I cloned 3 apps and now make $35K/month

Summary

Samuel Rondo, a self-taught coder, shares how he built three successful apps generating $35,000/month. His approach focuses on finding existing, proven app ideas and improving them by 1%. He emphasizes validating ideas quickly, reducing failure risk, and using simple, maintainable products. Samuel's strategy includes leveraging Twitter for inspiration, analyzing market demand through traction and traffic sources, and starting with ads to test markets. He also uses SEO, affiliate marketing, and AI tools for app development and growth, offering valuable lessons for aspiring app creators.

Takeaways

• 😀 Samuel Rondo turned his passion for coding into three successful apps, generating $35,000 a month.
• 😀 To build successful apps, Samuel advocates finding existing, working apps and making them 1% better.
• 😀 Learning to code efficiently: Use AI tools like ChatGPT, pick real projects, and apply new skills immediately.
• 😀 When choosing app ideas, Samuel focuses on traction, simplicity, market demand, and personal interest.
• 😀 Samuel's app-building strategy includes validating ideas with traction signals, analyzing customer acquisition methods, and ensuring maintainability.
• 😀 His first app, Usimus, failed because he didn’t use this strategy, which led to difficulties with maintaining the product.
• 😀 For growth, Samuel relies on ads (Google and Meta), SEO, faceless YouTube channels, and affiliate marketing to scale his apps.
• 😀 Samuel's tech stack includes NexJS, NodeJS, AI tools for SEO, and Vercel for deployment.
• 😀 His growth stack involves starting with ads to validate, then moving to SEO, faceless content creation, and affiliate programs for virality.
• 😀 The key lesson Samuel learned is that successful businesses often don't require innovation—replicating successful ideas with small improvements can lead to success.
• 😀 Samuel advises aspiring entrepreneurs to launch quickly, focus on ads and SEO for validation, and automate processes using available tools.

Q & A

How did Samuel learn to code and transition from an optician to a software entrepreneur?

Samuel learned to code by teaching himself through a 15-hour YouTube course while working as an optician. He applied what he learned immediately to build a tool for Instagram, which fueled his passion for coding and led him to eventually quit his job to run multiple successful apps.

What is Samuel's main strategy for finding successful app ideas?

Samuel's strategy is to find existing successful apps and improve upon them by making them 1% better. He believes in validating ideas that already have traction and using a simple, proven framework to minimize failure.

What criteria does Samuel use to determine if an app idea is worth pursuing?

Samuel uses four key criteria: 1) He must personally use the product. 2) The app must already show signs of success. 3) It should not rely heavily on expensive marketing. 4) The product must be simple enough to maintain.

How does Samuel validate the success of an app idea before building it?

He looks for traction, such as revenue or user numbers shared by founders on platforms like Twitter. He also analyzes traffic sources through tools like Ahrefs to determine if the app has organic growth or relies on ads. Finally, he checks if the product is something he can build and maintain easily.

Can you explain Samuel's app building process and how it applied to his first app, Usimus?

Samuel's process involves validating an idea first, ensuring it has demand and is simple enough to build. His first app, Usimus, didn’t follow this process, leading to difficulty due to strong competition and complex maintenance needs. Afterward, he applied his validation method to build simpler products.

What are Samuel's key growth strategies for scaling his apps?

Samuel starts with ads to test the market, then moves to SEO for long-term organic growth. He also uses faceless YouTube channels for promotion and runs affiliate programs to generate virality and acquire customers at a fixed cost.

How does Samuel use AI and automation in his business operations?

Samuel uses AI tools like ChatGPT for coding help, and tools like Outrank.so for automating SEO article writing. He also uses platforms like Story Short to automate the posting of user-generated content across social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

What is Samuel’s tech stack for building his apps, and how does he deploy them?

Samuel uses Next.js and Node.js for coding, Vercel for deployment, Stripe for payments, and AI tools for SEO. His deployment process involves using tools like Href for SEO analysis and leveraging automated content generation for SEO.

What were the costs associated with running Samuel’s apps, and what is their profitability?

Samuel’s apps have varying costs: Usimus costs around $4,000/month, Story Short costs around $5,000/month due to automated instances, and Capacity.so is still in its early stages but expected to have higher costs due to the need for automated deployment. Despite the costs, these apps are profitable, with Story Short generating $20,000/month.

What lessons did Samuel learn from building his businesses that might surprise others?

Samuel learned that innovation isn’t always necessary. Instead, finding successful products, cloning them with improvements, and quickly launching them can lead to success. He emphasizes the importance of simplicity and speed in building products.