From Video Producer to SaaS Founder: How I Built My First Digital Product with AI (And What They Don't Tell You)

From Video Producer to SaaS Founder: How I Built My First Digital Product with AI (And What They Don’t Tell You)

A filmmaker’s journey building IVCT - an AI-powered video learning tool - without traditional coding skills

Six months ago, if you told me I’d be launching a Chrome extension with 15,000+ lines of TypeScript code, I would have laughed. After 20 years of creating documentaries and corporate video productions, my expertise was behind the camera, not behind VS Code.

Today, I’m launching IVCT (Instant Video Context Tagger) - a browser extension that transforms how people retain knowledge from YouTube videos. But this isn’t another “I built an app in 2 days” story. This is the real, messy, incredibly rewarding journey of what it actually takes.

The Spark: A Personal Pain Point

Like many creators, I consume hours of educational content daily - from AI research papers to video editing tutorials and podcasts. But I kept losing track of key insights. Screenshots felt primitive, notes got scattered, and rewatching entire videos to find one concept was maddening.

The idea was simple: What if I could tag any moment in a video, get AI-generated summaries, and build a searchable knowledge library?

Simple idea. Complex execution.

The Reality Check: It’s Not a Weekend Project

Here’s what the AI-building hype doesn’t tell you:

Week 1: “This will be easy!”

• Built basic prototype with Claude
• Everything looked possible
• Reality: Had 30% of a real product

Weeks 2-3: “Why doesn’t this work in production?”

• Chrome extension permissions nightmare
• Database architecture decisions
• Authentication flows that actually work
• Reality check: Prototypes ≠ Products

Month 1-2: “Finally, it’s coming together”

• Real tests, real intergrations
• Performance optimization
• Security hardening
• Bugs, bugs, bugs

My “Unfair” Advantages as a Non-Developer

1. AI Tool Mastery: Years of using tons of AI tools gave me fluency in prompt engineering and AI collaboration patterns.

2. Pattern Recognition: Filmmaking production taught me how different components interact to create the final product.

3. User Experience Focus: As a content creator, I intimately understood the user journey and pain points.

4. Persistence Over Perfection: Documentary work teaches you that great stories emerge through iteration, not inspiration.

The AI Collaboration Dance

Working with AI tools like Claude wasn’t just “write my code.” It became a sophisticated collaboration:

• Architecture Discussions: “Should I use a monorepo structure?”
• Code Reviews: “Is this secure for production?”
• Problem Solving: “Chrome extension not loading - help debug”
• Learning: “Explain TypeScript interfaces like I’m a filmmaker or ELI5”

Claude never got tired, never judged my questions, and helped me understand complex concepts through analogies and simple terms that I could grasp.

What I Actually Built

IVCT is now a full-stack SaaS product:

• Chrome extension (Manifest V3)
• Next.js dashboard with authentication
• Supabase backend with RLS
• Stripe subscriptions
• AI-powered summaries and flashcards
• Data export

Tech Stack: TypeScript, React, Next.js 15, Tailwind CSS, Supabase, Stripe Lines of Code: 15,000+ Build Status: Production deployed on https://tagit.video

The Brutal Truths

❌ Myth: “AI can build anything in a day”

✅ Reality: AI accelerates learning and development, but products need architecture, testing, security, and polish. Not to mention all the small details that are only apparent once you reach that stage.

❌ Myth: “No coding knowledge needed”

✅ Reality: You need to understand coding concepts like APIs, databases, authentication, deployment - AI helps you learn faster

❌ Myth: “It just works”

✅ Reality: Expect weeks of debugging, edge cases, and production issues you never imagined

The Joy of Creation

Despite the challenges, this has been the most intellectually stimulating project in my AI era. There’s something magical about:

• Having an idea at 9 AM and be able to visualize it by 10 AM
• Watching real users interact with something you built
• Learning complex technical concepts through AI mentorship
• Building something useful that solves your own problem

The Future of Solopreneurship

I believe we’re in a golden age for solo creators. AI doesn’t replace developers but it democratizes development. It allows people like me to bring ideas to life without relying on costly and time consuming methods, and without having to report to anyone but … Claude. 

But success still requires:

• Deep understanding of your users
• Willingness to iterate based on feedback
• Systems thinking and problem-solving skills
• Persistence through the inevitable frustrations

IVCT is Live and Looking for Beta Users

IVCT is now live as a beta release! If you’re someone who watches YouTube videos, podcasts, or tutorials, I’d love your feedback.

What it does:

• Tag any moment in YouTube videos with one click or hotkey
• Get AI-generated summaries of those video segments
• Automatically create flashcards for better retention and studying
• Build a searchable personal video library with all your tagged moments.
• Export your data locally

Try it: https://tagit.video (Chrome extension available on Chrome Web Store)

What’s Next

This is just the beginning. I’m exploring:

• Multi-platform support (beyond YouTube)
• Collaborative features for teams
• Advanced AI analysis of learning patterns
• Integration with note-taking tools

For Fellow Non-Developers Considering This Path

My advice:

1. Start with a problem you personally face daily
2. Invest time in understanding AI tools and collaboration methods
3. Budget 2-3 months, not 2-3 days
4. Focus on solving one problem exceptionally well
5. Get feedback early and often

The democratization of software development through AI is real, but it’s not magic. It’s a powerful tool that amplifies your creativity, persistence, and problem-solving skills.

Would love to hear about others’ experiences building with AI. What worked, what didn’t, and what you learned along the way.

What questions do you have about building digital products with AI? Drop them in the comments - always happy to share what I’ve learned (and continue learning) on this journey.

#AI #SaaS #Solopreneurship #ChromeExtension #ProductDevelopment #IVCT

P.S. If you’re interested in discovering more about my background, you can find me at https://adampetritsis.com