Liftbear · B2C · workout tracker app
Build a workout tracker for yourself in 2 months and ship it
About 100 downloads in week one, then about 10 a week
Failedvalidationpositioning-niche
What they did
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.
What happened
Very quiet launch: roughly 100 downloads in the first week, then about 10 per week.
- Stage
- launch
- Effort
- 2 months of full-time building
Related topics
Get tactics like this every Monday
New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from this episode
- Liftbear: Quit your job for exactly 12 months on savings; go back if you can't live off itMissed the bar; went back to the old job with a raise, and the app took off later
- Liftbear: Keep adding features and try ASO, Instagram and Search Ads on a flat appAbout $100 total revenue in six months; dropped the app
- HabitKit: Drop the app that isn't growing and build a new one in 2 monthsNew app's first month beat the old app's six months combined
- HabitKit: Post a screenshot of your app's main screen on Twitter before launch800 likes, far above his usual posts; took it as a sign the app would beat the first
- HabitKit: Share your app's progress and revenue publicly on X and LinkedInFounder calls it one of his best decisions; downside is copycats; no numbers
- HabitKit: Go back to your job four days a week and keep Fridays for the appApp took off two months later; went full-time again within about six months
- HabitKit: Get the store listing basics right and let search rankings bring usersTop 5 for a big keyword; 120K downloads and $51K in 2023, $110K by May 2024
- HabitKit: Charge $0.99 a month, $6 a year or $15 for lifeNever tested; hosts bet doubling would roughly double revenue; price test planned
- Raise a niche utility's price from $5 to $20 a monthNo change in downloads after a 4x price rise
- HabitKit: Ask Apple to feature your app using its request formNever got featured