From Zero Users to Super Users

Last week I decided to dedicate time over the next two weeks to meet with our Super Users. It was an opportunity to jump on a call with our most engaged users who have either been using Optiml the longest, use it the most frequently, or have been actively part of our product development and feedback process on new features.

These are the top one percent of people using Optiml. They are deeply involved, frequently exploring their plans, submitting feature suggestions, and working closely with our team to make sure they are getting the most value possible from the platform.

As a business that provides a service directly to the public, it has always been our priority to engage, hear feedback, and learn.

Full Circle Moment

It is somewhat of a full circle moment. When Optiml became a Resident of Volta, a startup incubator here in Halifax Nova Scotia, we first started in their initiation program called 0 to X. The foundation of this program was to meet with potential users and interview people to help validate your idea, the pain points people have, what you are trying to solve, and of course, whether they would pay for it.

0 to X is literally going from zero users to X, but it's more structured than just getting customers. The program guides you through key milestones: first proving the problem is worth solving, then getting your first customer to actually pay you money, and finally reaching X. X being a statistically significant number of paying customers that validates your business model.

Flash forward ten months and we are taking on the same approach, only this time, it is no longer about validation. It is about the direction of the company, helping us shape our product roadmap and marketing strategy.

Although I am still meeting with many more of our Super Users over the next week, I wanted to reflect on what we have already learned from the calls this week.

Why They Continue to Use Optiml

What stood out the most was that every Super User came to Optiml because they wanted clarity and control. Many of them had tried spreadsheets, watched hours of financial content online, or worked with advisors. But they were looking for something that could let them take ownership of their plan and test different strategies on their own terms.

Some were planning retirement in the next few years. Others were already retired and using Optiml to validate their drawdown strategy or manage ongoing decisions. In all cases, they were looking for a tool that could help them understand the bigger picture and make confident decisions without guesswork.

When we originally launched, we saw our main differentiator as the Optiml algorithm. It was built to optimize financial plans by running the numbers and identifying the best step-by-step solution based on each user's unique situation and estate goals. But that’s not the main reason people keep coming back to use Optiml.

It is control.

What They Value Most

A few key themes came up over and over again.

The ability to run their own plans, stress test different scenarios, and make changes within minutes. This completely removes the friction and pain point of either waiting on a financial planner to make a change to their plan, or having to pay thousands of dollars for a one-time plan.

The Max Spend strategy stood out as a favourite feature. For new readers, the Max Spend strategy is an analysis focused on maximizing your lifetime spending. The goal here is not to preserve an estate, but to calculate just how much you can confidently spend throughout your lifetime, drawing your investments down by the final year. In addition, it calculates surplus spending on top of your desired after-tax income needs. For users who want to maximize their lifestyle and spend confidently, being able to visualize exactly what that looks like has been a huge value add.

The ability to instantly test changes to retirement age, investment returns, or major financial decisions has given people the freedom to explore different paths. Many mentioned how helpful it is to quickly adjust their plan and see how it impacts their long-term outlook.

What We Need to Keep Improving

I think this was one of the most valuable questions I asked each user: "If there was one new feature or improvement you'd love to see on Optiml, what would it be?"

When over 85 percentof users requested the same feature, it becomes a very safe bet from a research and development perspective. It also further validates our Ideal Customer Profile and reinforces the specific niche Optiml is built to serve.

It would not be a good sign if every user was asking for drastically different features and pulling Optiml's product roadmap in completely different directions. Hearing first hand the current pain points and frustrations our users are facing really highlighted the priority level of this next update.

Interestingly enough, and don't read this out loud to our development team, this feature is not an overly large one. And yet, it will drastically improve the user experience and workflow for everyone.

To build a little excitement, I won't share what the update is just yet, but I can confirm it's coming very soon.

Looking Ahead

The level of engagement from our users continues to blow me away. Whether it's sharing insights and helping others in our Reddit community, or offering their time to support Optiml's growth and direction, it means a lot.

These conversations are incredibly valuable, and I'm looking forward to connecting with even more users over the next week.