Intro / Who and What 👋

Chris is a solo developer who built a simple Wish List app that grew into a $150k/year business, enabling him to quit his job and go full-time.

Idea genesis and product concept 💡

How the idea started: He was using an Excel sheet for his own wish list and felt there wasn’t a nice app out there, so he built a better, nicer wish list app.
Why it sat as a side project: He started it while juggling university, a full-time job, and life—time, codebase challenges, and lack of initial marketing kept it as a side project.

Journey timeline / milestones 📅

2019–2020: Ideation and first release of Wish List.
2021: Landed his first job as an app developer, influenced by the side project.
2023: Two months of free time; planned a relaunch and launched Wish List 2.0, hitting 100k registered users.
2024: Juggled a full-time job and the side project; negotiated a 4-day workweek to dedicate more time.
2025: Quit the job and went full-time with Wish List.

Growth strategy and marketing approach 📈

No traditional marketing; limited budget.
Early focus on getting reviews from friends/family and user feedback.
Proactive, personalized support and thanking users; asking for reviews at opportune moments.
Why reviews and sentiment mattered: reviews boosted app store ranking and helped with retention.

Product, monetization, and user metrics 💳

How Wish List works: Create lists, add wishes, share with others; supports affiliate links and premium features.
Revenue model: Affiliate links, in-app purchases/premium, etc.
Key metrics (approximate):
- 1.1 million registered users
- 4k+ paying customers
- ~110k monthly active users
- ~$6k monthly revenue in low season; revenue can multiply ~5x in high season
- near 99% margin by cost structure described

Tech stack and operations 🛠️

How it works (product tour) 🧭

Create a wish list (e.g., Christmas), add notes, set visibility.
Add wishes manually or import via affiliate-enabled links.
Premium membership unlocks features like custom/wishlist images.
Revenue mainly generated through affiliate links and the affiliate-enabled flow.

Learnings, takeaways, and practical advice 🧠

Start small and solve a real, personal problem.
Don’t overcomplicate; you don’t need VC funding or a grand vision.
Be honest with your employer; use free time wisely; winter and “working holidays” can help maintain productivity.
Focus on users, iterate from their feedback, and keep the project enjoyable.

Final thoughts / advice for others with a full-time job 🔑