How Liftbear grows

Rather than keep reviving Liftbear, started HabitKit as an experiment with a strict two-month build deadline, with six months of runway left. HabitKit's concept: a grid of colored tiles per habit. He had tried a web version years earlier and dropped it because habit tracking felt native to mobile.

With no strong idea, picked an app that didn't meet his own needs (a fitness/lifting tracker, a category with countless competitors) just to start moving. Built and launched it on the App Store and Google Play within the first two months of the indie year rather than polishing for 12 months. Launch had no audience behind it: few Twitter followers and no marketing.

After the quiet launch, kept building because he used the app daily: statistics, new exercise types. Alongside, optimized the store listing (ASO), tried Instagram marketing/ads and Apple Search Ads. Ran this for about six months.

Saved enough to live for at least a year, had no kids or loans, and knew a senior developer in Germany could easily get a job again. Timeboxed the indie experiment to exactly 12 months (April to April) with one success condition: reach ramen profitability (income he could live on). Left the employer on good terms so returning was an option.