Build and launch an AI app

The 12-week plan

1. WEEK 1

   • Pick one painful, specific problem

     ACTIONREQUIREDDAY 3

     List three problems you or people around you hit every week. Keep the one where people already pay for a clumsy workaround (a spreadsheet, a VA, an expensive tool).

   • Find repos before they go viral

     BLUEPRINTREQUIREDDAY 5

     Learn how to spot fast-rising open-source projects you can build on instead of starting from zero.

     Blueprint: Find GitHub Repos Before They Go Viral

   • Shortlist three repos to build on

     TOOLREQUIREDDAY 7

     Run the Viral Repo Finder in your problem space. Shortlist three projects with active maintainers and a license that allows commercial use.

     Tool: GitHub Discovery

2. WEEK 2

   • Validate the idea in 48 hours

     BLUEPRINTREQUIREDDAY 10

     Follow the validation Blueprint before you write code: a problem statement, a fake-door page and a list of people to ask.

     Blueprint: Validate a Micro-SaaS Idea in 48 Hours

   • Talk to five people who have the problem

     ACTIONREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 14

     Message or call five potential users. Ask how they handle it today, what it costs them and what a fix would be worth. Summarize what you heard.

3. WEEK 3

   • Check the demand signals

     TOOLOPTIONALDAY 17

     Run Trend Radar on your problem keywords. Note which terms are rising and where people are talking about them.

     Tool: Trend Radar

   • Write a one-page spec

     ACTIONREQUIREDDAY 21

     Define the one job the app does: the input, the output and what done looks like. Cut every feature that is not needed for a first paying user.

4. WEEK 4

   • Turn open source into a product

     BLUEPRINTREQUIREDDAY 24

     Learn how to wrap an open-source project into something people pay for: hosting, onboarding, support and the parts they cannot do alone.

     Blueprint: Turn an Open-Source Project Into a Paid Product

   • Build the core flow

     BUILDREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 35

     Build only the path from input to result. Share a repo link or a short screen recording of it working end to end.

5. WEEK 5

   • Tighten your prompts

     TOOLOPTIONALDAY 38

     Use the Prompt Builder to make the model output consistent. Test it on ten real examples from your user conversations.

     Tool: Prompt Builder

6. WEEK 6

   • Ship a private beta

     BUILDREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 45

     Deploy the app somewhere a tester can use it without you on the call. Share the link.

7. WEEK 7

   • Get three testers through the core flow

     ACTIONREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 52

     Watch or collect feedback from three people using it. Fix the top issue each one hit. Summarize what changed.

8. WEEK 8

   • Ship a landing page with AI

     BLUEPRINTREQUIREDDAY 55

     Write the page around the problem you validated: who it is for, what it does, what it costs.

     Blueprint: Ship a Landing Page With AI in an Afternoon

   • Publish your landing page

     BUILDREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 59

     Put the landing page live on its own URL with a clear call to action.

9. WEEK 9

   • Add a way to pay

     ACTIONREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 63

     Create a checkout or payment link for a simple starting price. Share the link (a test-mode link is fine for evidence).

10. WEEK 10

    • Launch publicly

      LAUNCHREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 70

      Post your launch in at least two places where your users already spend time. Share the links to the posts.

11. WEEK 11

    • Follow up with every signup

      ACTIONOPTIONALDAY 77

      Reply personally to every signup and tester. Ask what would make it worth paying for.

12. WEEK 12

    • Make a direct offer to ten prospects

      FIRST REVENUEREQUIREDEVIDENCEDAY 84

      Offer the paid version directly to at least ten people who fit. Record who you asked and what they said. If someone pays, log it as a win.