I Built A $14K/Month App In 4 Months

Evan, a young entrepreneur still in school, created a gamified productivity app called Locked that generates $14,000 per month in revenue just four months after launch. The app helps users stay on task through gaming elements like XP points, leaderboards, character selection, and badges, charging $40 annually or $7 weekly with a 3-day free trial. Evan's entrepreneurial journey began at age 9 developing Roblox games and included failed attempts at dropshipping and vending machines before his brother suggested the app space. His first app, Problem Pal, peaked at $2,000 monthly before he sold it. Building Locked took about 6 weeks total - 2 weeks for design in Figma and 4.5 weeks for development using Xcode, YouTube tutorials, and Claude AI assistance. His growth strategy centered entirely on influencer partnerships, targeting creators whose content aligned with productivity and 'staying locked in.' He identifies creators through social media searches, reaches out with 'paid promo?' messages, and structures deals around CPM rates lower than his $2-3 RPM. His deal structures include flat rates, CPM deals with caps, minimum view clauses (his preferred method), and bonus deals. One partnership with creator Jeremiah Jones generated approximately $3,000 in revenue and 1,800 downloads from 1 million views across platforms, costing $800 with a 600,000 minimum view clause. His tech stack includes Figma for design, Claude AI for development assistance ($200/month), Superwall for paywall A/B testing (1% of earnings), and Supabase for the database (free). Evan advocates for questioning traditional educational paths and focusing on building businesses from a young age rather than following the conventional school-to-job trajectory.