A free course
Build your first app, and actually launch it
Twenty-five short lessons for someone who has never shipped software. How apps make money, how to build one with Claude sitting next to you, how to charge for it, how to get it live, and how to find the people who will use it. Read it start to finish in an afternoon.
5chapters
25lessons
24,462words
Freeall of it
1Figuring out what to buildBefore any code, the part most people skip.
1.1How apps actually make moneyMost people start by asking what they should build. Fair enough, that's the fun question.1.2Where good ideas come fromSomething stops a lot of people before they've written a line: the belief that you need a brilliant, original idea first.1.3Finding out if anyone wants itHere's the most expensive mistake in software, and nearly everyone makes it at least once.1.4Deciding what not to buildAsk somebody what their app does and you'll often get a list.1.5Getting set up with ClaudeThis is usually where people brace themselves. Installing things, terminal windows, cryptic errors before you've written a single line.
2Building itThe part that looks like magic from outside.
2.1How to talk to Claude about codeTwo people can ask for the same feature and get wildly different results.2.2What a screen is made ofEvery app screen you've ever used is three things stacked together, and once you've seen the split you can't unsee it.2.3Where your data actually livesClose your app and open it again. The stuff is still there.2.4Logins, and why they're harder than they lookA login screen has two boxes and a button. It looks like the easiest thing in the app.2.5Why some apps just look betterYou open two apps that do roughly the same thing. One feels solid and considered.
3Making it something people pay forA reason to come back, and a way to charge.
3.1Why people come back (or don't)Most apps get downloaded, opened once, and never touched again.3.2The first minute someone uses your appSomebody opens your app for the first time. You have roughly a minute, probably less, before they decide whether this was worth it.3.3Free vs paidAt some point you draw a line through your app. This side free, that side costs money.3.4Picking a pricePicking a number is uncomfortable in a way that surprises people.3.5How money reaches your bankSomeone taps a button and money appears in your account.
4Getting it out thereFrom “it works on my laptop” to “it’s on the App Store”.
4.1Knowing it actually worksYour app works. You've been using it for weeks.4.2The security stuff you can't skipSecurity writing tends to be either terrifying or so detailed you close the tab.4.3Putting it on the internetRight now your app runs on your machine, at an address only you can reach.4.4Submitting to the App StoreGetting an app approved has a reputation for being arbitrary and painful.4.5Launch dayHere's what launch day is actually like for most first apps: you press the button, you tell some people, a handful try it, and then it's Tuesday afternoon and nothing much is happening.
5Finding your first usersBuilding was the easy half.
5.1Explaining your app in one lineSomebody asks what you're building. You have about one sentence before they decide whether to keep listening.5.2Where the first users come fromBuilding is the half people plan for. Getting anyone to use the thing is the half that decides how it goes, and it's usually harder.5.3Which numbers are worth watchingOnce people start using your app you can measure almost anything, which is exactly the problem.5.4Why people leaveMost people who try your app will stop using it. That's true for every app, including the ones you love, and the number is higher than you'd guess.5.5Keeping it goingThe apps that work out usually aren't the ones built by the most talented person.