How a Solo Developer Earned $30,000 with an AI-Powered App

I prompted my way to $30,000 without writing a single line of code. This individual generated $30,000 from an application he developed during his morning commute using two primary tools: Cursor and Bolt. Many people create impressive projects with Bolt and Cursor today but struggle to monetize them.

In this article, we will explore the remarkable story of how a solo developer built, launched, and marketed a SaaS product, gaining significant traction in about 30 days. You might already have a winning idea that you can bring to life through prompting.

This article will be particularly valuable as it outlines the exact process for building rapidly with AI tools, creating beautiful designs, and how making money and marketing your app can be as straightforward as a few social media posts.

The Founder's Journey

An entrepreneur, who successfully used AI to build an app that generated 30K, developed a platform that connects startups with influencers. He built and launched it over seven months ago, and it currently boasts over a thousand users, with more than 350 of them being paid subscribers. The entire project was a solo effort, accomplished during his daily commute, using Bolt for development, Cursor for coding, and Framer for design.

His entrepreneurial journey began at 18, when he needed to fund his college education. The only job he could find was in door-to-door sales. A traumatic experience, where a homeowner threatened him with a knife, pushed him to seek alternative income streams. As a student, his employment options were limited, so he explored various side hustles, including web design, copywriting, and sales funnels, becoming a generalist. This provided enough income to support him through university, where he studied computer game development.

Interestingly, he struggled with coding, being a more visual person. However, the advent of AI, which can now handle coding tasks, removed these limitations. AI now performs the heavy lifting in terms of coding, compensating for his areas of weakness.

From Frustration to a Winning Idea

After trying several business models without achieving the financial freedom he desired, he felt a great deal of frustration. This led him to explore creator-led services and products. The concept of a database for creators came to mind, and he began building it, initially for his own use. He realized that with AI, he could transform this into a full-fledged SaaS if there was sufficient demand. He decided to experiment with the idea, and the results were promising.

The Thrill of the First Sale

For months leading up to the launch, he invested significant effort into building the database, with no guarantee of a payoff. On the day of the launch, while having dinner with his girlfriend, he checked his phone and saw a continuous stream of sales. That night, he made around 20 to 30 sales, a validating experience that motivated him to continue developing the product.

A Step-by-Step Playbook for Building MVPs with AI

For those new to this process, here is a step-by-step guide to building MVPs with AI:

1. Start with Perplexity

For beginners, Perplexity is an excellent starting point. It provides the most current information, including documentation for any tool or library. You can inform the AI that you are a complete novice, and it will generate a detailed, step-by-step guide. Because it conducts deep research, it produces a comprehensive document that you can follow.

2. Build the MVP with Bolt

The next step is to use Bolt, taking it one step at a time. Implement the first suggestion from Perplexity, which might be setting up the dashboard, importing the project, or cloning a GitHub repository. Continue prompting the AI, and if you encounter any errors, simply feed the error back to the AI, and it will provide a fix. Use Bolt to create a functional and visually appealing MVP.

3. Refine with Cursor

Once you have a solid MVP, download the project and import it into Cursor. Here, you can integrate services like Superbase. The AI will write the necessary scripts to connect the backend. You can also set up authentication using a service like Clerk, which is easy to plug and play. Perplexity can provide guidance for all these steps, so you can ask questions along the way.

To summarize the workflow: - Perplexity: The starting point for research and planning. - Bolt: The tool for creating the initial MVP. - Cursor: The final step for refining the details, adding a backend, and ensuring the application is secure and ready for users.

Designing Stunning Websites with AI

The design process can be remarkably simple.

Landing Page Design

First, open Framer and choose a free template that is simple, clean, and easy to edit. Select a suitable font and button style, and keep the rest of the design minimalist. The main goal is to edit the template quickly and launch the site.

A significant portion of your time—around 80%—should be dedicated to the "hero section," the area above the fold. This is the first thing visitors see, and it must convey your message clearly within the first few seconds. The headline and subheading should highlight how your product saves time, saves money, or solves a painful problem. A prominent call-to-action button is also essential.

UI/UX Design for Your App

When building the app in Cursor, you start with the basic functionality and then add more features. As the app grows, it's crucial to maintain a clean, cohesive, and intuitive design. For all UI-related tasks, instruct the AI to make it "clean, functional, and modern." Using free component libraries like Shad CN can be very helpful.

If you have ideas for the onboarding flow or other app elements, you can create a simple doodle or wireframe in Figma. Then, import it into Cursor and describe the desired behavior. The AI will generate a polished page based on your design.

Marketing Your App with a "Build in Public" Strategy

Twitter has proven to be an effective marketing channel. One particular post garnered nearly 500,000 impressions. The key to its success was connecting the post to a trending topic in the industry. Many people who "build in public" fail to gain traction because they don't engage with the larger conversation. Human attention is limited, so it's far more effective to bring your ideas to where the focus already is.

This successful post included a simple visual demo and a genuine human reaction. Most importantly, it tapped into the ongoing debate about whether AI coding is advanced enough to build a full SaaS.

The broader strategy is to "build in public" and ship updates frequently, rather than relying on a single major launch. For example, by tapping into the influencer conversation at the time and drawing inspiration from similar content formats, it's possible to create a compelling post.

A common pitfall is creating copycat products. These rarely succeed because people can see through the lack of originality. It's essential to have a unique edge that cannot be easily replicated, even with AI tools.

The Tech Stack

Here is the technology stack used to build the business:

• Perplexity: For the initial game plan.
• Bolt: For the functional MVP.
• Cursor: To make the application production-ready.
• Vercel: For hosting (free tier available).
• Superbase: For the backend (free tier available).
• API: For scraping data.

The business operates with approximately 90% profit margins.

Key Lessons Learned

A surprising outcome of this journey has been the number of people asking for the "secret sauce" to building things quickly. The reality is that you can start prompting your way to creating and selling a product. People often underestimate their own knowledge. If you have deep domain expertise, you likely have numerous ideas for what to build. You may already have a winning concept that you can bring to life with AI.

A Day in the Life of a Full-Time Indie Hacker

Transitioning to working on the project full-time has brought significant changes, including more travel and more work. Building the MVP while traveling to China, New York, and France, and seeing revenue come in, was a rewarding experience. Since quitting his job on December 24th, he has been working on the project full-time. Some days, he works more hours than he did at his 9-to-5 job, but he doesn't feel exhausted.

Advice for Aspiring Developers

Never underestimate what you can accomplish as a solo developer. Having AI as your CTO is a superpower. We are in a unique period where it's possible to execute on ideas rapidly. You can likely build a scrappy version of your idea over a weekend. If you add a "buy" button and share it on social media, you might be surprised by how many people are interested.