# I Coded ANOTHER Profitable App From Scratch - Everything I Did (no bs / step by step)

Channel: Edmund Yong
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPVsX6lov_I
Duration: 19 min
Language: English
Words: 3705
Transcript page: https://viewrankai.com/tools/youtube-transcript/kPVsX6lov_I

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[0:08] Have you ever wondered how much work it actually takes to build a profitable app from scratch as a solo founder? Recently, I had an app idea that I just couldn't stop thinking about. So, I took that as a sign to start building. In this video, I'll walk you through my concise, practical guide for planning, building, and marketing a brand new app from scratch. I'll walk you through my full planning process so that there is no wasted time when building. I'll give you the exact tech stack and frameworks that I use, and then finally, the exact steps I took to find and acquire my first batch of paying customers. And as

[0:38] always, I'll be doing everything completely solo. And by the end of the video, I'll show you everything I've built, how many users I've acquired, and how much money I've made from this entire process so that you can see some realistic results. So, the first step in creating any app is to commit to an idea that's actually worth building. With modern AI tools making the development process much more accessible for builders of all skill levels, it's never been easier to sink days or weeks into an app idea that was doomed from the start. In my experience, my most successful apps to actually generate money all stem from a place of

[1:09] frustration, desire, or curiosity. And then, what's more important, was that I was always the first user of my own app. Because if I built out a product that I found myself not using, or realizing the problem I was trying to solve wasn't as painful as I thought it was, then I could just easily cut my losses early and save my tokens for more important work. And when it comes to validating an app idea, if you're a simple man like me, I only use these two metrics for deciding whether I want to commit to an idea or not. And that's just making sure whatever you're building is unique and

[1:38] useful. Notice the keyword being and. Unique as in, does the product already exist? If so, then what is it missing that you can provide with your product? And then, to ensure my product is useful, I ask myself, does it help users save time, make more money, or feel better about themselves? It really doesn't need to get any more complicated than that. And preferably, you are able to hit multiple birds with one stone here. Once you've evaluated your app ideas and are ready to commit to one that you think will be a success, the last thing you want to do is waste days or weeks over building features that no

[2:07] one will use and delaying the launch of your app. So, to prevent this, you need a system for planning out what the first version of your app will look like. And to do this, I've always followed something called the SLC framework. I've talked about this useful framework many times before on my channel. So, if you want a deeper dive, I'll include a link to the original article in the description. But, in summary, this SLC framework is meant to help you limit the scope of your first build such that it is simple to use and understand, provides value to your users on day one, and ensures your app is robust and just

[2:36] works out of the box. So, with that being said, what will I be building this time? As you guys might know, I currently host a private community called Startup Club. It's a place where first-time founders can network, access useful resources, and get direct advice on building profitable apps so that you can build an extra stream of income or maybe even get to a point where you can quit your current job and go all in full-time. Whilst it's been great so far to see the members building and helping each other in the current Discord server, I wanted to create a fully custom platform that provides all of the

[3:04] essential tools and resources to help them thrive as solo founders. My big vision for the app is to create something that is the go-to for any person aspiring to be a solo entrepreneur so they can stop figuring everything out alone from scratch and start turning their ideas into real businesses. And quite frankly, I've been experiencing the AI fatigue heavily recently and I just wanted to work on a project that was more human-focused and less AI-driven. And in my opinion, the one thing AI won't be able to replace or replicate is the feeling of community and forming genuine connections with real like-minded people. So, the thought of building an app that is driven by

[3:38] real people that have similar goals and interests as myself is something that gets me very excited again. For the tech stack and tooling of this project, let me give you a quick breakdown of everything I'm using and why. One major upgrade I've added to my workflow recently is my voice. Using voice dictation instead of typing has become a massive trend recently ever since AI models has gotten really good at transcribing speech to text. And I've personally been using it a ton for this project to help me build faster. It allows me to transfer my thoughts into code over two times faster than typing where I'm limited by my typing speed and

[4:10] accuracy. The tool I've been using is called Super Whisper and I have to say it's been surprisingly effective so far because it makes it much quicker for me to process all of my ideas when they are fresh in my mind and instead of slowly losing them as I type. And when it comes to using it for coding an AI, I've actually found myself getting better results from voice dictation compared to typing because when I say my thoughts out loud, I tend to also explain the why behind what I'm saying, which just gives the agents more useful context to work with. Super Whisper pretty much works anywhere you can type from Cursor and

[4:39] Codex to Gmail and iMessage. They also have an iPhone app so there's no more excuses to stop token maxing whenever you're away from your laptop. And what I like about Super Whisper compared to other options out there is the ability to download and run the models locally. This means you can always dictate your

[4:53] thoughts without an internet connection. It gives you the output instantly and you don't have to worry about your data being sent to any third-party services. With that being said, here are the features I use the most in Super Whisper for my daily workflow. First thing I do is update the dictation models to use the S1 models for the best accuracy and insane speeds. Next is defining some of your own replacements which just lets you turn short phrases into custom text snippets. I can use it to send an entire cold outreach email template or insert a custom prompt into any of my AI agents that I'm using. And finally, custom

[5:26] modes lets me add my own instructions to every dictation I make. For example, I have a custom mode called coding mode that turns my unstructured brain dumps into clear and actionable instructions without me having to type anything. And to be honest, the only downside I can think of for using Super Whisper is that whenever I move back to typing on a regular keyboard, it feels like I'm moving at a snail's pace. So if you want to get more work done with less effort, try out Superwhisper for free, first link in the description, and start building faster on your next project. As for the rest of my dev tools, I'm using

[5:56] CodeX as my main coding agent for this project. In order to assist me with the local development process, I granted full access to my system so that it can self-test its own code by interacting with the iOS emulator I have running. For this project, I've also been playing around with Claude again, specifically using Fable for when I need to do more design-heavy work, as I feel like it tends to make better UI/UX decisions with less back and forth. When it comes to agent tools like skills and MCP servers, I've actually been stripping down my setup to a bare minimum. I found this helps reduce the bloat of my

[6:26] agent's context window, since having too many skills and MCP servers installed means more data for the agent to filter and process before it can even start working on its task. With that said, these three skills have been super useful for building out this mobile app that both looks great and functions well out of the box. And lately, I've pretty much replaced all of my MCP servers with the CodeX Chrome extension. This just allows the agent to perform all of the actions I typically would on platforms like Stripe, Vercel, and Supabase directly in the browser with my own credentials. This time around, I'm building something that's outside of my

[6:58] usual comfort zone, and that's learning everything that goes into building and publishing a dedicated mobile app. The frameworks I'll be using to build the app are React Native and Expo. It has very similar syntax and project structure to React, fast hot reloading for local development, and the large ecosystem of libraries and plugins to integrate with. And then Expo is just a framework on top of React Native that handles all of the boilerplate code setup for you. Another bonus of using React Native is that you can easily port over your mobile app to the web using the same codebase. And I'll show you later on why this came in clutch for me

[7:29] whilst I was waiting for Apple's infamously long review process to finish. In terms of collecting payments for the app, the next best thing I found to manage my in-app payments was RevenueCat. It's essentially the Stripe for mobile apps. And whilst integrating RevenueCat won't wave the platform fees, it does have some very useful features for managing your in-app products and subscriptions, like handling all of the annoying subscriptions and payments edge cases for you, such as cancellations, prorations, and refunds. It also allows you to run AB tests on your paywall, so you can optimize your offers and copywriting to be the most high-converting versions. Now that we have a solid plan in place, here comes

[8:05] undeniably my favorite part of this whole process, and that is going all gas, no brakes on building out the first version of the app. So, enjoy this time-lapse as I build non-stop to get the first version of my app ready for submission onto the Apple App Store. [music]

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[10:43] As a solo founder juggling multiple projects, I often lose track of my priorities and which tasks I need to work on next. As a result, it's easy to get overwhelmed and feel like I'm not making any progress on any of my apps. So, what I built in the end was a suite of founder tools that acts as my daily operating system, all aimed to help me stay organized and focused on my goals across all of my startups. So, let me give you a quick rundown I built and why they are useful. First is daily stand-ups, a simple tool to quickly note what was done yesterday, what's due

[11:12] today, and any potential blockers. This habit has stuck with me since my days as a software engineer, and even now as a solo founder, I find it's still one of the best ways to stay focused and keep making steady progress in my work. The next tool I built was a to-do list organizer, specifically built for managing multiple startups at once. It lets you jot down to-dos, assign them to specific startups, and track everything in one place instead of juggling

[11:35] separate files across multiple projects. Then after you've decided on what needs to be done, the next thing to do is to time block your day and execute on your tasks. And if you know about Parkinson's law, then you'll understand why this is important. By blocking out time slots for each task, you create a sense of urgency and focus that forces you to get things done fast instead of letting them drag on across days or weeks. So, the next tool I built was a daily schedule planner, which allows you to easily create time blocks for each task so you can make the most out of the hours in

[12:03] your day. Or you can use the built-in AI assistant to automatically create your schedule for you. I wanted the ability to view my entire portfolio of startups in one place and see how each is performing. So, I built founder profiles where you can list all of your startups and connect Stripe to view up-to-date

[12:18] revenue data for each one at a glance. So, the first half of my app focuses on the founder tools designed to keep you organized and help you achieve more as a solo founder. The second half centers around building a platform and community for solo founders to connect, share insights, and get direct support because I know from experience building a startup alone can be isolating and overwhelming, especially if you're just starting out or don't come from a technical background. On top of that, there is this ongoing stress of trying to make a business profitable whilst you are still figuring everything out by yourself. So, here's everything I built

[12:50] so far for the private community platform to support founders at every stage. And I have to say, there is so much more to come as I have so many ideas of ways I can provide value to those just getting started. First, we have a live chat room and discussion forum where founders can connect with each other, share tips, and ask for help when they need it. Then, each member also gets access to their own custom AI coach that actually knows about your goals, understands your startups, and even your business metrics if you allow it to so that it can offer personalized advice and give you step-by-step

[13:19] guidance to help you grow your startups more effectively. The platform also includes a growing library of custom written guides and resources designed to help founders learn new skills and overcome common challenges as they grow their startups. There is also a bulletin board for jobs and co-founder opportunities, and in the future, I'll be running regular community events both online and maybe even in-person meetups, so founders can get support on their launches, share their milestones, and build deeper relationships with others who share the same goals. As for the pricing model, I wanted to keep things as straightforward as possible. All users will get full access to the founder tools for free with no

[13:54] limitations. Then, whenever you're looking for more support or want to connect with other founders, you can upgrade to access the private community. My top priority is that founder tools remain free to everyone. These tools cost me nothing to build and maintain, and I want to help as many founders as possible get started on the right foot. Because then, if you do choose to join the paid community, I want it to feel genuinely valuable, something you're actually excited to invest in rather than just another wasted expense. And charging only for the community access feels fairest because I only have a limited amount of time and attention to

[14:25] give. So, it allows me to fully focus on founders who are truly committed, willing to contribute, and are serious about building their businesses. And when it came to my marketing and distribution strategy for this app, I won't spill my exact playbook here due to the rampant copycats pandemic. But, what I can do for you is give you the exact seven proven methods some of the most successful mobile apps currently use to acquire their customers. And it's everything I applied into my own strategy for securing my first batch of paying customers. First, I'll go over the free methods that can all be done for free. And by free, it won't cost you

[14:56] any money up front, but you will have to pay with your time and be consistent to see results. Number one is creating problem-solution content on social media. Create reels, slideshows, or in-depth guides that tackle some of the most common pains your ideal user already experience. Keep it relatable, so they feel the app was made specifically for them. Then position your app as the solution and end with a clear call to action to try it. As a quick example, I could turn common solo founder struggles into simple slideshows like this one and then direct them to my private community to get direct support

[15:27] and accountability from other founders. The second free method is Reddit marketing. Become a genuine and active member of subreddits where your ideal customers already hang out. Answer their questions and then mention your app naturally without spamming links or coming off as a salesperson. For example, if someone asks about tax compliance for solo founders building businesses, I would lead with a genuinely useful answer and mention Startup Club only if it actually solves their problem. And the last free method is creating founder-led content on social media, which is exactly what I'm doing right now. Just pick up the camera, make content showing yourself and the process of building the app so

[16:01] that you can educate your potential customers about the story behind what you've built and gain trust with your users. It's simple, cheap, authentic, and it helps you learn which marketing angles actually perform well, which will come in handy later if you want to hire other creators to help you scale your marketing campaigns. Once you've done some testing with the free methods to learn which hooks, angles, and content formats actually converts users into paying customers, then you can start thinking about investing into paid marketing to help you scale your apps much faster. The first option is influencer marketing. You basically pay creators who already have a large

[16:34] following in your niche to promote your app. This can be in the form of a social media post, mid-roll integration, or even a dedicated sponsored video. Another effective option is to hire UGC creators to produce batches of short-form videos for your app. Unlike traditional influencers who typically create one-off sponsored content, UGC creators focus on generating high volume using proven winning formats. This allows you to quickly scale up your marketing and operate much more cost-effectively as these creators can produce way more content in a shorter amount of time. Then, the third option is to run paid ads. This is the most complex as it requires a lot of testing

[17:08] and optimization to get right, but it can also be a money-printing machine if you find an ad creative that converts well. Instead of diving into everything here, I'll leave some links to resources that I found helpful for getting started. And the last option you can consider is partnerships and affiliates. This pretty much ties back to influencer marketing, but instead of paying creators to promote your app on a one-off basis, you offer them revenue or equity in return for helping you grow the app long-term. For example, you could set up an affiliate program for your app and provide a custom tracking link for influencers to promote. And for

[17:38] each new customer they refer, you would pay them a commission, typically ranging from 20 to 50% of the revenue generated. So, after this whole journey, let me now give you a quick update on the most important figures in terms of how many users have signed up and use my app, and more crucially, how much revenue everything has generated so far. At the moment, I have over 140 users registered for my app that are actively using the free founder tools to help them be more

[18:02] productive in building their startups. And honestly, this exceeded my expectations, as these were just tools that I built for myself because it was what I needed to stay organized and focused on my goals. So, it's super rewarding to see that others are finding them useful, too. And now, let's talk about revenue. So far, I've generated $1,093 from memberships for my private community. But actually, getting these sales wasn't very straightforward. Since the Apple App Store review process was dragging on forever, I knew I couldn't afford to keep waiting and delaying my launch. So luckily, as I built my mobile app with React Native, I was able to

[18:34] quickly port over everything into a web app and start accepting members right away on day six and seven of my build marathon. And with perfect timing, I actually just received the App Store approval email while speaking this video. So, the app is now officially live on the Apple App Store, as well. It's so exciting and motivating to see this kind of result after all of the work I put into it, because it gives me a clear indicator that people are willing to pay for such a service and community, as long as I keep delivering on the value. And this is exactly what is driving me to constantly improve the

[19:02] app, produce high-quality resources and guides for my members, and making sure every member feels supported and welcome inside the community. And if If can't tell already, this will be the main project I'm putting all of my focus and attention into going forward. With that said, I hope you enjoyed this video and I'll see you soon in the next one.

[19:18] Bye-bye.

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