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This transcript is an interview with Samuel Rondot, a solopreneur who runs three Software as a Service (SaaS) apps that together generate $15,000 per month. His core philosophy is not to invent a new idea, but to find a successful app and make it better.
Samuel’s Story and Coding Journey
Samuel, who was an optician with zero coding experience, taught himself to code by following a 4-hour YouTube course and immediately applying what he learned to a real-world tool he was building. His advice for those starting today is to leverage AI coding tools like ChatGPT, as they can build about 90% of most apps.
His suggested framework for learning and building is:
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Pick a real project.
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Ask ChatGPT what you need to learn to build it (e.g., how to build a landing page).
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Build step-by-step, using modern technologies like Next.js and Node.js, and asking ChatGPT for help with roadblocks.
Ideation and Validation Strategy
Samuel’s strategy focuses on reducing the chance of failure by never building something that isn’t already successful or getting traction.
He will find them by looking for entrepreneurs bragging about their successes in online communities
- On X:
- IndieHacker
- Solopreneur
- BuildinPublic
- On youtube:
Four Key Filters for Ideas:
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He would use it himself.
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It already works (proven traction).
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The founders are not spending thousands on marketing, indicating true organic demand.
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The product is simple enough to maintain.
Validating an Idea:
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Traction is key: Look for founders sharing their MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) or Stripe screenshots on platforms like Twitter.
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Analyze Traffic Sources (using Ahrefs):
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Growth with both ads and SEO is a very good sign of strong demand and is easier to replicate.
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Relying mostly on SEO is still doable but takes more patience.
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Technical Simplicity: Ensure the product is something you can build and maintain easily without losing sleep over complex backend issues.
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Personal Enjoyment: You must like the product and enjoy using it yourself to stay motivated for the long term.
Successful App Breakdown and Marketing Strategy
Samuel applied his strategy to his second and third apps after his first, Artemis, struggled against big-name competitors due to its complexity.
Samuel’s Current SaaS Portfolio:
| App Name | Function | Monthly Revenue | Customer Base | Strategy Applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artemis.com | LinkedIn scrapping tool | $5,000 | 1,000 customers | Early mistake, difficult to maintain |
| StoryShort.ai | AI video generator for TikTok/YouTube | $8,000 | 2,000 customers | Successful execution; saw a working tool, saw traffic was from Facebook Ads (easy to replicate quickly), validated demand, and built a simple product. |
| Capacity.so | AI coding tool | $2,000 | 200 users | Brand new, expected to be high-cost to run |
Growth Stack (Marketing Strategy):
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Start with Ads (Google and Meta): This is the fastest way to validate and test the market.
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Build SEO (Search Engine Optimization): As soon as there’s traction from ads, move to SEO for compounding, almost-free traffic.
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Faceless YouTube Channels: Use automation (via Story Short’s features) to automatically publish daily UGC-style video about the product on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
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Affiliate Program: Brings clients at a fixed cost, boosts virality, and encourages others to share the product.
Tech Stack:
All apps are built with Next.js and Node.js. He uses Vercel for deployment, Stripe for payments, and tools like Ahrefs and Outrank.so for SEO and automated article writing.
Final Advice
Samuel emphasizes that you don’t need to innovate. The best approach is to find what’s working in online communities and build your own alternative/better version.
His top advice to his past self would be:
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Use AI coding tools.
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Spend time learning Google Ads and Meta Ads.
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Launch as soon as possible—skip the boring parts (like password resets) and launch a minimal basic product to run ads and test demand right away.
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Focus on SEO once you get traction.
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Automate as much as you can (posting, article creation, etc.).
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Finish the product and add features only once you have growth and daily customers.
Do you have a specific type of app or market in mind that you’d like to try this strategy with?
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