The Exit - Presented By Flippa App Store Flipping, ASO Secrets, and 8-Figure Acquisitions with Steve Young (App Masters)
Feb 16, 2026
27:05
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What happens when you’re at the finish line of a massive business exit and decide to walk away? In this episode, Steve Young, founder of App Masters, joins Steve McGarry to unpack his decade-long journey from a side-hustling app developer to a major player in the mobile marketing space.
Steve shares the raw truth behind selling app portfolios on Flippa, the common mistakes founders make during due diligence, and the surprising lessons he learned from a failed multi-million dollar exit. Whether you’re building your first "Minimum Viable Revenue" product or preparing for a seven-figure sale, this episode is a masterclass in patience, clean books, and the power of audience-first business building.
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Steve Young is an author, speaker, and host of the #1 app marketing YouTube channel with 50K subscribers. He has interviewed the biggest names including the co-founder of Shazam, Crossy Road, Mafia Wars, Color Switch, and more! He is also the founder of App Masters the app marketing agency that helps grow apps faster, better & cheaper.
Website - https://appmasters.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepyoung/
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[00:37] Steve’s origins: From a meetup group to building cross-platform iOS and Google Play apps.
[01:30] Why niching down into a podcast about apps in 2013 was the catalyst for his 30+ person team today.
[04:50] Selling on Flippa: Why "real estate value" and ASO (App Store Optimization) are key drivers for app sales.
[07:10] Inside a "failed" major exit: Learning the buyer's mindset and why Steve chose to walk away at the finish line.
[10:00] Preparing for the 7 and 8-figure level: The importance of "squeaky clean" books and systemized tax returns.
[11:50] The Five Whys: How to determine if it’s the right time to sell or if you’re just experiencing burnout.
[13:45] Creative Financing: Understanding seller notes and how they benefit both the buyer and the seller.
[15:22] The Golden Rule of M&A: "Until the money is in the bank, pretend you still own it."
[19:04] Advice to a younger self: "Do the work, give up the timeline."
[21:00] The future of App Masters: Moving from an agency model to an app portfolio team focusing on "Minimum Viable Revenue."
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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/