At 24, Will Giess was still early in his software journey. He had only recently begun turning more of his ideas into software products. One of those early products would go on to change the direction of his work.
That product was Knock, a MacBook app that let users trigger actions on their computers with a simple tap. The unusual idea found an audience and became proof that Will could build something people were willing to pay for.
The success eventually presented him with a decision he had never faced before. Should he keep investing in the same product or use the momentum to move on to something new? Will ultimately listed Knock on Acquire.com, where the app acquisition became his first successful exit.
An Unusual Mac App Finds Its First Users
Will’s path into software was not linear. Based in Brisbane, he explored design and animation, worked in automotive, and ran a business in labor industries. He also coded on the side. More recently, AI tools made it easier to turn ideas into working products. That pushed him to take software more seriously.
One feature found in newer MacBooks with M2 to M5 chips soon caught his attention: an accelerometer that could detect movement. Will saw a simple way to use that signal to trigger actions on the computer. There was no big market thesis behind the idea. He found the technology interesting and relatively unexplored, so he started building around it.
Early reactions suggested the concept had more range than he expected. Users liked being able to trigger shortcuts through physical movement. Some also pointed to accessibility uses Will had not considered. That feedback showed him the product could be useful in ways that went beyond his original idea.
To test it beyond his own setup, Will turned to Reddit. He gave free licenses to roughly 15 to 25 beta testers using different Mac models. In return, he asked them to report what worked, what failed, and what could improve. Their feedback helped him confirm compatibility, fix issues, and refine the product before a broader launch.
Turning Knock Into a Paid Product
With the beta feedback incorporated, Will moved beyond Reddit and launched the app on Product Hunt. It reached number eight for the day and brought a new wave of attention. He then took it to Instagram, where the response grew even further. Interest was now extending well beyond the people who had helped him test the idea.
Knock was a paid app from the start, but users could test it before buying. After setup, they could use a basic play or pause action to confirm that the sensor worked on their Mac. Unlocking the rest of the app required a paid license. Will never offered a full free version.
The decision was less calculated than it might sound. Will had tried several smaller projects before, but none had taken off. He also admits he still knew very little about marketing. So he started with a low price and used willingness to pay as another signal of demand. This became his first real experience of making money from an app. As demand and popularity grew, he gradually raised the price.
Knowing When It Was Time to Sell
The experience changed the way Will thought about building software. One successful product led to more ideas, and he began exploring apps that better matched his creative interests. Some of those new products started generating income too, giving him more than one business to develop and more places to direct his attention.
Meanwhile, he had refined Knock quickly as its popularity grew. Eventually, he reached a point where the next meaningful step was less obvious. He considered different directions, including a subscription model. However, he did not feel subscriptions were a natural fit for the product at the time.
That left him with a different kind of decision. The app had customers, it was making money, and Will was happy with what he had built. But it was no longer the only product competing for his time. He had to decide whether continuing to invest his attention there still made sense while other ideas pulled him elsewhere.
For the first time, selling became a serious option. A clean exit would let Will focus on his other products while marking another milestone in his software journey. He had learned how to build a digital asset that made money. Now he wanted to see whether he could sell one successfully.
Listing the App and Evaluating Buyer Interest
Once Will decided to explore a sale, he listed the app on Acquire.com. The process was straightforward, and the listing attracted quite a lot of interest. Several potential acquirers reached out, giving him a chance to see how differently buyers evaluated the same product.
Some liked what he had built but remained cautious about its early stage or relatively narrow niche. Those conversations showed that interest alone did not mean every buyer saw the same opportunity. Different people placed different weight on where the app was today and what it could become.
Eventually, one buyer stood out because they seemed more interested than the others. When asked whether better terms or personal chemistry drove the decision, Will’s answer was simpler. The app aligned with the buyer’s interests, and they saw more upside in it. That stronger conviction moved the conversation toward a serious acquisition.
From Acquisition Offer to Negotiated Deal
The conversation changed once the buyer put an actual acquisition offer. Will now had a concrete number to consider rather than general interest in the app. The potential acquisition had become something he could evaluate directly.
The initial offer did not automatically become the final agreement. Will says the two sides negotiated before reaching a deal. He does not disclose the purchase price or the specific points that changed during those discussions. Those terms remain private.
This also introduced Will to a different side of building software. Until then, his focus had been on creating and improving products for users. Now the discussion centered on transferring ownership of the asset itself.
Once the negotiation was settled, the deal could move forward. Agreeing on a price was only one part of the process. Will still needed to provide the technical context behind the product. The buyer would need to understand what was being acquired and how to take control of it.
Preparing the App for Due Diligence and Handover
Reaching an agreement did not mean the work was finished. Before speaking with buyers, Will had already prepared a detailed document explaining how the app worked. It covered the codebase, licensing system, sensor technology, website, database, and how those pieces connected. The goal was to make the technical side of the business easier for a new owner to understand.
That preparation became especially useful during due diligence and handover. The buyer was also relatively new to the acquisition process, so Will spent more time walking them through the product and its underlying systems. The transfer took longer as a result, but he says the process itself went smoothly.
The documentation was not just a description of the asset being sold. It was designed to help the buyer continue working with it after the acquisition. By explaining how the core systems interacted, Will gave the new owner a technical reference they could use when implementing or integrating different parts of the product.
Once due diligence and the handover were complete, the parties used escrow to close the acquisition. The buyer received the asset, Will received the payment, and the sale was complete. What began as his first app to make money had now become his first successful exit.
Lessons From Will’s First Exit
Looking back on the sale, Will does not believe there is one universal moment when a founder should exit. His advice is to weigh the economics of keeping the business against the value of selling it, while also considering how much attention and enthusiasm the product still deserves.
- Look beyond the exit price. A sale creates an immediate outcome, but keeping the asset may produce more value over time. Will suggests comparing an offer with what the business could continue generating if you kept operating it.
- Calculate the remaining upside. His example of an app making $300 per day is hypothetical, not Knock’s revenue. The point is to ask what that income, combined with future improvements, could compound into over another year.
- Factor in your interest in the product. Financial performance is only part of the decision. Will also consider whether the founder still has the motivation and ideas needed to keep developing the business.
- Consider the opportunity cost of your attention. Other projects matter too. If a founder has stronger opportunities competing for the same time, selling one asset can free up attention for the businesses they most want to pursue.
For Will, those factors ultimately pointed in the same direction. His experience suggests that deciding when to sell is less about reaching a predetermined milestone and more about comparing the value of a clean exit with the value, financial and personal, of continuing to own the business.
What’s Next
With Knock sold, Will could put more attention into the projects that had already started pulling him in new directions. He continues to develop three other apps and is building Littlengine Labs, his software studio. Through the studio, he also works on websites, design, and software projects, expanding the range of work he can pursue while continuing to build products of his own.
His next challenge is deciding which ideas deserve that attention. Will says he has plenty of concepts he would like to explore, but turning them into real products comes down to focus and commitment. After proving that he could build, monetize, and sell a software product, he is now looking for the next idea worth taking through that process.
Thinking about what comes next for your business? Meet our team of M&A advisors and see how we can help you prepare for a successful exit.
Knock now moves forward under new ownership while Will focuses on what comes next. Watch the full episode to hear the story behind his first exit, and follow the guest to see what he builds next.