Built a Kids' App, Hit $900 MRR, Almost Burned Out (A 12-Week Reality Check)
Alright, so I had this random idea: what if kids could draw with AI? Not like, AI doing the drawing FOR them, but actually helping them be more creative. Turns out 5-10 year olds are absolute units when it comes to imagination.
Built the whole thing in 3 weeks because I have zero patience for long development cycles. Stack was Next.js, TypeScript, GCP, and Gemini Imagen for the AI magic. Also LaTeX for some reason (don't ask, past me was weird).
The concept was simple: AI co-drawing, guided lessons, interactive stories, daily challenges. Basically everything I wished existed when I was a kid and had the artistic skills of a potato.
Here's where it gets interesting - we actually got traction:
- 650+ monthly active users (kids are surprisingly loyal users)
- Peak $900 MRR, averaging $350 (parents will pay for quality creative content, who knew?)
- YouTube Shorts video hit 50k views in 24 hours (the AI co-drawing demo went viral, which was wild)
But the real validation came from the feedback. Parents were actually messaging us saying their kids were choosing our app over games. Like, actual testimonials:
- "My daughter usually just games, but now she asks for CCPlay! She spends hours drawing and the AI sparks so many ideas." - Priya
- "My son's drawing confidence has improved so much. It's screen time I actually feel good about." - Amit
- "The AI co-drawing is magical. It helps when they're stuck and makes creativity less intimidating." - Meera
The burnout part? Yeah, that happened. Turns out building, marketing, customer support, and having a day job is... a lot. Who could have predicted that? 🙃
Key learnings:
- Kids are an underserved market for quality creative tools
- Parents will pay for educational content that actually works
- Viral moments can happen when you least expect them
- Building in public creates accountability (and stress)
- Maybe don't try to do everything yourself (still working on this one)
Would I do it again? Absolutely. But maybe with more sleep next time.