POV: your side project made $1M as a solo developer

Key Concepts

Weekend projects
AI-powered app development
Health tech
Building in public
Portfolio of websites
Recurring revenue
Marketing channels
Data-driven design
Customer feedback
Product Hunt launch
Crafting startup ideas
Shipping fast

AI-Powered Health App Development

The speaker discusses creating a health app using AI, inspired by Brian Johnson's video on calculating aging speed. He cloned his "Bott plates" and used an AI editor ("cursor") to build the app without writing any code. The app takes user input on metrics like push-up reps and one-leg stand time to calculate a biological age score.

Technical Details: The app is described as "extremely low-level" at this stage.
Future Plans: The speaker plans to add features like leaderboards, profile pictures, and integration with Twitter/Google accounts.
Domain Name: He bought the domain "bioa.ge" for the project.
Market Opportunity: He emphasizes the potential of AI in healthcare, calling it a "big wave to jump in" and comparing it to stepping into the future. He believes the next 10 years will be "crazy" with AI and health tech.
Actionable Advice: He encourages viewers to "just build whatever you have in mind" and "ship your idea out there" without overthinking it.

The Importance of Personal Experience and "Building in Public"

The speaker emphasizes the importance of personal experience in generating successful startup ideas. He states that he is "really into mental health and physical health" and is building health-related startups based on his own healthy lifestyle.

Key Argument: Startup ideas based on real-life experiences are more likely to appeal to others.
Actionable Advice: He advises viewers to "try new stuff," "travel abroad," and "meet some new group of people" to find their passion and generate ideas.
"Not Sexy" Projects: He shares his experience with a simple movie recommendation app that, while not glamorous, led to 10,000 visitors in 30 days, a Google badge, Twitter followers, and new startup ideas.
Book Recommendation: He recommends "The Inevitable" by Kevin Kelly, predicting future tech and AI trends.

Recovery Emails and Customer Feedback

The speaker describes setting up recovery emails for users who start the checkout process but don't complete the purchase.

Technical Details: He uses a Stripe webhook event ("checkout.session.expired") to trigger the email.
Email Content: The email is simple, asking if there's anything he can help with and providing a link back to the landing page.
Goal: The goal is to "open the discussion" and understand why users didn't purchase, allowing him to "tweak the landing page to convert more visitors."
Code Sharing: He offers the code for the recovery email in a tweet linked below the video.

YouTube Ads for "Code Fast" Course

The speaker discusses his attempts to run YouTube ads for his "Code Fast" course.

Marketing Challenge: He admits to being "very bad at ads."
Ad Creation Process: He used a model to read the script and enlisted a friend with marketing expertise to help write it. He was inspired by a Clo video format.
Campaign Structure: He created two campaigns: a wide campaign targeting people interested in software engineering and a retargeting campaign targeting website visitors.
Results: The wide campaign got many clicks but no conversions, while the retargeting campaign got fewer clicks but one purchase.
Long-Term Goal: He hopes to find a recurring marketing channel so he can focus on improving the course content.

Travel Plans and Productivity

The speaker and his partner are planning to travel the world and host meetups.

Travel Destinations: They plan to visit New Zealand, Japan, India, Europe (Norway, Finland, Sweden), the US, Canada, and possibly Central America.
Productivity Challenge: They aim to stay productive while traveling, continuing to make apps, vlogs, and YouTube videos.

Data Fast Web Analytics Software

The speaker provides an update on his web analytics software, "Data Fast."

Revenue: The monthly recurring revenue is approaching $11,000.
Growth: Both revenue and active subscribers are increasing.
Churn Rate: The subscriber churn rate is around 14%.
New Features: He added a custom date range option and a loading screen.
Documentation: He created a documentation site using a markdown template.
Server-Side Tracking: He implemented server-side tracking for more accurate visitor and customer data linking.
Goal: The goal is to reach a million-dollar valuation, requiring $20-25,000 in monthly recurring revenue.

Ship Fast Reaches $1 Million in Revenue

The speaker announces that his weekend project, "Ship Fast," has reached $1 million in revenue after 18 months, with 85% being pure profit.

Origin Story: He created Ship Fast as a tool for himself to build websites faster.
Product Hunt Launch: The launch day was successful, earning $4,000.
Key Insight: Startup ideas are not found but crafted from personal experience.
Actionable Advice: He encourages viewers to "build something," "build it fast," and "share it to the world."
Repeat the Process: Repeat the process with different projects and sharing methods.
"Ship It" Mentality: He emphasizes the importance of shipping projects, regardless of the outcome, to create noise and attract luck.
Confession: He bought a new domain name.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The video emphasizes the power of building small, shipping fast, and leveraging personal experience to create successful startups. The speaker's journey, from initial burnout to million-dollar success with "Ship Fast," highlights the importance of consistent effort, learning from failures, and building in public. The video encourages viewers to embrace a "ship it" mentality, focusing on creating value and sharing their work with the world, rather than waiting for the perfect idea. The speaker also demonstrates the potential of AI in healthcare and the importance of data-driven design and customer feedback in improving products.