Hey buddy,

A few weeks ago I wrote about a lead magnet SaaS tool I'd build if I weren't a newsletter guy. Create it, distribute it, track it — all in one place instead of stitching together five different platforms.

I called it Steal My Idea #5. Then I basically forgot about it.

This was the post, btw

Then, Last week, a comment showed up under a pen name. "Built! You can test in a full running demo."

I figured it was a joke. Or a bot. People don't usually build the things I write about — they read, they nod, they move on to the next issue. That's fine. That's how most of these go.

This one wasn't a joke. He had actually built the MVP.

Turns out the commenter — his real name's Troy — read the issue and the idea just stuck. So he built it. A working MVP, live demo and everything.

He emailed me a few days later to explain:

Right now it's demo-only — no database hooked up. Not because he couldn't, but because he wanted to know if anyone actually found it useful before going all-in on finishing it. Smart sequencing. Build the thing people respond to before you build the thing that costs you more time.

His words: "The demo works pretty much the same as the real thing would, it just doesn't save anything. It's definitely still rough around the edges, but I thought you might get a kick out of seeing your idea brought to life."

He even offered to split it with me — said it felt fair since the idea came from my post. I told him no thanks on the cut, I just wanted to see it built. But I did tell him I'd love to partner with him if he wants to keep developing it.

I write these "Steal My Idea" issues hoping someone runs with one. Realistically, most weeks, I assume nobody does. That's not pessimism — it's just how most free advice goes. People save it, mean to get to it, don't.

Troy didn't do that. He read it, built it, and shipped a live link inside the same week.

That's the whole point of this series. Not "here's a hypothetical." Here's a blueprint specific enough that someone with the right tools and a free weekend can actually go build it.

What Happens Next

I don't know yet. The demo's rough. There's no backend. It might go nowhere — most MVPs do.

But somebody took an idea that existed only in a newsletter and made it real in under two weeks. Whatever happens to the product, that part already worked.

If you've ever read one of these issues and thought "I could actually do that" — this is your sign. Worst case, you end up with a demo nobody asked for. Best case, you end up where Troy is right now: with something real, and a newsletter writer in your inbox asking how he can help.

Talk soon, Kris

P.S. — If you build something from one of these issues, tell me. I will absolutely write about it.

P.S- This post was written using Wispr Flow. Do check it out.

Does anyone out of you want Troy to build this out?

Drop a reply and if there’s good interest, I’ll pass on the message to him.

Let’s Go!