This app replaced my 9-5 ($150K/year)

Intro / Who and What 👋

• Chris is a solo developer who built a simple Wish List app that grew into a $150k/year business, enabling him to quit his job and go full-time.

Idea genesis and product concept 💡

• How the idea started: He was using an Excel sheet for his own wish list and felt there wasn’t a nice app out there, so he built a better, nicer wish list app.
• Why it sat as a side project: He started it while juggling university, a full-time job, and life—time, codebase challenges, and lack of initial marketing kept it as a side project.

Journey timeline / milestones 📅

• 2019–2020: Ideation and first release of Wish List.
• 2021: Landed his first job as an app developer, influenced by the side project.
• 2023: Two months of free time; planned a relaunch and launched Wish List 2.0, hitting 100k registered users.
• 2024: Juggled a full-time job and the side project; negotiated a 4-day workweek to dedicate more time.
• 2025: Quit the job and went full-time with Wish List.

Growth strategy and marketing approach 📈

• No traditional marketing; limited budget.
• Early focus on getting reviews from friends/family and user feedback.
• Proactive, personalized support and thanking users; asking for reviews at opportune moments.
• Why reviews and sentiment mattered: reviews boosted app store ranking and helped with retention.

Product, monetization, and user metrics 💳

• How Wish List works: Create lists, add wishes, share with others; supports affiliate links and premium features.
• Revenue model: Affiliate links, in-app purchases/premium, etc.
• Key metrics (approximate):
  • 1.1 million registered users
  • 4k+ paying customers
  • ~110k monthly active users
  • ~$6k monthly revenue in low season; revenue can multiply ~5x in high season
  • near 99% margin by cost structure described

Tech stack and operations 🛠️

• Flutter (cross-platform)
• Firebase backend
• RevenueCat for in-app purchases
• OneLink for deep linking
• AI tools (ChatGPT) for content/ops
• Basic accounting tooling

How it works (product tour) 🧭

• Create a wish list (e.g., Christmas), add notes, set visibility.
• Add wishes manually or import via affiliate-enabled links.
• Premium membership unlocks features like custom/wishlist images.
• Revenue mainly generated through affiliate links and the affiliate-enabled flow.

Learnings, takeaways, and practical advice 🧠

• Start small and solve a real, personal problem.
• Don’t overcomplicate; you don’t need VC funding or a grand vision.
• Be honest with your employer; use free time wisely; winter and “working holidays” can help maintain productivity.
• Focus on users, iterate from their feedback, and keep the project enjoyable.

Final thoughts / advice for others with a full-time job 🔑

• A marathon mindset: long-building period, not a weekend sprint.
• Monetization can come later; first aim for user adoption and satisfaction.

Notable quotes or memorable moments (optional) 🎯

• Notable takeaway: Start small, solve a real problem, and you don’t need VC funding to succeed on the side.