How I Built It: $40K/Month iPhone App

Summary

Steven Kada shares his journey of building a mobile app, Puff Count, which generates $40,000 monthly revenue. With no coding experience, he emphasizes the importance of marketing and ideation, suggesting that anyone can build an app. He details his process of validating ideas, using no-code tools, hiring developers on Upwork, and leveraging TikTok for marketing. Kada also discusses monetization strategies, such as in-app purchases and hard paywalls, and the significance of understanding user lifetime value for sustainable growth.

Takeaways

• 💡 **No Coding Experience Needed**: Steven Creda built a profitable mobile app without any coding experience, proving that anyone can enter the mobile app market.
• 📈 **Marketing is Key**: 95% of a mobile app's success is attributed to effective marketing, emphasizing the importance of reaching the right audience.
• 🌐 **Global Reach**: Mobile apps offer the unique advantage of unlimited scale, allowing anyone to reach a global audience with a single product.
• 🚀 **Quick Development**: With no-code tools and platforms like Upwork, it's possible to develop a mobile app in less than a month.
• 💼 **Outsourcing is Essential**: Steven didn't design or develop his app; he had the idea and knew how to assemble a team, highlighting the value of outsourcing.
• 🔍 **Market Research**: Validating an app idea involves thorough market research, including looking at similar apps, Google Trends, and social media trends.
• 🎨 **UI/UX Design**: Steven used 99designs to crowdsource UI designs for his app, showing a cost-effective way to get professional designs.
• 💼 **Hiring Developers**: For building the app, Steven recommends hiring developers from Eastern Europe on platforms like Upwork for quality work at a lower cost.
• 📱 **Monetization Strategies**: In-app purchases and subscriptions are effective monetization methods for tool-focused apps, as opposed to ads which work better for apps with longer user engagement.
• 📈 **AB Testing**: Steven used AB testing to find the optimal pricing for his app, maximizing the lifetime value (LTV) of users.
• 🌐 **TikTok for Marketing**: TikTok is identified as a powerful platform for marketing mobile apps, with the potential to go viral and drive significant downloads.

Q & A

What is the current monthly recurring revenue of Steven's mobile app Puff Count?

The mobile app Puff Count is currently generating $40,000 per month in recurring revenue.

What does Steven believe is the key to the success of a mobile app?

Steven believes that marketing is 95% of the success of a mobile app.

How did Steven start his journey in building mobile apps?

Steven started as a typical online entrepreneur, jumping from one business model to another, and then he stumbled upon mobile apps and recognized the opportunity.

What is the total number of downloads Steven has amassed across all his apps?

Steven has amassed over 12 million downloads on his apps in total.

What is the main advantage of building a mobile app business according to Steven?

The main advantage is the unlimited scale, where one can reach anyone on the planet, and build it once to sell it a million times.

How does Steven validate his app ideas?

Steven validates his app ideas by doing market research, looking at trends, and observing viral content on platforms like TikTok.

What platform does Steven recommend for getting UI designs for apps?

Steven recommends using 99designs to get UI designs for apps.

How does Steven find and hire developers for his apps?

Steven finds and hires developers on Upwork, recommending to hire developers from Eastern Europe for better quality code at a cheaper price.

What is Steven's strategy for marketing mobile apps?

Steven's strategy for marketing mobile apps is primarily through TikTok, focusing on creating entertaining content with a clear call to action at the end.

How does Steven approach monetization for his apps?

Steven monetizes his apps through in-app purchases, subscriptions, and hard paywalls, testing different pricing points to find the highest lifetime value for users.

What tools does Steven use for building and managing his mobile apps?

Steven uses Upwork for hiring developers, 99designs for UI, Super Wall for AB testing paywalls, RevenueCat for analytics, AppsFlyer for MMP, and TikTok and Facebook ads for traffic.

What advice does Steven give to those who want to start in the online business world?

Steven advises to be driven, outsource what you're bad at, build a team, don't give up early, and relentlessly talk to users, get feedback, and iterate based on data.