Zero to Profitable in 30 Days: Journable's Bootstrap-Friendly Google Ads Playbook

Most founders assume you need a massive marketing budget to make Google Ads work for a consumer app. Steve Hoyek, co-founder of Journable, proves that assumption wrong.

On the latest episode of the Levels Podcast, Steve walked through exactly how his bootstrapped AI calorie tracking app progressed from basic install campaigns to sophisticated return-on-ad-spend targeting—all while maintaining strict 30-day profitability. No VC funding. No burning millions on user acquisition. Just disciplined experimentation and a relentless focus on what actually generates returns.

If you're building a consumer app without a venture war chest, this is your roadmap.

The Early Mistakes: Spreading Too Thin

Like many founders, Steve and his co-founder initially tried to test every acquisition channel at once. Meta, Google, Apple, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, LinkedIn—they launched campaigns across all of them simultaneously.

It was expensive and ineffective.

"Jason, we made many mistakes along the way. This was one of them. We launched many campaigns on many platforms, all with insufficient budgets, way below the threshold of actual performance or of learning. Yeah, we ran many campaigns with insufficient budgets, which effectively were us burning money."

The lesson? Focus matters more than coverage. Each ad platform needs a minimum budget to generate enough data for the algorithm to optimize. Running five campaigns at $50 each teaches you nothing. Running one campaign at $250 gives you actual signal.

"If anyone watching this is in the process of starting to get some traction and launch, they should focus one platform at a time and give each campaign sufficient budget to learn to scale and to actually get a feel of the performance."

Finding Their Winner: Google Play Store Ads

After burning through their early testing budget, Journable eventually identified their most profitable channel: Google Ads campaigns targeting the Play Store.

Why did Google win out over Meta and other platforms?

"We knew we had a good product. Our product was selling itself. So we knew that running the store's native advertising placements would be successful for us."

The logic was sound. If your product has strong conversion rates once users experience it, then getting placements directly in the store—where people are already in download mode—maximizes that strength. Meta might offer reach, but the Play Store offers intent.

The results confirmed their hypothesis. Google Ads became their primary acquisition channel, with most of their ad spend flowing there and most profitability coming from those campaigns.

The Android vs. iOS Economics

Conventional wisdom says iOS users are more valuable. Higher engagement, more in-app purchases, better retention. So naturally, Journable should focus on iOS, right?

Wrong.

"We found a similar conversion rates on Android and iOS for our app and four times the acquisition cost for iOS. So it just didn't make sense. You know, we have four times the performance on Android than iOS."

Think about that. Same conversion rate. Same subscription revenue per user. But four times the cost to acquire an iOS user versus Android.

For many apps, that iOS premium is justified because iOS users spend more over their lifetime. Mobile games see huge LTV differences. Apps with multiple in-app purchases see meaningful revenue gaps. But for a simple subscription app with one fixed price? The math doesn't work.

"If let's say we were a mobile game or we were an app with multiple in-app purchases and the LTV per user would be different within the same market, then that's a different story. But frankly, having just one fixed price for a monthly or annual subscription meant that we were not reaping any benefits of the dichotomy of LTV per user."

So they doubled down on Android. They've recently started exploring iOS again, but with eyes wide open about the unit economics.

The Campaign Progression: From Installs to ROAS

Here's where Steve's story gets really instructive for bootstrapped founders. He didn't start with sophisticated targeting. He climbed a very deliberate ladder of campaign complexity as the business scaled.

Stage 1: Install Campaigns

Start with the simplest conversion action: app installs. Google needs about 10-15 conversion events per day to optimize effectively, and installs are the cheapest way to hit that threshold.

"If you're running a acquisition campaign, so you need 10 conversions per day, whatever your conversion action is. If your conversion action is installs, 10 installs per day, generally cheap, right? Anyone has the budget to run an install campaign to get 10 per day."

On Google Play, you can acquire installs for $0.50 to $1.00 in many markets. That means a daily budget of just $10-15 can generate enough data for the algorithm to learn. This is accessible for almost any founder.

Stage 2: Mid-Funnel Actions

Once you're getting consistent installs and some of those users are converting to paid, you can start optimizing for actions deeper in the funnel. Journable used trial starts and onboarding completions as intermediate conversion goals.

"If your budget is $300, find an action, create an event in Google ads in your stack, which allows you to make 10 of these events per day instead of five purchases, for example. If you need to go halfway through the funnel, maybe a trial start campaign or an onboarding completed campaign, do that."

This stage bridges the gap between pure volume (installs) and pure value (purchases). You're teaching the algorithm which types of users are more likely to convert without needing the budget to generate 10+ purchases per day.

Stage 3: Purchase Campaigns

When your budget allows for 10+ conversions per day at your actual subscription price point, switch to optimizing directly for purchases. Now you're telling Google exactly what you want: paying users.

This is where most apps would settle. But Journable went further.

Stage 4: Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

The final evolution is moving from purchase optimization to ROAS targeting. Instead of just saying "get me purchasers," you're saying "get me purchasers at this specific return threshold."

"We are, as our Google account manager would say, we are sophisticated in our app advancement. So that's effectively the degree of advancement of a mobile app on Google Ads. We run all of our campaigns as target return on ad spend campaigns."

This level only works when you have significant spend, lots of conversion data, and tight integration between Firebase and Google Ads so that all revenue data flows directly to the ad platform.

The progression Steve described is literally the roadmap Google provides in their Skill Shop learning materials. But seeing it implemented in a real, profitable business makes it concrete.

"This progression, this chronology which you've just outlined, is exactly verbatim written on the Google Ads, let's say, learning path... Highly recommended. Go to the Google Resources Skill Shop, I think it's called, where they host their learning content and take the Google Ads course. It's gold."

The 30-Day Profitability Constraint

What makes Journable's approach unique isn't just the campaign structure—it's the strict profitability window they enforce.

Most subscription apps calculate LTV over months or years, factoring in renewals. Journable ignores all future revenue.

"Every campaign needs to be very profitable for us to run it. Other businesses who are optimizing for volume and growth, they will likely have a very different distribution of campaign structures for us. We just need to be profitable."

They set their ROAS targets high enough that each campaign pays for itself within 30 days, completely discounting monthly renewals and annual renewals. Why such a conservative approach?

"We are bootstrapped. We really need profitability and frankly high profitability in order to fuel the engine of growth."

Without a credit line or investor capital, every dollar spent on ads needs to come back quickly enough to be reinvested in the next campaign. This forces discipline that many VC-backed competitors don't have.

The 30-day window also aligns with Google's recommended conversion window for ROAS campaigns, making the technical implementation straightforward.

The Creative Strategy: Stealing from Winners

One underrated aspect of Steve's strategy? He's completely comfortable copying what works.

"Don't be afraid to copy. Don't be afraid to see what works for your competitors. Open the Play Store, look at the sponsored ads, look at the different placements, see what they use, see what they do."

This isn't about plagiarism. It's about leveraging the millions of dollars in testing that established competitors have already done.

"Especially the big competitors, they know what they're doing. They've been doing this, they've been A-B testing for many years. So just use the benefit from all of the lessons they've learned over the years and just create similar assets."

What actually works in health and fitness app ads? Large images with large text on simple backgrounds. This pattern repeats across successful apps because it's been tested to death.

For Google Play campaigns specifically, your Play Store assets become your creative—especially your icon and your first 2-3 screenshots. Steve emphasizes optimizing these ruthlessly.

"Play Store assets, very important because the default assets that your Google Ads campaign, specifically your Google Ads, mobile app campaigns use are your Play Store assets. So that's your icon, that's your screenshots, specifically your first two or three screenshots."

He recommends A/B testing even simple changes like the background color of your icon. Small tweaks can drive significant differences in conversion rates.

Localized Pricing: Competing Globally While Bootstrapped

One sophisticated move Journable made was implementing localized pricing across every market they operate in. They roughly follow the Spotify pricing index.

"Our price, let's say in the States, for an annual subscription is $40. In Cameroon, it's $10. In India, it's $13."

This allows them to be competitive in markets where their VC-backed competitors might not bother optimizing. If you're a well-funded competitor spending millions on acquisition, you might not take the time to adjust pricing for 50+ countries. But for a bootstrapped team, those markets represent opportunities for profitable growth.

The strategy requires more operational complexity—managing different price points, analyzing performance by market, potentially localizing marketing materials. But it expands the addressable market significantly while maintaining profitability in each region.

The Existential Threat: VC-Backed Competitors

Steve is remarkably candid about the biggest risk to their paid acquisition strategy.

"It's the number one thing on our minds on a daily basis. We are very aware that we're on, what's the expression here? Borrowed time, borrowed ground. Effectively, we know that at any point, VC backed competitor can flood the market and will drive us out."

This is the reality of competing in auction-based advertising as a bootstrapped company. If a well-funded competitor decides to flood Google Ads with budget, accepting 6-12 month payback periods, they can drive up costs to levels Journable can't sustain.

Their response? Aggressive diversification into other channels. They've launched an affiliate program offering 50% commission on all recurring revenue. They're exploring influencer marketing. They're building organic growth through word of mouth.

"We cannot be reliant fully on paid ads. We cannot be reliant on a single platform. So we've been working very strongly to diversify our acquisition channels."

The goal isn't to abandon Google Ads—it's to not be completely dependent on it.

Budget Guidance: How Much Do You Actually Need?

One of the most valuable parts of the conversation was Steve's practical guidance on minimum budgets.

For install campaigns: $10-15 per day can work ($300-450/month).

For trial start or onboarding campaigns: Depends on your funnel, but aim for 10 conversions/day. If each costs $3, you need $30/day ($900/month).

For purchase campaigns: If purchases cost $50 each, you need $500/day minimum ($15,000/month) to hit the 10 conversions/day threshold.

Google officially recommends 10 conversions per day, but Steve notes that his Google rep suggested 15 for more conservative planning.

"Talking to someone from Google, they even suggested 15, even though the official documentation says 10, they said, you know, he's a conservative. We're also conservative in the business. It's good to be to err on the side of more data than less data."

The key insight: structure your campaigns around conversion actions you can actually afford to optimize for. If you only have $500/month to spend, don't run a purchase campaign where each conversion costs $50. Run an install campaign or create a shallower conversion event you can hit 10+ times per day.

Testing Timeline: Patience Pays

How long should you run a campaign before deciding if it works?

"Least a couple of weeks, ideally a month and more. That's in terms of length."

This patience is critical. Ad algorithms need time to learn. Performance in week one often looks nothing like week four. Founders who panic and shut down campaigns after three days never give the system a chance to optimize.

The combination of sufficient budget (10-15 conversions/day) and sufficient time (2-4 weeks) is what generates actual learnings. Anything less is just noise.

The Metric That Actually Matters

Throughout the conversation, Steve kept returning to one North Star metric: 30-day profitability.

Not CTR. Not CPM. Not even CPI or cost per trial start. The only number that matters is whether the campaign paid for itself within 30 days.

"30 days after running a campaign, the campaign has paid itself back. This has been our North Star since we started running ads, which is finding profitable campaigns on day 30."

This clarity makes decision-making simple. A campaign either hits the threshold or it doesn't. If it does, scale it. If it doesn't, adjust or kill it.

For bootstrapped founders, this focus on short-term profitability isn't just prudent—it's necessary for survival. You can't afford to wait 12 months to see if an acquisition channel works out.

Lessons for Bootstrapped Founders

Journable's paid acquisition strategy offers a practical roadmap for founders without unlimited budgets:

Focus on one platform at a time. Give each channel enough budget to actually learn before moving on. Spreading yourself thin just burns money without generating insights.

Start with install campaigns. They're cheap enough that almost anyone can afford to hit the 10-15 conversions/day threshold Google needs to optimize.

Climb the campaign sophistication ladder. Progress from installs → mid-funnel actions → purchases → ROAS as your budget and data allow. Don't skip steps.

Set a strict profitability window. Whatever window makes sense for your cash flow situation (30, 60, 90 days), enforce it religiously. Bootstrap businesses can't afford to chase long-term payback periods.

Steal shamelessly from successful competitors. Open the app stores, look at sponsored placements, and copy what the big players are doing. They've already spent millions testing creative approaches.

Optimize your store listing like it's your landing page. For Play Store campaigns especially, your icon and first few screenshots are your creative. A/B test them relentlessly.

Consider localized pricing. Competing globally while bootstrapped requires finding markets where your economics work. Don't assume you need to charge the same price everywhere.

Diversify before you need to. Don't wait until a competitor outspends you. Build additional acquisition channels while your primary one still works.

Use Google's learning resources. The Skill Shop courses literally outline the exact progression Steve followed. The roadmap is free—you just need to execute it.

Journable's story proves that you don't need millions in venture funding to build a scalable acquisition engine. You need discipline, patience, and a willingness to progress methodically through increasingly sophisticated campaign types as your business grows.

The $40 annual subscription revenue they generate in the US, or the $10 they generate in Cameroon, comes back within 30 days. That cash fuels the next round of ads. Which generates more subscriptions. Which funds more growth.

It's not the sexiest growth story—there's no 10x month or viral explosion. But it's sustainable, profitable, and entirely under their control. For a bootstrapped founder, that's worth more than any vanity metric.

Key Points

• Journable achieves 30-day profitability on Google Ads campaigns by strictly optimizing for return on ad spend, not long-term LTV projections
• They found Android acquisition costs one-quarter of iOS costs with identical conversion rates, making Android far more profitable for subscription apps
• The campaign progression is: installs → mid-funnel actions → purchases → target ROAS, climbing as budget and data allow
• Google's algorithms need 10-15 conversion events per day to optimize effectively—structure campaigns around actions you can afford to trigger that often
• Play Store assets (icon, screenshots) are your creative for Google Ads campaigns and should be A/B tested aggressively
• Localized pricing across 190+ countries (from $10-40/year) allows bootstrapped apps to compete profitably in markets VC-backed competitors ignore
• The biggest threat is well-funded competitors flooding the auction with budget, making diversification into affiliates and organic channels critical
• Minimum viable budgets: $10-15/day for installs, $30+/day for mid-funnel actions, $500+/day for purchase optimization
• Campaigns need 2-4 weeks minimum to generate meaningful learnings—patience is essential for algorithm optimization

Want to hear more about how Journable built their business while bootstrapped and their approach to gamification for retention? Listen to the full conversation with Steve Hoyek on the Levels Podcast.