How I Built a $60K MRR App Without Coding Skills

Picture this: a bustling digital marketplace where brands and creators collide in a frenzy of creativity, all sparked by a single idea I had a few years back. That idea has since blossomed into an app generating $60,000 in monthly revenue—a figure that still feels surreal to me. What’s even wilder? I didn’t write a single line of code to make it happen. Instead, I leaned on outsourcing, a knack for spotting hungry creators, and a platform that turns influencer marketing into a high-stakes game. This is the story of how I built “Posted,” a two-sided marketplace that’s rewriting the rules of content creation, one contest at a time. Along the way, I’ve learned lessons about conviction, creativity, and the sheer power of community-driven growth—lessons I’m excited to unpack here.

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Discovering the Spark: A Problem Worth Solving

It all started with a frustration I couldn’t shake. A few years ago, while running my first app, Puff Count—a tool to help people quit vaping—I hit a wall trying to hire creators for marketing. I’d DM dozens of them, negotiate endlessly, and still end up with content that didn’t quite hit the mark. The process was slow, inefficient, and left me wondering: why isn’t there a better way? That nagging question became the seed for Posted. I envisioned a platform where brands could ditch the hassle and tap into a pool of eager creators, all competing to deliver standout content. It wasn’t just about solving my own headache—it was about unlocking a market I knew was brimming with potential.

The creator economy was exploding, yet so many talented folks were overlooked. Smaller creators, especially those with modest followings or from far-flung corners of the globe, rarely got a shot at brand deals. Meanwhile, brands struggled to find content that clicked with audiences. I saw a gap—a chance to connect the dots in a way that felt fresh and fun. That’s when I decided to gamify influencer marketing, turning it into a contest-driven model where creators vie for cash prizes and brands score winning content. It was a hunch, but one I felt in my bones.

Sketching the Dream: From Notepad to Reality

With the idea buzzing in my head, I grabbed a notepad and started sketching. I’m no artist—think crude boxes and arrows—but it was enough to map out what Posted could be. A platform where brands post a contest with a prize pool, creators submit their best work, and the top performers split the cash based on views. Simple, yet revolutionary. I didn’t linger on the sketch too long; I wanted to see it come alive. So, I headed to 99designs, uploaded my rough drawing, and launched a design contest. Within days, 50 designers submitted mockups, each one fleshing out my vision in ways I hadn’t imagined.

I picked the standout—a sleek, intuitive layout from a designer named Zach—and hired him full-time. Next, I turned to Upwork to find a developer. I’ve learned the hard way that not all freelancers are created equal, so I zeroed in on Eastern Europe, where I’ve found some of the best talent. After a quick 10-minute call to vet candidates (are they a “yes man” or a problem-solver?), I landed on a developer who’d eventually become my CTO. Together, we built Posted—a web app for brands and a mobile app for creators—over a grueling year. It wasn’t cheap; I poured over $100,000 of my own money into it, bootstrapping every step. But by three months post-launch, we were pulling in $60,000 a month. The gamble was paying off.

How Posted Works: Gamifying the Creator Economy

Imagine you’re a brand with a shiny new app to promote. You log into Posted, set up a contest—say, $5,000—and outline what you want: a snappy video showcasing your product, maybe with a call-to-action to download. Creators from all walks of life—YouTubers, TikTokers, even AI content makers—jump in, posting their entries on their own social channels. Over two weeks, the videos rack up views, and the top performers split the prize. First place might snag $3,000, second $1,500, and so on. As the brand, you only pay for the winners, but you own all the winning content forever. It’s a win-win: creators get paid, and you get a library of proven, high-performing material.

What’s the catch? There isn’t one, really. The platform’s self-serve—brands can launch a contest in minutes, and our 10,000+ creators get notified instantly via push notifications and email. Some brands even invite their own customers to join, turning fans into advocates. For creators, it’s a chance to shine without the red tape of traditional deals—no script reviews, no back-and-forth, just pure creative freedom within the contest brief. We call it speeding up “content market fit”—helping brands figure out what works, fast.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: A $1,500 Contest, 3,000 Installs

One of my proudest moments came when we ran a contest for Posted itself. We put up $1,500, paid out 10 creators (top prize $500), and watched the results roll in. Over 3,000 people installed our app from that single push— a cost-per-install of just 50 cents. Compare that to the $5 or $10 you might shell out on paid ads, and it’s a no-brainer. Plus, we kept the 10 winning pieces of content, giving us a treasure trove of insights to scale further. That contest wasn’t just a flex; it was proof our model works. Creators are hungry, brands are hooked, and the numbers keep climbing.

The revenue mix is a blend of recurring and contest-based income. Some brands stick around, running contests monthly, while others dip in for one-offs. Last month alone, we hit that $60,000 mark, and it’s only been three months since launch. I’m not chasing paid ads to grow—why would I? Running more contests on Posted fuels our own expansion. The bigger the contests, the more creators join, the better the content gets. It’s a flywheel I can’t stop grinning about.

Scaling Smart: Lessons from Puff Count

This isn’t my first rodeo. Years back, I built Puff Count after getting fed up with my own vaping habit. Same playbook: sketched it, outsourced it, launched it. I posted over 200 pieces of organic content myself—gritty, face-to-camera stuff—until it hit 8K a month. Then I took the best performers, slapped them on paid ads, and scaled to 40K monthly before selling to a European studio. That exit gave me the cash and confidence to go all-in on Posted. But it also taught me something critical: consumer apps have a ceiling. Churn is brutal, and keeping users subscribed long-term is a slog.

Posted’s different. It’s B2B, solving a real pain point for businesses—inefficient influencer marketing—and the ceiling feels sky-high. Brands don’t churn when you’re saving them money and delivering results. Puff Count was a solo sprint; Posted’s a marathon with a six-person team—devs, a designer, a creator lead named Chelsea, and three sales wizards, the Chowski brothers, who automate our CRM and close deals. We’re lean, focused, and growing fast.

Outsourcing vs. Ownership: Why I Don’t Code

People always ask: why not code it yourself? Truth is, I can code—I’ve built small apps since high school, like a word game called Wordle that accidentally rode a viral wave years later (more on that later). But coding’s not my strength. I’m a big-picture guy, a marketer at heart. Outsourcing lets me move fast, tapping experts who live and breathe development. I’d rather spend my time brainstorming, sketching, and sharing what I’ve learned than debugging Swift files.

Take my Upwork strategy: I hunt for Eastern European devs with five-star ratings and hefty earnings—think $500,000+—then grill them in a quick call. Are they invested? Do they push back with ideas? That’s how I found Yuri, my CTO, and Zach, my designer. They’re not just hired hands; they’re partners who’ve stuck with me from Puff Count to Posted. Outsourcing’s my superpower—it turns ideas into reality without bogging me down.

The Wordle Windfall: A Freak Blessing

Speaking of wild rides, let’s rewind to Wordle. Back in 2017, I built a simple word game called Wordle—five letters, guess the word, you know the drill. It was decent, had ads, but I let it gather dust. Fast forward to 2021, and another developer, Josh Wardle, launches his own Wordle—a browser-based version that explodes online. Same name, similar vibe, pure coincidence. His version’s sharing feature (those green-yellow grids) sends it viral, and millions flood the App Store searching “Wordle.” Guess what they find? My old app.

Overnight, I racked up 10 million downloads. My dashboard lit up—500,000 installs in a day—and reporters swarmed. ABC, Rolling Stone, you name it. Josh tweeted about me, and we teamed up to donate to a charity, Boost Oakland. I didn’t cash in big—the ads were outdated, and I didn’t touch it—but the credibility? Priceless. It was a cosmic nudge: keep building, keep betting on yourself. Wordle wasn’t planned, but it lit a fire under me for Posted.

Personal Brand Power: Fueling the Flywheel

That brings me to my personal brand. I started sharing my journey—Puff Count, Wordle, now Posted—not to chase customers, but to inspire my younger self. At 16, holed up in my parents’ house, I craved a mentor. Now, at 27, I’m that voice for others, posting case studies on Twitter (17K followers) and long-form content on YouTube. It’s raw, authentic stuff—here’s what worked, here’s what flopped. The byproduct? Brands find Posted through me. Ninety-five percent of our traffic’s organic, driven by my chatter about contests and growth hacks.

Content’s my edge. I scroll YouTube for hours, studying what clicks, then craft value-packed posts. It’s not about ads—it’s about trust. When a contest nets 3,000 installs for $1,500, I shout it from the rooftops. That openness draws brands in, and creators follow. It’s a flywheel: share, grow, repeat. I’ve got a full-time editor, Sam, polishing it all now, but the core’s still me, yapping at a camera, spilling what I’ve learned.

The Future: AI, Opportunities, and Beyond

Where’s Posted headed? Contests are our bread and butter, but we’re expanding. Soon, brands can post “opportunities”—no upfront cash, just a chance for creators to bid with sample content. Think a million-follower TikToker bidding $500 versus a newbie at $10. Brands pick what they like, creators post, and deals get done. We’re also eyeing CPM-based gigs and affiliate plays, especially for software and e-commerce. TikTok Shop’s crushing it for physical goods; we’re the digital flip side.

AI’s on my radar too. It’s not there yet—AI-generated UGC feels stiff—but in a year or two, it’ll blur the line with human content. Posted’s ready for it; AI creators can already compete. My hunch? Pair a sharp copywriter with AI visuals, and you’ll print views for six months straight. For now, though, real humans rule our platform—and their hunger keeps it thriving.

Wrapping Up: Conviction Is Everything

Reflecting on this journey—from Puff Count’s scrappy start to Posted’s $60,000-a-month hum—I see one thread: conviction. I’ve poured over $100,000 into Posted, sold a 40K-a-month app to fund it, and bet big on an untested idea. Why? Because I’ve felt the pain it solves, seen the market’s gaps, and trusted my gut. Wordle’s freak success taught me to keep swinging; Puff Count showed me execution matters; Posted’s proving the ceiling’s higher when you serve businesses, not just users.

Every skill—marketing, outsourcing, storytelling—stacks up to this moment. It’s why I wake up buzzing, why I can’t stop tinkering with Posted. If I could tell my 18-year-old self anything, it’d be this: pick one thing, stick with it, and bet on yourself. For me, that’s Posted—a shot at changing how brands and creators connect. Want to chat apps or entrepreneurship? Find me on Twitter or YouTube—I’m always down to talk shop.

We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.