Liftbear · B2C · workout tracker app
Quit your job for exactly 12 months on savings; go back if you can't live off it
Missed the bar; went back to the old job with a raise, and the app took off later
Mixedfinancingvalidation
What they did
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.
What happened
Did not reach ramen profitability in 12 months and returned to the same employer (with a raise), but shipped two apps, one of which (HabitKit) later took off.
- Stage
- pre-launch
- Effort
- 12 months full-time, funded by savings
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Liftbear: Build a workout tracker for yourself in 2 months and ship itAbout 100 downloads in week one, then about 10 a week
- 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