We Needed a System
In the past I struggled with money management, and really any kind of management. I spent lots of time searching for and evaluating tools to help me keep my life in control. I had a personal finance app and a favorite todo list app. I often switched between note apps which served as my second brain. I had my own life stack that I used to bring order to my chaotic mind.
Then I got married and it felt like things fell apart. The chaos returned as my wife and I tried to merge our ways of thinking and being into something that worked for the both of us. My eyes would cross when we'd have conversations about finances where she'd bring up a spreadsheet and calculator and trace through online banking portals, trying to manually track down each dollar and cent. I had put significant time and effort into setting up my own financial tools--designing the perfect category system, making sure that all of my bank accounts were linked, and budgets were setup. She had an iPhone and used Apple Calendar. I had an Android and preferred Google Calendar. We would have weekly check-ins and come up with detailed plans for how to handle situations and then forget the outcomes. We meshed well as a couple but our systems didn't.
This didn't so much lead to conflict but it did lead to frustration, miscommunication, and confusion. Existing tools were either limited or weren't designed to work for multiple people. Finding and combining the right tools was expensive, incomplete, and fragmented. We needed one system that could work for both of us.
That is when I started building Deena. I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish, but I didn't know how. I went through countless designs and feature sets. I lived with each iteration, using it in our daily life until I either knew it was right or started over.
I created Deena to solve a problem I had and knew others had. When I would travel and talk to others about what I was building, I was amazed at how well it resonated with them. When I shared the story of how my stepmother struggled to find her footing after my father passed due to the way information was siloed in their household, I saw not only empathy, but fear that they were similarly disempowered in their own. I started to see Deena not simply as a collection of features, but rather as a tool for freedom, connection, and empowerment.
To me, this is something worth dedicating my life to. I want to help as many people achieve harmony and free their energy to put towards pouring into the people and experiences that matter most in their lives.
