$1M/Year Solo Founder Using AI (No Coding Skills)

### Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?

Hey! I’m Modest Mitkus. I am a solo founder, a digital creator, and I build digital product businesses that can run on autopilot.

My journey started with Pathpages (formerly Notionway), where I designed and sold premium Notion templates. Those templates helped people organize their lives and eventually brought in $20,000 to $30,000 per month in highly profitable revenue, reaching over 120,000 customers.

But I didn't stop there. I used the freedom from Pathpages to start building actual software. Today, my portfolio includes:

RankPill: An AI tool that automatically writes and publishes SEO blog posts.

AdsRaw: An AI tool that makes realistic video ads without hiring actors.

CreateSell: A course teaching people how to build and sell their own apps.

A Stealth iOS App: My very first native Apple mobile app, which I recently launched.

Across all these products, my business is now on a $1 Million per year run rate. And the craziest part? I do this completely solo by using AI to help me write the code a process I call "vibe coding."

What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

A few years ago, I was running my own UX (User Experience) design agency. On paper, I was successful. But in reality, I was burned out. I was constantly trading my time for money. If I wasn't working for a client, I wasn't getting paid.

I decided to move to Bali to keep my living costs low while I figured out a way out of the rat race. I wanted to create something I could make once and sell a million times.

First, I looked at how I organized my own messy agency work. I was using a tool called Notion. I realized I was pretty good at making clean, beautiful workspaces. So, I packaged my setups into templates and started selling them. At first, I was making maybe $400 a month. But that tiny bit of money proved that strangers would buy my digital products. That gave me the confidence to go all-in.

Eventually, Notion templates were bringing in over $20k a month. That money gave me a runway. It allowed me to ask: What if I build real apps now? I barely knew how to code traditionally, but AI tools (like Claude and Cursor) were getting incredibly smart. I realized I didn't need to be an expert programmer anymore. I just needed to be a good problem solver.

Take us through the process of building your products and your new mobile app.

With Pathpages, my build process was all about design. I made sure my Notion templates looked beautiful and actually worked. A lot of templates out there were confusing. I used my UX background to make mine easy to use.

But my newest build the stealth iOS app was a totally different beast.

I decided to build a native Swift app for iPhones because they feel premium and give you better control. The problem? I had zero iOS coding knowledge just three months before launch.

This is where "vibe coding" came in. I used AI to write the code for me. I treated the AI like a smart employee. I would tell it what I wanted the app to look like (like adding a cool "liquid glass" design) and what it needed to do. The AI wrote the code, and I tested it. We went back and forth, iterating rigorously.

It took me a few months of hard work. I still barely know how to read the raw code, but I shipped a fully working app that Apple approved on the first try.

Describe the process of launching and getting your first customer.

For my very first Notion template years ago, I had zero followers. I got my first customers by going to Reddit and Facebook groups. But I didn't spam my links. I shared helpful advice, posted pictures of my cool Notion setups, and only gave people the link when they asked for it.

Today, my launch strategy is totally different because I have built an audience.

When I launched my new iOS app, I didn't need Reddit. I announced it to my 90,000+ followers on X (Twitter). I had been documenting the entire messy process of building the app with AI. By the time it was ready, people were already excited to try it.

The results were amazing. Within four months, the app reached nearly 1,000 installs. It quickly hit milestones of making $300 a day, then $569 in a day, and crossed $1,000 total very fast. I'm keeping the exact name a secret for now while I test the market, but the early revenue proves people want it.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers? What is your secret mechanism?

If I had to share the exact mechanism that runs my business, it is a three-part "solopreneur flywheel":

1. Building in Public on X (Twitter)
Twitter is my main growth engine. I post my real revenue numbers, my failures, and my daily progress. People trust me because I am transparent. I am not a faceless company; I am a real guy showing you how to build things. This naturally attracts people who want to buy my products.

2. The Lead Magnet & Giveaway Strategy
To get people off Twitter and onto my email list, I give away high-quality stuff for free. I will post on X: "I just built a new $50 planner. Retweet and reply 'PLANNER' and I'll DM it to you for free." The Twitter algorithm loves this. It pushes my post to thousands of new people. They get a great free product, and I get their email address.

3. The Automated "Behavioral" Email Machine (The Real Secret)
Once I have their email in MailerLite, the magic happens. My system tracks what they do.

• If you download a free Creator template, my system tags you as a "Creator."

• Then, it automatically sends you a few helpful emails about making content.

• Finally, it sends you an offer to buy my paid Ultimate Content System.
  I am making sales while I sleep because the system automatically pitches the right product to the right person based on what they already clicked on.

What does the future look like?

Right now, my biggest goal is scaling the mobile app. Getting to almost 1,000 users was great, but reaching 10,000 subscribers would be insane.

I also want to keep teaching. With my platform CreateSell, I am taking everything I learned about building $20k/mo templates and vibe-coding mobile apps, and showing other people how to do it. Every new product I build becomes a new lesson I can share with my audience. It all feeds into itself.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful?

1. Vibe coding is real leverage.
You don't need a computer science degree anymore. AI has lowered the barrier to entry. If you have a good idea and are willing to be patient and iterate with AI, you can build real software. Don't treat AI like a magic wand; treat it like a tool you have to guide.

2. Split your days.
A huge mistake I made early on was just building products and forgetting to sell them. If you don't market, your revenue will be zero. Now, I split my time: I spend my mornings on marketing and content, and my afternoons on building products.

3. Honest marketing wins.
The internet is full of fake gurus. I found that being completely honest builds the most trust. Tell people exactly who your product is not for. When you are honest about a product's limits, people trust you more when you tell them about its benefits.

4. Start with what you know.
If you want to build a business, start small. Solve a problem you personally have. Build a template, write a guide, or make a simple tool. Validate that people will pay you $10 for it. Then use that money and confidence to build the next, bigger thing.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

I keep my business very lean so my profit margins stay high:

• Notion: My central brain. I plan my content here and build my template products here.

• Cursor & Claude: The AI tools I use for "vibe coding" my actual software and mobile apps.

• Apple Developer / Swift: To build and host the native iOS app (Apple's Small Business Program takes a smaller 15% fee, which is great).

• MailerLite: The core of my marketing. I use it for my weekly newsletter and all those smart, automated email sequences.

• Gumroad: For selling the digital products easily.

• X (Twitter) & LinkedIn: Where I build my audience and get all my traffic.