I Built 3 iOS Apps in (Basically) One Long Night From Slack
Six months ago, building these would have been $50–100k+ in engineering hours and a multi-month timeline.
This week, after the kids went down, I shipped three feature-rich iOS apps in (basically) one long night.
Not perfect. Not pixel-finished. But real.
They are fully wired:
- Supabase auth + backend
- real data, real flows
- real builds
- a real pipeline: Slack → local AI coding → Xcode/Expo → App Store Connect → TestFlight → shipping
I also operationalized the workflow so I can text a keyword and kick off a dev process on my machine from wherever I am. The shift is simple: requirements do not sit in a doc, they become a build.
The workflow (what I actually operationalized)
This is the boring part that makes everything else possible:
- Capture: a message in Slack (or an SMS keyword) becomes a concrete change request.
- Build loop: AI codes locally (Codex) with me steering, reviewing, and tightening.
- Ship loop:
- Expo/EAS for React Native apps
- Xcode for native iOS apps
- Distribution: App Store Connect → TestFlight → beta → review → production.
It is not magic. It is a system.
And the system compounds.
The three apps
1) Pancrass (1v1 personal)
I built Pancrass for my cousin Will Eppard after his recent discovery of Type 1 diabetes.
It is a 1v1 personal application and fully functional on iOS. It is also intentionally not “clinical.”
The tone is vulgar “Borat meets Trailer Park Boys” because why not.
It turns out humor is a usability feature. When you are dealing with a life change, sterile UI can feel like homework. A sidekick that talks like a human gets used.
2) PantryIQ (household management)
We waste so much shit.
PantryIQ is a household command center for:
- what we already have
- what we should eat
- what we actually need to buy
The goal is simple: fewer duplicate purchases, less food thrown away, less chaos at dinner time.
3) Vestry (closet management)
Vestry is closet management for the same reason: we forget what we own.
It is about remembering and actually using everything in the closet.
Also: Lauren Critzer is a closet entrepreneur now. So naturally she has her own app business. She can do whatever she wants with it.
What this means (why I can’t unsee it now)
Here is the real takeaway:
This is how you become AI-native.
Not by talking about AI.
By building an operating system where ideas → execution happens fast, locally, with real guardrails, and ships into production.
That is how we are evolving BRCG too: strategy + lifecycle + ops, plus the ability to ship the product layer when it matters.
If one person can ship three feature-rich iOS apps in one long night, imagine what a team can build when the workflow is institutionalized.
Want to try them?
I will share TestFlight links as they are ready. If you want access, DM me.
Shoutout to Lauren Critzer for the patience with my excitement, and to Will Eppard for being the reason Pancrass exists.
