On the podcast, I talk with Sandeep about how a frustrated student’s struggle inspired him to create NaadSadhana, a revolutionary AI-driven app that helps singers perfect their pitch in real time. We dive into how his journey—from Microsoft and Google engineer to Apple Design Award-winning musician—shows what happens when art and technology truly harmonize.

Top Takeaways:

🎵 Build for Passion, Not Just Profit
Sandeep didn’t set out to build a business—he built NaadSadhana to help one struggling student. Solving a personal, meaningful problem led to a product that resonated deeply with others. Passion-first can still lead to product-market fit.

🧠 Invent What Doesn’t Exist
No app could help singers practice pitch accurately. So Sandeep built one—then layered in AI to simulate a responsive, collaborative band. When off-the-shelf solutions don’t exist, invent your own, especially if you're the first customer.

🔄 Iterate Like an Artist
Despite winning an Apple Design Award, Sandeep rewrote the app from scratch to add more instruments and complexity. Don’t let accolades freeze you. Treat your product like a living artwork—refine, rebuild, and evolve.

🧘 Stay Human in the Age of AI
Sandeep calls his AI "artistic intelligence." It doesn't replace musicians—it empowers them. He built ethical constraints into the app to keep it human-feeling. Augment people, don’t automate them out of the process.

📣 Word of Mouth Over Paid Ads
NaadSadhana grew organically through teachers, students, and artists sharing it. No marketing team. No budget. Just a product that solved real problems and delighted users. Focus on creating “wow”—and trust the users to spread the word.

🎛 Obsess Over Craft
From psychoacoustics to sub-millisecond latency to modeling physical string vibrations, Sandeep sweats every detail most users will never see. Excellence compounds. When you build with care, it shows—even when people don’t know why.

About Sandeep Ranade:

🎤 Founder and CEO of NaadSadhana

📱 Sandeep Ranade is a passionate Hindu classical musician and tech entrepreneur. Combining his deep knowledge of music and cutting-edge technology, he created an app that helps users improve their vocal precision. After a career at top tech companies, Sandeep pursued his passion for teaching and carried it to NaadSadhana, with a goal of music without barriers.

👋 LinkedIn

🔍 Wikipedia

💻 Website

Follow us on X:

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM

Episode Highlights:
[0:00] Sandeep's journey from tech to music

[2:15] How NaadSadhana was born out of a need in music education

[5:30] The challenges of developing a music app for vocal training

[9:45] NaadSadhana’s unique approach to vocal tuning and feedback

[15:20] The role of psychoacoustics and signal processing in the app's technology

[22:10] How Sandeep balanced his tech career with his passion for classical music

[28:55] The evolution of NaadSadhana and its growth over time

[35:12] The impact of the Apple Design Award on NaadSadhana's success

[42:20] Sandeep’s thoughts on creating a truly artist-centered app

[48:05] How NaadSadhana fosters better practice habits for musicians

[53:30] The app's influence on the Indian classical music community

[59:40] What’s next for NaadSadhana: expanding features and reaching more musicians

On the podcast, I talk with Jordan about the power of seasonal business cycles, why refining your ad strategy can unlock growth, and how passion-driven apps can still find market fit without a huge marketing budget.

Top Takeaways:

🎯 Understand Your Seasonal Business Cycles
Jordan's app, Elite Hoops, thrives during basketball season, with the bulk of revenue generated from October to March. Recognizing and aligning your business to seasonal trends is key to maximizing growth during peak times.

💡 Optimize Your Ads for Success
After spending $16K on ads with little success, Jordan realized his strategy needed an overhaul. With help from a marketing agency, he’s now refining his approach with stronger creatives, proper attribution, and new tools like the Facebook SDK to drive more effective, scalable campaigns.

🛠 Reinvest in Your Business to Fuel Growth
With Elite Hoops generating consistent revenue, Jordan plans to reinvest in marketing and development to accelerate growth and maximize the business’s potential. Treat your business as a growing asset and reinvest in it to reach new heights.

🎨 Craft Apps You’re Proud Of
Jordan’s approach with apps like Elite Hoops and Alyx is a mix of business focus and creative fulfillment. Whether it's solving a real-world problem or building an app for personal enjoyment, passion and craftsmanship always shine through.

🌍 Don’t Overlook the Power of Organic Growth
Elite Hoops grew without a large marketing budget or paid ads, relying heavily on word of mouth within the coaching community. Focus on delivering a product that resonates with your users, and let them help you grow your brand naturally.

About Jordan Morgan:

🎤 Indie App Developer & Developer Advocate

📱 Jordan Morgan is a seasoned indie app developer and product builder known for creating thoughtfully crafted apps like Elite Hoops and Alyx. With a deep appreciation for design, platform-native experiences, and long-term sustainability, Jordan blends craftsmanship with business pragmatism. After years of building, selling, and reacquiring apps—and working as a developer advocate—he continues to explore what it means to build software that lasts, balancing growth, seasonality, and joy in the creative process.

👋 LinkedIn

💭 Follow Jordan on X - @JordanMorgan10

Follow us on X:

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM

Episode Highlights:
[0:00] Jordan’s transition from indie app development to developer advocate.

[3:20] The creation of Elite Hoops and its focus on helping basketball coaches.

[7:05] The challenges of marketing niche apps and refining paid ad strategies.

[12:30] Understanding seasonal revenue cycles and how they impact app growth.

[17:10] Working with a marketing agency to improve ad creatives and attribution.

[22:45] The emotional journey of reacquiring Spint Stack after selling it.

[28:00] Balancing passion projects with sustainable business growth.

[33:30] The importance of craftsmanship and solving real problems in app development.

[40:15] How word-of-mouth and organic growth fueled Elite Hoops’ success.

[45:50] The technical challenges of scaling an indie app with limited resources.

[50:25] Staying motivated and focused on building apps users genuinely appreciate.

[55:00] What’s next for Jordan’s apps and his future in indie development.

On the podcast I talk with Taiwo about building games that are meant to be deleted, finding success by leaning into low retention instead of fighting it, and how a single unconventional idea led to Apple featuring his work and changing his career.

Top Takeaways

🎨 Creativity Can Beat the Odds

The games industry is so well-established that at first glance it may seem almost useless to try to enter the market as an indie developer, but all it can take is a truly original idea to pry open the gates and gain a foothold.

📣 Lean Into Building In Public

There’s little as scary as putting yourself and your work out there for feedback but building publicly and sharing updates on platforms like Twitter provides both an accountability boost and can be a treasure trove of free insights from your future audience.

💪 The Power Of Persistence

Making a living from building apps can take time, patience, and a dash of luck. When that persistence does pay off though, it can translate into a much stronger app creation pipeline once going full-time becomes an option.

💭 Defy Imposter Syndrome

Nowadays, more than ever, a technical background in coding is no longer a hard prerequisite to building great apps. Thanks to new tools, app creators can come from all spheres, and what unites them is one (or more) great idea(s).

📚 Educate And Inspire

Everyone needs to make a living, but often the most rewarding part of the app creation journey is the opportunity to educate and inspire people. These non-profit activities help lower the barrier for budding app creators and enrich the industry as a whole.

About Taiwo Omisore:

🎮 Indie iOS Game Developer.

📱 Taiwo has built 15 mobile apps mixing creativity and simplicity. His viral hit One Chance sparked a full-time indie career shaped by small experiments, real-world playtesting, and a deep focus on joy, community, and meaningful interaction.

👋 LinkedIn

Follow us on X:

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat

Resources:

• Tai’s Website - https://www.taiomi.com/
• Taiwo feature on the App Store - https://apps.apple.com/gb/story/id1586633273
• Tai’s inspirations
  • Shaun Donnelly - https://codakuma.com/
  • Lena Stöxen - https://fancygoose.dev/about/
  • Josh Newton - https://www.joshua.design/about

Follow us on X:

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM

Episode Highlights:

[0:00] A game meant to be deleted after one play

[2:19] From art school to coding apps on a 3-hour commute

[4:12] Why Taiwo tested his first game on train passengers

[7:09] The moment he got hooked on shipping apps

[12:36] Designing a digital art exhibit from a simple app idea

[18:16] The unexpected breakout of One Chance and what triggered it

[23:06] Going from a side hustle to being featured on the App Store front page

[29:35] Making revenue without chasing retention or daily active users

[35:08] Why Taiwo shifted to subscriptions with MultiWords and 10 Games

[42:11] Building and promoting apps in public, from TikTok to sidewalks
[51:44] Why Taiwo shares his indie journey online and in real life