The Story
Hassam is a non-technical founder who built LaunchFast - a SaaS tool that helps Amazon sellers automate their product research, inventory management, and competitor analysis. The app aggregates data from multiple sources and provides actionable insights to help sellers find winning products faster.
After failing at 10-12 different projects (AI video generators, job application tools), Hassam realized his mistake: he was building in spaces he didn't understand. This time, he leveraged his deep experience as an Amazon seller himself.
The breakthrough came when he remembered Legacy X, a coaching program he'd purchased 2 years ago that had thousands of Amazon sellers as customers. Instead of spending months building an audience from scratch, he pitched them a bold offer: "Give me 48 hours. If you like what I build, we partner. No strings attached."
Using Cursor (an AI coding assistant), Hassam built the entire MVP in just 48 hours - mapping their existing workflows, building core features, testing, and polishing. The partnership gave him instant access to thousands of potential customers, and LaunchFast quickly grew to $25K/month.
Key Insights
The Distribution Hack
- •Hassam had zero audience and zero coding experience
- •He remembered a coaching program he'd bought 2 years ago (Legacy X) that had his target customers
- •He pitched them: "Give me 48 hours. If you like what you see, we partner. No strings attached."
- •He traded equity for instant distribution access
The 48-Hour Build Process
- •Hours 1-4: Mapped existing systems and SOPs
- •Hours 5-12: Built core features with Cursor
- •Hours 13-20: Testing and bug fixes
- •Hours 21-30: UI polish and branding
- •Hours 31-40: Edge case testing
- •Hours 41-48: Final polish and demo recording
Why This Project Succeeded (vs. 10-12 failed ones)
- •He had deep domain knowledge in Amazon selling
- •Previous failures were in spaces he didn't understand (AI video generators, job applications)
- •"If you can spend 1,000 hours on a project and implement your domain knowledge, you're going to be successful"
6-Step Playbook for Starting Over
- •Identify your domain knowledge - Write down 3-5 industries where you've personally solved problems
- •Find validated markets - Look for niches with successful SaaS tools already making money
- •Deep dive on user pain points - Go to Reddit, Facebook groups, Twitter, review sites
- •Build the MVP - One feature with highest ROI, easiest implementation
- •Find distribution partners - List 5 potential partners, reach out to 3 this week
- •Ship daily - Iterate fast based on real user feedback for 30 days
Tech Stack
- •Cursor (for coding)
- •Vercel (hosting)
- •Supabase (database, auth, storage)
- •Resend (emails)
- •Apify (data aggregation)
- •TypeScript + Next.js
Resources
- •Follow Hassam: https://x.com/hasaamb
- •Starter Story Build: https://build.starterstory.com