On this episode I breakdown the frameworks for building a $100K MRR mobile app. We dive deep into how to find a niche daily habit to serve, validating demand before building, and creating a strong first-win experience for users. We discuss proper pricing strategies (typically $7-40/month), retention mechanics like streaks, and a multi-channel growth approach combining organic content, referrals, and eventually paid acquisition.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:06 - Overview of $100k Mobile App Blueprint
04:57 - Finding a daily habit to serve
06:27 - Validating demand
09:58 - User experience and onboarding flow
12:32 - Pricing strategies and monetization
13:46 - User journey from first use to advocacy
16:24 - Distribution and marketing channels
18:56 - 30 Day Monetization Blueprint
19:44 - Metrics to Measure
20:59 - Feature Development Framework
22:16 - North Star Metric
25:10 - Startup Idea 1: Dog Allergy Scanner
26:58 - Startup Idea 2: Migraine Weather Guard
28:07 - Startup Idea 3: Silent Study Timer
30:05 - Startup Idea 4: Plant Watering AI Coach
Key Points:
• Focus on serving a daily habit with a narrow wedge use case, ideally incorporating AI
• Validate demand through Reddit, TikTok, and other platforms before building
• Optimize for first-win experience within 24 hours of app download
• Use a combination of organic growth, owned channels, and paid acquisition
• Monitor key metrics like retention, conversion, and LTV/CAC ratio
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends -Â https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies:Â boringmarketing.comÂ
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn:Â thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter:Â https://twitter.com/gregisenbergÂ
Instagram:Â https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
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My n8n AI agent scrapes Google Maps and makes $$$
Find $30k/mo local businesses you can start. Get the guide:Â https://startup-ideas-pod.link/AI-Boring-Business
Join me as I chat with James, the Boring Marketer, as he shares how to use AI to identify profitable "boring" local business opportunities that are overlooked by most entrepreneurs. He demonstrates a workflow that scrapes Google Maps data to validate market demand and customer pain points, then uses that information to create targeted content. James emphasizes focusing on underserved niches with high customer value in growing mid-sized cities rather than competing in saturated markets.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:30 - AI Powered Boring Businesses are Gold Mines (Underserved Niches)
06:37 - Boring Business Finder AI Agent
10:16 - Example of the Output
11:04 - How start a Boring Business
14:51 - The Market Opportunity
16:59 - Using Hostinger for Self Hosting AI Workflow
19:39 - Unique Boring Business Opportunities
22:13 - Creating AI-generated newsletters from Google Maps data
Brought to you by:
Hostinger - Self Host your AI Workflows https://www.hostinger.com/sip10 (coupon code: SIP10).
Key Points:
• Using AI to identify underserved, high-value local business niches in tier 2/3 cities
• Leveraging Google Maps data to validate market opportunities through review volume, velocity, and sentiment
• Creating niche-focused local media assets (newsletters, directories) to generate leads for service providers
• Setting up cost-effective AI workflows using Hostinger instead of more expensive hosting options
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends -Â https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies:Â boringmarketing.comÂ
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn:Â thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter:Â https://twitter.com/gregisenbergÂ
Instagram:Â https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND JAMES ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter:Â https://x.com/boringmarketerÂ
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadickerson/
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This App Hit 2M Users with Creators Who Had 0 Followers (Here's How)
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider where we dive deep into how brands can leverage short-form content creators instead of traditional influencers to achieve better marketing ROI. He breaks down the economics of creator partnerships ($900/month for daily content across platforms vs. $2,000 for a single influencer post) and demonstrates how the for-you-page algorithm allows creators with zero followers to potentially reach massive audiences. The strategy works particularly well for mobile apps, e-commerce products, and services with straightforward value propositions.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:26 - Why Short-Form Marketing?
02:55 - Creator vs. Influencer Marketing Explained
04:41 - Micro-Creator Strategy Overview
11:43 - Case study of Focus Tree app using creator marketing
16:04 - How to Find and Work with Creators
19:49 - The Drawbacks of this Strategy
20:27 - Tools for Managing and Tracking Campaign Performance
22:56 - Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Key Points:
• Creator marketing is more cost-effective than traditional influencer marketing, especially for mobile apps and B2C products
• For-you-page algorithms have changed how content reaches audiences, making follower count less important than content quality
• Working with multiple creators (5-10) creates a compound learning effect where successful formats can be shared across the team
• This strategy works best for products with simple value propositions that can be purchased impulsively on mobile devices
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends -Â https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies:Â boringmarketing.comÂ
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn:Â thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter:Â https://twitter.com/gregisenbergÂ
Instagram:Â https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.comÂ
X/Twitter:Â https://x.com/codyschneiderxxÂ
Youtube:Â https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx
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The YouTube Loophole Printing $1M+ for SaaS Startups Right Now
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider about the power of using YouTube Creators for influencer marketing. Cody explains a step-by-step playbook for acquiring customers through YouTube creator partnerships. The strategy involves reaching out to 100+ creators in your niche, offering a three-video package plus affiliate commission, identifying which creators drive the most conversions, then putting top performers on monthly retainers. This creates a scalable system where you eventually have dozens of creators regularly making content about your product, with trackable ROI through affiliate links.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:03 - Why partner with Youtube Creators
04:38 - How to find and contact YouTube creators
08:11 - Crafting the email and follow-up strategy
09:26 - Overview of the Strategy
14:42 - The value of underpriced attention
19:12 - The numbers and scaling the process
22:06 - Biggest Bottleneck
22:50 - Automating the process
24:47 - Why start now
Key Points:
• YouTube creators + affiliate marketing is an effective strategy for getting initial customers, especially for SMB products with one killer feature
• The strategy works by reaching out to creators, having them make videos about your product, and giving them affiliate commissions
• This is a marketing arbitrage opportunity because many smaller creators (10k-50k subscribers) don't know how to properly price themselves
• The goal is to identify underpriced creators, test them, then put the best performers on retainer to create monthly content
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends -Â https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies:Â boringmarketing.comÂ
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn:Â thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter:Â https://twitter.com/gregisenbergÂ
Instagram:Â https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL
Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.comÂ
X/Twitter:Â https://x.com/codyschneiderxxÂ
Youtube:Â https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx
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what the heck is GEO (AI search, rankings, $$$)
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider about AI Search. Cody explains that while AI search (GEO) is generating buzz, it currently represents a small portion of overall search volume compared to traditional search engines. The value lies in highly qualified leads, with conversion rates of 10-40% from AI search traffic. To optimize for AI search, businesses need to identify which URLs are being referenced by AI for relevant queries and work to get their brand mentioned on those pages.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - What is GEO/AI search?
02:18 - Who GEO is most effective for?
08:16 - How AI search actually functions
12:31 - Tools and strategies for optimizing for AI search
16:45 - Why are people obsessed with GEO
19:56 - Discussion of available tracking tools
22:41 - Final Thoughts on AI Search and GEO
Key Points:
• GEO (AI Search) refers to search queries through AI platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini
• AI search works by expanding user queries into multiple derivative searches, then scraping top Google results
• Most effective for businesses with long purchasing decision timelines (SaaS, local service businesses)
• Success requires getting your brand mentioned on multiple high-ranking pages that AI references
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends -Â https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies:Â boringmarketing.comÂ
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn:Â thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter:Â https://twitter.com/gregisenbergÂ
Instagram:Â https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL
Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.comÂ
X/Twitter:Â https://x.com/codyschneiderxxÂ
Youtube:Â https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx
Get your creative juices flowing with The Startup Ideas Podcast. Published twice a week, we bring you free startup ideas to inspire your next venture. Hosted by Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout and former advisor to Reddit and TikTok. Subscribe so you don't miss out.
For more startup ideas, we created a database of 30+ startup ideas you can take at https://gregisenberg.com/30startupideas