@starterstory: He quit his $200K design job to build his first app ever… and it’s now making $18K/month. Ryan is a former product designer who used AI coding tools (mainly ChatGPT Pro) to ship “Cat on Chair” which is a Pomodoro timer where a cat jumps on your chair while you focus, then leaves you a gift when the session ends (or trash if you fail). The inspiration? A little cat necklace his girlfriend made. She’s an illustrator and a huge Animal Crossing fan, so they added collectible furniture, backgrounds, and different cats with their own backstories. The numbers: > 127K+ downloads > ~$80K in sales over 8–9 months > $18K in the last 30 days alone > Peaked at #3 free productivity app in Taiwan > Lifetime plan $29.99, annual $19.99 - most revenue comes from lifetime Growth was almost entirely organic. They beta tested with thousands on Red Note, launched Aug 27 with 3,000 downloads in week one, then an Instagram app-collection post hit 2M views, someone in Taiwan reshared it on Threads, and downloads + revenue doubled overnight. One user told them her cat had passed away - she found a cat in the app that looked just like it and felt like she could see her cat again. Ryan’s advice: don’t build another cold productivity app. Lean into your unique skill (his was design), remix mechanics from games, and build something that feels handcrafted {not vibe-coded}

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Tuesday 01 September 2026 19:08:17 GMT