Clone Successful Apps and Make Them 1% Better to Build SaaS Revenue

Executive overview

Samuel Rondot, a former optician with no coding background, built three SaaS apps generating $35K/month by deliberately cloning already-validated products rather than inventing new ones. His core rule: never build something that doesn't already exist and show traction. He uses a four-filter system to pick ideas, then drives growth through a sequenced stack of paid ads, SEO, faceless video channels, and affiliate programs.

Removing the need to innovate is itself a competitive strategy — simple, boring tools with proven demand outperform novel ideas most of the time.

The four-filter idea selection system

• Would use the product personally
• Clear evidence it already works (MRR screenshots, Stripe screenshots on Twitter)
• Not relying heavily on paid marketing — organic demand exists
• Simple enough to build and maintain without a complex backend

Where to find winning ideas

• Twitter/X is the primary source — communities like Solopreneur, Indie Hackers, Build in Public
• Founders sharing revenue screenshots are the strongest validation signal
• Use Ahrefs to check traffic sources: SEO + ads together signals strong demand and replicability
• Ads-only traffic is actually a green flag for speed — you can replicate that channel immediately
• SEO-only traffic is harder to replicate but still viable with patience

The three apps

• UserTerms.co — LinkedIn scraping tool, ~$15K/month, ~10,000 customers; $4K/month running costs
• StoryShort.ai — AI video generator for TikTok and YouTube, ~$20K/month, ~4,000 customers; $5K/month running costs
• Capacity.so — AI coding tool, newly launched, ~$900/month, ~50 users

StoryShort as a case study

• Found a post on Twitter showing a faceless-video automation tool with strong revenue numbers
• Validated: traffic came entirely from Facebook ads, meaning demand could be replicated in a week
• Built the MVP, launched ads immediately, grew fast
• The tool now includes a feature to auto-publish daily UGC-style videos across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram on autopilot

Growth stack (in order)

1. Paid ads first — Google or Meta depending on product; fastest way to validate and test the market
2. SEO second — compounds over time, becomes nearly free traffic, adds asset value if selling the business
3. Faceless YouTube/TikTok/Instagram channels — automated via StoryShort; multiple channels posting about the product daily
4. Affiliate program — fixed customer acquisition cost, creates virality, drives both SEO links and YouTube reviews

Tech stack

• Next.js and Node.js for all apps
• Vercel for deployment
• Stripe for payments
• Ahrefs for SEO analysis
• Outrank.so for automated article writing and blog posting

Learning to code today

• AI coding tools can build 90% of most apps — skip the traditional learning path
• Pick a real project, screenshot a product you like, ask ChatGPT what tech to learn and how to build it step by step
• Apply each new concept immediately to the project you're building — passive courses without application don't stick

Key lessons and advice

• Build and launch an MVP in two weeks, then run ads immediately to test demand
• Skip non-essential SaaS scaffolding (password reset pages, settings screens) until traction is confirmed
• Once growth is consistent, finish the product and add features
• Automate as much as possible — article creation, social posting, distribution
• Having SEO traffic makes the business more valuable if you ever want to sell