A bit about myself: I’m an ex-engineering manager who quit his job last fall to take a break from the corporate world and work on my own products. I do everything by myself, from design to deployment and I love it. I picked the MERN stack because of my past experience in JS and its popularity.

The questions I have for today are related to an app I have been working on for several month. It started as a personal project, but given how helpful the app has been for myself, I’m eager to share it with the world. My plan was to use it for a while to test it, fix some bugs and continue to iterate on it until I’m happy with the product in terms of stability and functionality. I will reach that milestone very soon, which I will call the Beta version. I’m excited it to welcome users/beta testers; However, I have never launched a personal project using this stack and I could really use your expertise and guidance.

Here are some areas where I’m seeking advice:

• How can I effectively transition from the Beta version to v1.0?
• What are the best practices for scaling an app to accommodate beta and production users?
• Should I consider limiting the number of users during the beta phase?
• How can I attract beta testers and promote the app to a wider audience?
• What are some viable monetization strategies if the beta launch proves successful?
• Are there any other crucial factors I should consider before launching a new product?

Info about the app

• Space: note taking, productivity
• Stack: MERN
• Hosting: Heroku basic dynos + Mongo DB Atlas free plan (for now)

Thank you in advance for your support!

not really applicable here