What Zuck Knew (That You Don’t)

March 06, 2025

Hey bro,

I re-watched The Social Network last night. Remember that scene where Mark Zuckerberg is coding Facemash with his roommates in the dorm?

Then, boom—the site goes live and Harvard's network crashes because everyone's using it. What stuck with me wasn't just the technical achievement.

Zuck’s words still hit hard today:

"If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook."

Truth is: some apps dominate. Others die.

I've been on both sides. After launching multiple apps, I scaled Puff Count to $40K MRR before recently selling it.

The same patterns repeat over and over. Every winning app follows a blueprint while every flop ignores it.

Here’s how to make sure yours joins the winners' circle:

1: Winners Solve a Painful Problem

People who have a big problem are more likely to spend to get rid of it.

If you position your app correctly by solving 1 problem for 1 audience, you print.

Take Puff Count as an example: I helped people quit vaping. That's it.

Flops solve random problems or many problems at once.

2: Winners Obsess Over Market Research

Winners understand their audience and competition better than anyone. If you don't, your app is already doomed.

Use tools like Sensor Tower or Mobbin to analyze competitors and find gaps.

Before I built Puff Count, I saw "quit vaping" videos blowing up on TikTok.

Flops just build an app without validating if it's good.

3: Winners Keep UX Simple

If users have to think too hard, they're out. Simple, frictionless UX keeps users engaged and moving toward conversion.

Make onboarding smooth, cut extra steps, and focus on making your user invested.

Flops overcomplicate everything with too many features, cluttered designs, and no clear flow.

4: Winners Know Marketing is King

A great app with bad marketing won't grow, and a mediocre app with great marketing will print.

Marketing starts before you build. I proved Puff Count’s potential with TikToks before writing a single line of code.

Winners have a marketing strategy. Flops don't.

5: Winners Iterate Based on Feedback

Your app doesn't end at launch. It's just the start.

Winners listen to users and improve fast.

Flops build, launch, and stop.

Ask yourself after launch:

  • Are users completing onboarding?

  • Are they hitting the paywall?

  • Where do they drop off?

Use data to optimize and keep users engaged.

Btw, If you want to work 1o1 with me on your app, check this out: https://www.joinsaasaccelerator.com/

See you in the next email.

Peace,
Steven

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