Conor retweeted
A harsh truth about AI agents powered apps:
Your users are skeptically optimistic
Good marketing gets them to "damn, maybe this actually works"
One bad result and the skeptic in their head wins
You have to build a product that can deliver the goods every time, because you only get one shot
Conor retweeted
Our first app just made $9,125 in the last 28 days. 🚀
5 months ago, @conoroh_dev and I started building Squirrlo, a budget planner that plans and tracks your finances for you.
Here’s where we are now:
📈 +332% revenue growth in September
👥 5,000+ people signed up
👀 6M+ views on TikTok & Instagram through UGC marketing
These aren’t the biggest numbers on X. But this is our first app, and it’s proof that there’s so much opportunity out there to build things!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll share everything we’ve learned about product and marketing, so you can do the same.
Conor retweeted
The reason why I'm so happy I started my business in my 30s and not in my 40s: Feels like compound interest. Start early, let it accumulate, and everything gets easier later, because you iterate on a foundation instead of building one from scratch next to a full life. Huge respect for everyone bootstrapping with kids or a mortgage in the background. If you can start before life gets busy: start.
Conor retweeted
Budgeting apps make $100k/mo,
so @conoroh_dev and I thought: why not us?
We built and marketed Squirrlo in 30 days.
$500+ revenue. Small, but promising.
An influencer video hit 650k+ views, but with subtle placement and not the right audience.
Meanwhile our own TikToks at 1k views drove 50% of revenue.
Views mean nothing if the product isn't what's pulling viewers in.
Conor retweeted
this applies to a lot more than just retention
i see founders spending too much time running A/B tests on pricing, paywalls, subscriptions, etc
a conversion rate of 7% verse 11% doesn’t make much difference on 1000 users
i’d rather have 10k downloads with a 5% conversion
than 2k downloads with a 10% conversion
Conor retweeted
There’s no reward for avoiding AI. Nobody is giving you donuts for
writing everything from scratch, you’re just slower.
Using AI doesn’t mean you shouldn’t understand what you’re building. You still have to think, you validate, you need to understand what you’re building deeply or else you’ll just build nonsense faster.
Conor retweeted
If you want to build a successful app AVOID indie hackers like the plague
You might think it's just a group of people building software like you but they literally have the most anti-business mindset possible
For starters:
- They believe competition = bad
- Their ultimate goal is 10k MRR (such low goal)
- They think product > distribution
- They avoid all forms of paid marketing
- They all glaze the same X creators that made them think this "indie hacking" path is feasible
You must unfollow all of these people and get them off your timeline otherwise you'll soon adopt their limiting beliefs
Conor retweeted
Cal AI has been acquired by MyFitnessPal 🚨
Henry and I started Cal AI as 17-year old high school students with one mission: make calorie tracking easier with AI.
In just 18 months, we’ve helped millions of people lose millions of pounds. And we broke $50m in ARR along the way.
We are at an incredible inflection point in history where ANYBODY can build a product that can improve lives and make millions.
As founders, we get a lot of praise. The truth is that this would not have been possible without our incredible 30+ person team. We are so proud of what this team has accomplished, and are thankful to everyone that has been instrumental in Cal AI’s development and success.
Cal AI will continue as a separate app from MyFitnessPal. The combined team will share resources to continue helping people achieve their fitness goals!
Early traction tip: post an offer in r/AppGiveaway. It’s a great way to drive installs and get real feedback on your app.
#buildinpublic
Early traction tip: post an offer in r/AppGiveaway. It’s a great way to drive installs and get real feedback on your app.
#buildinpublic
Most indie hackers would make more money getting a FAANG job than spending 2 years on a SaaS that makes $2k MRR.
But they'd learn nothing about distribution, product-market fit, or building a business.
Launching Clann was humbling.
0.6% conversion rate isn’t great to say the least. I'm certain my screenshots were killing the install rate.
I’ve fixed those, so now we’ll see how things go. Next up is the app logo. I want something that actually represents what Clann is about.
#BuildInPublic
Spent an ungodly amount of time polishing on my onboarding screens but I think it was worth it.
#BuildInPublic
Whats the most ridiculous app store rejection you've ever had? Mine is because I used the term 'Grant Permission' instead of 'Continue' or 'Next' while requesting access to the camera 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
#BuildInPublic
WeekNight app is now up for review on the app store after 2 days of development.
#buildinpublic
