WHEN a new concept called the App Store emerged a decade ago, hypnotherapist Andrew Johnson decided to take a chance and use it to try and increase sales on a relaxation app he’d just created.
Ten years and close to 12 million downloads later, he has a full range of apps in Apple’s phenomenally successful online store and is a passionate advocate of using smartphones to improve mental health and wellbeing, though he admits he had no idea the technology would take off so quickly.
“I think I was the first self-help meditation and mindfulness to go in the App Store,” explains the 57-year-old.
“App technology has been transformational for my business. I have a partner in Seattle who deals with the technology side of things and I do all the recordings and background music.
“When I started selling CDs to clients they cost around £12. The app store price for the same thing was £1.99. I remember thinking it would be impossible to make money but the volume of sales was unbelievable. I can sell all over the world. The UK and US markets are strongest, but sales are also increasing in the Scandinavian countries, the Far East and India.
“Meditation and mindfulness is a truly global business.”
Before launching his apps, which come under the With Andrew Johnson banner, the Glasgow-born entrepreneur practised hypnotherapy on a one-to-one basis, focusing on areas such as smoking cessation and insomnia.
After training at Glasgow Caledonian university, he also volunteered to work with cancer patients and saw how relaxation and mindfulness techniques could help people in a wide array of settings.
But after years spent travelling up and down the UK and beyond to deliver sessions, 18 months ago Mr Johnson put down roots in Edinburgh and is enjoying growing the app side of the business while offering bespoke relaxation and mindfulness sessions to corporate clients such as councils, the NHS and charities.
“It’s good to have two strands to your business, both commercially and personally,” he says. “I really enjoy the face-to-face connections I get to make during the corporate work. But the app side of the business takes the pressure off. I also get great satisfaction from knowing that I’m helping people all over the world.
“Having such a big reach is amazing. When you get an email from someone in Mexico saying they spent $2 on your app and they no longer have insomnia, that’s a fantastic feeling.
“These days I like to keep my travel to west and central Scotland, and having two sides of the business allows me to do that. But if Elon Musk wants me to fly out to California and help him with some relaxation techniques, I’ll certainly consider it.”
Mr Johnson believes smartphone and tablet technology is both a positive and a negative when it comes to mental health, especially for young people.
“It’s great that we’re seeing so many people speak out about the need to be more open around mental health,” he adds. “At the same time there is so much pressure on young people, especially on social media. But this technology is here to stay and what we really need to do is teach people resilience.”
Smart technology is part of the solution as well as the problem and, as his own experience shows, provides new avenues of communication and opportunity for wellbeing professionals.
“I would advise people to look at how you can digitise your skills,” he says. “Creating digital content has never been easier. We have tools and techniques now for building websites, streaming, apps that can transform your business.
“Apps have been great for me but I’m always looking at what’s coming around the corner next. I enjoy the potential of seeing an idea come to fruition quickly.
“When you work for yourself there are ups and downs, and sometimes those downs feel like they are lasting for a long time. But there’s always potential to turn things around.”
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