This is the story I never tell.

How I went from zero to 26 apps. Why I’m building in public. What this whole “Dolce Way” thing is actually about.

The Beginning

Most people have ideas.

“I should build an app that…” “Someone should make…” “If I had time, I’d…”

I was one of those people. For years.

Ideas in notes. Sketches on napkins. Domains purchased, never used.

Then something shifted.

The Shift

I stopped asking “What should I build?” and started asking “What can I ship this week?”

Not this quarter. Not this year. This week.

That simple reframe changed everything.

Suddenly, complexity was the enemy. Features were bloat. “V2 someday” became the answer to every scope creep.

Ship something. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Why 26 Apps?

People ask this a lot. “Why not one really good app?”

Here’s my thinking:

1. Diversification One app = one point of failure. 26 apps = 26 chances.

Some will fail. Some will succeed. Some will surprise.

2. Learning velocity Building one app teaches you one domain. Building 26 teaches you patterns.

I now see what works across categories. What users actually want. What features are universal.

3. Different problems, same skills A meditation app and a document scanner are very different products. But the skills transfer:

  • Simple UX
  • Clear value proposition
  • Fast performance
  • Clean design

4. Because I can With modern tools, one person can ship quality apps.

AI helps with code. Templates accelerate UI. The App Store handles distribution.

The bottleneck is no longer capability. It’s consistency.

The Apps

Quick overview:

Health & Wellness

  • WaterDrop — Hydration tracking
  • FastTrack — Fasting timer
  • MeditationApp — Guided meditation
  • BreathingExercises — Breath work

Fitness

  • GymCoachAI — AI workout programming
  • WorkoutTimer — HIIT/interval timer
  • FlexFlow — Stretching routines
  • CalorieCalculator — TDEE and macros

Productivity

  • FocusTimer — Pomodoro and deep work
  • SimpleStreaks — Habit tracking
  • ThinkFlow — Voice notes
  • Countdown — Event countdowns

Utility

  • ScanSnap — Document scanning
  • ConvertApps — File conversion
  • Convertly — Unit conversion
  • PDFast — PDF editing

Lifestyle

  • WhiteNoise — Sleep sounds
  • Affirmations — Daily affirmations
  • Quotes — Motivational quotes
  • AstroApp — Astrology
  • DressCode — Color analysis

And more. Each solving a real problem. Each built to be simple, fast, and useful.

The Process

1. Identify a problem Usually one I have myself. Sometimes from observing others.

2. Research competition What exists? What do reviews complain about? Where’s the gap?

3. Design minimal version What’s the absolute core? Ship that first.

4. Build fast Days, not months. Use existing components. Don’t reinvent.

5. Test with real users Friends, family, strangers. Watch them use it. Listen.

6. Ship App Store. Wait for review. Hold breath.

7. Iterate User feedback is gold. Fix what’s broken. Add what’s missing.

8. Move to next Don’t get stuck. Diminishing returns are real.

What I’ve Learned

Simplicity wins

Every time. Users don’t want features. They want solutions.

The apps that do one thing perfectly beat the ones that do ten things okay.

Speed matters

First to market matters less than speed to iterate.

Ship, learn, improve. The feedback loop is the competitive advantage.

Design is trust

Users judge quality in seconds. If it looks professional, they trust it.

Invest in design. It’s not superficial — it’s communication.

Marketing is harder than building

Building is the easy part. Getting people to know your app exists? That’s the real work.

SEO. Content. Social. Word of mouth. It’s all effort.

Most apps fail

Statistically, most apps make almost nothing.

Accepting this is freeing. You’re not betting everything on one shot.

Why Build in Public

Accountability If I say I’m doing something, I have to do it. Public commitment is powerful.

Connection Other builders face the same challenges. Sharing creates community.

Marketing Content about building is content that attracts users. The journey is the marketing.

Documentation Future me will forget what I learned. Writing it down helps.

The Dolce Way

What is “The Dolce Way”?

It’s not a methodology. It’s a mindset.

  • Ship fast
  • Keep it simple
  • Build what you’d use
  • Learn from everything
  • Never stop

No excuses. No waiting for perfect conditions. Just building.

What’s Next

More apps. Better apps. Listening to users.

Growing this blog. Building the community. Sharing everything.

The goal isn’t to become the biggest app developer. It’s to prove what’s possible.

One person. Real products. Real users. Real revenue.

If I can do it, so can you.

Follow the Journey

This is just the beginning. I’m documenting everything:

  • App launches
  • Revenue updates
  • What works
  • What fails
  • Tools and techniques

Follow along. Learn from my mistakes. Build your own thing.

The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now.

— Dolce

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