Starter Story

Meet Gaurabh. He built almost 100 apps in 60 days. But... he had a problem. Despite shipping all these projects, he has made exactly ZERO dollars. What happened? What was going on? Why hadn't he made any money?

In this first episode of the Starter Story challenge, we challenge him to finally monetize his app. Can he actually do it?
*Side project ideas you can build with your 9-5:* https://clickhubspot.com/jzxl

Apply for the challenge → https://forms.gle/eFqR1QdT4N5tBWyo9

Follow Gaurabh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurabhmathure/
Check out his projects:
- https://attn.design/
- https://vuemagnet.com/
- https://mastersofattention.com/

🔔 Follow the Second Channel:  @StarterStoryBuild 
🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs

Chapters:
Chapters

00:00:00 $1K in 30 days
00:00:42 Welcome to the challenge
00:01:05 100 apps... zero revenue
00:01:34 What's the problem?
00:02:21 The Challenge
00:03:05 Do you accept the challenge?
00:03:23 It begins!
00:03:50 100 side project ideas
00:04:48 Update
00:05:02 The first 30 days
00:06:11 Making $100
00:06:53 The next 30 days
00:08:08 Numbers behind the content
00:08:58 Talking to customers
00:09:42 Revenue and results
00:10:35 Congrats on the challenge!!
00:11:09 Lessons learned and advice
00:12:57 What's next?
00:13:29 Join the challenge
00:13:36 Wrap up

This video is an educational case study of this founder’s experience. It is not financial advice and does not guarantee any income or results. Every business is different and your results may vary.

Rob builds apps, travels the world, and is an inspiration to all indie builders in the game. Over the past few years, he has been documenting his journey of building a $20K/month SaaS on X, sharing what it really looks like to be an indie developer in this day and age.
*Free $1M Solopreneur MVP Guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/66mr

Follow Rob: https://twitter.com/robj3d3
Check out his projects: http://robhallam.com/

🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild
🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs

Chapters:
Chapters

00:00:00 Meet Rob
00:00:58 Morning routine
00:01:38 Building while traveling
00:03:00 Start your solopreneur journey
00:03:28 Afternoon routine
00:04:19 Prioritizing work
00:05:53 Biggest lessons learned
00:07:40 Advice to builders

I traveled to New York to spend 24 hours with the guys who built and sold Cal AI for millions. The video answers one main question: now that AI lets anyone build an app, is it still possible to build a successful one in 2026? Along the way, we talked about what it was like to build a company with your friends, and what they're doing now that they've sold.

*Free iOS Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/bqt8

Follow Blake: https://x.com/blakeandersonw
Follow Zach: https://x.com/zach_yadegari
Cal AI: https://calai.app/

🔔 Follow the Second Channel:  @StarterStoryBuild 
🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs

Chapters:
Chapters

00:00:00 iOS Millionaires
00:01:20 What’s your story?
00:02:24 Numbers behind Cal AI
00:02:48 Meet the other co-founders
00:03:36 What was it like to work together?
00:03:59 Did you know it’d be successful?
00:04:48 Becoming co-founders
00:05:38 Managing conflict and trust
00:06:58 Build your own iOS app
00:07:39 Opportunity in apps in 2026
00:08:32 Does copying apps still work?
00:09:15 Advice for building apps
00:10:00 NYC office tour
00:10:25 What did it feel like to sell Cal AI?
00:10:58 The game of entrepreneurship
00:11:42 What are you working on now?
00:12:46 Final thoughts from Pat

This video is an educational case study of this founder’s experience. It is not financial advice and does not guarantee any income or results. Every business is different and your results may vary.

Tomer took one of the most successful apps in the world and built it for his local market. Today, just 12 months after launching, he's already doing over $80K/month.

This video breaks down his playbook for reverse-engineering a proven app idea and building your own.

*iOS App Ideas:* http://go.starterstory.com/lp-test-3-ios-app-ideas-description

Follow Tomer: https://twitter.com/tomercn
Check Cal Buddy: https://calbuddy.co.il/

🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild
🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs

Chapters:
Chapters

00:00:00 You don’t need an original idea
00:01:04 What’s your story?
00:01:38 What’s the app?
00:02:15 Founder background
00:03:03 Build process
00:04:01 Finding the app idea
00:04:43 More app ideas!
00:05:32 App differentiation
00:06:40 Growth and marketing
00:08:00 Influencer strategy
00:09:05 Partnership breakdown
00:09:54 Tech stack
00:10:24 Final advice
00:11:05 Pat and Gus reflections: you don’t need a new idea!

This video is an educational case study of this founder’s experience. It is not financial advice and does not guarantee any income or results. Every business is different and your results may vary.

Over the past few years, Jack Friks has completely changed his life through bootstrapping and building apps on the internet. In this video, we do a deep into how he works: how he spends his time, finds ideas, and his approach to work that viewers can take and use in their daily life.

*Get our free $1M Solopreneur MVP guide:* https://clickhubspot.com/dg4j

Follow Jack: https://twitter.com/jackfriks
Check out his projects: https://www.jackfriks.com/

🔔 Follow the Second Channel: @StarterStoryBuild
🏁 We're hiring: starterstory.com/jobs

Chapters:
Chapters

00:00:00 Meet Jack Friks
00:00:32 Morning routine
00:01:19 Doing his best work
00:01:47 Working in sprints
00:02:44 Work routine
00:03:33 Stress, anxiety, and work
00:04:39 Finding ideas
00:05:29 Lessons learned
00:06:57 Evening routine
00:08:34 Number 1 piece of advice for builders
00:08:51 Keep going!