A video about a dad attempting to get customers to try a new app "he's worked so hard on" has gone viral on TikTok, where it got 8.5 million views at the time of this writing.
A message overlaid on the clip posted from the TikTok account @argonavigation read: "Help blow up my dad's boating app, he's worked so hard on it and just wants people to try it out."
The video shows a man standing by a table with some fliers at what appeared to be a trade show type event setting. The man looked eager to flag some customers down, as waves of people walked past the table.
A caption shared with the video said: "It's called Argo, it's a free navigation app for boaters. Please try it out and let captain Jeff know what you think. He'll really appreciate it:) #boating #boatlife #foryoupage #navigation #app #developer."
The daughter said since the viral post, her dad is "currently swamped in emails." In a reaction video, the dad said: "Emails—they just keep coming. Have you seen this? Oh my gosh," while staring at his computer screen.
A May 2018 study by researchers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Census Bureau found that contrary to popular thinking, the most successful entrepreneurs tend to be middle-aged.
According to the study, among the very fastest-growing new tech companies, the average founder was aged 45 at the time that the company was founded. The study found that "a 50-year-old entrepreneur is nearly twice as likely to have a runaway success as a 30-year-old."
@argonavigation It’s called Argo, it’s a free navigation app for boaters. Please try it out and let captain Jeff know what you think. He’ll really appreciate it:) #boating #boatlife #foryoupage #navigation #app #developer
♬ See You Again (Piano Arrangement) - Alexandre Pachabezian
There are 32.5 million small businesses in the U.S. and 81 percent have no employees, according to a December 2021 report by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The report said that from 1994-2019, an average of 67.6 percent of new employer establishments survived at least two years. In the same period, the five-year survival rate was 48.9 percent, while the 10-year survival rate was 33.6 percent and the 15-year survival rate was 25.7 percent.
Several users on TikTok were moved by the dad's story in the latest viral video and even downloaded the app.
In a comment that got over 47,000 likes, TikTok user g said: "Suddenly I'm downloading a boating app without a boat."
User alyssastarr319 agreed, saying: "I don't even have a boat but he's so humbling I'm downloading it!!"
User K Leigh asked: "Why am I crying???"
In a comment that got 12,800 likes, user9992088036128 wrote: "Downloading Argo and I don't own a boat. But I have a dad whom I love...so this...I get [one eye winking face emoji]."
Artist Mariam Paré said: "This is so sweet. I never comment. But I always want to support, hard-working people and loving families!"
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment. This video has not been independently verified.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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