AI Summary
5 min readHow One Developer Built a $20K/Month Chrome Extension on Top of ChatGPT
Saeed Izadi built Superpower ChatGPT, a browser extension that adds extra features to ChatGPT, entirely by himself. Within a year and a half, it reached $20,000 to $30,000 in monthly recurring revenue, with roughly 260,000 total downloads and 150,000 weekly active users. He had never built a browser extension before. He learned how in two or three days after ChatGPT launched, and the first version had only two features.
The Marketplace Strategy: Build on Someone Else's Platform
Saeed's core strategic insight is that most aspiring founders make things harder than they need to be by trying to build a standalone SaaS product with its own backend, frontend, and user acquisition funnel. Competing with everyone on the internet is far harder than competing within a limited marketplace. He recommends two paths: build for an existing giant platform like Gmail, YouTube, or Twitter, where even if only a tiny fraction of users want your feature, that can be enough to live on. Or build for a platform with a smaller user base but an existing marketplace, like Zoom or Salesforce, where fewer developers are competing.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:30) **Saeed's Background & Superpower ChatGPT Overview** - Saeed introduces himself as a software engineer and the creator of Superpower ChatGPT, a browser extension that adds extra features to ChatGPT.
- 2 (03:33) **Strategy: Building for Existing Platforms vs. Marketplaces** - Saeed explains the two main strategies for building a Chrome extension: building for a large platform (like Gmail or Twitter) or a smaller marketplace (like Zoom or Salesforce).
- 3 (04:26) **Why Building Plugins Beats Traditional SaaS** - Saeed argues that building for an existing marketplace is faster, less crowded, and easier to validate than launching a standalone website.
- 4 (05:18) **How to Find Ideas: Listening to Communities** - Saeed explains his process for coming up with features by joining subreddits, Discord channels, and other communities where potential users hang out.
- 5 (07:20) **How to Build: Technical Skills & Speed** - Saeed details the technical requirements for building a Chrome extension, emphasizing that basic web development skills are sufficient.
- 6 (08:11) **Organic Growth & Zero Marketing Spend** - Saeed explains how he got users without spending any money on ads, relying entirely on organic growth.
- 7 (10:47) **Finding Opportunities in AI for Non-Tech Industries** - Saeed discusses the potential for building AI tools for professionals like lawyers and doctors who are not yet thinking about AI.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
How I Built It: $20K/Month Chrome Extension This is how Saeed Ezzati built an AI Chome Extension to over $20,000/month.📚 50+ Solo Dev Ideas → https://www.starterstory.com/solo?utm_campaign=saeed&utm_source=youtubeFollow Saeed 🐦 Twitter - https://x.com/eeeziii🔔 Subscribe - https://www.youtube.com/@starterstory 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/starter_story/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/thepatwalls Sharing ideas that make money!Disclaimer: This podcast is published by a viewer using content from Starter Story's YouTube channel with the goal of making his valuable insights more accessible to those who prefer audio formats, helping more people discover and learn from the insights shared in his videos. It is not an official production of Starter Story. For any requests from Starter Story, please don't hesitate to get in touch. ---------- Keywords: startup journey, entrepreneur podcast, passive income, tech business, startup tips, startup success, bootstrap startup
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