Founder Playbook · Starter Story
7 tactics from Polus
I Built an App with Cursor, Made $30K, and Quit My Job.
Watch the full episode“the idea of a database came to my mind and I just started building it out because it's something I'd use myself and I figured with AI I could turn this into a fully-fledged SaaS if enough people wanted it”
Build something you would use yourself before asking anyone else to
Polus did not survey potential customers or run ads to validate. He identified a tool he personally needed for his own creator-led work, built it, and treated his own conviction as the first signal. The $20-30 sales on launch night confirmed what he already suspected — the market existed because he was the market.
“a lot of people when they're building in public never go viral because they never join the bigger conversation... it's 100 times easier to just bring your ideas to where the focus is already happening”
Go viral by joining the big debate already happening in your space
Polus's post hit 500K impressions not because it was polished or had a big audience, but because it plugged directly into the hottest debate at the time — whether AI can build a real SaaS. Latching your launch content to a trending controversy lets you borrow existing attention rather than generate it from scratch.
“if you just figure out the most scrappy idea possible in the most scrappy way possible you can get it out there and then if you put a buy button on it share it on Twitter... you'll be surprised by the amount of people that actually want to get it”
Put a buy button on the scrappiest version possible before you feel ready
Polus built Creator Hunter entirely during his morning commute using Bolt for the MVP, Cursor to wire the backend, and a free Framer template for the landing page — all without writing code manually. His explicit advice is to resist perfectionism: get a buy button live and distribute before you feel ready, because the market's reaction is the only real signal.
“if you don't understand your customer or what they're searching for and how they describe their problems then you're just building fast in the wrong direction”
Validate your idea against real search demand before writing any code
Creator Hunter maps directly to high-intent search queries like 'best way to hire TikTok influencers' — terms with real volume and manageable competition. Finding keyword-to-product fit before building ensures the landing page and product copy already speak the language buyers type into Google. It's idea validation and SEO strategy in one step.
“what's worked is just shipping often don't just have like one big video release like a lot of VC startups so for example I tapped into the influencer conversation that was happening at the time”
Ship often in public to build compound momentum without a big launch
Polus deliberately avoided the VC-style 'big reveal' launch strategy and instead published small, frequent updates tied to what the audience was already discussing. This consistent cadence kept Creator Hunter visible without requiring a viral moment every time. Over 7 months, that compound visibility drove 1,000+ users and 350+ paid conversions.
“I built and launched it 7 months ago. It's got over 1,000 users at the moment with over 350 paid users. I used Bolt and Cursor to make it and I use Framer for design. I did it all myself without needing a team, all in my daily commute.”
Build a full SaaS on your morning commute using AI coding tools
Polus built Creator Hunter entirely during his morning commute using Bolt for the functional MVP, Cursor to make it production-ready, and Framer for design — no team, no office, no code written by hand. The insight is that a complete SaaS product — backend, auth, UI, payment — is now achievable by one person in stolen time. The constraint of a commute forced scope discipline that VC-backed teams often lack.
“I think people underestimate the knowledge they already have. If you have deep domain knowledge you probably have like tons of ideas already on what to build, and you probably have a winning idea already that you could just prompt your way and start building.”
Leverage the domain knowledge you already have to find winning ideas
Polus built Creator Hunter because he was already pursuing creator-led services and felt the pain of finding influencers himself. His domain knowledge wasn't technical — it was operational and contextual. The barrier to building is no longer code; it's recognizing that the problems you've solved manually in your own work are the highest-signal product ideas you'll ever have.