Who is Paul Firmin?
Paul Firmin is a parent in Aurora, Ontario, who runs Firmin Labs, a one-person studio that builds small apps and self-updating local guides, many of them made with AI, for his own family and town.
What is Firmin Labs?
A one-person studio. Paul builds small, useful apps, the kind of tools he wants for his own family and town, and ships them the moment they’re good enough to be helpful. Build, ship, repeat.
Why does he build them?
Most of them started at home: a weekly guide to what’s on in Aurora, chore charts and money jars set up the way his own family does allowance, and a scavenger hunt planned for a real backyard birthday party. If a tool helps his family, it might help yours.
What has Paul built?
🌲 Local Life
- Local Life — Aurora: What's on this week in Aurora, ON — events, seasonal picks, and reminders, refreshed weekly.
- Local Life — Muskoka: The weekly rundown for Muskoka & Gravenhurst — events, seasonal things to do, and reminders.
🛠️ Everyday tools
- Daily Brief: Answer a few questions and get a personalized morning brief — news, markets, career, family, and local life in one calm page.
- WonderWatch: Curated YouTube for curious kids — parent-approved channels, per-child screen-time limits, and a daily watch report. No rabbit holes, no autoplay.
- Allowance Lab: Raise money-smart kids without the spreadsheet — enter your kids’ names and ages and get printable chore charts, a give/save/spend jar guide, and an optional gig board for extra jobs.
🎉 Just for fun
- Hunt Lab: Backyard scavenger-hunt HQ — clue cards, balloon challenges, and an AI clue generator for the big day.
- Hot Button: A pass-and-play party card game — flip cards, press the hot button, be the last player standing.
📱 Apps
- Once Upon AI: Personalized bedtime stories, dreamed up on demand — your kid is the hero of every tale.
- Zap Yeah: Turn your Apple Watch into a laser sword — swing your wrist for laser sounds and an energy-blade hum.
- Are We There Yet?: 40 ad-free learning games for kids aged 4–10, built for road trips and plane rides.
- Hot Button: Pass the phone, don't pop it — a family party game where the pressure builds with every press. Play free in your browser.
How can I get in touch?
Email support@firminlabs.com, or find Paul on LinkedIn.
What else do people ask?
- Is Firmin Labs a company?
- It's Paul's one-person studio. Its iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps are published on the App Store by 1001295979 Ontario Corp., which is why that name appears on the App Store.
- Where is Firmin Labs based?
- In Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
- Do the apps collect my data?
- Each app has its own privacy policy. Several collect nothing at all; Once Upon AI sends your story prompts to AI providers to make the stories and pictures. Every policy is at apps.firminlabs.com/privacy.
- How do I report a bug or suggest an idea?
- Email support@firminlabs.com. Paul reads every message.