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Starter Story

Starter Story

Startups and entrepreneurship 890,000 subscribers

This Simple App Makes $18K/Month

26.07.2026
Published: 26.07.2026 Category: Startups and entrepreneurship

Episode details

Episode description

Ryan is a former product designer who quit his job to finally build his own app. With the help of AI coding tools, the first app he ever built hit $18K/month. But here's the crazy part... this type of app has been built hundreds of times. Why was his successful? In this video, we will dive into the simple app he built, how he got his first users, and his advice on how to pick winning app ideas. *Free: iOS Bootcamp:* http://go.starterstory.com/lp-test-2-ios-bootcamp-description Follow Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanqyao/ Check out Cat on Chair: https://catonchair.app/en/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters 0:00 - I love niche apps 0:50 - What’s your story? 1:19 - App breakdown and data 2:46 - Ryan’s background 3:20 - Simple apps win 3:54 - Design and AI 4:10 - Build timeline 5:35 - Target customers 6:16 - Tech stack 6:48 - Finding the app idea 8:15 - Why does this app work? 9:47 - Building a hand-crafted app 10:19 - How to build cool, unique apps 11:11 - Cat on Chair Demo 12:33 - Final advice 13:20 - Pat and Gus reflections: building unique apps This video is an educational case study of this founder’s experience. It is not financial advice and does not guarantee any income or results. Every business is different and your results may vary.

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