When I was eight, I tried to talk my brother and cousins into building a submarine in our driveway.
All we had was a boat trailer and some junk in the backyard. The other kids told me as much. They said, "You can't build a submarine." And they were correct — about the driveway. About the boat trailer. About every actual detail of the engineering.
But it was a defining moment in my life. Because I hated being told that I couldn't do something. I still do.
"You can't build a submarine."
— a fair point, at the time.
Since then I've broken out of poverty, taught myself things people said I'd never get the hang of, and pushed through every obstacle I could find on the way to building the life I wanted. Not all at once. Mostly in small steps. The kind of small that almost feels boring on any given day.
That's the thing I keep coming back to: the days that matter are usually small. A walk. A glass of water. Writing down how you actually feel instead of pretending you're fine. Closing a tab on a budget you've been avoiding. Cooking instead of ordering. Showing up for the thing one more time.
Why "Submarine Ware"
A submarine is the only place built to be calm under pressure. The whole structure exists so the people inside can keep doing their job while the ocean tries to convince them otherwise. That's the feeling I want our apps to have. Quiet. Sturdy. Designed to hold you steady while you do the small, unglamorous work of getting better.
And "Ware," because that's what they are — wares. Honest, useful things you keep. Not platforms. Not services that retain your attention. Apps you buy once and own.
What we're building
The first vessel is Sonar — a mood and habit tracker that takes less than a minute a day and shows you patterns instead of nagging you about them. After that: Ballast for budgets. Galley for weekly meal planning. Anchor for getting out of debt. Crew for side-hustle and freelance income.
Five small apps for five everyday problems. We're shipping them one at a time so each one is genuinely worth the room on your home screen.
If you ever feel told you can't
I hope one of our apps helps you build whatever your submarine is. Even if the materials are a boat trailer and some junk in the backyard.
— The founder, Submarine Ware
The driveway
The original submarine project. Cancelled by family peers. Lessons retained.
The long, unglamorous part
Breaking out of poverty, learning the skills, building the life. Years of small wins.
Submarine Ware
The company that wishes 8-year-old me had had better tools to track the small wins.
Sonar
The first app. Mood & habits. Calm by default. Yours, end-to-end.