My strategy for launching 10 production apps in 2025

For the last four years, I’ve been heads-down building an audience on YouTube and releasing courses on notJust.dev. It’s been rewarding—but it also meant I had almost no time to build and ship the kinds of mobile apps I’d been dreaming about. The ideas were there. The time and energy to execute? Not so much.

But this year, everything changed.

With the help of AI and the modern mobile development stack—Expo, React Native, and EAS—I can move faster than ever before. I’m no longer blocked by boilerplate, or by hours of repetitive coding. Development feels lighter, faster, more fun.

So I’m doing something a little ambitious: I’m launching 10 mobile apps in 2025, while working no more than 10 hours a week.

Is that possible? We’re about to find out.

The key to making this plan work isn’t hustle—it's leverage. I’m building each app using a system that prioritizes speed, learning, and scalability. Here’s what it looks like at a high level:

• Start with App Store Optimization (ASO) to find keywords people are already searching for
• Build one-feature apps that solve one clear problem really well
• Use AI tools to automate repetitive work and accelerate dev time
• Involve the whole team and share lessons along the way
• Build reusable systems and templates for common features like onboarding, paywalls, and analytics
• Treat each app like a learning sprint, not a masterpiece

Let’s break that down.

Most indie devs start with an idea and hope people will find it. I’m flipping that around: I start with what people are already searching for.

Using a tool called Astro, I identify keywords with:

• High search volume (score > 20)
• Low competition (score < 50)
• Clear commercial intent
• A specific, well-defined problem

Instead of building a vague “productivity app,” I might target something like “morning routine checklist” or “gym rest timer”. These terms are more focused, easier to rank for, and directly inform the features I build.

In a way, ASO research becomes my product spec.

Every app I ship will focus on a single feature—something I can describe in five words or less.

Why? Because simplicity scales:

• It keeps development time down
• It helps users immediately understand the app’s value
• It makes keyword targeting more effective
• It reduces scope creep and technical overhead

For example, if I’m building an app called “PDF Page Splitter,” that’s all it does. No editor, no scanner, no cloud sync. Just splitting PDFs, really well.

I try to avoid complexity as much as possible. If a backend is not required, I am building a local only app. If I need a minimal backend for some AI APIs, I build them with Expo Router API Routes and deploy them to EAS Hosting. The whole process usually takes around 15 minutes, and I have an up-and-running backend which I don’t have to manage.

This is the game-changer. Tools like Cursor are making it possible to move at 10x speed.

Here’s what AI helps me do:

• Scaffold out new screens and components
• Write common logic (state management, navigation, etc.)
• Fix bugs and explain errors
• Generate App Store descriptions and ASO copy
• Create icon concepts and user flows

I’m still the product thinker and decision-maker. But AI handles the repetitive work that used to take hours—so I can focus on building something people actually want.

I am involving my team, but we act as indie developers. Lukas and I are building side-by-side. Each of us is responsible for 1 app at a time. While I’m working on one app, he’s shipping another. Every week, we review each other’s work, share wins, and avoid repeating mistakes.

This structure keeps us accountable and constantly learning. If I discover a killer onboarding pattern or find a high-converting keyword, Lukas uses it next. And vice versa.

By app #3, I realized I was rebuilding the same flows over and over again. So now, I’m treating this like a productized business.

We’re building:

A template library:

• Onboarding
• Paywalls (trial, freemium, one-time purchase)
• Settings screens
• In-app rating prompts
• Analytics with sensible defaults

A development starter kit:

• Project structure and file organization
• Pre-configured dependencies
• EAS Workflows for automated build and deployment
• Reusable icons, colors, and utility functions

The goal is to go from idea → shipped app in under 40 hours of real work.

Each app is a learning sprint. We’re tracking:

• Time from idea to App Store launch
• Keyword ranking and discoverability
• Feature usage and user retention
• What users love (or complain about)

After each release, I spend two hours documenting what worked and what didn’t. That feedback directly informs the next app. It’s not about building 10 perfect apps. It’s about compounding lessons from 10 smart bets.

I’m not doing this just to fill up a portfolio.

I’m doing it to prove something: that modern tools—Expo, EAS, AI copilots, and ASO strategy—make it realistic for a solo or small team to ship production-ready apps at scale. No big team. No investor funding. Just focus, execution, and iteration.

And as I build this system, I’ll share everything openly and in real time. Templates. Metrics. Tools. Mistakes. Wins.

My hope is that this becomes a playbook anyone can follow. Whether you’re building your first app or your fiftieth, this process will help you go faster, stay focused, and build something real.

Next week, I’ll share a deep dive into my exact ASO process—including how I find keywords, how I validate ideas, and how I build my App Store metadata from day one.

Until then: if you’ve been sitting on an app idea, now’s the time to ship it. The tools have never been better. The pace has never been faster. And the window of opportunity is wide open.

If you want to share my journey, follow me on X (@VadimNotJustDev) or join my newsletter, where I will share more deep dives from this journey weekly.

Let’s build.