Stay ConnectedGet your creative juices flowing with The Startup Ideas Podcast. Published twice a week, we bring you free startup ideas to inspire your next venture. Hosted by Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout and former advisor to Reddit and TikTok. Subscribe so you don’t miss out.
For more startup ideas, we created a database of 30+ startup ideas you can take at https://gregisenberg.com/30startupideas
Copyright: © The Startup Ideas Podcast
On this episode I breakdown the frameworks for building a $100K MRR mobile app. We dive deep into how to find a niche daily habit to serve, validating demand before building, and creating a strong first-win experience for users. We discuss proper pricing strategies (typically $7-40/month), retention mechanics like streaks, and a multi-channel growth approach combining organic content, referrals, and eventually paid acquisition.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:06 - Overview of $100k Mobile App Blueprint
04:57 - Finding a daily habit to serve
06:27 - Validating demand
09:58 - User experience and onboarding flow
12:32 - Pricing strategies and monetization
13:46 - User journey from first use to advocacy
16:24 - Distribution and marketing channels
18:56 - 30 Day Monetization Blueprint
19:44 - Metrics to Measure
20:59 - Feature Development Framework
22:16 - North Star Metric
25:10 - Startup Idea 1: Dog Allergy Scanner
26:58 - Startup Idea 2: Migraine Weather Guard
28:07 - Startup Idea 3: Silent Study Timer
30:05 - Startup Idea 4: Plant Watering AI Coach
Key Points:
• Focus on serving a daily habit with a narrow wedge use case, ideally incorporating AI
• Validate demand through Reddit, TikTok, and other platforms before building
• Optimize for first-win experience within 24 hours of app download
• Use a combination of organic growth, owned channels, and paid acquisition
• Monitor key metrics like retention, conversion, and LTV/CAC ratio
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
Find $30k/mo local businesses you can start. Get the guide: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/AI-Boring-Business
Join me as I chat with James, the Boring Marketer, as he shares how to use AI to identify profitable "boring" local business opportunities that are overlooked by most entrepreneurs. He demonstrates a workflow that scrapes Google Maps data to validate market demand and customer pain points, then uses that information to create targeted content. James emphasizes focusing on underserved niches with high customer value in growing mid-sized cities rather than competing in saturated markets.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:30 - AI Powered Boring Businesses are Gold Mines (Underserved Niches)
06:37 - Boring Business Finder AI Agent
10:16 - Example of the Output
11:04 - How start a Boring Business
14:51 - The Market Opportunity
16:59 - Using Hostinger for Self Hosting AI Workflow
19:39 - Unique Boring Business Opportunities
22:13 - Creating AI-generated newsletters from Google Maps data
Brought to you by:
Hostinger - Self Host your AI Workflows https://www.hostinger.com/sip10 (coupon code: SIP10).
Key Points:
• Using AI to identify underserved, high-value local business niches in tier 2/3 cities
• Leveraging Google Maps data to validate market opportunities through review volume, velocity, and sentiment
• Creating niche-focused local media assets (newsletters, directories) to generate leads for service providers
• Setting up cost-effective AI workflows using Hostinger instead of more expensive hosting options
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND JAMES ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://x.com/boringmarketer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadickerson/
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider where we dive deep into how brands can leverage short-form content creators instead of traditional influencers to achieve better marketing ROI. He breaks down the economics of creator partnerships ($900/month for daily content across platforms vs. $2,000 for a single influencer post) and demonstrates how the for-you-page algorithm allows creators with zero followers to potentially reach massive audiences. The strategy works particularly well for mobile apps, e-commerce products, and services with straightforward value propositions.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:26 - Why Short-Form Marketing?
02:55 - Creator vs. Influencer Marketing Explained
04:41 - Micro-Creator Strategy Overview
11:43 - Case study of Focus Tree app using creator marketing
16:04 - How to Find and Work with Creators
19:49 - The Drawbacks of this Strategy
20:27 - Tools for Managing and Tracking Campaign Performance
22:56 - Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Key Points:
• Creator marketing is more cost-effective than traditional influencer marketing, especially for mobile apps and B2C products
• For-you-page algorithms have changed how content reaches audiences, making follower count less important than content quality
• Working with multiple creators (5-10) creates a compound learning effect where successful formats can be shared across the team
• This strategy works best for products with simple value propositions that can be purchased impulsively on mobile devices
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.com
X/Twitter: https://x.com/codyschneiderxx
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider about the power of using YouTube Creators for influencer marketing. Cody explains a step-by-step playbook for acquiring customers through YouTube creator partnerships. The strategy involves reaching out to 100+ creators in your niche, offering a three-video package plus affiliate commission, identifying which creators drive the most conversions, then putting top performers on monthly retainers. This creates a scalable system where you eventually have dozens of creators regularly making content about your product, with trackable ROI through affiliate links.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:03 - Why partner with Youtube Creators
04:38 - How to find and contact YouTube creators
08:11 - Crafting the email and follow-up strategy
09:26 - Overview of the Strategy
14:42 - The value of underpriced attention
19:12 - The numbers and scaling the process
22:06 - Biggest Bottleneck
22:50 - Automating the process
24:47 - Why start now
Key Points:
• YouTube creators + affiliate marketing is an effective strategy for getting initial customers, especially for SMB products with one killer feature
• The strategy works by reaching out to creators, having them make videos about your product, and giving them affiliate commissions
• This is a marketing arbitrage opportunity because many smaller creators (10k-50k subscribers) don't know how to properly price themselves
• The goal is to identify underpriced creators, test them, then put the best performers on retainer to create monthly content
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL
Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.com
X/Twitter: https://x.com/codyschneiderxx
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider about AI Search. Cody explains that while AI search (GEO) is generating buzz, it currently represents a small portion of overall search volume compared to traditional search engines. The value lies in highly qualified leads, with conversion rates of 10-40% from AI search traffic. To optimize for AI search, businesses need to identify which URLs are being referenced by AI for relevant queries and work to get their brand mentioned on those pages.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - What is GEO/AI search?
02:18 - Who GEO is most effective for?
08:16 - How AI search actually functions
12:31 - Tools and strategies for optimizing for AI search
16:45 - Why are people obsessed with GEO
19:56 - Discussion of available tracking tools
22:41 - Final Thoughts on AI Search and GEO
Key Points:
• GEO (AI Search) refers to search queries through AI platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini
• AI search works by expanding user queries into multiple derivative searches, then scraping top Google results
• Most effective for businesses with long purchasing decision timelines (SaaS, local service businesses)
• Success requires getting your brand mentioned on multiple high-ranking pages that AI references
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL
Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.com
X/Twitter: https://x.com/codyschneiderxx
Join me as I chat with Jack Friks, founder of PostBridge and marketer Gabe Fletcher about how to address PostBridge's 20% churn rate. Gabe provides a strategic framework for reducing churn, including creating a community around the product, embedding Jack's personality into the tool, collecting better user data, and developing a unique product metric. The conversation explores how positioning, pricing, and user experience can be optimized to increase retention.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and purpose of the discussion
02:47 - PostBridge Overview
04:17 - Old Way vs New Way
11:15 - PostBridge Positioning
16:17 - Getting More User Data
19:05 - Email Marketing
22:32 - Onboarding Flow
24:57 - Indie Founder Trend
32:32 - Clear Positioning/Gamifying
39:34 - Importance of YouTube
47:39 -Creating A Unique Product Metric
54:23 - Market expansion strategies
01:02:08 - Data and Mission Drift
01:05:42 - The Team Around Jack
01:07:14 - World Building Explained
Key Points:
• Jack Friks' product PostBridge is making $20,000 MRR but facing significant churn issues
• Gabe Fletcher provides a comprehensive analysis of how to reduce churn through multiple strategies
• The importance of creating a unique product identity and embedding the founder's personality into the product
• Strategies for data collection, user engagement, and expanding beyond a single platform
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND JACK ON SOCIAL:
PostBridge: https://www.post-bridge.com
X/Twitter: https://x.com/jackfriks
FIND GABE ON SOCIAL:
X/Twitter: https://x.com/makershelpdesk
Join me as I chat with Rowan Cheung about how he uses practical AI workflows that help his small team at The Rundown operate like a much larger organization. He demonstrates how they use AI for content creation (including AI avatars and writing assistance), business operations (meeting scheduling and email management), and team efficiency (onboarding and research). Each workflow includes specific tools, prompts, and implementation strategies that listeners can adopt for their own businesses.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:53 - 1) AI avatars for content creation
13:56 -2) AI Tweet Generator
19:27 - 3) AI Newsletter Editor
22:53 - 4) Lindy AI Agent Personal Assistant
30:01 - 5) Perplexity AI Tutor
34:01 - 6) New Hire Onboarding GPT
37:32 - 7) Email Manager/Sponsorship Finder AI Agent
Key Points
• Rowan uses AI avatars (HeyGen + 11Labs) to create short-form video content, showing only the avatar briefly while using B-roll for most of the video
• Voice dictation combined with Claude AI trained on personal writing style creates Twitter/social media content that's "90% ready"
• Lindy AI serves as a meeting scheduling agent that works 24/7 without requiring Calendly links
• Perplexity Comment functions as an AI tutor for YouTube videos, allowing users to ask questions about video content
• Custom GPT for new hire onboarding eliminates repetitive questions by containing company SOPs, policies, and team information
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND ROWAN ON SOCIAL
The Rundown: https://www.therundown.ai
X/Twitter: https://x.com/rowancheung
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rowancheung/
Join me as I chat with Ben Benkhin, Creator of WOMBO, about how he built mobile apps that achieved over 250 million downloads by identifying emerging AI technologies and making them accessible through simple, user-friendly interfaces. His first app, Wombo, allowed users to animate selfies to sing popular songs, while Dream was an early art generator that predated tools like Midjourney. Ben emphasizes the importance of studying viral content formats and creating apps that help users easily produce shareable content.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
02:00 - The "Copy What Works" Strategy
05:15 - Competition is GOOD
07:13 - WOMBO Demo
08:15 - Engineering for Virality
11:53 - Steps to creating viral mobile app
15:20 - WOMBO Story Continued
21:26 - Monetization strategy
23:57 - Optimization and Evolution of Wombo
29:22 - Advice for building an AI Mobile Apps
30:07 - Viral Content Creation and Studying Trends
Key Points:
• Ben created viral AI apps including Wombo and Dream by identifying open-source AI models and making them accessible through simple mobile interfaces
• His strategy involves studying what's already working in the market and putting his own spin on it ("mimesis")
• The most successful apps have a viral content creation loop where users create shareable content that drives new user acquisition
• Monetization came through subscriptions and ads, with only 2% of users paying while the other 98% drive virality
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND BEN ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://x.com/benzion_b
W AI: https://w.ai
WOMBO: https://wombo.com/m/home
Join me as I chat with Lee Robinson, VP of Developer Experience at Cursor, as he shares practical tips for maximizing productivity with Cursor's AI coding tools. He demonstrates how to structure prompts, create custom commands, and leverage agents for everything from bug fixes to code reviews. The conversation highlights how AI tools are making software development more accessible while enabling developers to build higher quality products with less effort.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:49 - Using AI Agents in Cursor
08:21 - Custom Rules within Cursor
11:49 - BugBot and code review automation
17:19 - CLI and headless options for Cursor agents
19:29 - Tips for getting the most out of Cursor
21:09 - Examples of innovative software built with Cursor
Get Your Complete Financial OS at https://dub.sh/brex-sip
Key Points:
• Lee demonstrates how to effectively use Cursor's AI agents for discrete coding tasks
• Setting up proper linting, formatting, and testing helps agents self-correct their outputs
• Custom commands and rules can be created to enhance code reviews and writing quality
• Cursor offers CLI and headless options for running agents in automation workflow
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND LEE ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://x.com/leeerob
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leerob
Personal Website: https://leerob.com
Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider, where we go through a comprehensive marketing playbook for founders of "vibe-coded" startups, focusing on paid acquisition strategies that deliver immediate results. He walks through the exact process of setting up Google Ads campaigns with proper keyword targeting and conversion tracking, then explains how to create effective Facebook/Instagram ads using AI-generated content. The emphasis throughout is on testing multiple creative variations and optimizing for actual conversions.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
03:29 - Validate Demand
07:00 - Google Ads Overview
11:43 - Finding Keywords
15:59 - Setting Up Google Ads Campaign
17:16 - Landing page best practices
19:25 - Google Tag Manager Tutorial
24:38 - Why RUN Paid Ads
28:29 - How to structure the funnel
31:04 - Meta Ads Overview
33:26 - Finding Pain Points with Perplexity
34:25 - Writing the script for the Ad
40:34 - Creating AI avatar with HeyGen and ElevenLabs
44:01 - Setting Conversion Tracking for Meta Ads
46:04 - Setting Conversion Tracking for Meta Ads
Key Points:
• Focus on transactional marketing (immediate signups) when starting out rather than long-term strategies like SEO
• Google Ads setup with phrase match keywords and conversion tracking is essential for SaaS products
• Facebook/Instagram ads work differently than search ads - they disrupt users rather than fulfill search intent
• AI avatar videos with compelling hooks perform best for SaaS marketing currently
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing - Vibe Marketing for Companies: boringmarketing.com
The Vibe Marketer - Join the Community and Learn: thevibemarketer.com
Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL
Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.com
X/Twitter: https://x.com/codyschneiderxx
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