How many of those apps are simply re-branded versions of some core you wrote?
All of them. The company couldn't exist if we had to code up a unique app for every customer. My point is that the fact of there being "lots of apps in the store" doesn't mean the number of app "producers" is correspondingly large. I thought I made that clear when I said, "it's not quite a 1-1 from app to company".
That's assuming an ability to move in either direction. Companies will not pay for relocation costs. If you don't have the money to move, you're so out of luck.
That's why you budget money for a future move and/or rent instead of buy. A 20ft U-Haul truck from Austin to SanFran is $850, plus gas. Loaded it gets 8mpg, and the trip is 1750 miles. So figure $450 for gas, for a total of $1300. Say your buddy gets an offer for $100k/year back in California. He could counter with "$95k/year + $1500 to relocate." The employer would recoup its cost within 4 months. Most would accept that counter-offer. Sucks to give up base salary, but if the alternative is "no job at all and you're stuck in Texas when you don't want to be" then it starts to look more attractive.
An adequate bootstrap is a contradiction in terms.