I wasted 2 years on a $0 project. Then I made a $1,000 project in a month. Here's what changed.

The First $7.50

Two weeks ago, I launched an app via a simple post to Reddit. What happened next was beyond my wildest expectations.

I was sitting at my PhD student desk when I saw a notification from Stripe: my first payment of $7.50. I've never had such a flood of good hormones go through my body. To whoever clicked that purchase button - thank you. And thank you to everyone who continues to purchase the app, bringing it to $1,000 in just two weeks.

The $0 Journey

This is my third attempt at a startup in three years, and it's the first time I've ever received an internet dollar. I spent two years on my last project - building tests for this, tweaking styling for that, optimizing page load times. What did that get me? $0.

What Changed?

I decided to make something useful, not revolutionary. Something that:

• People regularly search for (verified using tools like ahrefs)
• I personally use regularly
• Could be built and tested in a month

My new philosophy became: don't focus on features no one will use until you've tested whether there's interest in the essential features that solve the problem. If no one showed interest, I would move on to the next idea.

The Solution

I settled on a universal file converter that does conversions locally on your device. While there are plenty of file conversion sites, they all require sending your files to their servers. I wanted to create a simple drag-and-drop app that non-programmers could use, while keeping their files private and secure.

The Lesson

After my last failure, I honestly thought that maybe I wasn't cut out for making my own apps. However, this new mindset is working - build it fast and see whether people buy before you spend years on it.

If you're feeling discouraged after a failure, learn from it, then build and launch your next idea quickly. The feeling of having someone actually want your product is the best feeling I've had in years.