Building an app portfolio to $60k/mo after Apple froze his developer account

Viktor Seraleev started over three times — and the third time took a toll. But now, his portfolio of apps is thriving once again with an MRR of $60k.

Here's Viktor on what went wrong and how he fixed it. 👇

Launching, selling, and rebuilding

I didn’t know what I wanted to do after university. But one thing was clear: I didn’t want to work a traditional 9–to-5 job. And that left me with no option but to become an entrepreneur.

I started with offline businesses, but over time, I gradually shifted my focus to online products and digital businesses where I could build, iterate, and scale on my own terms.

Now, I’m an indie mobile app developer and founder. I’ve been building and shipping iOS and Android apps since 2020, mostly in the photo/video, creative tool, and utility spaces. Over the years, I’ve launched 30+ apps, sold several of them, and rebuilt my business multiple times from zero.

I currently run a profitable portfolio that has been growing consistently for the last 2 years. In December 2025, I finished the month with $60.1k+ in proceeds — after Apple’s commission.

Starting from scratch

I had to start from scratch three times.

The first time was in 2020, when I left my partners and decided to go solo.

The second time was because I couldn’t build anything meaningful. I had money in the bank and saw it as the perfect moment to fully reset and rethink.

The third was one of the hardest times of my life, personally and professionally.

It was 2022. I had to relocate from Russia to Chile and overnight, my business became fully international. Before February 2022, about 75% of my revenue came from Russia. And that went down to nearly zero. That alone was a challenge, but just as I started to recover, I encountered a true black swan event.

Apple terminated my developer account. I spent eight months trying to understand why. Eventually, I discovered that after we parted ways, my former partners had registered a company with the same name. Apple shut down their account, and the connection caused my entire business to collapse as well. I took Apple to court, but the judge ruled account termination is part of standard contractual relationships and entirely Apple’s decision.

At the same time, sanctions caused my main bank to close the company account and freeze the funds. I had nothing — in a new country, with no access to my own money.

It was one of the most stressful and painful periods of my life. Climbing out of that hole took a huge emotional and mental toll. But it also shaped how I think today. I’m not chasing chaos or constant restarts anymore. Now, I value stability, predictability, and transparency most. I work fully in the open, build sustainable businesses in public, and focus on long-term resilience rather than short-term wins.

A $400k exit

My first solo product stemmed from a practical need.

In 2020, my wife and I ran a family business — a manicure salon. One evening, she tried to create a simple Instagram video: a before-and-after manicure using a slider effect. Surprisingly, she couldn’t find an app on the App Store for this purpose. I didn't believe it at first and searched for it myself. I found nothing.

So, I designed a simple UI and a friend helped me build the first version of the app. It was buggy and imperfect, but after a complete redesign and several updates, the app grew fast.

In just eight months, net proceeds grew from $200 to $34,000. Eventually, I sold the app for $410,000 – without actively seeking a buyer. Someone offered to buy it, and I accepted.

Set a personal challenge

Launching a personal challenge was one of my most helpful decisions. I set myself a goal: build 10 apps by the end of the year. And that challenge forced me to adopt a strategy of small bets and fast iterations.

The rules were simple:

• Projects had to be high quality.

• They had to be small but genuinely useful.

• The challenge had to be completed, no matter what.

After finishing, you don't just gain valuable assets. More importantly, you gain real clarity. You'll learn:

• Which projects are worth scaling

• Which ones to shut down or sell

• Where to actually invest your time and energy

Native vs cross-platform development

My tech stack choice is obvious. For video-related apps, native development works best, so I use Swift. And I have my own in-house video rendering technology.

That said, I also experiment. Last year I shipped two apps: one built with Kotlin Multiplatform and another with React Native. I was pleasantly surprised by how much cross-platform development has improved over the years.

If you’re not working heavily with video, cross-platform development is absolutely the right choice

Mobile subscriptions vs ads

All my apps use a subscription model.

The apps are free to download, but users pay for premium features. I usually offer two plans: a weekly and a yearly subscription. During major global sales (like Black Friday or end-of-year campaigns), I run limited discounts, which typically increase daily revenue by 30–40%.

I also deliberately decided to avoid ads in my apps entirely. I don’t like the advertising model as a user, so I choose not to use it in my products. I stick to this principle: I build clean, focused apps where revenue comes directly from delivering value to users.

Secret sauce for mobile growth

Here’s my “secret sauce” for consistently attracting users and growing mobile apps. Nothing magical — just channels proven reliable over time.

1. ASO (App Store Optimization): One of the most stable acquisition channels. App Store search generates around 25% of traffic. The basics matter most: a strong title, subtitle, and carefully selected keywords. Visibility on competitors’ app pages generates another ~10%.

2. Initial boost at launch: I often use a simple formula of keyword + unique app name. Check how your app name appears in search before release.
   This method doesn’t always work, but the last time it generated 34 trials right after launch.

3. Personal blog and social media: I regularly share posts about my apps and my journey. One post alone reached 600k+ views on Twitter. This channel has been surprisingly consistent for me.

4. Google Ads: I tested multiple paid channels and eventually focused on Google Ads. Others were either too expensive or not profitable enough at scale.

5. TikTok and Instagram Reels: I wanted to personally create video content about my apps. Last year, I spent a month posting six videos per day (three in Spanish, three in English). Dozens of videos crossed 100k views, several reached 500k+, and one passed 1.2M views. It works, but it’s very time-consuming and consistency is hard to maintain.

6. Apple Search Ads: Before my developer account was terminated, this was my main acquisition channel. It’s currently on pause — in the photo/video niche, competition has driven prices very high.

7. Product Hunt: I occasionally launch apps on Product Hunt. It provides early feedback from a loyal audience and some initial traffic. A good launch requires preparation.

Don't go it alone

One thing that helped me a lot came from earlier in life.

Growing up, my parents always taught me one simple rule: Never give up. Stay strong, even when things are hard.

This mindset helped me psychologically survive the most difficult moments and rebuild my business from zero — multiple times.

I’m also not doing this alone. My family — my wife and our children — are always by my side. Their support matters more than anything else, especially during unstable periods.

Why transparency is key for indie hackers starting out

Here's my advice: Don’t be afraid to be open.

Transparency is rare, but it’s also what attracts people. Be honest with your users, your team, and the people around you. Long-term trust matters more than short-term optics.

And don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

The more approaches you try, the higher your chances of success. Mistakes are unavoidable — I still make them regularly. What matters is learning from them and adjusting, not avoiding failure at all costs.

What's next?

I’m currently focused on:

• Scaling my core apps (subscriptions, MRR growth)

• Testing new directions and product ideas

• Experimenting with ASO, pricing, and distribution

My long-term goal is to build a diversified business.

I don’t want to rely on a single platform. That means spreading risk across the App Store, Google Play, and SaaS. On the web side, I’ve already run two test launches. One of them proved to be the wrong direction, and I will shut it down in February. The other is gradually gaining traction — a link-in-bio and website builder called Type.link.

Over time, my apps will become platform-agnostic and available across all major platforms, including the web. That way, they can grow — independent of any single ecosystem.

You can follow along while I build in public on Twitter — I share my journey, experiments, lessons, and behind-the-scenes insights daily.