How Julian Gargicevich Built Grawl, an AI-Powered Fitness App, to Over $400,000 Monthly Revenue

Starter Story

Introduction to Grawl's Success [0:00]

• Julian Gargicevich, a developer from Argentina, built a fitness app, Grawl [![Grawl app listing in the App Store], that now makes over $400,000 a month [

  

  0K/month] [![Grawl's dashboard showing US$396,127 revenue over 28 days] with 70,000+ subscribers Image 27: Grawl has 70,000 subscribers].](sc0002_t00.00.08.webp)
• The video shares his journey from initial idea to scaling the app.

Julian's Background [1:09]

• Julian grew up in Argentina, where his father owned a fitness center.
  • He spent his youth playing sports and at the gym ![Young Julian Gargicevich].
• He pursued software engineering and later moved to Australia ![Julian working out in a gym].
• In Australia, he worked for various companies, from small startups to large tech firms like Atlassian, few TV channels, and an investment fund.
• Around the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded an influencer marketing platform called Liteup with his best friend.
  • This platform focused on growing mobile apps, particularly games, through influencer marketing [

    

    profile].
  • Through this experience, he gained significant knowledge in user acquisition and understanding app revenue metrics.
  • This exposure to the financial success of apps, especially fitness apps, sparked his interest in building his own.

How He Found the Idea [2:51]

• His previous business, Liteup, transitioned into a marketing agency, which wasn't his passion for development.
  • He had unused energy for building and creating.
• Julian initially started building a basic workout tracker app, similar to "Hevy" or "Strong" ![Strong Workout Tracker Gym Log app listing].
  • He soon realized he wasn't adding unique value and felt like he was merely copying existing apps.
• The turning point came when a friend showed him Fitbod, an AI-powered workout app [

  

  )].
  • Julian was impressed by Fitbod's concept of providing on-the-spot workouts [![Fitbod: Gym & Fitness Planner app listing] [

    

    s Choice rating and review].](sc0062_t00.03.23.webp)
  • However, after using it and doing some research, he found the AI-generated workouts to be "weird" and sometimes "dangerous" [

    

    " workout generated by Fitbod].
• This observation inspired him to create an app that combined Fitbod's excellent UI/UX with a "proper workout engine" that was safe and effective [

  

  the Grawl app].
  • The core idea was not to reinvent the wheel but to improve upon existing successful models [![Text overlay "IMPROVE UPON COMPETITION"] [

    

    'T REINVENT THE WHEEL"].](sc0069_t00.03.53.webp)

Building the MVP [4:01]

• The initial Minimum Viable Product (MVP) took approximately 2-3 months to build [

  

  Ideation" and "Launch" graphic].
• The MVP development was split into two main phases !["BUILDING THE MVP" graphic showing "The Tracker" and "The Workout Builder" phases]:
  • The Tracker [4:17]: The first part of the MVP was a basic workout tracker.
  • The Workout Builder [4:20]: This phase involved implementing the AI-driven workout generation, which was significantly more complex.
    • It required extensive business logic to build custom workouts based on various user inputs.
    • Factors included equipment availability, weekly goals, training frequency, consistency, gender, weight, and age.
    • Considering all the different settings and combinations made this the most challenging part of the development.

His First 1,000 Customers [4:48]

• 1. Build in Public [4:56]:
  • Julian posted a detailed thread on Reddit's r/reactnative community titled "From Dumbbells to the App store - My first indie app's journey" (initially called Gains AI) [![Reddit post "From Dumbbells to the App store - My first indie app's journey"] !["GETTING THE FIRST CUSTOMER" slide, point 1 "Build In Public" with Reddit post snippet].](sc0086_t00.04.58.webp)
  • He shared the technical specifications of his app.
  • This Reddit post received over a couple hundred upvotes within hours and garnered over 300,000 impressions [

    

    4K views].
  • This outreach immediately attracted his first few thousand users.
• 2. Listen to Early Customers [5:16]:
  • He realized that many developers from Reddit, who also enjoyed lifting, found traditional gyms intimidating [![An early customer review praising the app for making gym less intimidating] ![A detailed user review for Grawl].](sc0203_t00.15.09.webp)
  • His app helped them overcome this intimidation by providing clear guidance.
  • Users started providing feedback on bugs and feature requests, indicating strong product-market fit.
• 3. Monetize It [5:39]:
  • The app was initially free.
  • The positive feedback and engagement prompted Julian to transition from a free tool to a serious business [

    

    app icon].
  • The decision was made to implement a subscription model and start running paid advertisements.

Marketing Strategy Breakdown [6:55]

• Julian's primary distribution strategy for Grawl has been through paid ads.
  • 1. Paid Ads [7:07]:
    • They started running ads (Meta, TikTok, Google, Apple Search) as soon as the subscription model was in place ![A paid ad featuring the Grawl app in use].
    • The very first ad campaign resulted in a subscription within 10 minutes of activation.
    • This strategy has remained a cornerstone of their growth.
  • 2. Translating the App [7:25]:
    • Recognizing their Spanish-speaking background, they translated the app into Spanish.
    • This allowed them to run cheaper ad campaigns in regions like South America, where user acquisition costs are significantly lower than in the US ![Slide showing paid ads and the translated Spanish App Store listing for Grawl].
    • Spending less than $50 a day on ads in these regions proved highly effective for growth.
• Overall, paid ads, particularly in cost-effective international markets, have been crucial for scaling Grawl.

5 Tips for Building Mobile Apps [7:46]

• Tip 1: Validate First [7:55]
  • Don't just validate if the product works; ensure people are willing to pay for it before investing heavily in ads or development ![Instagram insights showing reach for validation].
• Tip 2: Run Cheaper Ads [8:06]
  • Target countries where ad costs are lower, such as South America, to test and refine your strategy ![World map highlighting South America for cheaper ads].
  • While major markets like the US are desirable, they are expensive and competitive, so building a base in cheaper areas first is wise.
• Tip 3: Start Small [8:29]
  • Utilize influencers or content creators for affordable content, sometimes as low as $50 per piece [

    

    TikTok ad for Grawl].
  • Leverage AI tools for video creation and editing tools like CapCut to produce content efficiently.
  • The act of creating an app isn't as hard as it seems; the real challenge is generating user volume.
• Tip 4: UGC (User-Generated Content) is King [8:49]
  • Most successful ads are user-generated content or appear as such ![Compilation of user-generated content ads for Grawl].
  • AI-generated videos are becoming prevalent, cost-effective to produce, and easy to test.
• Tip 5: Copy What Works [9:04]
  • Use tools like the Meta Ads Library to see which ads your competitors are running successfully.
  • Observe where they are allocating their marketing budget.
  • There is no secret formula; replicate what works for others and adapt it to your product ![Comparison of Fitbod and Grawl Instagram profiles].

How the App Works (Full Walkthrough) [9:31]

• Onboarding Process:
  • The app's landing screen highlights features like seamless Apple Watch integration and adaptive workouts powered by user data ![Grawl app onboarding screen with "Adaptive Workouts"].
  • Users provide their name and answer a series of questions ![Grawl app onboarding (reason for using app)].
  • Questions cover fitness goals (e.g., beginner, advanced), one-rep max for key exercises (optional), training frequency (e.g., 4 days/week), preferred workout split (AI-optimized or custom) ![Grawl app's workout split selection screen], desired exercise variety, excluded/focused muscle groups, and gym type/available equipment ![Grawl app's equipment selection screen].
  • This data helps the AI generate a personalized training plan [

    

    creating training plan] ![Grawl app's personalized plan summary].
• Payment Gateway:
  • After generating the plan summary, users encounter a hard paywall.
  • An offer (e.g., 25% off) for a monthly or annual subscription is presented before full access ![Grawl app's paywall with a discount offer].
• Main Interface:
  • Upon logging in, users see a "Next Workout" card displaying the current day's AI-generated workout ![Grawl app displaying a personalized workout plan].
  • Options include custom workouts, cardio, or free workouts.
  • A "Muscle Recovery" feature shows how recovered different muscle groups are based on previous workouts, including external activities from Apple Health or Strava [

    

    with Strength Score and Trends].
  • Users can track their "Strength Score" and view "Trends."
• Workout Execution:
  • Each workout lists exercises with targeted muscles and suggested weights/reps.
  • Clicking on an exercise provides a video demonstration, detailed instructions, and equipment information ![Grawl app showing an exercise video demonstration].
  • Smart AI features adjust weights in real-time based on the order of exercises or user input.
• Support System:
  • Grawl offers 24/7 in-app support chat with real human representatives, not AI [

    

    chat interface] ![Grawl app support chat history].
  • This support includes articles and direct messaging, which users highly value ![Grawl app profile screen (Customer Support)].

Mobile App Tech Stack [12:11]

• Mobile Framework: React Native (free)
• Deployment: Expo.dev (costs $19-$99)
• Backend: .NET from Microsoft (free)
• Admin Dashboard: Next.js and React (free)
• AI Coding Tool: Cursor.com (costs $20 per month), used specifically and carefully to avoid issues ![Slide detailing Grawl's tech stack (React Native, Expo, .NET, Next.js, Cursor.com)].

Costs & Margins [12:37]

• Ad Spend:
  • Main channels are Meta and TikTok, with some Google and Apple Search ads ![Pie chart illustrating ad spend distribution].
  • Approximately one-third of the app's revenue goes towards advertising costs.
• Salaries:
  • Initially, the core team consisted of three individuals (Julian for development, Matias and Aaron for growth and ads).
  • The team has since grown to 13-14 people (including part-timers and contractors).
  • Salaries range from $50,000 to $80,000 annually [

    

    key costs and percentages].
• Apple Revenue Cut:
  • Apple takes a 15% cut from subscription revenue.
• Revenue Clip:
  • A 1% clip is taken from the overall revenue.
• MMPs (Mobile Measurement Partners):
  • Approximately $1,000 per month.
• Infrastructure:
  • Including servers, AI builds, and other tools, infrastructure costs around $1,000 per month.

Be Proud of What You Build [13:54]

• Motivation from Passion:
  • Julian emphasizes the importance of being proud of what you build ![Text overlay "BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU'VE BUILT"].
  • The motivation derived from working on something exciting and impactful is unmatched.
  • It makes the "grind" and working for minimal initial pay much easier when there's genuine passion.
• Perseverance and Resilience:
  • Building a successful product is a long journey, and creation is only a small part of it.
  • Founders must be prepared for the hustle, face setbacks, and persevere through challenges like unsuccessful ad campaigns ![Text overlay "DON'T GIVE UP"].
  • It's crucial to keep pushing forward despite difficulties.
• Knowing When to Quit:
  • Equally important is recognizing when a product or venture is not working and knowing when to pivot or let go [

    

    "].
  • Julian reflects on dragging out their previous startup for an extra year, which he believes they should have ended much earlier. This highlights the need for objective evaluation and timely decision-making.

Final Word [14:55]

• Julian's story exemplifies how passion and problem-solving can lead to significant success.