Notes on building apps that make money
Practical writing on shipping apps faster with AI, pricing them, and getting them to earn, from 15 years of building iOS, web, and AI products.
Case studies
Building The Defined CRM: a SaaS for home service businesses at $1.7K MRR
A case study of The Defined CRM, my own multi-tenant SaaS for cleaning and other home service businesses. How I ordered the build, how the pricing works, and the AI-assisted workflow that let one developer ship it.
How I built PMU Forms in six weeks and grew it to $1,200 MRR
A case study of PMU Forms, a subscription app that replaced paper consent forms for permanent makeup artists. What shipped in the first six weeks, what waited, and how it reached $1,200 a month in App Store subscriptions.
All articles
Building a Self-Hosted Event-Driven Activity Stream with Kafka
How we implemented reliable activity tracking for $15/month with Docker, self-hosted Kafka, and smart infrastructure choices.
How We Built a Scalable Email & SMS System with RabbitMQ
Learn how we evolved our messaging architecture from direct API calls to a queue-based system that handles failures gracefully, prevents duplicates, and keeps our main application responsive.
How Long Does It Take to Build an App By Yourself?
The real timeline for solo app development: 2-4 months traditionally, or just minutes with AI. Learn what slows developers down and how to ship faster.
The Importance of Shipping Fast: Lean Startup Lessons, AI Pitfalls, and the Power of Indie Developers
Speed isn't just an advantage—it's survival. Learn how the Build-Measure-Learn loop, AI app builders, and indie developers can help you ship fast and smart.
The Hidden Pitfalls of AI App Builders (Especially for Mobile)
AI app builders promise everything, but mobile apps are different. Learn why you still need a developer for real iOS and Android apps.
How to Use Base44 to Build an App from Scratch
Learn how to use Base44, an AI-powered development platform, to build production-ready apps with natural language prompts. Includes exclusive video tutorials.
How Much Does It Cost to Build an App?
Breaking down the real costs of app development: from basic MVPs at $10K to enterprise apps at $150K+. Learn what affects pricing and how to optimize your budget.
Top 10 AI App Builders for Your Next Project (And Why You'll Still Need a Developer)
AI-powered app builders can save you time and money, but they don't eliminate the need for skilled developers. Here's our breakdown of the top 10 AI app builders and when you'll need expert help.
How to Use AI to Build Your App (And What You Still Need a Developer For)
AI has made app development 10x easier. Learn how to use ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and other AI tools to build your app—and understand when you'll still need expert help.
How to Turn Your App Idea Into a Real, Working Application — Step by Step
Turning an idea into an app isn't just for developers anymore. Thanks to modern tools and AI services, the path from concept to reality is faster, cheaper, and more accessible than ever.