The Story
Nico built and sold two apps for $265,000 after teaching himself to code in just 2 months. He locked himself in a hotel room, learned to code, then built 17 apps in one year. Most failed, but two succeeded spectacularly.
His journey started at 19 when he quit a summer job at a bank after just 3 days because he hated it. He tried various things: a tie brand (failed - no one wears ties anymore), dropshipping (learned Facebook ads), freelance marketing for a Belgian clothing brand. When that client dropped him for someone cheaper and his e-commerce wasn't profitable, he made a radical decision: lock himself in a hotel room for 2 months and learn to code.
The Two Successful Apps
Make Logo AI
- •AI-powered logo generator
- •One-time payment model (packs of 5, 10, or 15 logos)
- •Customization options (add text, change position)
- •Built November → Sold March (~6 months)
- •Revenue: $26K in sales + $65K exit = ~$85K total
- •Customers: Curious AI enthusiasts + small entrepreneurs who didn't want to pay designers
Tor Notes
- •Voice note to formatted text converter
- •Started with one-time payments (1-year pass)
- •Switched to subscription: $60/year or $12/month
- •~10,000 users
- •Revenue: $77K in sales + $200K exit = $277K total
- •Target users: People who brainstorm ideas and need to write them down
The 4 Criteria for Finding Ideas
- •Perceived Value - Is this valuable to others? Or just a slight inconvenience they don't care about?
- •Scale - Is there a market? Or just 3 people worldwide?
- •Your Skills - Can you build it yourself?
- •Distribution - Is there a way to reach users profitably?
Most successful ideas came organically - problems Nico needed solved himself.
Building Process
Step 1: Set a Hard Deadline
- •Without time constraints, there's always something to add
- •Forces focus on only what's necessary
Step 2: App Prototype
- •Planning phase: write down ONLY essential features
- •Look for design inspiration on Dribbble, Google Images
- •Use v0 to generate interfaces
- •Either prototype in Figma (complex UI) or code directly
Step 3: Add SaaS Layers
- •Authentication, payments, etc.
- •This is boilerplate code you copy between projects
Step 4: Landing Page
- •Make it as compelling as possible
- •This is your sales page
Step 5: Optimization
- •SEO optimization
- •Fix small issues
- •Mobile optimization
Launch Hack: The Typeform MVP
For Make Logo AI, Nico used Typeform to:
- •Collect project name
- •Get information about desired logo
- •Collect payment
No backend at all. Not automated. Not scalable. But got first sales and validated the idea before building properly.
The Paid Ads Strategy (What Actually Worked)
Two Types of Platforms
- •Search platforms (Google): Give people what they want at the right time
- •Interruption platforms (Facebook/Instagram): Catch attention while people scroll
What Worked for Tor Notes
- •Started with organic validation → got to $1,500 MRR
- •Then started running ads
- •Spent $20-100/day (limited by resources for creatives + customer support)
The Winning Ad Formula
- •NOT professional studio quality
- •Looks organic, like something you'd see scrolling your feed
- •Paid a guy to record himself reading the script in his office
- •People more inclined to watch because it doesn't look like an ad
Ad Structure
- •Focus on the PROBLEM first
- •Don't mention app name until way later
- •Keep giving reasons to watch
- •Call to action at the end: "If you have all these problems and want a solution, check this out"
Specific Landing Pages
- •Created landing pages for specific audiences
- •Created ads targeting those specific audiences
- •That's when it "really blew up"
Selling on Acquire.com
Listing Strategy
- •Treat your listing like a landing page
- •Showcase your startup as a product
- •Make it compelling
Negotiation Tips
- •Enterprising your startup gets buyers interested
- •Ego plays a role in bidding
- •Make Logo AI example:
- •Got $50K offer, then $55K
- •Then $65K paid over a year
- •Final offer: $65K cash, close in 2 weeks
- •Buyer didn't want to waste time bidding against others
Tech Stack
- •Nuxt (JavaScript framework) - "much better on every aspect"
- •NextUI (component library) - codes 3x faster
- •Cursor (AI coding) - embedded Nuxt/NextUI documentation
- •v0 (interface generation)
- •Ahrefs (SEO)
- •Feedback Widget (user feedback - built it himself)
- •Hottest (A/B testing - built it himself)
Day in the Life
Normal Mode
- •Wake up 7am
- •Work in morning
- •Afternoon: work if needed, or hobbies/video games with friends
Grind Mode (specific goal)
- •Wake up 5:30-6am
- •Gym
- •Work until 7-8pm
- •"Try hard then rest to assess and find what to work on next"
Key Advice
Don't Get Emotionally Attached
- •Make technical prototypes quickly
- •Talk to users as soon as possible
Start Small
- •Don't try to make $100K or even $10K on first project
- •Just make your first dollar online
- •Forget about scalability
- •Compound small wins
- •"You need this first little win to push the snowball until you get a bigger one at the end of the slope"
Resources
- •Follow Nico: https://www.youtube.com/@Jeannen
- •Website: https://jeannen.com/