Pre launch / MVP
Competitor cloning
Studied Quitter app (quit adult content, $200k/month), downloaded it, analyzed its 45-72 screen onboarding, and cloned the structure for a sugar-cravings niche. Built MVP onboarding + post-onboarding features in 3 weeks.
→ MVP shipped in 3 weeks
Month 1
Influencer outreach tiktok instagram
Cold outreach to ~100 influencers on TikTok and Instagram using niche keyword search. Signed 4 influencers at $1,000/month each (4 videos/month, 1M cumulative views guaranteed). Paid 20% upfront, remainder on delivery.
→ A few million views; $5,000 revenue first month (~20% profit margin)
MRR $5.0k
Ongoing — Onboarding optimization
Tiktok niche research
Researched top pain points for target audience (sugar cravers) via TikTok content. Discovered emotional hooks like 'feeling distant from God' and acne. Incorporated these deeply into a 45-screen onboarding that repeats benefits and pain points across every screen.
→ 75% paywall reach rate (of users who open the app, 75% complete onboarding and see paywall); ~4% conversion rate
Growth phase — Scaling influencers
Influencer outreach tiktok instagram
Continued working with multiple influencers across different audience profiles (age, gender, religion) to test which segments converted best. Retained only those whose videos drove measurable download spikes, dropped others regardless of view count.
→ 30 million views in September; $13,000 MRR peak
MRR $13k
Growth phase — Ambassador program
Ugc ambassador program
Built a team of ambassadors (in addition to paid influencers) to post content on TikTok and Instagram for Stopper. Also rented a TikTok 'farm' (network of TikTok accounts) to amplify content distribution.
→ Contributed to multi-million monthly view counts at peak
Parallel — Building in public on X
Build in public — Twitter
Posted 6+ times/day on X from day one. Gained notoriety by publicly calling out founders who shared Stripe/Shopify revenue screenshots without naming their apps. Shared Stopper revenue data and influencer marketing tactics transparently.
→ Grew a meaningful X audience; attracted co-founder for What's the App and a potential partner for Stopper purely via X posts
Revenue decline — October
Influencer outreach tiktok instagram
Influencer pipeline slowed — only 2-3M views in October vs 30M in September, and views were less targeted/qualified. Combined with 70% monthly churn, MRR dropped noticeably from $13k peak.
→ MRR dropped from $13k (September peak) due to 70% churn and fewer qualified views
Pivot / Delegation
Build in public — Twitter
Posted on X seeking a 'weaponized artist' (aggressive mobile app marketer) to take over Stopper's influencer/ambassador marketing, offering a revenue share. Received 50+ DMs including from founders already making $30k/month with apps.
→ Found a partner candidate for Stopper within days of posting