“Build a Product that You Want Yourself.” – Florian Mielke, app builder
“Build a Product that You Want Yourself.” – Florian Mielke, app builder
“Build a Product that You Want Yourself.” – Florian Mielke, app builder
1. How and when did you make your first dollar online?
I started selling my first app WorkTimes in 2009. It was shortly after the release of the App Store, and WorkTimes cost $2.99 – that was unheard of back then.
But it was in 2021 (so 12 years after version 1.0) when things started to kick off seriously: When I switched the business model to subscriptions.
After two years, I’m at $4k MRR (combined with my second app MinuteTaker) and am now able to do this full-time.
2. How long did it take between the idea and this first dollar?
I started developing WorkTimes in early 2009. I hadn’t any experience in iOS development, so I first bought an actual book to learn it.
Ten months later (working on it on the side), I submitted the first version.
“Fun” fact: App Store reviews took two WEEKS back then!
3. What best actionable advice would you give someone who wants to start TODAY?
Build a product that you want and need yourself. You need to be your first and most critical user. You can’t build and sell a good product if you don’t use it.
4. What resources would you recommend to a beginner?
The book: Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday
The Twitter #buildinpublic community
5. Who would you recommend to follow?
Sumit Kumar (@tweetsofsumit): he builds Parqet in public and shares his journey on Twitter and YouTube
Curtis Herbert (@parrots): he builds the iOS Slopes app and tweets and writes about his learnings growing it into a sustainable business
About Florian
I share my journey of how I grow my 12-year-old iOS apps from a side to a full-time business starting in 2021.
– Florian
Track and manage your hours worked: WorkTimes
Create and share structured Meeting Minutes: MinuteTaker