Why hashtags are more important than you think

Three years ago I quit my job at a startup company.

I thought I was ready.

I learned how to develop websites and apps from scratch, I learned how to think about the numbers... I was ready to start my own company and be my own boss.

Sound familiar?

Fast forward  8 months.  I had 2 failed iOS apps, no income coming in... I was flailing, hard!

I decided at that moment that I had to try something different. My passion was building things and I spent countless hours making sure that the product performed it's best, that it looked great... but I could tell something was missing.

I scrolled through Instagram, trying to distract my mind from the horrible situation I was in when it dawned on me... 

I had spent over 4 years at that startup company honing my skills as a developer, preparing for the moment when I would quit and spend most of my days doing what I love and building the things that I wanted to build...

But being passionate and doing what I loved wasn't enough.

Being passionate and doing what I loved wasn't enough.

You have to share your passion, so that they can they can share it with others.

In part, I think that's what makes Instagram so unique and special compared to the other social media sites out there.

Picture after picture, it's clear that the people highlighted on Instagram are passionate and are loving what they are doing, whether it's traveling, painting, woodworking, working on their small business, you name it!

They loved what they did, and they shared it with the world.

And it's the latter that I wasn't doing enough of. After all, how can someone know how great your app, product, or service is if they don't know about it?

How can someone know how great your app, product, or service is if they don't know about it?

I had to get the word out, get more visibility, get my work discovered. I had to share what I was passionate about.

And what better way to do that... than on the platform of people who are passionate about what they do... with a tool that can get the word out, that can help with visibility and discoverability.

Of course I am talking about... the Hashtag.

It wasn't long after that that I came up with the idea of Smarthash, an app that helps you discover which hashtags are actually working for you on Instagram.

And I shared my journey of creating it through Instagram, with a little help from hashtags.

Hashtags represent sharing, common ground, love for the same things, and passion.

Hashtags represent community, and can help bring your ideas and products and business to the forefront of people who will love what you are offering.

Because passion isn't enough.

It's not enough to do what you love.

You have to share it with the world.