Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Starter Story

Rasty built and launched his first iOS app in 3 weeks. And today, that simple idea makes $41,000 per month. The secret? Well, he didn't dance on TikTok or spam Instagram. No, his old school approach is much simpler than that. This episode is about how a founder built something absurdly simple, out-marketed much bigger players, and built a successful app. *Free database: simple apps making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/b4qr Say hi to Rasty: https://x.com/synopsi Check out Vaultaire: https://vaultaire.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 $41K in a single month 00:01:08 What's your story? 00:01:44 What's the app? 00:02:51 More simple iOS app ideas 00:03:34 App statistics 00:04:45 Founder background 00:06:26 App growth strategy 00:07:44 AI agent marketing and content team 00:09:52 Tech stack 00:10:47 App demo 00:11:10 the FBI story!! 00:11:48 Final advice 00:12:47 Pat and Gus reflections: this dude is awesome! 00:14:36 Download simple iOS app ideas 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.

Kourosh built an app in a very crowded market... and yet still managed to grow it to over $18K/month. His secret is insanely simple: everyone else is chasing tech-savvy power users, but Kourosh built this app for a type of custer everyone is ignoring (his dad). This video is the story of how to build a successful product in a "saturated" market. *50+ AI app ideas making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/q8ij Say hi to Kourash: https://x.com/BuildingWaves Check out Voicy: https://usevoicy.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 He built this for his dad! 00:01:09 What's your story? 00:01:59 What's the app? 00:03:24 Founder background 00:04:14 More AI app ideas 00:04:56 Finding the idea for Voicy 00:05:50 Build process 00:07:28 Tech stack 00:08:21 Growth story 00:09:51 Unique customers 00:11:22 Building in a crowded market 00:13:06 Final advice 00:14:28 Reflections 00:15:17 FREE app ideas 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.

Vadim is 19 years old and, before this year, had never shipped an app in his life. In March, he quit his marketing job to build apps… 5 months later, he hit $10K/month with over 20K users. His process has been 100% building with AI and posting content on IG shamelessly. This video is proof that you do NOT need to be technical or have a clever growth hack to build an app business that makes real money. *Get HubSpot's free CRM, the one that updates itself:* https://clickhubspot.com/qy9n Say hi to Vadim: https://x.com/VadimStrizheus Check out Vugola: https://www.vugolaai.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Zero to $10K in 5 months 00:00:56 What’s your story? 00:01:22 What’s the app? 00:02:10 Know your customers! 00:02:52 Founder background 00:03:27 Finding the app idea 00:04:13 How he built it 00:05:05 Building the MVP 00:05:23 Tech stack and tools 00:05:51 Zero to $1K MRR 00:06:45 Hitting $10K per month 00:09:02 Time vs money with content 00:09:55 App demo 00:10:46 Final advice 00:11:45 Reflections: anyone can be a builder! 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.

Max built a simple iOS app to solve his own problem at the gym. But here’s the thing… before this app, he had never shipped a single line of code in his life. In fact, he was going down the traditional route: college, internships, everything. But he found apps and decided to go all-in. Today, his app makes $14K/month and is growing. This is his app story for anyone looking to get started with apps in 2026. *Get HubSpot's free CRM, the one that updates itself:* https://clickhubspot.com/2b1y Say hi to Max: https://x.com/MaxHirsch13 Check out Maxed AI: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/maxed-ai-smart-fitness-app/id6759180029 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Zero to $14K in 6 months 00:00:49 What’s your story? 00:01:19 What’s the app? 00:02:29 What makes your app different? 00:03:03 How to keep track of your customers 00:03:45 Founder background 00:04:49 Finding the idea 00:05:32 Tech stack 00:06:04 Growth and marketing 00:07:38 What’s working for growing apps right now 00:08:23 Building a personal brand 00:09:15 App demo 00:10:14 Final advice 00:11:15 Pat and Gus reflections 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.

6 months ago, Lino had never built an app in his life. Then he stumbled upon the app community on X, made some connections, and started building. Just 6 months later, he's grown his first app to over $50K per month and changed his life forever. In this video, he will break down his unbelievable app idea and how he grew it so fast. *iOS App Ideas Database:* https://clickhubspot.com/a68v Say hi to Lino: https://x.com/LinoLeighton Check out AbMaxx: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/abmaxx-become-shredded/id6757769125 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Can you change your life in 6 months? 00:01:08 What’s your story? 00:01:34 What’s the app? 00:02:15 Finding the idea 00:02:49 More iOS app ideas! 00:03:27 an old idea, remixed 00:04:03 Building process 00:05:22 Tech stack 00:06:01 Zero to $10K/month 00:07:24 $10K to $60K/month 00:08:34 Lino’s app playbook 00:12:05 App demo 00:13:20 Final advice 00:14:45 Pat and Gus reflections 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.

Frank had never built software in his life. Until one weekend, he got a crazy idea and decided to just build it with Claude. Today, the app he built in just a few hours, makes over $40K per month. In this video, we break down the growth story and how anyone can build and launch their idea all thanks to coding with AI. *Find your business idea with our free database (over 3k+ ideas):* https://clickhubspot.com/von4 Say hi to Frank: https://x.com/frankmikesmith Check out GeoSports: https://geosports.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Built in a few hours 00:00:46 What's your story? 00:01:24 Business breakdown 00:02:58 Build your own app! 00:04:06 Founder background 00:05:11 But you had an audience? 00:06:43 Finding the idea 00:07:27 Building the app 00:08:10 Tools and tech stack 00:08:43 Advice for building apps 00:10:35 Growth timeline 00:11:42 Zero to $40K/month 00:12:44 Final advice 00:13:58 Gus reflections 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.

Tom built a tiny widget that solves one painful problem. He launched it about 1 year ago, and today it makes $55K per month – 100% bootstrapped. This video is the story of how spotting one real problem and building the simplest possible solution turned into a real business. *90+ Million-dollar problems (business ideas):* https://clickhubspot.com/tu8n Say hi to Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-holliday-505469161/ Check out Avenue: https://www.avenue2.au/ Follow Avenue on IG: https://www.instagram.com/avenue2.au 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 The simple app I found on X 00:01:03 What's your story? 00:01:28 What's the app? 00:01:59 Solving an age old problem 00:02:29 Revenue breakdown 00:02:50 Problems worth solving 00:03:29 Founder background 00:04:13 Finding the idea 00:04:51 Build timeline 00:05:45 Hiring without revenue? 00:06:18 Growth and marketing 00:07:29 Building for the trades 00:08:29 Tom's advice for building apps 00:09:10 Tools and tech stack 00:09:51 App demo 00:10:29 Final advice 00:11:19 Gus reflections 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.

Jay built nomadtable, a mobile app that makes $140K/month. Before that he was a software engineer, until one trip changed his life forever. This episode is a day in the life of a solo app builder in 2026. *iOS App ideas:* https://clickhubspot.com/qy55 Follow Jay: https://twitter.com/jayvraavi Check out NomadTable: https://nomadtable.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Meet Jay 00:00:53 Morning routine 00:01:33 The story behind nomad table 00:02:43 iOS app ideas 00:03:14 Afternoon routine 00:04:17 Building apps in 2026 00:05:10 Building apps while traveling 00:05:46 Evening routine 00:06:38 Lessons from building 00:07:40 Advice for builders

Ken spent nearly his entire career in big tech before to build a mobile app. In his first year since he launched, he hit his $10K/month goal, and grew the game to $155K in revenue with zero paid marketing. This video is the story of why he left a comfortable job to build a game, and how he grew it on his own. *Free database: 100+ Solopreneurs making $1M/year* https://clickhubspot.com/1k92 Say hi to Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethylaw/ Check out Harpagia: https://kayelleapps.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 the $10K game 00:00:54 Gus is hosting! 00:01:10 What’s your story? 00:01:48 Business breakdown 00:02:24 Revenue overview 00:03:39 Founder background 00:04:34 Successful solo devs 00:05:23 Quitting tech backstory 00:06:33 App timeline 00:07:38 Growth and marketing 00:09:27 The opportunity in games 00:10:45 App demo 00:11:41 Tech stack 00:12:28 Final advice 00:13:25 Gus reflections 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.

Mauro built a gym app that last month made $160,000. What sets him apart is not the product or marketing... but his app development approach. He treats the product like a science experiment: A/B testing, validating features, and only building stuff that moves the needled.This video breaks down how to think like a product management expert, stop guessing, and start building what actually moves the needle. *FREE iOS App Ideas:* https://clickhubspot.com/l6tq Say hi to Mauro: https://x.com/Mauro_Botanes Check out Symmetry: https://symmetry.club/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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.

Meet Roman. He built Career Hound, a simple job board website that makes around $25K/month. It's a saturated idea, but the reason he's successful is NOT about the product. It's all about the marketing. This video is the story of how a "boring" product wins entirely on distribution. *One-page websites making $10K/month:* https://clickhubspot.com/m8ed Say hi to Roman: https://x.com/rlakhnyuk Check out Career Hound: https://www.careerhound.io/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Dead simple websites win 00:01:11 What’s your story? 00:01:37 What’s the website? 00:02:50 Founder background 00:03:30 Coming up with the idea 00:04:09 Simple, one-page websites 00:04:59 What makes your website different? 00:05:53 Marketing: timely vs timeless content 00:07:24 Marketing examples 00:08:58 Working with ‘older’ creators 00:10:23 The marketing system secret 00:10:47 Advice to builders 00:12:13 Tech stack 00:12:43 Final advice 00:13:35 Gus reflections: it’s all about the marketing 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.

Piotr built Visualizee, an AI rendering tool that lets architects and designers generate realistic home renders in seconds. This might sound like a success story... but Piotr was stuck at $150 per month for YEARS. Then, one single product pivot changed his entire business and grew it to $10K per month. *The AI Playbook: 50+ AI app ideas making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/qs4m Say hi to Piotr: https://x.com/pobidowski Check out Visualizee: https://visualizee.ai/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 2 years to hit $10K 00:00:57 What’s your story? 00:01:33 Business breakdown 00:03:40 App idea 00:04:04 Build process and timeline 00:04:50 AI app ideas 00:05:51 The pivot 00:07:02 Takeaways and learnings from the pivot 00:07:26 Results and data 00:07:53 What would you do differently next time? 00:09:09 Tech stack and tools 00:09:51 Advice 00:10:31 Pat and Gus reflections: stay in the game! 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.

Gaurav built Fastlane, a marketing SaaS for indie developers. He’s grown it to $1M ARR and thousands of users, but the real story is about what he did to build it. In a few months, he had thousands of customer calls where he learned what worked, what didn’t, and exactly how to build the product for his ideal customer. This video breaks down why talking to customers is the most important thing you can do if you want to build a successful SaaS. *90+ Business Ideas ($1M+ problems worth solving):* https://clickhubspot.com/mod5 Say hi to Gaurav: https://twitter.com/gauravsbuilding Check out Fastlane: https://www.usefastlane.ai/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Don't skip this! 00:00:57 What's your story? 00:01:44 Business breakdown 00:02:29 Finding the idea 00:03:26 Background and build timeline 00:04:40 Tech stack and tools 00:05:14 Solve painful problems 00:06:09 The secret behind his success 00:07:45 The system that helped him win 00:09:32 Go talk to customers! 00:10:12 Customer calls breakdown 00:12:54 App demo 00:13:50 How customer calls influenced the product 00:14:07 Final advice 00:15:09 Pat and Gus reflections: face the fear of rejection 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.

Rashid built three simple websites that make over $32,000 per month. But what's actually interesting is that he built essentially three identical websites. They all solve a very similar problem for a slightly different user. This is the story of how a guy built a few simple, boring websites and scaled them to where they are today. *90+ Business Ideas ($1M+ problems worth solving):* http://go.starterstory.com/lp-test-4-million-dollar-problems-description Follow Rashid: https://twitter.com/Rashidkhasanov Check out his websites: - https://angelmatch.io/ - https://investorhunt.co/ - https://journalisthunt.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Making money with simple websites 00:01:00 What’s your story? 00:01:33 Business overview 00:02:14 Revenue and numbers 00:03:23 Painful problems win! 00:04:34 Founder background 00:05:48 Finding the business idea 00:06:33 Growth and marketing 00:07:33 Secret behind the websites 00:08:15 Ideas to start in 2026 00:08:57 Database product playbook 00:10:12 Tech stack and tools 00:10:57 Final advice 00:11:57 Pat and Gus reflections: solve a painful problem! 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.

Meet Gaurabh. He built almost 100 apps in 60 days. But... he had a problem. Despite shipping all these projects, he has made exactly ZERO dollars. What happened? What was going on? Why hadn't he made any money? In this first episode of the Starter Story challenge, we challenge him to finally monetize his app. Can he actually do it? *Side project ideas you can build with your 9-5:* https://clickhubspot.com/jzxl Apply for the challenge → https://forms.gle/eFqR1QdT4N5tBWyo9 Follow Gaurabh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurabhmathure/ Check out his projects: - https://attn.design/ - https://vuemagnet.com/ - https://mastersofattention.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel:  @StarterStoryBuild  🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 $1K in 30 days 00:00:42 Welcome to the challenge 00:01:05 100 apps... zero revenue 00:01:34 What's the problem? 00:02:21 The Challenge 00:03:05 Do you accept the challenge? 00:03:23 It begins! 00:03:50 100 side project ideas 00:04:48 Update 00:05:02 The first 30 days 00:06:11 Making $100 00:06:53 The next 30 days 00:08:08 Numbers behind the content 00:08:58 Talking to customers 00:09:42 Revenue and results 00:10:35 Congrats on the challenge!! 00:11:09 Lessons learned and advice 00:12:57 What's next? 00:13:29 Join the challenge 00:13:36 Wrap up 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.

Rob builds apps, travels the world, and is an inspiration to all indie builders in the game. Over the past few years, he has been documenting his journey of building a $20K/month SaaS on X, sharing what it really looks like to be an indie developer in this day and age. *Free $1M Solopreneur MVP Guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/66mr Follow Rob: https://twitter.com/robj3d3 Check out his projects: http://robhallam.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Meet Rob 00:00:58 Morning routine 00:01:38 Building while traveling 00:03:00 Start your solopreneur journey 00:03:28 Afternoon routine 00:04:19 Prioritizing work 00:05:53 Biggest lessons learned 00:07:40 Advice to builders

I traveled to New York to spend 24 hours with the guys who built and sold Cal AI for millions. The video answers one main question: now that AI lets anyone build an app, is it still possible to build a successful one in 2026? Along the way, we talked about what it was like to build a company with your friends, and what they're doing now that they've sold. *Free iOS Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/bqt8 Follow Blake: https://x.com/blakeandersonw Follow Zach: https://x.com/zach_yadegari Cal AI: https://calai.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel:  @StarterStoryBuild  🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 iOS Millionaires 00:01:20 What’s your story? 00:02:24 Numbers behind Cal AI 00:02:48 Meet the other co-founders 00:03:36 What was it like to work together? 00:03:59 Did you know it’d be successful? 00:04:48 Becoming co-founders 00:05:38 Managing conflict and trust 00:06:58 Build your own iOS app 00:07:39 Opportunity in apps in 2026 00:08:32 Does copying apps still work? 00:09:15 Advice for building apps 00:10:00 NYC office tour 00:10:25 What did it feel like to sell Cal AI? 00:10:58 The game of entrepreneurship 00:11:42 What are you working on now? 00:12:46 Final thoughts from Pat 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.

Tomer took one of the most successful apps in the world and built it for his local market. Today, just 12 months after launching, he's already doing over $80K/month. This video breaks down his playbook for reverse-engineering a proven app idea and building your own. *iOS App Ideas:* http://go.starterstory.com/lp-test-3-ios-app-ideas-description Follow Tomer: https://twitter.com/tomercn Check Cal Buddy: https://calbuddy.co.il/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 You don’t need an original idea 00:01:04 What’s your story? 00:01:38 What’s the app? 00:02:15 Founder background 00:03:03 Build process 00:04:01 Finding the app idea 00:04:43 More app ideas! 00:05:32 App differentiation 00:06:40 Growth and marketing 00:08:00 Influencer strategy 00:09:05 Partnership breakdown 00:09:54 Tech stack 00:10:24 Final advice 00:11:05 Pat and Gus reflections: you don’t need a new idea! 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.

Over the past few years, Jack Friks has completely changed his life through bootstrapping and building apps on the internet. In this video, we do a deep into how he works: how he spends his time, finds ideas, and his approach to work that viewers can take and use in their daily life. *Get our free $1M Solopreneur MVP guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/dg4j Follow Jack: https://twitter.com/jackfriks Check out his projects: https://www.jackfriks.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Meet Jack Friks 00:00:32 Morning routine 00:01:19 Doing his best work 00:01:47 Working in sprints 00:02:44 Work routine 00:03:33 Stress, anxiety, and work 00:04:39 Finding ideas 00:05:29 Lessons learned 00:06:57 Evening routine 00:08:34 Number 1 piece of advice for builders 00:08:51 Keep going!

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 Chapters 00:00:00 I love niche apps 00:00:50 What’s your story? 00:01:19 App breakdown and data 00:02:46 Ryan’s background 00:03:20 Simple apps win 00:03:54 Design and AI 00:04:10 Build timeline 00:05:35 Target customers 00:06:16 Tech stack 00:06:48 Finding the app idea 00:08:15 Why does this app work? 00:09:47 Building a hand-crafted app 00:10:19 How to build cool, unique apps 00:11:11 Cat on Chair Demo 00:12:33 Final advice 00:13:20 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.

Michael built one of the most unbelievable app ideas I've ever seen. And today he makes over $100K per month. But the real story is the IDEA. What's the secret? How does it make money? So in this video, we break down how Michael found this unbelievable app idea and the framework any builder can use to find their own crazy app ideas too. *Free: 100+ App Ideas in Health, Wealth & Self-Improvement:* https://clickhubspot.com/vq21 Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/michaelque22 Check out Go Tall: https://www.gotall.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 I can't believe this exists... 00:00:58 What's your story? 00:01:31 App breakdown 00:02:41 Michael's background 00:03:32 Health and Self-Improvement Apps 00:04:36 Finding the unbelievable idea 00:06:27 Advice for finding ideas 00:08:40 Growth and marketing 00:10:20 Tech stack 00:10:52 Go Tall demo 00:12:59 Advice: let go of your ego 00:14:35 Pat and Gus reflections: what an unbelievable idea! 00:17:01 Build YOUR app idea 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.

I traveled to Los Angeles to meet a guy who built a $30K/month golf app while he had a full-time job at a big tech company. But now he's facing a big decision: should he stay at his full-time job and keep building on the side? Or is it finally time to go all-in on his business? In this video, you will learn the incredible story behind how he built this successful business and by the end... you'll find out whether he stayed or quit! *190+ Micro-SaaS Ideas Making Millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/58ys Follow Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-robinson-543b2678/ Check out Live Tourney: https://www.livetourney.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Stay or quit? 00:00:43 Arrival! 00:01:02 Meet Matt 00:01:25 Business breakdown 00:01:43 Career life 00:02:13 Improve Pat’s swing! 00:02:47 Idea and build 00:03:32 How the app works 00:04:12 Is this a dumb decision? 00:04:40 Go build something! 00:05:44 What’s the plan? 00:06:55 The inflection point 00:07:40 Back against the wall 00:08:28 How to build with a full-time job 00:09:42 What it feels to build a successful app 00:10:30 Takeaways and reflections 00:11:31 The final decision! 00:12:08 Leaving the job 00:12:43 A family decision 00:13:18 What’s next? 00:14:42 Wrap up 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.

Sarah turned a simple idea into an app called Stella. In JUST 2 months she hit $340K/Month. But... there’s a bigger story here: building apps is getting easier and easier. So who is going to win? Well, in this video, we break down how Sarah built a $300K/month app, and why she thinks she's the first of a much bigger wave. *Free: iOS Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/xg54 Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/hhpriestess Check out Stella: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stella-manifest-anything/id6757347283 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 She built this app 00:00:55 Meet Sarah 00:01:26 App breakdown 00:02:36 "But you have a following?" 00:03:27 Sarah's background 00:04:34 The year of iOS 00:05:15 Finding the app idea 00:06:23 Tech stack 00:07:08 The next wave of builders 00:08:58 Distribution and virality 00:10:16 Marketing examples 00:12:41 Advice to younger self 00:14:32 Pat and Gus: the next wave of builders 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.

Jake Glacer built one of the simplest apps I've ever seen. You almost can't believe it makes any money. But Jake found a viral idea, started marketing from the very beginning, and grew to over $50K/month in just 4 months. In this video, we break down how something this simple actually works and why a niche app like this is so easy to market. *iOS App Ideas:* https://go.starterstory.com/ios-app-ideas-lm-description Follow Jake: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeglacer/ Check out Erly: https://erly.co/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Simples app idea ever? 00:00:59 What’s your story? 00:01:24 What’s the app? 00:02:22 Founder background 00:03:00 More simple iOS app ideas 00:04:03 Finding the idea 00:05:59 Build the app 00:07:27 How to find successful ideas 00:08:59 Growth and marketing 00:09:59 Marketing example 00:11:05 Deal structure 00:11:52 Tracking marketing results 00:13:01 Tech stack 00:13:59 App demo 00:14:50 Final advice: focus on marketing 00:15:51 Pat and Gus reflections: a crazy simple idea 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.

Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur who makes over $10M/year from his companies. Everyone who follows him wonders the same thing: how does he get so much done? This is a day in his life and how he actually works. *Get Sam’s guide to Run Your Life Like A $100M Business:* https://clickhubspot.com/cfgm Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/thesamparr & https://www.instagram.com/thesamparr/ Check out Hampton: https://joinhampton.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Meet Sam Parr 00:00:30 Morning routine 00:01:14 Phone addiction 00:01:44 Staying focused 00:02:30 Daily habits 00:03:42 Work routine 00:05:02 Lessons from 1,000 podcasts 00:06:11 Traits of a successful founder 00:08:06 Finding business ideas 00:08:44 Dealing with uncertainty 00:09:20 Evening routine 00:10:38 Advice to all builders

We traveled to Los Angeles, CA to meet the guys behind a $20K/month track app, hear their story, and learn about how they built this... while still in college (without knowing how to code!) *Free: iOS App Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/bo6a Follow Christian: https://x.com/Christianisrac Follow Braylin: https://x.com/Braylin2x Check out 3AK: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/3ak-track-field/id6756290066 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 The track app 00:00:34 Meeting the guys 00:01:10 What’s the app? 00:01:31 Founders background 00:02:10 Warm up and stretch! 00:02:41 Building the app (tools and tech) 00:03:33 Build your own iOS app 00:04:51 Coming up with app ideas 00:05:31 App demo 00:06:15 Pat tests the track app! 00:08:01 Building niche apps 00:08:44 Dropping out and balancing everything 00:09:47 The story behind the founders 00:10:50 Day in the life, making money in college 00:11:32 Final advice 00:12:27 Pat’s closing reflections 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.

An built an app that has thousands of users and hit 6-figures ARR. But after almost running out of cash for this app, he spent 2 months developing a framework that completely transformed his business. In this video, we break down his entire system and how any builder can this for their own app. *Get our Organic Short Form Playbook:* https://clickhubspot.com/szvp *Grab An's Content Tracker:* https://www.starterstory.com/short-form-tracker?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=an-nayal-tracker *VSC Framework Deep Dive:* https://onelink.to/starterstory Follow An: https://twitter.com/consumerxai and https://www.youtube.com/@UCBQ73vil_z6FNvxhTJFopZg Check out his projects: https://www.annayal.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Validate before building anything 00:01:07 What’s your story? 00:01:47 App breakdown and “ugly” spreadsheet 00:02:43 Founder background 00:03:43 Finding the app idea 00:04:12 More ways to grow apps 00:04:59 The VSC Framework 00:07:26 Content examples 00:08:47 The “ugly” content tracking spreadsheet 00:10:37 App demo 00:11:50 Tech stack and tools 00:12:36 Advice to founders 00:13:12 Pat and Gus reflections: create a system

Kyan is a college student who built his first app and turned it into a $25K/month business. This is the story about how he found a tiny problem and turned it into a profitable app in just 5 months. *Free: $1M Attention Guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/pgxp Follow Kyan: https://x.com/kyanbuilds Check out ToneAdapt: https://www.toneadapt.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Zero to $25K in 5 months 00:01:04 What's your story? 00:01:41 App breakdown 00:03:01 Kyan's background 00:03:40 Finding and validating the idea 00:04:20 The Attention Playbook 00:05:03 Solve your own problem 00:05:22 Build process and tech stack 00:06:51 Growth and marketing 00:07:39 Being "cringe" 00:08:20 Find something you already know 00:09:30 Find a tiny problem 00:10:11 Ship V1 FAST 00:10:32 Post 3x per day 00:11:09 Scale winning content 00:12:15 ToneAdapt demo 00:14:12 Advice to younger self 00:15:05 Pat and Gus reflections: a cool little idea

Zac built an analytics SaaS, and just hit $1M ARR, But here's the thing... you've probably never heard of it. And that's the whole point! His business model is unique and that's exactly why he is successful. So, in this video, we break down why agencies are the dream customer nobody's building for and his advice for doing it all over again. *30+ Business Ideas in Unsexy Niches:* https://clickhubspot.com/ma5x Follow Zac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zcherin/ Check out Hiro: https://www.hiroanalytics.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Zero to $1M 00:00:56 What's your story? 00:01:25 SaaS breakdown 00:02:24 Business model 00:03:01 Zac's background 00:03:34 Find your overlooked business idea 00:04:16 Tools and tech stack 00:05:01 Building for agencies 00:07:10 Risks to the business 00:08:02 How to build a SaaS like this 00:09:19 Advice for founders 00:10:24 Pat and Gus reflections: the agency model

Kyle Fowler is a regular guy who runs two mobile apps that together do over $120,00K per month. This is the story of how a self-taught developer turned a hobby into one successful app... and then did it again. *Steal 90+ Business Ideas:* https://clickhubspot.com/3bnt Follow Kyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylefowler2/ Check out Cardstock: https://www.openbraceapps.com/ Check out Scanémon: https://www.scanemon.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Building from your hobbies 00:00:57 What’s your story? 00:01:30 App businesses breakdown 00:02:51 Founder background 00:03:58 Solve your own problems! 00:04:44 Building the apps 00:05:23 Timeline and launch 00:06:05 Tech stack and costs 00:06:28 Idea and validation 00:07:59 Finding $1M app ideas 00:09:20 Marketing apps in 2026 00:10:11 App demo 00:11:01 Final advice 00:12:08 Pat and Gus reflections

Benjamin Chen is a 20-year-old NYU student who’s built 45+ apps and scaled his latest app to $30K/month. What makes Benji different is he has a repeatable system that’s helped him build, launch, and grow his apps fast. This video breaks down the exact system he uses to scale apps profitably. *Free iOS App Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/r91p Follow Benji: https://twitter.com/benjiianc Check out Snag: https://snagapp.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 The system behind a successful app 00:01:05 Who is Benji? 00:01:26 App breakdown 00:02:25 Founder background 00:03:37 Build process 00:04:14 Build your own iOS apps!! 00:04:50 Tech stack and tools 00:05:39 Finding app ideas 00:06:39 Marketing apps 00:08:11 UGC example 00:08:50 Paid ads strategy 00:09:42 App Playbook (Step-by-Step) 00:11:59 Advice 00:13:02 Pat and Gus reflections: the proven system

David (and his brother Daniel) launched Shipper, an AI app builder. But here's the secret... they didn't reinvent the wheel. They just saw a billion-dollar opportunity and thought, "if we capture just 1% of the market, maybe it could change our lives?" This is the story of how they grew shipper to over $50K/month by building a micro-version of a billion-dollar market. *Free Database: 50+ AI App Ideas Making Millions* https://clickhubspot.com/zgul Follow David: https://twitter.com/chhddavid Check out Shipper: https://shipper.now/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Every idea is taken… 00:00:49 What’s your story? 00:01:27 Business breakdown 00:02:46 Founder background 00:03:29 More AI App Ideas 00:04:14 Idea behind the business 00:04:54 Build story 00:05:45 Tech stack 00:06:17 Growth and marketing 00:07:21 Finding the 1% difference 00:09:15 Advice to younger self 00:10:05 Pat and Gus reflections: Copy & Paste

Cedric Roberge built an app called Pep AI. In just ONE MONTH, he hit 10,000 users and $30K in revenue (wow!!). This video breaks down how a college student found a trending niche, built the app, and scaled to $30K/month. *Free iOS Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/60ej Follow Cedric: https://twitter.com/Cedric_Roberge Check out Pep AI: https://pepaiapp.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Knowing where to look 00:00:53 Who is Cedric? 00:01:13 App data and overview 00:02:20 Founder background 00:03:19 Build timeline and tech stack 00:04:44 Start building with AI 00:05:40 How to find a great app idea 00:06:51 Identifying viral ideas 00:08:09 Find ideas on social media 00:09:11 Review existing apps 00:09:59 Growth and Marketing 00:12:06 App Demo 00:13:34 8 - Advice to founders 00:15:13 Pat and Gus reflections: the power of building with AI

Everyone is chasing the next trending idea, but this guy built a $1.7M/year business in the most boring category you can imagine. In this video, we break down how he found the idea and built it. And you'll learn why building in unsexy categories might be the best way to make millions. *Free: 30+ Business Ideas in Unsexy Niches:* https://clickhubspot.com/1okf Follow Bohdan: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bohdan-drozdov/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bohdansventures Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bo_in_the_wild/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Nobody is paying attention to this category 00:00:59 Who is Bo? 00:01:24 App data and background 00:02:18 Build boring apps! 00:03:36 Finding the idea for Savvy Nomad 00:04:32 Why this boring app works 00:06:27 3 boring business app ideas 00:09:04 Boring apps playbook 00:11:53 How the business works 00:12:44 Tech stack 00:13:30 Advice to founders 00:14:27 Pat and Gus reflections: find unsexy ideas

Nicole has multiple apps to over $150K/month. The questions is... how? What's the secret? How did she do it? Turns out, it's a finely tuned system that she has perfected. In this video, we break down what that system is and how anyone can put it into practice. *Get the free Mobile App Growth Cheat Sheet:* https://clickhubspot.com/zfj2 Follow Nicole: https://twitter.com/madebycol Check out Glam Up: https://www.glamup.ai/ Check Out Sprout: https://www.usesprout.com/ Grab Nicole's Playbook: https://tally.so/r/BzZpA4 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 I couldn’t believe this post… 00:01:07 Who is Nicole? 00:01:55 App background and data 00:03:15 Founder background 00:04:01 Building is easy, Marketing is (still) hard! 00:04:59 Finding the app idea 00:05:56 Growth overview 00:06:40 Data and numbers behind the content 00:07:26 App growth playbook 00:07:44 Where to market your app 00:08:33 Building a UGC system 00:09:01 Source content creators 00:09:36 Onboard creators for your app 00:10:25 Managing UGC creators 00:10:54 System and optimize your system 00:11:58 App demo 00:12:52 Build and tech stack 00:13:24 Final advice 00:14:06 Pat and Gus takeaways

In this video, we break down how a simple mobile app turned into a $20K/month business. But the real story is about how he validated the idea BEFORE writing a single line of code. By the end of this video, you will have playbook you can use to go validate your app. *Get our Mobile App Growth Cheat Sheet:* https://clickhubspot.com/rbh7 Follow Brian: https://twitter.com/brianshinsh Check out Once: https://once.film/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 The commitment metric 00:00:56 Meet Brian Shin 00:01:27 Business breakdown 00:02:35 Mobile app growth tactics 00:03:22 Founder background 00:04:25 App idea 00:05:48 Build process 00:06:35 Tech Stack 00:07:07 Validating the app 00:08:30 Validation Playbook 00:11:23 How the app works 00:12:18 Stop overthinking! 00:13:15 Pat and Gus reflections

Marc Lou makes $77K/month as a solopreneur. Everyone who follows him wonders the same thing: how does he ship so much? This is a day in his life and how he actually works. *Get our free $1M Solopreneur guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/gjmh Follow Marc: https://x.com/marclou Check out his projects: https://marclou.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Meet Marc Lou 00:00:52 Morning routine 00:01:36 Deep work 00:02:34 Shipping 35 startups 00:03:37 How Marc finds ideas 00:05:12 Ship list 00:05:57 The biggest barrier to success 00:06:50 Validating ideas 00:07:51 Evening routine 00:08:31 Bed routine 00:09:12 Advice to all builders 00:10:03 Don't you dare give up

I traveled to Los Angeles, CA to spend 24 hours with Jeremy Redman and dive deep into his $3M SaaS business. *Free database → 190+ micro-SaaS ideas making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/ofg Follow Jeremy: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheJeremyRedman & https://twitter.com/thejeremyredman Check out his latest projects: - https://leadquest.ai/ - https://sideproduct.com/ - https://snagthem.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Most Successful Solopreneur OAT 00:00:49 Is SaaS dead? 00:01:33 Meet Jeremy Redman 00:02:05 Business overview and stats 00:03:48 House tour 00:04:10 Jeremy's background 00:05:12 Find your $1M idea 00:05:58 The FU purchase 00:06:24 The tentpole strategy overview 00:07:24 Tentpole step-by-step breakdown 00:10:18 Advice for starting over 00:11:03 What it's really like to sell your business 00:13:54 Advice to founders 00:14:59 Pat's final reflections

An unexpected phone call gave Jordan Rejaud the idea for an app that's now done $1.5M in revenue. And he's done it with zero ads, no content, and a customer base most founders would never think to build for. *Free database → 190+ Micro-SaaS Ideas Making Millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/emfw Follow Jordan: https://x.com/jordanrejaud Check out Parakeet Chat: https://parakeet.chat/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 You've never heard of this app 00:00:54 What's your story? 00:01:26 Founder background 00:02:03 Building the app 00:02:28 Find a niche app idea 00:03:11 Tech stack (and why it doesn't matter) 00:04:27 How he found the app idea 00:05:28 Validating the idea 00:06:20 Advice for actually validating ideas 00:07:35 Growth 00:08:43 What does this app do? 00:09:42 How does it make money? 00:10:11 App revenue and statistics 00:11:27 Advice: Make more mistakes 00:12:58 Pat and Gus reflections: build niche apps!

Ethan dropped out of college after realizing AI could build in a day what took him a week. 6 months later, his app makes $20K/month. This is his exact playbook for finding, building, and marketing a niche app. *Free bootcamp → Build Your Own Mobile App:* https://clickhubspot.com/wrbj Follow Ethan: https://x.com/aureliuscajigas Check out CutCoach: https://www.cutcoach.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Don't build for anyone 00:01:07 What's your story? 00:01:38 App dashboards and data 00:02:32 Ethan's background 00:03:27 Finding the niche app idea 00:04:30 How he built the app 00:05:15 Learn to build an iOS app 00:06:01 Niche app playbook 00:07:57 Tech stack 00:08:24 App marketing playbook 00:09:35 How he scaled to $20K/month 00:10:45 CutCoach app demo 00:11:45 Advice to younger self 00:12:41 Pat and Gus reflections 00:13:48 Go build your own niche app!

Flo's app was stuck at a few hundred bucks for over a year. Then one partnership changed everything and grew his app to $35K/month. *Get our free organic short form playbook:* https://clickhubspot.com/wsf Follow Flo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-vates-195429244/ Check out MonAI: https://www.get-monai.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Distribution is harder than ever before 00:01:02 What's your story? 00:01:28 App overview and stats 00:02:17 Founder background 00:02:57 How he found the app idea 00:03:45 Distribution overview 00:04:41 How Flo works with the influencer 00:06:58 Influencer example and impact 00:08:31 Learn distribution from successful founders 00:09:26 Influencer marketing playbook 00:14:09 MonAI demo 00:15:30 Tech stack and tools 00:16:30 Flo's final advice 00:18:06 Pat and Gus reflections

Evan built a mobile app and scaled it to $14K/month in just 4 months. And he did it with just ONE strategy. This is his exact playbook for building a successful mobile app in 2026. *Get our free Organic Short Form Playbook:* https://clickhubspot.com/sml Follow Evan: https://x.com/EvanYadegari Check out Locked: https://trylocked.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. We received signed permission from Evan's parent/guardian for him to appear on this channel. Chapters: 0:00 - Meet the kid making $14K/month 1:29 - What’s your story? 1:45 - App overview and metrics 2:39 - Founder background 3:36 - Build timeline 4:05 - Growth strategy overview 4:43 - Influencer content example 5:30 - Data behind the content 6:27 - Organic Short Form Playbook 7:19 - The Influencer Playbook 9:17 - How the app works (Locked demo) 10:01 - App tech stack 10:32 - Advice to other founders 11:24 - Pat and Gus: what did you think?

Most app founders launch in silence. Umberto made $120K in 24 hours from an app that wasn't even finished. This is his exact launch playbook. *Free Course: Ship your first iOS app in 7 days* https://clickhubspot.com/gfd Follow Umberto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umberto-mezzadra-a6a77113/ Check out Floga: https://floga.io/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - The fastest way to validate your idea 1:19 - What's your story? 1:44 - App breakdown and stats 2:35 - Coming up with the app idea 4:30 - Lifetime Deals Strategy 6:44 - Build your own iOS app 8:18 - The email launch sequence 11:37 - How to have a great launch (playbook) 15:22 - Are lifetime deals bad? 17:44 - Floga app demo 18:48 - Tech stack 19:14 - Stop waiting for perfection 20:08 - Pat and Gus reflections: our takeaways

While everyone else fights over iOS, 92% of Steve's mobile app revenue comes from Android. This is his exact playbook. *Get our free Mobile App Growth Cheat Sheet:* https://clickhubspot.com/dkn Follow Steve: https://x.com/stevehoyek Check out Journable: https://www.journable.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - Everyone is sleeping on Android 1:05 - Founder intro 1:25 - Business overview and metrics 2:40 - Finding the idea for Journable 3:54 - Android vs iOS 5:42 - Growth overview 6:56 - Google ads strategy 7:38 - Ad example 8:43 - Mobile app growth tactics 9:16 - The Android playbook 14:11 - Android app ideas 16:44 - How Journable works 18:05 - Tech stack 19:07 - Start documenting your journey 20:31 - Pat and Gus reflections: what we learned

Jacky was making $500K/month. Then AI and Google's algorithm updates wiped out nearly everything. This is how he rebuilt to $250K/month across 13 different businesses... and the one distribution strategy that made the comeback possible. *Get our free guide to find a $1M business idea:* https://clickhubspot.com/emx Follow Jacky: https://x.com/indexsy Check out his projects: https://jackychou.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - Don’t focus on just one thing 1:46 - Business breakdowns 2:31 - Jacky’s background 3:07 - AI almost killed his business 4:03 - Find your next idea 4:40 - The platform that saved his business 5:37 - YouTube strategy overview 6:12 - How to get started on YouTube 8:50 - Diversify your revenue 9:28 - Pat and Gus reflections

Ben makes $17K/month from a SaaS he grew without ads, going viral, or being creative. His strategy: make the same video over and over again. This is his full breakdown. *Free database → 190+ micro-SaaS ideas making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/gdv Follow Ben: https://x.com/iambenleavitt Check out FollowBuddy: https://followbuddy.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - I dare you to try this strategy 0:44 - Business stats and data 1:55 - Founder background 2:36 - Finding the business idea 4:08 - How he gets customers 5:37 - Find YOUR micro-saas idea 6:30 - The YouTube Search playbook 12:22 - What if I don't have experience? 13:00 - How FollowBuddy works 13:51 - Tech stack 14:17 - Advice for non-technical founders 15:08 - Move fast on small ideas 16:02 - Pat and Gus reflections 17:29 - Build your idea!

Tom was an IT admin doing the most tedious job imaginable. Nobody was solving it, so he built the solution himself. Now it makes $60K/month with 1,000+ customers. This is his exact playbook for finding and building in boring niches. Get compliant: https://www.vanta.com/lp/demo-1k?utm_campaign=1k_offer&utm_source=starter-story&utm_medium=paid-partner *Free database → 190+ micro-SaaS ideas making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/kdm Follow Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-mahony/ Check out Pckgr: https://intunepckgr.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - Riches in (boring) niches 1:32 - Business Overview 2:10 - Coming up with the idea 3:05 - Finding first customers 4:37 - Make sure your app is compliant 5:24 - How to find a niche saas idea 7:11 - Hundreds of micro-saas ideas 7:57 - Boring saas demo 9:08 - Doesn't have to be fancy! 9:30 - Tech stack 9:59 - Final piece of advice (Just Start) 10:59 - Pat and Gus reflections 11:39 - Start building your idea

This is the story of how a $3M/year business got its first 100 paying customers. Every tactic, step by step, so you can do the same. *Get the free $1M Solopreneur MVP guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/vgk Follow Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhylee/ Check out Supademo: https://supademo.com/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - The $3M SaaS 1:29 - App overview and data 2:30 - Founder background 3:38 - Early app validation 4:30 - First 100 customers (part 1) 6:35 - Find your $1M MVP 7:32 - First 100 customers (part 2) 8:03 - Do things that don't scale 9:08 - Be everywhere your users are 10:00 - What early saas founders get wrong 10:52 - App demo 12:38 - Tech stack 13:23 - One piece of advice 14:09 - Pat's reflections

This is the story of how Ivan built an AI agent and the specific steps he took to grow it to $10K MRR. *Get the free guide to make money with AI Agents:* https://clickhubspot.com/mgh Follow Ivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-nedlekovski/ Check out Lancer: https://www.lancer.app/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - Zero to $10K MRR 1:18 - Founder and App overview 2:32 - Ideas and opportunities 5:31 - Build your own AI agent 6:41 - Growth strategy and tactics 9:30 - His distribution playbook 12:20 - Tech stack and costs 13:36 - Final advice 15:24 - Pat's reflections on the episode

This is the story of how Miquel grew Late to $40K/month with just one marketing system. *Get compliant:* https://www.vanta.com/lp/demo-1k?utm_campaign=1k_offer&utm_source=starter-story&utm_medium=paid-partner *Get our free guide to find a $1M business idea:* https://clickhubspot.com/ekm Follow Miquel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miquelpalet/ Check out Late: https://getlate.dev/ 🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild 🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs 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. Chapters: 0:00 - Zero to $40K in 7 months 0:50 - Need an app idea? 1:09 - App overview 2:41 - Founder background 3:40 - Distribution overview 4:44 - Is your app compliant? 5:44 - Deep dive on Google 6:50 - The SEO (Organic) Strategy 8:00 - The Paid Ads Strategy 9:20 - Find your $1M idea (free template) 10:06 - Google Playbook for 2026 13:28 - Late demo 14:55 - Tech stack and costs 15:21 - Advice to young founders 16:16 - Pat and Gus reflections 17:31 - Is SEO really dead? 19:19 - Time to build your idea!