The story of CountPesa. Why I built this.


Is your money slipping through your fingers?

Have you ever looked back at your month's expenses and wondered where it all went? Can you recall how you have been spending your money? Do you think knowing this is important?

Businesses track their expenses meticulously. Any serious business knows exactly where every coin was spent. Yet the majority of us are just winging it with our personal finances. Why aren't we running our finances like the mini-businesses they could be? Don't we want to grow financially?

Such questions are what compelled me to build CountPesa.

Why is it so hard to be responsible with money?

Let's face it—sitting down every day or week to manually record expenses doesn't exactly scream "fun". Unless, of course, you're one of those unique souls who derive joy from watching paint dry. For the rest of us mortals, this often translates to not tracking expenses or skipping it for months. Unfortunately, by the time we conquer our procrastination or find the time, we can't quite recall why we sent Ksh 780 to Levis Gitau on 5th April at 2:37 pm. So we resort to forfeiting all those transactions or my personal favorite ,"I'll start afresh next month/year".

Enter CountPesa

This app makes managing your expenses surprisingly easy. It works by automatically syncing with your M-Pesa messages, obliterating the biggest hurdle of expense tracking: The EFFORT involved!

Personally, I haven't touched cash since Purity (my neighbourhood mama mboga) set up her own till number after persistent nagging from her loyal clientelle. And I'd wager good money that I'm not the only one in this tech-reliant boat. Now with CountPesa, every single transaction is meticulously tracked, and I can effortlessly recall that Levis was the Uber guy who whisked me off to Westlands.

More than just tracking expenses

CountPesa was conceived around the idea of organizing the data Safaricom diligently sends us (the messages) and transforming them into powerful financial insights we can act upon, right on our phones. This data should not pointlessly occupy our phones' memories, but should be put to good use and help us make smarter financial decisions.

With intuitive budgeting tools, you can effortlessly track your spending against customizable goals to curb overspending. The app empowers you with insightful visualizations and analytics that illuminate your spending patterns across adjustable time periods. Create custom categories tailored to your lifestyle, and leverage automatic categorization to maintain an organized financial overview. Enrich your transaction data with notes, and tags for comprehensive context. CountPesa is an all-in-one financial manager that evolves with your needs, keeping you consistently in control of your money.

How secure is it?

So far, so good, right? Now, the burning question. How can I trust all this sensitive financial data with an app? A valid concern—not all sharing is caring. CountPesa takes data privacy very seriously. The app never shares your data but exclusively stores it locally within your device. You can also set up biometric authentication, adding an extra layer of security so only you can access the app and your information is protected from prying eyes.

Take the First Step Towards Financial Mastery

My goal with this app is to foster good financial habits and make them stick. Savvy spending should not be as hard as it's made out to be.

So if you are feeling ready to make your financial management as easy as scrolling through your socials? Make the switch to smarter spending. Download CountPesa Now and your future self (and wallet) will thank you.


blog
Denis Githinji
Author and Developer