Dumb iPhone Apps Are Making People Rich Again (Here’s how)

February 25, 2026

Here's something that might surprise you — dumb iPhone apps are actually making people rich again. And no, these aren’t complex tech breakthroughs, but simple, often silly ideas that hit the right nerve. According to My First Million, it’s all about spotting trends where others see nothing special. For instance, apps like Pushscroll and Puffcount became hits because they tapped into basic human habits — like scrolling or counting. What’s wild is that these apps often don’t need to be perfect or innovative — just fun or useful enough to go viral. Shaan Puri points out that the real secret is understanding what people want, even if it seems trivial. So, if you’re thinking about jumping into the app world, don’t overthink it. Sometimes the simplest ideas — maybe even the goofy ones — can explode in popularity and make you real cash. It’s a reminder that in the world of startups, sometimes the most unexpected ideas are the ones that change everything.

*Get Pat's guide to find a $1M business idea:* https://clickhubspot.com/evn

Episode 799: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to the Starter Story founder Pat Walls ( https://x.com/thepatwalls ) about selling his company + business ideas he’s seen lately.
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Show Notes:
(0:00) Being pre-close
(2:11) Starter Story
(5:49) Pushscroll
(10:12) Puffcount
(12:31) 5-0 Scanner
(14:23) Cal.ai
(16:10) B2B Video
(30:30) Busyness is for losers
(33:57) EOS
(39:56) I am my own biggest obstacle

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Links:
• Starter Story - https://www.youtube.com/@starterstory
• Starter Story database - https://www.starterstory.com/explore
• “I Am My Own Greatest Obstacle” - https://patwalls.com/2020-i-am-my-own-greatest-obstacle

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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com
• Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents.
• Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies!
Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC
• I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out:
beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge

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Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/
• Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/
• Copy That - https://copythat.com
• Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth
• Sam’s List - http://samslist.co/

My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

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