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 (1)
That sounds like a dream, Riley (or it's actually Sebastian?)! Do you find the free version valuable for your product? I've heard a lot of criticism about free versions, with the suggestion that users never convert to paid ones. Do you agree with it? Also, where did the first sale come from? Just someone from the network gave it a try? Thanks