In this episode, we are joined by Zakhar Azatian, a bootstrapped technical solo founder based in San Francisco and the creator of BeHard, a gamified accountability app built around lifestyle challenges. He’s a two-time founder with one successful exit and has grown B2C mobile products to over 1 million users, without a big team or massive funding. In this session, Zakhar breaks down how he generates and tests hundreds of ad creatives per month, the gamification mechanics that dramatically increased retention and referrals, and how he treats App Store search like a technical optimization problem, not just marketing. If you're building a consumer app and want practical growth tactics, this episode is packed with real execution frameworks. You will discover: ✅ Why “brand jacking” and smart positioning accelerate early traction ✅ How to generate and test hundreds of ad creatives per month with a tiny team ✅ The gamification hook behind the viral 75 Hard challenge effect ✅ How to treat App Store search like a code optimization problem ✅ Paid growth insights from Meta, TikTok & influencer marketing Learn More: Explore Be Hard 👉 https://www.behard.co/ Connect with Zakhar on LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakhar-azatian/ ********************************************* SPONSORS Thinking about your next great app? This is the best time to make it! Contact Chaim at b7dev.com and get your idea started! Delivery times are super short; you'll be surprised by the cost to develop! B7dev.com ********************************************* Still designing, resizing, and uploading screenshots manually? AppScreens lets you pick from hundreds of high-converting templates, generate for every device size and language in minutes, and upload automatically to directly to App Store Connect and Google Play Console. Trusted by more than 100K developers and ASO experts worldwide. Try it free: https://appscreens.com/?via=am ********************************************* If you’re advertising your growing mobile app, you need a measurement partner you can actually rely on — and that’s where AppsFlyer comes in. It gives you a clear view of your entire funnel — from the first impression all the way to the install, in-app events, and user LTV. You’ll know what’s driving real results, and what’s just noise. What teams love about it? It’s stable, accurate, and built to handle everything the mobile world throws at you — privacy changes, creative optimization, you name it. And when you need help? Their global support team is there 24/7 — not just to fix things, but to help you grow. If you’re ready to level up your mobile marketing and make smarter decisions, check out: https://bit.ly/40xoaqe *************** Get training, coaching, and community: https://appmastersacademy.com/ Get your app audited: https://appmasters.com/audit/ CONNECT WITH US: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevepyoung/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stevepyoung Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevepyoung Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AppMastersCo/ Blog: http://www.appmasters.com/blog ***************