Building a $150K/year Wishlist App as a Side Project (6 Years)
TL;DR: Chris started Wishlist in 2019 as a side project to learn app development after being rejected for an app developer role. He used an Excel sheet for his own wishlists and saw an opportunity to build a prettier version. Over 6 years (3 years in university, 2.5 years at a full-time job), he grew the app through zero paid marketing—relying entirely on app store optimization, friend/family reviews, and user support. He worked 8-11pm most nights, shipped features users requested, and personally reached out to users who got value to ask for reviews. The app hit 100K users at launch of v2.0 in October 2023, and now has 1.1M registered users with $6K MRR in low season (5x in high season). His monetization comes from freemium features and affiliate links. He quit his job in July 2025 to work on Wishlist full-time.
Key Insights
- Side projects take years not weekends—Chris needed 6 years to reach $150K/year working nights
- App store reviews are crucial for ranking—he asked friends/family early, then users after they accomplished something
- Personal support at scale creates loyalty—he emailed individual users when their feature requests shipped
- Realistic goals prevent quitting—his first goal was a stranger downloading the app, not revenue
- Seasonal products require patience—wishlist apps 5x revenue during holidays but are slow most of the year
Actionable Takeaways
- Work 1 hour before your job on support/admin, then code 8-11pm to sustain side projects long-term
- Show review prompts after users accomplish something (add wish, fulfill wish) when they feel good
- Save all feature requests from day one, then email requesters when you ship their feature to ask for reviews
- Set small initial goals (one stranger downloads) instead of revenue targets to avoid early discouragement
- Use winter months for heavy development when you can't motivate yourself to code after work in summer