Non-developer waking up at 3:40 AM: How AI helped me build 2 apps & hit 240 DAU on a side project

Hey IH! Finally back on the platform—feels good to post here again!
​I wanted to share a quick update and a milestone from my journey as a non-technical founder building side projects alongside a demanding full-time job.
​My daily schedule:
​03:40 AM: Alarm goes off for my day job
​03:00 PM: Back home, switch gears
​03:30 PM – 08:30 PM: Build, code, and market my apps
​I don't have a Computer Science degree or a traditional software engineering background. A few years ago, building a full-stack Web / PWA application on my own would have taken me years of learning syntax or thousands of dollars. Today, I use AI as my 24/7 coding partner to bridge the technical gap.
​Recent Milestones for my hiking trails app (Naszlaki):
​1,000+ total visitors in the last 30 days
​240 visitors in 24 hours following a local community push
​168 PWA install prompts and 10+ launches directly from users' home screens
​Real-world validation: A user messaged me today saying they’re taking the app out onto the mountain trails to test it live!
​My 2 Biggest Learnings So Far:
​Authenticity over polished PR: When a local forum accused my project of being "AI slop," I didn't hide. I replied openly: "I'm not a software engineer. I'm just a guy using AI to build things I love." The sentiment flipped immediately, and critics turned into supporters.
​AI is the ultimate equalizer: It handles the repetitive syntax so I can focus on product logic, user experience, and distribution.
​To all the non-technical bootstrappers here: the barrier to entry has never been lower, but the hustle still matters.
​What are you building after hours right now? How heavily are you leveraging AI in your workflow? Would love to connect and hear your thoughts! 👇