Starter Story

Benjamin Chen is a 20-year-old NYU student who’s built 45+ apps and scaled his latest app to $30K/month. What makes Benji different is he has a repeatable system that’s helped him build, launch, and grow his apps fast. This video breaks down the exact system he uses to scale apps profitably.

*Free iOS App Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/r91p

Follow Benji: https://twitter.com/benjiianc
Check out Snag: https://snagapp.com/

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 The system behind a successful app
• 00:01:05 Who is Benji?
• 00:01:26 App breakdown
• 00:02:25 Founder background
• 00:03:37 Build process
• 00:04:14 Build your own iOS apps!!
• 00:04:50 Tech stack and tools
• 00:05:39 Finding app ideas
• 00:06:39 Marketing apps
• 00:08:11 UGC example
• 00:08:50 Paid ads strategy
• 00:09:42 App Playbook (Step-by-Step)
• 00:11:59 Advice
• 00:13:02 Pat and Gus reflections: the proven system

David (and his brother Daniel) launched Shipper, an AI app builder. But here's the secret... they didn't reinvent the wheel. They just saw a billion-dollar opportunity and thought, "if we capture just 1% of the market, maybe it could change our lives?" This is the story of how they grew shipper to over $50K/month by building a micro-version of a billion-dollar market.

*Free Database: 50+ AI App Ideas Making Millions* https://clickhubspot.com/zgul

Follow David: https://twitter.com/chhddavid
Check out Shipper: https://shipper.now/

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Every idea is taken…
• 00:00:49 What’s your story?
• 00:01:27 Business breakdown
• 00:02:46 Founder background
• 00:03:29 More AI App Ideas
• 00:04:14 Idea behind the business
• 00:04:54 Build story
• 00:05:45 Tech stack
• 00:06:17 Growth and marketing
• 00:07:21 Finding the 1% difference
• 00:09:15 Advice to younger self
• 00:10:05 Pat and Gus reflections: Copy & Paste

Cedric Roberge built an app called Pep AI. In just ONE MONTH, he hit 10,000 users and $30K in revenue (wow!!). This video breaks down how a college student found a trending niche, built the app, and scaled to $30K/month.

*Free iOS Bootcamp:* https://clickhubspot.com/60ej

Follow Cedric: https://twitter.com/Cedric_Roberge
Check out Pep AI: https://pepaiapp.com/

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Knowing where to look
• 00:00:53 Who is Cedric?
• 00:01:13 App data and overview
• 00:02:20 Founder background
• 00:03:19 Build timeline and tech stack
• 00:04:44 Start building with AI
• 00:05:40 How to find a great app idea
• 00:06:51 Identifying viral ideas
• 00:08:09 Find ideas on social media
• 00:09:11 Review existing apps
• 00:09:59 Growth and Marketing
• 00:12:06 App Demo
• 00:13:34 8 - Advice to founders
• 00:15:13 Pat and Gus reflections: the power of building with AI

Everyone is chasing the next trending idea, but this guy built a $1.7M/year business in the most boring category you can imagine. In this video, we break down how he found the idea and built it. And you'll learn why building in unsexy categories might be the best way to make millions.

*Free: 30+ Business Ideas in Unsexy Niches:* https://clickhubspot.com/1okf

Follow Bohdan:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bohdan-drozdov/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bohdansventures
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bo_in_the_wild/

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Nobody is paying attention to this category
• 00:00:59 Who is Bo?
• 00:01:24 App data and background
• 00:02:18 Build boring apps!
• 00:03:36 Finding the idea for Savvy Nomad
• 00:04:32 Why this boring app works
• 00:06:27 3 boring business app ideas
• 00:09:04 Boring apps playbook
• 00:11:53 How the business works
• 00:12:44 Tech stack
• 00:13:30 Advice to founders
• 00:14:27 Pat and Gus reflections: find unsexy ideas

Nicole has multiple apps to over $150K/month. The questions is... how? What's the secret? How did she do it? Turns out, it's a finely tuned system that she has perfected. In this video, we break down what that system is and how anyone can put it into practice.

*Get the free Mobile App Growth Cheat Sheet:* https://clickhubspot.com/zfj2

Follow Nicole: https://twitter.com/madebycol
Check out Glam Up: https://www.glamup.ai/
Check Out Sprout: https://www.usesprout.com/
Grab Nicole's Playbook: https://tally.so/r/BzZpA4

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 I couldn’t believe this post…
• 00:01:07 Who is Nicole?
• 00:01:55 App background and data
• 00:03:15 Founder background
• 00:04:01 Building is easy, Marketing is (still) hard!
• 00:04:59 Finding the app idea
• 00:05:56 Growth overview
• 00:06:40 Data and numbers behind the content
• 00:07:26 App growth playbook
• 00:07:44 Where to market your app
• 00:08:33 Building a UGC system
• 00:09:01 Source content creators
• 00:09:36 Onboard creators for your app
• 00:10:25 Managing UGC creators
• 00:10:54 System and optimize your system
• 00:11:58 App demo
• 00:12:52 Build and tech stack
• 00:13:24 Final advice
• 00:14:06 Pat and Gus takeaways

In this video, we break down how a simple mobile app turned into a $20K/month business. But the real story is about how he validated the idea BEFORE writing a single line of code. By the end of this video, you will have playbook you can use to go validate your app.

*Get our Mobile App Growth Cheat Sheet:* https://clickhubspot.com/rbh7

Follow Brian: https://twitter.com/brianshinsh
Check out Once: https://once.film/

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 The commitment metric
• 00:00:56 Meet Brian Shin
• 00:01:27 Business breakdown
• 00:02:35 Mobile app growth tactics
• 00:03:22 Founder background
• 00:04:25 App idea
• 00:05:48 Build process
• 00:06:35 Tech Stack
• 00:07:07 Validating the app
• 00:08:30 Validation Playbook
• 00:11:23 How the app works
• 00:12:18 Stop overthinking!
• 00:13:15 Pat and Gus reflections

Rafael Kramer grew his mobile app to $100K in revenue using a method I've never seen... AI generated influencers. In this video, he breaks down how he did it and why it works.

*Free: 100+ App Ideas in Health, Wealth & Self-Improvement* https://clickhubspot.com/f0zy

Follow Rafael: https://twitter.com/rafkramer & https://www.instagram.com/rafkrm

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

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.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 I've never seen this before...
• 00:00:55 Who is Rafael?
• 00:01:25 What's the app?
• 00:02:53 Founder background
• 00:03:55 How to find viral content
• 00:05:04 Health, Wealth, and Relationship apps
• 00:05:50 Core growth channel (AI influencers)
• 00:07:19 Content examples
• 00:09:39 AI-influencers playbook
• 00:11:13 How to create AI influencers
• 00:13:13 Are AI-generated influencers good or bad?
• 00:15:28 Build and tech stack
• 00:16:36 Final advice

Marc Lou makes $77K/month as a solopreneur. Everyone who follows him wonders the same thing: how does he ship so much? This is a day in his life and how he actually works.

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

Follow Marc: https://x.com/marclou
Check out his projects: https://marclou.com/

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

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Meet Marc Lou
• 00:00:52 Morning routine
• 00:01:36 Deep work
• 00:02:34 Shipping 35 startups
• 00:03:37 How Marc finds ideas
• 00:05:12 Ship list
• 00:05:57 The biggest barrier to success
• 00:06:50 Validating ideas
• 00:07:51 Evening routine
• 00:08:31 Bed routine
• 00:09:12 Advice to all builders
• 00:10:03 Don't you dare give up

I traveled to Los Angeles, CA to spend 24 hours with Jeremy Redman and dive deep into his $3M SaaS business.

*Free database → 190+ micro-SaaS ideas making millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/ofg

Follow Jeremy: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheJeremyRedman & https://twitter.com/thejeremyredman

Check out his latest projects:
- https://leadquest.ai/
- https://sideproduct.com/
- https://snagthem.com/

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

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.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Most Successful Solopreneur OAT
• 00:00:49 Is SaaS dead?
• 00:01:33 Meet Jeremy Redman
• 00:02:05 Business overview and stats
• 00:03:48 House tour
• 00:04:10 Jeremy's background
• 00:05:12 Find your $1M idea
• 00:05:58 The FU purchase
• 00:06:24 The tentpole strategy overview
• 00:07:24 Tentpole step-by-step breakdown
• 00:10:18 Advice for starting over
• 00:11:03 What it's really like to sell your business
• 00:13:54 Advice to founders
• 00:14:59 Pat's final reflections

An unexpected phone call gave Jordan Rejaud the idea for an app that's now done $1.5M in revenue. And he's done it with zero ads, no content, and a customer base most founders would never think to build for.

*Free database → 190+ Micro-SaaS Ideas Making Millions:* https://clickhubspot.com/emfw

Follow Jordan: https://x.com/jordanrejaud
Check out Parakeet Chat: https://parakeet.chat/

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

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.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 You've never heard of this app
• 00:00:54 What's your story?
• 00:01:26 Founder background
• 00:02:03 Building the app
• 00:02:28 Find a niche app idea
• 00:03:11 Tech stack (and why it doesn't matter)
• 00:04:27 How he found the app idea
• 00:05:28 Validating the idea
• 00:06:20 Advice for actually validating ideas
• 00:07:35 Growth
• 00:08:43 What does this app do?
• 00:09:42 How does it make money?
• 00:10:11 App revenue and statistics
• 00:11:27 Advice: Make more mistakes
• 00:12:58 Pat and Gus reflections: build niche apps!