18 months ago, I couldn't write a single line of Swift
Alexandre
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Reading time: 2 min
Today, my app is on the App Store. In between: 8 months of solo development, countless late nights debugging the most baffling issues, and the conviction that documenting the journey would be just as valuable as the product itself.
Who's writing this?
I'm Alex, 31. Not a trained iOS developer, not a successful entrepreneur, not someone with an impressive LinkedIn profile. Just a tech-obsessed guy who wanted to build something real.
My project: Livate, a productivity app for freelancers and solopreneurs. The idea came from a personal frustration: too many to-do lists, not enough action. I go into detail in why I created Livate.
Why this blog?
For 6 months, I coded in a vacuum without showing anything to anyone. One evening, after fixing the same bug for the third time, I wrote a post about what I was going through. A few people going through the same thing reached out. That's when I realized the journey was just as interesting as the product.
This blog is the long version. My logbook, where I document every step without sugarcoating: the technical decisions (good and bad), the struggles, the small wins, and the lessons I take away from each one.
The genesis of Livate -- why this app, who it's for, and the problem I'm trying to solve
Behind the scenes -- Swift architecture, cache-first approach, iOS widgets, with real code
Practical advice -- learning Swift from scratch, managing your time solo, and not losing it when the to-do list grows faster than you can check things off
My one rule
Every day, do one thing better than yesterday. Some days that means merging a feature. Other days, it's just not deleting the project.
If you're a freelancer, solopreneur, or simply curious about what it takes to build an app (almost) entirely on your own, you're in the right place. And if you're building something too, feel free to drop a comment or ask me anything -- this blog is also about connecting.
Follow me on Twitter/X and Instagram for real-time behind-the-scenes updates.
Alex.
Key takeaways
This blog tells the whole story, unfiltered: the bugs, the doubts, the struggles, and the rare moments when everything clicks.
Zero iOS experience to start with, zero budget. 8 months later, the app is on the App Store. In 2026, the only barrier is not starting.
Every day, do one thing better than yesterday. Some days that means merging a feature, other days it's just not deleting the project.
