I make $10K/month from 28 apps

Summary

Max, a full-time iOS developer and father of two, has built and shipped 28 mobile apps in just 8 months, generating $10,000/month. By shifting from focusing on one app to quickly shipping many, he’s mastered the art of creating small, profitable apps fast. His process includes using AI tools for development, keyword research for app ideas, and a lean build strategy. Max’s approach highlights the importance of speed, iteration, and testing ideas through execution. His success is a testament to how fast app development is evolving, allowing developers to turn small bets into consistent income.

Takeaways

• 😀 Max built and shipped 28 apps in 8 months, going from $200/month to $10,000/month in revenue.
• 😀 Instead of focusing on one big app, Max uses a strategy of shipping many small apps quickly to diversify risk and increase chances of success.
• 😀 Max's fastest build record is an app completed in just 2 hours, demonstrating the power of speed in app development.
• 😀 His strategy revolves around using a small set of tools to build apps quickly and efficiently, with a strong focus on automation and reuse of components.
• 😀 Finding the right app ideas starts with keyword research using tools like Astro, focusing on popular keywords with good revenue potential.
• 😀 Max uses AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to generate development plans, saving time on the design and coding phases.
• 😀 The 80/20 rule applies to his apps: a few key apps bring the majority of the revenue, while the rest generate small amounts.
• 😀 Max emphasizes shipping early and moving on to the next project, rather than waiting for perfection in any single app.
• 😀 After launching, Max focuses on collecting data to analyze the app's performance and returns to successful apps to optimize and scale them.
• 😀 Max's tech stack includes tools like Firebase, Fastlane, and Astro, all of which contribute to his ability to build and ship apps quickly.
• 😀 Max's key advice for developers is to not be afraid of shipping and to focus on getting apps out to users as quickly as possible, rather than obsessing over perfection.

Q & A

How did Max go from $200 a month to $10,000 a month in 8 months?

Max shifted his strategy by building and shipping many small apps quickly, instead of focusing on perfecting a single app. This allowed him to experiment with a variety of ideas and eventually find success with a few key apps that generated the majority of his revenue.

What is Max's approach to building apps?

Max builds apps using a fast iteration process. He focuses on shipping simple apps quickly, often in a matter of hours or days, rather than spending time perfecting them. Once an app is live, he moves on to the next project and monitors the app's performance to decide whether to revisit it later.

How does Max find good ideas for apps?

Max uses an ASO (App Store Optimization) tool called Astro to find relevant keywords. He looks for categories and keywords with at least 20% popularity and a difficulty of 60-70%. After identifying promising keywords, he checks the top competitors' monthly revenue to gauge market potential.

What is Max's process for quickly building apps?

Max starts by studying a few competitors' apps and identifying the core feature related to his chosen keyword. He then uses AI tools like ChatGPT to generate a development plan, and reuses UI elements and code from previous projects to build the app quickly, often in just a few hours.

What tools does Max use to build and ship his apps?

Max uses several tools in his workflow, including Flutter for app development, Fastlane for fast deployment, Firebase for backend services, OpenAI and Gemini for AI tasks like image recognition, Mixpanel for analytics, and Astro for iOS app store optimization.

How does Max handle app distribution and metadata?

Once an app is built, Max creates visuals like screenshots and app icons in Figma. He then generates an app description using AI tools, fills in all relevant metadata, and submits the app for review on the app store, making sure everything is aligned with his targeted keywords.

What is Max's '80/20 rule' in app development?

Max follows the Pareto Principle, where 80% of his revenue comes from 20% of his apps. His main revenue comes from just a few successful apps, while the majority of his apps generate much smaller amounts.

How does Max decide when to revisit and scale an app?

Max revisits apps that show organic growth or user retention after they've been live for some time. For these apps, he focuses on improving them, fixing bugs, and adding ads to help them scale and generate more revenue.

What advice did Max give to his past self or anyone starting out?

Max advises not to be afraid of shipping apps. Instead of trying to perfect an app, he emphasizes the importance of getting an app ready, shipping it, and letting users provide feedback while working on new projects.

What are the costs involved in running Max's app business?

Max runs his app business on a lean budget, with key tools like Corser costing around $20/month, OpenAI at $200/month, and Firebase, Mixpanel, and Astro being mostly free or low-cost. His total operational costs are relatively low compared to the revenue generated.