The Underdog: From $200K in Debt to $1M App Maker | Starter Story

Adam Little was $200,000 in debt, his web agency had collapsed, his cars were repossessed, and his relationships had broken down. He was mowing lawns for $20 a gig to rebuild his confidence when a fellow lawnmower mentioned there was no app to help them route their jobs. Little, who had been building software since childhood, realized he could be that someone. That insight eventually led him to build a portfolio of over 50 mobile apps, pay off his debt, and reach $50,000 a month in revenue. But the path from lawnmower to app developer was anything but linear.

The Collapse of a "Baller" Agency

Little’s first business was a web development agency he started right out of high school, before services like Wix and Squarespace existed. At its peak, the agency generated around $300,000 in profit per year. "I thought I was balling," he recalls. "I thought I was invincible and I thought this is what life was always going to be like." The success went to his head. He took on $200,000 in credit card and car loan debt to fund a lavish lifestyle, assuming future earnings would cover it. To maintain the image, he worked more and more, neglecting his family. "I was too self-interested, self-motivated, just fixated on what I was doing," he says. When DIY website builders commoditized his service, his business collapsed "pretty much overnight." His response was to work harder and lower pr