How Romain scaled SendShort to 20K MRR and got acquired.

How Romain Transformed His Accounting Career into a Viral SaaS Startup and Sold It for Success

Meet Romain

Romain is the co-founder of Senshort, a SaaS designed to help content creators effortlessly transform long-form YouTube videos into TikTok-ready vertical shorts.

Romain transitioned from being an accounting student with zero coding experience to launching, scaling, and eventually selling his first SaaS product at the end.

Let’s go back to the early days

Romain’s journey began in late 2021 when dissatisfaction with his accounting studies pushed him toward a new path.

Despite having no prior technical knowledge, he resolved to learn coding and pivot to a career in development by mid-2022.

• Mastered foundational algorithmic concepts.

• Immersed himself in online tutorials and courses on web development.

• Committed five hours daily to learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.

The Birth of Senshort

In January 2023, Romain and Vincent Alondzi, a friend and early collaborator, identified a problem that many content creators faced: the time-consuming process of adapting YouTube videos for platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Their solution? Well, a platform that automates the creation of short-form videos, allowing creators to expand their presence across social platforms effortlessly using available AI technologies.

Initially conceived as a personal tool, Senshort quickly turned into a full-fledged SaaS product that launched in July 2023.

With Vincent's strong social media presence (over 8,000 Twitter followers at the time) and his experience in other fields, the team successfully reached their target audience, gaining dozens of paying users within the first week.

Scaling and Success

The months following the launch were intense. The team, consisting of Romain, Vincent, and their collaborators Axel and Hugo, focused on refining the product and scaling their user base. Key strategies included:

• Iterative Product Improvements: Continuously fixing bugs and enhancing the user experience based on feedback.

• Social Media Marketing: Leveraging Vincent’s audience and creating original content for platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

• Affiliate Marketing: Partnering with content creators and agencies to expand their reach. this resulted in tons of AI influencers showing people how to grow faceless channels, automate tiktok and other channels, which increased the snowball size.

• Content Strategy: The team’s in-house video editor, Ange, produced tutorials, trend-based videos, and engaging short-form content that showcased the platform’s capabilities.

Over time, Senshort grew into a tool that served hundreds of creators and agencies, establishing itself as a reliable solution in the content creation space.

The Sale of Senshort

By mid-2024, Senshort had reached a critical juncture. While the product had matured and gained traction, the team faced a dilemma: scaling Senshort further required full-time dedication and significant investment.

However, Romain was still in an apprenticeship, and his co-founders had other commitments.

Recognizing this, the team decided it was time to pass the baton. They listed Senshort on Acquire.com, a marketplace for buying and selling SaaS products.

The Sales Process

1. Listing on Acquire: The team prepared detailed documentation, including financial records, user metrics, technical overviews, and operational processes.

2. Negotiations: Within two weeks, they engaged with three potential buyers, primarily investors from the U.S. and Australia.

3. Due Diligence: After multiple calls and extensive document reviews, one buyer emerged as the ideal match. Their offer aligned with the team’s expectations, and they demonstrated the expertise and resources needed to scale Senshort further.

4. Transition: Over the next month, the team transferred ownership of the product, including:

   • GitHub repositories

   • Domains and hosting services

   • Payment systems (Stripe accounts)

   • Documentation and code walkthroughs

The buyer retained Romain as a part-time CTO during the transition period to maintain continuity and guide new developers.

The Emotional Impact

Selling Senshort was bittersweet for Romain and his team. After investing countless late nights, weekends, and emotional energy into the project, letting go was difficult. However, it also marked a significant milestone—a validation of their hard work and ingenuity.

The Future of Senshort

The new owners have ambitious plans for Senshort, aiming to scale it far beyond its current reach. They’ve already begun implementing new features, refining the UX/UI, and expanding their marketing efforts. With a robust roadmap, Senshort is poised to thrive under new leadership.

Romain continues to contribute part-time as a consultant, eager to see how the project evolves while also learning from the buyer’s expertise in scaling SaaS platforms.

What’s Next for Romain?

With the Senshort chapter closed, Romain is gearing up for a new phase of his career. As he transitions to full-time freelancing in September 2024, he plans to:

• Invest his time in new projects and ideas that excite him.

• Continue growing his personal brand on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

• Share insights and lessons from his entrepreneurial journey to inspire other aspiring developers.

Romain’s Key Takeaways

1. Focus on the Process: “If you don’t love the journey, you won’t last long enough to see success.”

2. Learn by Doing: “90% of my technical skills came from building Senshort, not school.”

3. Adaptability is Crucial: From learning to code to mastering marketing and sales, Romain embraced every challenge as a growth opportunity.

Follow Romain

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RomainCerezo

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romain-cerezo/

• Twitter/X : https://x.com/RoMCrZ

Thanks for reading.

Mehdi from WhyWeSell 😊