Build a Business, Not an App
summary
Built a business around content not one-offs: a library of 20 classic apps that sells individual tracks and a $30 unlock-all option, collects emails to drive repeat sales, and expands into physical goods via Amazon Fulfillment for branded sleep headphones. Metrics matter: roughly 15,000 apps get discoverability, a tiny fraction sustain revenue, and copycats require enforcement—one infringement takes four months to remove. Prioritize recurring revenue, high lifetime value per customer, hard-to-copy technical work, and products that let the business grow beyond a single app.
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chapters (21)
- 0:00Intro
- 1:02An unhealthy app problem
- 8:43Brent Simmons
- 9:04App Store
- 10:21Visibility
- 11:48Playing the Lottery
- 12:20Think Bigger
- 15:07What is a real business
- 15:20Have customers
- 15:44Growing audience
- 16:57Email addresses
- 17:17Repeat sales
- 18:41Subscriptions
- 19:55Value Per Customer
- 22:08Expandable Businesses
- 25:33IP Protection
- 29:11Branding
- 30:08App Contribution
- 34:48Takeaway
- 35:33Recap
- 36:44Outro
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