Max Built 28 Apps in 8 Months While Working Full-Time

From countless failed projects to a portfolio of winners built fast, shipped faster, and all during nights and weekends.

Welcome to Money Making Story

In Today’s story follows Max, a full time iOS developer, husband, and father of two who spent years chasing one big app idea that failed.

Everything changed when he focused on building smaller apps faster. Eight months later, he had shipped 28 apps and built a portfolio generating steady revenue..

In this story, you’ll discover:

  • Top Advice

  • From Burnout to Breakthrough

  • The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything

  • How Max Finds Profitable App Ideas

  • The 48-Hour Shipping System

  • The 80/20 Rule in Action

  • The Tools & Stack Behind His Speed

  • Lessons for Aspiring Builders

Top Advice:

“Don’t be afraid to ship. One working feature is better than a perfect app that never launches.”

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“I used to spend months polishing projects that never took off.”
That single line captures the frustration that drove Max, an experienced iOS engineer, to rethink everything he knew about building apps.

After nearly a decade of failed side projects, he discovered a new philosophy: build fast, ship often, and let data decide.

This isn’t a story about overnight success — it’s about building momentum through dozens of small, imperfect experiments.

From Burnout to Breakthrough

For eight years, Max followed the classic builder’s playbook — pick one big idea, polish it endlessly, hope it grows.

“I had a mobile pet project I really wanted to grow. I tried everything — design tweaks, growth hacks, ad campaigns. Nothing worked.”

Then one night, he stumbled across a video by indie maker Adam Słuszczak, who shared a different mindset:
Instead of chasing the perfect app, build as many small apps as possible.

That single idea flipped a switch.

“It felt wrong at first — but once I tried it, it made total sense. You don’t need one big win. You need dozens of small bets.”

So Max started building — one app at a time.

Eight months later, he had 28 apps live, thousands of downloads, and a reliable stream of revenue.

The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything

Max stopped acting like a founder and started acting like a scientist.
Every app became an experiment, not a mission.

“You build it, launch it, and move on. The data tells you if it’s worth returning to.”

By detaching his ego from each project, he could ship faster, fail faster, and learn faster.

Some apps made nothing.
Some quietly grew every week.
Four of them now generate most of his income.

How Max Finds Profitable App Ideas

Max doesn’t brainstorm ideas — he reverse-engineers demand.

“If people are already searching for it, that’s all the validation I need.”

Here’s his process:

1️⃣ Use ASO tools (Astro, SensorTower) to find keywords with high search volume and low difficulty.
2️⃣ Check top competitors — if they make at least $200/month, it’s worth exploring.
3️⃣ Branch out by niche — one successful keyword often leads to several adjacent ones.

Example: Math AI, Physics AI, Chemistry AI.
Different keywords, same audience, reusable code.

This approach lets him launch apps fast and efficiently while minimizing risk..

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The 48-Hour Shipping System

Max’s productivity isn’t magic — it’s method.

“I have a record — one app built and shipped in two hours.”

Here’s his 6-step process:

1️⃣ Find a keyword — one that signals user intent.
2️⃣ Study the top apps — identify the single most valuable feature.
3️⃣ Prompt AI tools — use Cursor or ChatGPT to write code structure and UI plans.
4️⃣ Build lean — drag, drop, and reuse prebuilt templates for onboarding, settings, and paywalls.
5️⃣ Ship fast — submit, watch data for a few weeks, and move on.
6️⃣ Return to winners — revisit only apps showing traction or steady installs.

“I don’t build masterpieces. I build tests. Some of them just happen to win.”

The 80/20 Rule in Action

Out of 28 live apps, only four drive the majority of Max’s income.

“It’s the 80/20 rule in real life. Twenty percent of my apps make eighty percent of my revenue.”

He lets the market decide what stays.
No emotional attachment. No wasted time.

When one app starts growing organically, he invests more — improves UI, fixes bugs, and occasionally runs paid ads.
Everything else, he archives and moves on.

The Tools & Stack Behind His Speed

Framework: Flutter
Backend: Firebase (Auth, Database, Hosting)
AI Tools: Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini
Analytics: Mixpanel
ASO Tools: Astro, SensorTower, Fox Data
Automation: Fastlane
AI APIs: OpenAI & Gemini Vision

💸 Total monthly cost: ~$300
🧩 Average build time: 1–3 days
⚙️ Fastest build: 2 hours

“You don’t need fancy tools. You need systems — and consistency.”

Lessons for Aspiring Builders

💡 1. Ship early, ship often.
Speed matters more than polish.

💡 2. Let data lead.
Your instincts lie. Numbers don’t.

💡 3. Reuse everything.
Templates and code are assets — not shortcuts.

💡 4. Focus on quantity before quality.
Your best app will come after you’ve shipped a dozen bad ones.

💡 5. Don’t wait for perfect.
The perfect time is now.

“If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you launched too late.”

Final Takeaway: Build More, Worry Less

Max’s story isn’t about luck — it’s about momentum.

He didn’t quit his job.
He didn’t raise capital.
He just built — again and again — until something clicked.

“Stop overthinking. Build 10 small things instead of one big dream. One of them will change your life.”

From burnout to balance, from one failed passion project to 28 live apps, Max proves that success today isn’t about perfection — it’s about persistence.

You don’t need investors, a team, or endless free time.
You just need to ship fast, learn faster, and keep going.

You don’t need years of experience, investor backing, or endless free time to build something that works. What you do need is momentum, curiosity, and the courage to ship before you are ready.

Max’s story proves that even with a full time job, a family, and no extra resources, you can build something real by focusing on speed, simplicity, and consistency. In just eight months he launched 28 small apps without a team, funding, or marketing budget and turned them into a thriving portfolio. No hype, no shortcuts, just discipline, data, and the power of showing up every day.

One Hour a Day Built $10K MRR

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