Founder stories
$10K MRRin 2 years
3 milestones
German Developer Reaches $10K MRR After 2.5 Years with Habit App
Founder
Sebastian Röhl
Solo Founder•Technical•USA
Commitment
Full-timeExperience
First-timeProduct
Minimalist habit tracking app with GitHub-like grid.
Type
Mobile AppIndustry
ProductivityModel
FreemiumMarketing Strategy
How Sebastian acquired customers
Primary Channel
Word of Mouth
Tech Stack
Tools used to build HabitKit
SwiftSwiftUIRevenueCatFirebase
The Full Story
I'm a 29-year-old software engineer from Germany who left my full-time job to dedicate one year to building my own projects.
The Grind
My MRR growth had phases of stagnation - the step from $6,000 to $7,000 took 2 months, and from $7,000 to $8,000 took 5 months.
The Breakthrough
In June 2024, I won the RevenueCat Times Square contest. Then MKBHD's channel featured HabitKit in a video which led to a huge spike.
- Time to $10K MRR: 2.5 years
- Pricing experiments unlocked growth
- MKBHD feature changed everything
Key Takeaways
1
Growth isn't linear - be patient during stagnation periods
2
Set a tight deadline for MVP - I gave myself 4-6 weeks
3
Pricing experiments can unlock new growth
4
One big feature (like Times Square or MKBHD) can change everything
Originally published onTwitter/X
Inspired by Sebastian's journey? Generate a business idea in the Productivity space using AI and real founder data.
Milestone Journey
Sebastian achieved 3 milestones on the path to $10K MRR
First Customer
$5
1 month
April 2022
69% faster
vs avg 3 months+11 months to next milestone
$1K MRR
$1,000
1 year
March 2023
Avg: 11 months
+1 year to next milestone
$10K MRR
$10,000
2 years
September 2024
Avg: 1 year
2 years
Total journey time
3
Milestones achieved
Sebastian's Path to $10K MRRPremium
The journey, decisions, and context behind this milestone
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