I hit $10k/month at 17 but blew it all

October 18, 2025

Hey there,

I was 17 when I hit my first $10k month.

Grid, my puzzle game app, was crushing it. 50,000 downloads in one month. $10k in ad revenue. 

Back then, nobody knew about onboarding or subscription-based apps. It wasn't a thing yet.

But I was a high school kid printing money from my mobile game.

And I blew every single dollar.

Didn't reinvest a cent into the app. Didn't hire anyone. Didn't scale my ads. Didn't save any of it.

Just spent it all on dumb stuff.

Looking back, that was the dumbest financial decision I've ever made.

I could've taken Grid so much further. I could've built a real business at 17. Instead, I treated it like a lottery win.

But here's the thing: That $10k month changed my life anyway.

Not because of the money. Because it showed me this was real.

Before Grid, I tried dropshipping hoverboards. That business completely blew up because of shipping times, and I learned that e-commerce was a terrible business model.

But apps? Apps worked.

And after that first $10k month, I was hooked forever. There was nothing else I was ever going to do.

Most founders never get that proof moment. They quit before they see it's possible.

I got lucky. I hit it at 17. Even though I wasted the money, I gained something more valuable: certainty.

So my lesson isn't "save your money" or "reinvest everything."

My lesson is: Get your proof moment as fast as possible.

Build something. Launch it. Get one paying customer. Hit your first $1k month. Your first $10k month.

Once you see it's real, you won't need motivation anymore. You'll be hooked.

Your first win just has to show you it's possible.

Peace,
Steven