Side Project

Hello everyone,

I'm a programmer with 10 years of experience. Earlier this year, I decided to quit my job and start an online business by developing apps. So far, I have created 5 apps and 1 website, but all of them failed except for the latest one, FluentPal.

I began developing FluentPal in early August. In September, I introduced FluentPal on a local forum, and offered free usage codes for people to try. By the end of the month, I earned $2 from a one-month subscription, but the subscriber soon unsubscribed, possibly due to the app's bugs.

In October, I made significant updates to the app. As I'm not skilled in graphics, I sought advice from several designers, particularly a renowned designer and also my close friend, who consulted on the app's UI/UX. I also fixed many bugs. That month, I earned $50.

In November, I submitted the tool to an AI directory and added features like conversation creation, mistakes correction, and an AI teacher. Most importantly, I created a landing page for the app. Currently, most users prefer the unlimited package, and I have customers from Vietnam, India, Thailand, Finland, and other countries.

Lessons learned from app development:

• Thoroughly test the app in various ways to avoid bugs that frustrate users.
• Have a landing page to introduce the app.
• Offer a lifetime subscription option, as about 70% of users prefer paying once over monthly payments.

As of now, after 5 months of development, the app's revenue is $388.

You can connect with me on X: https://twitter.com/davidtranwd