Founder Playbook · Starter Story
9 tactics from Sebastian Ro
How I Built It: $15K/month Mobile App
Watch the full episode“In terms of validation, I just build apps that solve my own problems… I will always be my first customer, and so I always know exactly what's needed in the product, what are the requirements, what works and what doesn't.”
Build apps that solve your own problems — be your own first customer
Skip elaborate validation rituals and build apps that solve your own problems. Being your own first customer removes the guesswork about requirements and feature priority — you always know what works because you're the one using it daily.
“In terms of finding good ideas, my recommendation is to just start building anything — it doesn't matter what exactly. Once you get into the groove and start building something, you will naturally get a ton of other great cool ideas for later projects.”
Just start building anything — better ideas surface once you're in the groove
Don't agonise over picking the perfect idea before you start. Once you're heads-down building something, better ideas for future projects naturally surface along the way. The first project rarely is the one — but it unlocks the next one.
“I also decided to share the development progress on my social media, and after posting the first screenshots and seeing a positive reception I knew that I should really hurry up and bring the app to the App Store — just banged it out in 2 months.”
Positive social reception on screenshots = ship the MVP in 2 months, no more polish
Posting development progress on social media doubles as live validation. Positive reception on early screenshots is the signal to stop polishing and rush the MVP to the store — two months from screenshot to launch is enough.
“I instantly show the native review dialogue, so it says: 'Do you like Habit Kit, please review it on the App Store'… right after the first habit was checked off for a user. So that's their first success moment, and I asked them right at this situation — most people just gave it five stars.”
Fire the native review prompt the instant the user hits their first success moment
Time the native review prompt to the user's first success moment in the product, not on app open or after multiple sessions. Catching them at peak satisfaction converts most prompts into five-star reviews and builds the ratings base that ASO needs.
“Building in public was huge for me — I shared my journey and development process across multiple platforms like X, LinkedIn, Bluesky and Threads. That led to unexpected opportunities — being guest on podcasts, being featured on videos, or having good connections to other app developers.”
Build in public on every platform — X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Threads in parallel
Sharing the journey authentically across X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Threads compounds into unexpected distribution. Wins, failures, and process posts open doors to podcasts, features, and peer networks that money can't buy early on.
“App Store optimization is basically editing your app store metadata — like keywords, app name or subtitle, or even the screenshots… I'm focusing on the habit-tracker keyword, and that's why I put it right at the start of my app name.”
Put your priority ASO keyword at the very start of your app name
Identify one priority keyword in the category and place it at the very start of the app name. Pair with keyword research in Astro or App Figures, and a top-five ranking for that term drives enough organic traffic to compete with much larger brands without a marketing budget.
“If you manage to secure a good ranking on the App Store, you don't need a big marketing budget and you can compete with bigger brands.”
A top-five App Store ranking removes the need for a marketing budget
Putting the primary keyword at the front of the app name and stacking five-star reviews drives a top-five ranking on the category's most-searched term. A strong organic ranking on the store becomes the acquisition engine, removing the need for paid spend to compete with incumbents.
“I couldn't find motivation to code on my own apps after I programmed for 8 hours on my regular job. So quitting my job was actually the only chance to get this started.”
Quitting the day job was the only way — you can't code your own apps after 8 hours of someone else's
Trying to build on the side after a full day of coding rarely works because the energy isn't there. Saving runway and setting a hard 12-month deadline can be the only way to lay the foundation for an indie business — the day job competes for the same scarce mental energy.
“My biggest expense is RevenueCat right now because they take 1% of my revenue, so depending on the month that can be a lot, but it's totally worth it. The rest adds up to roughly $200 or $300 per month.”
Run lean enough to outlast the slow months — $200–300/month plus 1% to RevenueCat
Keeping fixed costs at a couple hundred dollars a month means revenue almost entirely converts to profit. A solo operator with minimal overhead can absorb slow months and still compound over years — and a revenue-share tool like RevenueCat is worth the 1% if it saves you from rolling subscription infra.