From $200 to $10k MRR: How This Developer Built 28 Apps in 8 Months

Ever felt stuck, pouring years into a project with little to show for it? Meet Max, a full-time developer who faced this exact challenge. After spending over five years on various app projects that barely scraped together €150-200 in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), he was on the verge of giving up. But a radical shift in strategy changed everything. Instead of chasing the single “perfect app,” Max decided to build and ship dozens of simple, focused apps at an incredible pace. This is the story of how he built a portfolio of 28 apps in just eight months, skyrocketing his income from $200 to over $10,000 a month—all while holding down his full-time job.

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[Max’s LinkedIn profile showing his role as a Senior Software Engineer at SwissBorg]

This is Max, a full-time senior software engineer who, like many developers, had a passion for side projects. For years, he dedicated his free time to building mobile apps he hoped would take off.

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[Screenshot of text highlighting “working on for over 5 years”]

Despite his dedication, success was elusive. His pet projects, which he had worked on for over five years, struggled to gain traction and generate significant income.

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[Screenshot of text highlighting “managed to achieve was 150-200€ MRR”]

“I had my mobile pet project I really wanted to grow,” Max shares. “I spent so much time on it, tried different techniques… nothing worked out.” This frustrating cycle of building without reward is a familiar story for many indie hackers.

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[Animation showing code for ‘ThePerfectApp’ being replaced by a rapid succession of many different app icons.]

Then, one day, everything changed. Max decided to abandon the quest for a single, flawless application. He embraced a new philosophy: rapid iteration and volume. Instead of perfecting one app, he would ship dozens, building them as quickly as possible. His personal record? Building and shipping one app in just two hours. This “portfolio of tiny bets” strategy proved to be his breakthrough.

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[App Store Analytics dashboard showing a long list of Max’s apps with their impressions, units, and proceeds.]

In just eight months, Max launched an astonishing 28 apps on the App Store. This prolific output had a dramatic effect on his earnings.

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[A graph showing MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) growing from nearly zero to over $12,000.]

His Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) exploded, climbing from a meager $200 to over $10,000. This success wasn’t about finding one viral hit; it was about the cumulative effect of many small wins. His approach proves that you don’t need one million-download app to succeed. A diverse portfolio of smaller, niche apps can be just as powerful, if not more so.

“Once the app is live, just let it go and move on to the next project,” Max advises. This simple but powerful mindset is the cornerstone of his success.

The Spark of a New Strategy

Max’s journey began like many other developers, with eight years of experience as an iOS engineer. His turning point came after discovering the work of fellow app developer Adam Lyttle on YouTube.

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[A diagram illustrating the ‘Adam Lyttle Framework’: Create an app -> Focus on 1 feature -> Ship it -> Move to the next app, in a continuous cycle.]

This new framework was a revelation. It flipped the conventional wisdom of focusing all your energy on a single project. Instead, it promoted a cycle of creating a simple, single-feature app, shipping it, and immediately moving on to the next idea. This approach minimizes risk and maximizes the chances of finding what works by essentially throwing more darts at the board.

Max’s 6-Step Playbook for Building Apps in 48 Hours

So, how does he do it? Max breaks down his entire system into a repeatable, six-step playbook that anyone can use to ideate, build, and launch their next app.

Step 1: App Market Validation

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[A slide titled ‘STEP 1: APP MARKET VALIDATION’ with bullet points for finding keywords, checking competition, and verifying revenue.]

It all starts with a good idea, and for Max, a good idea is backed by data.

• Find a Strong Keyword: He uses ASO (App Store Optimization) tools like Astro to find keywords with a healthy search volume (at least 20% popularity) and manageable competition (around 60-70% difficulty).
• Validate the Market: He then uses tools like Sensor Tower to check the monthly revenue of the top-ranking apps for that keyword. His benchmark is simple: if the top competitors are making at least €100-€200 per month, the niche is worth pursuing. This ensures he doesn’t waste time building in a market where users aren’t willing to pay.

Step 2: Study Competitors

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[A slide titled ‘STEP 2: STUDY COMPETITORS’ showing various competitor apps in the plant identification category.]

Once a keyword is validated, Max analyzes the top 2-3 competitor apps. He doesn’t try to clone them. Instead, he identifies the single core feature that solves the main user problem and thinks about how he can implement it better or more efficiently. All other secondary features are ignored.

Step 3: Plan Fast with AI

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[A slide titled ‘STEP 3: PLAN FAST WITH AI’ showing a ChatGPT interface with a detailed app development plan.]

To accelerate the planning phase, Max turns to Artificial Intelligence. He feeds his concept into an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude.

Breakdown the plan

He asks it to generate a clear development roadmap, a feature breakdown, and a UX structure. This process removes the guesswork and provides a clear picture of all the screens and logic needed, allowing him to start building with clarity and speed.

Step 4: Build Lean & Ship Quickly

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[A slide titled ‘STEP 4: BUILD LEAN & SHIP QUICKLY’ with a graphic of a mobile app showing the core feature is complete, resulting in a ‘Clean MVP’.]

With a solid plan, the focus is on building a lean MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Max reuses a significant amount of code from his previous projects, dragging and dropping recurring components like settings screens, onboarding flows, and paywalls. For some apps, he copies as much as 90% of the code, drastically reducing development time. He uses Figma for design, leveraging templates to quickly create app icons and screenshots.

Step 5: Release and Move On

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[A slide titled ‘STEP 5: RELEASE AND MOVE TO NEXT BUILD’ showing an arrow moving from ‘App #1’ to ‘App #2’.]

Once the app is functional, polished enough, and bug-free, he ships it. The key is to not get emotionally attached. He takes advantage of the natural visibility boost the App Store gives to new apps.

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[A graph showing the ‘App Store Launch Boost Effect,’ where visibility peaks in the first few days after launch and then gradually declines.]

After this initial boost fades, he analyzes the data. If an app’s downloads stabilize or grow, it has potential. If they sink, he moves on without a second thought.

Step 6: Return to Winners & Scale

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[A slide titled ‘STEP 6: RETURN TO WINNERS & SCALE WITH ADS’ showing an App Analytics dashboard highlighting successful apps.]

After building a portfolio, Max revisits the apps that show promising organic traction and retention. These are his “winners.” He invests more time into them, polishing the user experience, fixing bugs, adding new features, and introducing Apple Search Ads to scale their growth and double down on what works.

The Tech Stack Powering the $10k/Month Empire

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[A slide titled ‘TECH STACK’ listing the tools Max uses, including Flutter, Fastlane, Cursor, Firebase, OpenAI, Gemini, Mixpanel, Astro, and FoxData.]

Max keeps his operation remarkably lean. Here’s the tech stack he uses to power his app portfolio:

• App Development: Flutter (Free)
• CI/CD (Automation): Fastlane (Free)
• AI Coding: Cursor ($20/month)
• Backend & Auth: Firebase (~$5/month)
• AI Services: OpenAI ($200/month) & Gemini ($50/month)
• Analytics: Mixpanel (Free Plan)
• ASO Tools: Astro ($10/month) & FoxData (Free Plan)

His total monthly cost to run this entire operation is surprisingly low, demonstrating the power of using efficient and often free tools.

Final Advice: Just Ship It

When asked for one piece of advice for aspiring developers, Max’s message is clear and direct:

“The most important advice would be not to be afraid of shipping. Don’t waste your time on polishing an app… Get it ready, bug-free, just one single feature, ship it, and let users tell you what they think about it while you are building another app.”

Max’s story is a testament to the power of consistency, data-driven decisions, and the courage to ship early and often. It’s a new-age playbook for success in the ever-changing world of software development.