds on it.
Timeline: milestones in sequence
▲ Publicly launchable and earning after Milestone 1
Share of the build
Key scope choices
Revenue from day one
A subscription and the message hints it unlocks ship in Milestone 1. Link statistics and one-off tokens are cut for now, since the subscription is expected to drive about 80 percent of revenue.
subscription in M1cut: tokenscut: link stats
A leaner build
Phone sign-in replaces social login and doubles as the key for finding friends. The feed ranks by recency, follows, and popularity rather than a heavy algorithm. One shared card serves the feed, inbox, and profile.
phone sign-inlightweight feedshared components
Milestones in detail
What sits above every milestone
Hard legal red line
Anonymity and money
MaySell a subscription, and tell a user where, when, and how a message arrived.
NeverReveal, or hint at, who sent an anonymous message. No unlock, no blurred name, no visitor list.
AlwaysShow price, billing, auto-renewal, and cancellation above the buy button. Legal signs off all copy.
This is the exact rule NGL was fined for breaking.
Trade-offs we accepted
Worth watching after launch
1Phone sign-in adds friction at the first step: a code to enter and an SMS cost. Reversible by adding a social login later.
2Without tokens, non-subscribers have no way to pay. Acceptable if the subscription really is about 80 percent of revenue.
3A lightweight feed spreads content less efficiently than a tuned one. A tuning pass is planned for Milestone 2.
Open client decisions
M1Subscription price, and what premium includes beyond hints.
M1Which text-message provider, and whether to keep a social login as a backup.
M2The legal basis for matching phone numbers, and whether comments stay in.
M4The strike policy, response-time targets, and who staffs moderation.
Top risks
LoadOne influencer post can bring a large traffic spike within hours. Servers scale automatically; the human moderation queue does not. The emergency switch is the release valve.
LegalSubscription and notification wording is the highest-risk surface. It needs sign-off before launch, not after.
StaffingThe safety machinery in Milestone 4 only works if people are assigned to run it. This is still unassigned.