I made $1M flipping apps

Summary

This video follows Dom, a creator who built and sold multiple micro-apps while working a full-time job, eventually making over $1 million and exiting one project for seven figures. He breaks down his five-step framework for building, validating, scaling, and selling apps in fast 30-day cycles using no-code tools, feedback loops, and building in public. Dom shares how timing, trends, and rapid execution shaped his successes, along with how he balanced everything alongside a 9–5 job. The conversation offers practical insights, motivation, and a look into Dom’s next venture in AI automation.

Takeaways

• 😀 Dom built and sold multiple apps in just three years, starting from a full-time job, using a five-step strategy for app development and sales.
• 😀 His strategy involved building, validating, and selling a new app every month, with an emphasis on fast execution and learning from mistakes.
• 😀 Dom's first successful project was a pitch deck generator, which he sold for $2,500 after just 45 days of work, proving the power of rapid testing and iteration.
• 😀 The five-step process Dom follows for app building includes setting goals, validating ideas, building with user feedback, growing the product, and finally selling it.
• 😀 For validation, Dom uses a simple landing page with an email collection strategy, aiming for a 15% conversion rate from interested users.
• 😀 The 'feedback loop' approach in building products involves launching with one key feature, gathering feedback from early users, and improving the product in iterations.
• 😀 Dom has consistently used the 'build in public' strategy, sharing his progress openly to attract users and encourage organic growth.
• 😀 Timing is crucial—Dom believes that successful products are often the result of aligning with the right trends and market sentiments at the right time.
• 😀 Dom worked full-time while building his projects and used productivity techniques like the Pomodoro method to manage his time effectively.
• 😀 His tech stack for building products includes tools like Bubble for quick development, Hunter.io for outreach, Stripe for payments, and other tools for marketing and CRM.
• 😀 Dom’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: adapt to different situations, change your perspective when necessary, and stay open to new opportunities, even in challenging times.

Q & A

What was the primary challenge that Dominico set for himself in the beginning?

Dominico set a challenge to build, scale, and sell a new app every 30 days while working a full-time job.

How did Dominico manage to build and sell apps while working a 9-to-5 job?

Dominico used techniques like the Pomodoro method, which breaks work into focused intervals of 25 minutes followed by short breaks. He also organized his calendar effectively to manage his time.

What were some of the apps Dominico built during his 'build and sell' challenge?

Some of the apps Dominico built include Pitch 2.0, OneTap.ai, YourCoverLetter.com, Recapg.com, QuitsBot.io, WebDesigner.io, and Softgen.ai.

What is the five-step process that Dominico follows to build, scale, and sell apps?

1) Set goals (decide when to sell the product), 2) Validate the idea (using landing pages to collect emails), 3) Build the product using a feedback loop approach, 4) Grow the product (with strategies like building public), and 5) Sell the product by packaging it as a business asset.

What strategy did Dominico use to validate his app ideas?

Dominico used a single landing page builder called Yep.so to create landing pages for his app ideas. He then collected emails from interested users to validate demand before building the full product.

What did Dominico mean by 'feedback loop' in the building stage?

The feedback loop approach involves building one key feature of the app, sharing it with the first batch of users who signed up via the landing page, gathering feedback, and using that feedback to improve and relaunch the app.

What is the 'building public' strategy that Dominico mentions?

The 'building public' strategy involves sharing the development progress of the app openly, which helps build a community around the product and generate organic growth.

What are some key metrics buyers look for when purchasing an app, according to Dominico?

Buyers typically look for key metrics like error margins, gross margins, average revenue per user, lifetime value, customer acquisition cost, and churn rate.

How did Dominico decide when to quit his full-time job?

Dominico quit his job after he saw the potential of his project, Softgen.ai. Once he realized that the app had strong growth potential, he made the leap from working 9-to-5 to working on his business full-time.

What tools and tech stack did Dominico use to build and scale his projects?

Dominico used tools like Bubble for quick development, MakerBase for public roadmaps, Hunter.io for outreach, TinyAdz for advertising, Stripe for financial services, and a variety of others for CRM, influencer marketing, and UGC content creation.