Most software developers dream of making a business by selling their own app? I am one of them. In October 2022, I decided to try making a living by selling a mobile app. At that time, I didn't know anything about mobile app development because I had only worked on frontend development before.
Learning New Skills
To achieve my goal, I needed to learn several new skills. I started by learning design with Figma to create user-friendly and attractive interfaces. Then, I learned backend development with Node.js, which was very different from the frontend work I was used to. Finally, I learned mobile development with React Native to build apps for both iOS and Android.
You may ask why I didn't hire a freelancer designer? Well, I did hire a few freelancers but all of them doesn't give me the design that I wanted. At the end, I lost a lot of money on them so I decided to learn design by myself.
Over a few months, I created four apps and one website. Each project taught me something new, but none of them were successful. I realized that making a simple app was easy, but building a profitable business was much harder.
Facing Challenges
Quitting my job to focus on my startup was risky, especially since my wife was pregnant and we already had a child. I couldn’t afford to waste time and money on something that might not work. The pressure was intense, and I needed a breakthrough.
Finding the Right Niche
One day, a friend gave me some crucial advice: focus on a single niche. He suggested that I create an English-speaking app with AI. Taking his advice, I started working on the app, which I named FluentPal, using Node.js, React Native, OpenAI, and Azure.
It took me two months to launch FluentPal on iOS, but it was full of bugs, and I got only one subscriber. This was disappointing, but I didn’t give up. I spent three more months fixing the bugs, redesigning the app, creating new content, and launching it on the Play Store. I also worked with a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) to promote the app.
Even though I was worried about the time and money I had invested, I started to see results. By the end of December 2023, FluentPal had made $1,500. It wasn’t a lot, but it showed that the app had potential.
Improving and Growing
Encouraged by this small success, I continued to improve FluentPal. I added features like learning lessons, translation support, flashcards, and AI personalities. To get more users, I ran ads on Facebook and Google.
These efforts paid off. In the first five months of 2024, FluentPal made $13,000, bringing my total earnings to $14,000. This was a significant achievement, proving that the app could be a successful business.
What I Learned
Looking back, I learned several important lessons:
Don’t Start a Business Without Enough Resources: Starting a business requires a lot of time and money. Make sure you have enough of both before you begin.
Learn as Much as You Can: The more skills you have, the better you can manage different parts of your business. Hiring freelancers can be expensive, and they might not understand your product as well as you do.
Be Patient and Persistent: Success doesn’t happen overnight. You need to keep working hard, learning from your mistakes, and improving your product.
Listen to Your Users: Pay attention to what your users say and make changes based on their feedback. Building a product that meets their needs is crucial for success.
In conclusion, my journey from a frontend developer to a successful app creator was full of challenges and learning experiences. Despite the difficulties, seeing my app grow and make money has been incredibly rewarding. If you’re thinking about starting your own business, be prepared for the ups and downs, and remember to stay focused and persistent.
Try FluentPal
If you’ve read this article, I encourage you to download FluentPal. It is a really good app. It is not only just teach you English speaking but also six other languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, and German.
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