The Story
Adam Lyttle went from $200,000 in debt to making $50,000/month with a portfolio of mobile apps. His journey is one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the indie hacker world.
Adam grew up in a troubled home with drug and alcohol use in his family. He gravitated toward computers - he could understand them better than people. As a kid, he'd roleplay having his own software business. In high school, he started a shareware business making a few dollars on the side, but piracy killed his revenue.
The Rise and Fall
The Web Agency ($300K/year)
- •After high school, started a web agency building websites for businesses
- •This was before Wix and Squarespace
- •At peak: $300K profit per year
- •"I thought I was balling. I thought I was invincible."
The Debt Spiral
- •Used debt as a tool to live a lavish lifestyle
- •Accumulated $200K in credit card and car loan debt
- •Too focused on business, deadlines, clients
- •Wasn't there for kids and family
- •"Everyone around me just had to fall into line to accomplish the goals I wanted"
The Collapse
- •Wix and Squarespace disrupted his business
- •Couldn't charge $10K for websites when people could use Wix for $10/month
- •Business collapsed "pretty much overnight"
- •Tried to work harder, lowered prices, worked more hours
- •Total burnout - couldn't even sit at a desk
- •Started defaulting on debts
- •Cars taken away, accounts frozen
- •Lost everything: business, possessions, relationships, identity
The Lawn Mowing Pivot
Rock Bottom
- •Couldn't sit in front of a computer
- •Needed to just walk and not be in the house
- •Idea: "If I put a lawn mower in front of me, I could get paid to walk"
- •Posted on Airtasker: "Can you mow my lawn for $20?"
- •Said yes to everything
- •Started rebuilding confidence
The App Idea
- •Problem: Had to manually plot routes on Google Maps for mowing jobs
- •Asked other mowers how they organized - "piece of paper, week 1 on one side, week 2 on the other"
- •Asked: "Why don't you use an app?"
- •Answer: "No app exists. Someone should make it."
- •Thought: "I could be that someone"
The One App Per Month Challenge
First App Failure
- •Spent 6 months building lawn mowing app
- •Released it - didn't do well
- •Had clear intention, use case, and need - but still failed
- •Needed to learn why
The Challenge
- •Set challenge: Create one app every single month
- •Best way to learn: throw yourself in and start building
- •Mowed lawns 6am-6pm, then built apps at night
- •Intention: "Give back more to the world than I had taken"
The Miracle
- •One of the first apps became hugely successful
- •Generating ~$11K/month
- •Buyer reached out: "I'll buy it for 2x annual revenue" = $224K
- •Used money to pay back debts and avoid bankruptcy
- •Kept the dream alive
The Business Model Flip
From Creative Outlet to Revenue Machine
- •Realized: "I can create an app every month and generate 2 years of revenue from one app"
- •Thought of it like runway
- •Sell an app → extend runway → try to release another successful app before runway runs out
- •Did this for 2 years
The Pepsi Max Moment
- •Went to restaurant, wanted a Pepsi Max
- •Couldn't afford it
- •Realized: "What am I doing with my life? Am I following a dream that isn't going to come to fruition?"
- •Decided to change strategy
The Portfolio Approach
- •Instead of building to sell, build to keep
- •Even if each app makes only $200-500/month
- •Total revenue is enough to pay debts and provide for family
The ChatGPT Breakthrough
The 10x Developer Joke
- •ChatGPT came out with the joke that it makes you a 10x developer
- •Adam's challenge: If I'm a 10x developer, I should build 10 apps this month
- •Worked as hard as possible
- •Result: Released 9 apps (ChatGPT made him a 9x developer)
The Turning Point
- •No longer needed to sell apps to keep pipeline going
- •Had enough apps in portfolio for consistent monthly revenue
- •Could pay down debts, pay rent, take family out for dinner
The $50K/Month Breakthrough
YouTube Experiments
- •July: Started YouTube channel
- •Tested different things with apps, shared feedback
- •Created new paywall and onboarding flow
- •Revenue jumped from $10K/month to $50K/month "pretty much overnight"
- •Consistently $50-60K/month since
Debt Free
- •Last month: Paid down ALL debts
- •No longer in hardship payments
- •No longer 4 years of debt payments ahead
- •Can provide comfortable lifestyle for family
- •Gets to do what he's passionate about: building and creating
Key Insights
On Finding Ideas
- •"Nine times out of 10, the motivator is 'I want to make money'"
- •But without passion, creativity, and drive, you'll be stuck
- •Best way: Live life, go out there, find where there's a need
- •Look for apps that aren't doing a good enough job
On Building
- •Lost track of how many apps built - over 50
- •Sold quite a few, kept quite a few
- •The more you put out with positive impact, the more money flows as a byproduct
On Mental Health
- •At lowest point: couldn't get out of bed
- •Felt overburdened - no matter what, still had debt, people chasing him
- •Discovery: "Creating something seems to be the antidote to depression"
- •"The antidote to feeling alone and lost"
Key Advice
- •Follow motivating passions that are actionable
- •Passions that make you want to learn and build
- •You don't need perfect situation to get started
- •Show up every day, good things can happen
- •Building is the antidote to depression and feeling lost
Resources
- •YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adamlyttleapps
- •Twitter: https://x.com/adamlyttleapps