Growing a portfolio of mobile apps to $185k/mo

Connor Burd built a mobile product for fun and got some momentum. So he did again. And again. And it eventually turned into a business bringing in $185k/mo.

Now, he's building FunnelMob.

Here's Connor on how he did it. 👇

Turning curiosity into a business

I’m an iOS app developer who started by building products for fun and gradually turned that into a serious business.

It started with a single app idea. I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote it down. Then, I built it out of curiosity, shipped it, and kept going. Over time, that curiosity turned into momentum, and I realized I could build real businesses by creating apps around things I genuinely enjoy.

Today, I run an independent app studio focused on consumer subscription apps. It currently generates roughly $185K in monthly recurring revenue, primarily from subscription-based mobile apps.

Every app has an emphasis on strong distribution, clean execution, and data-driven iteration.

Focus on one product at a time

I have several active mobile products, but my focus right now is Payout.

Building a portfolio of apps can be hard and I've found that focusing on one project at a time is helpful.

When you commit fully to a single product, the quality of your decisions and your understanding of the business improves dramatically.

User and revenue growth

Distribution should be a priority from day one, not an afterthought.

For Payout, we began with heavy research into trends on TikTok and the App Store. Then, I partnered with an influencer and built the product specifically around an existing, validated audience.

We've also grown through user-generated content and paid advertising. And all of this is supported by strong App Store optimization. But I'd say influencer marketing has performed best, bringing tens of millions views — it's hyper-growth without hyper-send.

Double down early on what's working

There have been a lot of challenges along the way. But I don’t think of challenges as obstacles, so much as part of the learning curve. Each product teaches you something new about distribution, retention, or positioning.

And experimentation is part of that. If I were starting over, I’d simply double down earlier on what’s already working instead of experimenting too broadly.

A mobile tech stack

Our tech stack is largely the same in all our apps:

• Cursor

• TypeScript

• Next.js

• Vercel

• RevenueCat

Build for distribution first

Here's my advice: Build for distribution first.

Partner with someone who already has an audience.

If something is already working for someone else, that’s validation that it can work for you.

What's next?

You can follow along as I build my new company, FunnelMob, on X. And check out Payout.