A couple of years ago, I quit my job with no plan. No product. No cofounder. Just twelve months of savings and a vague idea that I wanted to build something.
It was terrifying. Everyone told me I was crazy and honestly, they were probably right. Six months later, I had a handful of failed apps, maybe ten downloads total, and the slow realization that I might have made a huge mistake.
But then something shifted. A small idea, really and it changed everything.
The Burnout Before the Breakthrough
I’d been a software developer at a mid sized company in Germany for three years. It was fine stable, decent pay, friendly coworkers but every day felt the same.
I wanted to create my own things, not just build what someone else planned. So I decided to quit and give myself one year to figure it out. My goal was simple: make something that could pay the bills.
Spoiler: I didn’t.
At least, not right away. The first six months were failure after failure. I’d build small apps, release them, and then watch them sink into the void of the App Store without a trace.
Still, I kept going.
And then I built something I actually needed myself — a simple, privacy-friendly habit tracker.
Building Habit Kit
The idea behind Habit Kit was basic: help people track habits in a clean, visual way no logins, no data collection, no dark patterns. Just a minimalist grid where you could see your progress.
I used Flutter, which let me build for iOS and Android at the same time. I posted some screenshots online while I was still developing it, mostly to keep myself accountable. To my surprise, people liked it a lot. That tiny bit of positive feedback kept me going.
I released the app two months later. And this time… it didn’t flop.
The Growth That Didn’t Come From Ads
I didn’t have money to run ads or hire marketers. So instead, I decided to build in public.
Every week, I shared updates about the app what I was working on, what broke, what I learned. I was honest, even about the stuff that failed. People connected with that.
That openness brought opportunities I never expected: podcast invites, collaborations, shoutouts from other indie devs. It built trust and that trust turned into users.
The other key was App Store Optimization (ASO). I learned how the App Store’s search worked how to pick the right keywords, structure titles, and get more reviews.
One little trick that worked: I asked users to rate the app right after they checked off their first habit. They’d just had a small win, so most of them left five stars. That alone boosted the app’s visibility massively.
Today, Habit Kit has over 300,000 downloads and makes about $15,000/month.
Doing It Alone
I still run everything by myself. My total expenses are around $300/month, mostly for tools like:
- RevenueCat for handling subscriptions
- AppFigures for analytics
- Cursor as my AI-powered code editor
- And of course, Habit Kit itself which I still use every day
I’m not a startup. I’m just one person with a laptop and Wi-Fi. And somehow, that’s enough.
What I Learned
Looking back, I think the real turning point wasn’t the app — it was the mindset.
I stopped chasing “big ideas” and started building things that solved my problems.
And honestly, quitting my job (twice!) was necessary. After coding all day at my corporate job, I didn’t have the mental energy to build on the side. I needed that space to focus completely, even if it meant failing for a while.
If you’re thinking of doing something similar, here’s my advice:
Save some money. Set a time limit. And give yourself permission to try — really try — without expecting instant success.
Worst case? You go back to work.
Best case? You build the thing that changes your life.
Final Thoughts
Habit Kit started as a personal experiment and turned into a full-time business.
It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t a viral post. It was small, steady progress — the same principle the app itself is built on.
Now, thousands of people use it to build their own good habits.
That’s the coolest part — the thing I made to fix my own problems is now helping others with theirs.
If you’re stuck on the fence about chasing your idea, remember this:
You don’t need permission. You just need to start.
Top comments (0)