OneTake A.I.

How This Founder Grew An AI Video Editing Startup to $500K ARR

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About
Business

Sébastien Night

Founder, OneTake A.I.

$42K

revenue/mo

Founders

OneTake A.I.

onetake.ai

from

started December 2021

$42,000

revenue/mo

Founders

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Monthly Revenue

$42K

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2021

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2021

Customer

B2B & B2C

Who is Sébastien Night?🔗

Sébastien Night, the founder of OneTake AI, previously ran a 7-figure training business and is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in coaching and content creation. He leveraged his experience and insights to develop AI solutions for video editing, simplifying complex processes for entrepreneurs and content creators.

What problem does OneTake A.I. solve?🔗

OneTake AI solves the tedious and time-consuming problem of video editing for entrepreneurs and content creators, making professional-quality video accessible with minimal effort through AI-driven automation. This pain point is particularly acute for professionals who need consistent, high-quality videos but lack the time or expertise for traditional editing, creating a strong market demand.

How did Sébastien come up with the idea for OneTake A.I.?🔗

Sébastien was initially running a 7-figure training business and constantly found video production to be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Noticing that his clients faced similar issues, he thought there had to be a better way. He envisioned a tool that could streamline the editing process and greatly reduce the time required, which led to the concept of OneTake AI.

Before fully diving in, he created a proof of concept and got early feedback. Some initial users even wanted an even easier solution, sparking the idea of a "Magic Button" for one-click editing. Recognizing the potential, he committed to refining the product using AI, despite the early challenges and uncertainties.

Sébastien’s journey taught him that customer feedback is essential for refining ideas. He learned that sometimes the simplest solutions are the most impactful, and being responsive to user needs can drive innovation. Ultimately, it was his understanding of his own and his clients' pain points that provided the clarity and direction needed to build a successful product.

How did Sébastien build the initial version of OneTake A.I.?🔗

Sébastien Night developed OneTake AI with a rigorous and iterative approach. He utilized open-source code and external APIs to initially prototype the AI features, relying heavily on tools like NodeJS, MongoDB, DigitalOcean for the backend, and React with MaterialUI for the frontend. The first proof of concept was completed in early 2021, turning raw video recordings into polished presentations in just 45 minutes. However, customer feedback demanded even simpler functionality, pushing Night to create the “Magic Button,” which streamlined the process to a single click. Despite challenges, including language translations and AI limitations, the process from inception to MVP took about a year, involving constant feedback from early users to refine and perfect the product.

What were the initial startup costs for OneTake A.I.?🔗

Product Development: The founder spent significant resources on developing the AI product, including time and money for creating the MVP in 2022 and continually enhancing the features throughout 2023.
Infrastructure: A substantial amount of expenses went towards building more infrastructure, such as GPU servers from LambdaLabs to support video translation features, which consumed a lot of GPU power.
Fundraising: Although the pre-seed funding round was largely unsuccessful, two women (one family member and one friend) made small but crucial investments that helped sustain operations during a critical phase.
Cost Reduction: To reach breakeven, the company had to creatively slash expenses in half and significantly cut contractor payroll.

How did Sébastien launch OneTake A.I. and get initial traction?🔗

Kickstart Through Personal Network

To get the initial word out about OneTake, Sébastien reached out to his personal network of entrepreneur friends. He emailed them a demo showcasing the tool’s capabilities. At this time, the product was a proof of concept, but it effectively demonstrated the potential of the AI video editing.

Why it worked: Leveraging personal relationships built trust and provided immediate, valuable feedback. The initial test audience included people who already trusted Sébastien, making them more receptive to trying out the new tool.

Live Webinars

Sébastien organized live webinars and challenges to introduce the product to a broader audience. These events were interactive, allowing participants to see live demos and ask questions in real-time. During webinars, Sébastien would perform live edits using the tool, showcasing its ease and efficiency.

Why it worked: Live webinars created a sense of immediacy and connection. They allowed prospects to see the product in action, ask questions, and receive immediate answers, thereby increasing trust and conversion rates.

Start with Core Users and Affiliates

Before expanding widely, Sébastien focused on his core audience—French-speaking entrepreneurs, public speakers, and online coaches. He also reached out to influencers and partners within this niche to promote OneTake to their own audiences. Additionally, OneTake paid affiliates a 20% lifetime commission, encouraging them to bring in new customers through webinars and live events.

Why it worked: Focusing on a well-defined target audience helped build a strong initial user base. Engaging with affiliates multiplied their reach without spending heavily on traditional advertising.

Early Metrics:

Within the first few months, they launched with a handful of paying customers, growing from 19 to 61 paid accounts after running a free challenge event.
MRR increased from less than EUR 3,000 to over EUR 7,000.
Almost all users subscribed to an annual plan, providing better cash flow and reducing early churn concerns.

These early efforts set the foundation for OneTake’s rapid growth as they capitalized on these strategies to improve and expand the product.

What was the growth strategy for OneTake A.I. and how did they scale?🔗

Email Marketing

OneTake AI leveraged an opt-in email list of 60,000 entrepreneurs, primarily from French-speaking countries. They used this list to regularly communicate new updates, promotions, and value propositions to potential and existing customers. They also conducted webinars and live online challenges to engage this audience directly.

Why it worked: Email marketing provided a direct line to a highly targeted audience, allowing OneTake to build trust and deliver personalized content. The regular interaction and valuable offers kept the audience engaged, helping convert leads into paying customers.

Affiliate Marketing

OneTake AI implemented an affiliate program offering a 20% lifetime commission to affiliates. They collaborated with influential online entrepreneurs through Facebook Lives and Zoom webinars. This affiliate program helped them reach English, Italian, and Japanese-speaking customers, contributing to about a third of their MRR.

Why it worked: The affiliate program incentivized influencers to promote OneTake AI aggressively. It amplified their reach into new markets through trusted voices, which significantly boosted conversion rates and revenue.

Paid Advertising

Starting in April, OneTake AI experimented with paid ads to drive traffic to a "4-day free challenge," reducing their Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) to $1,267. They continually tweaked their approach to direct users straight to webinars for better conversions.

Why it worked: Paid advertising allowed OneTake AI to scale their outreach quickly and effectively. By optimizing and targeting their ads, they drove high-quality traffic to their events, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

Customer Retention Strategies

OneTake AI focused on reducing churn with strong onboarding processes and significant incentives. They offered an "unlimited" account upgrade for users who published their first project within 30 days and conducted bi-weekly live sessions for user Q&A and updates.

Why it worked: This approach ensured that new users experienced early wins with the software, increasing their reliance and satisfaction. Engaging directly with customers in live sessions helped address concerns in real-time, fostering a loyal user base.

What's the pricing strategy for OneTake A.I.?🔗

OneTake AI offers a subscription-based model with three main plans: Basic at $49/month, Pro at $99/month, and Business at $199/month, offering increasing levels of video editing features; no free trial but paid tiers provide add-on incentives.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building OneTake A.I.?🔗

Adapt Quickly to Feedback: Sébastien pivoted OneTake AI based on customer feedback, shifting from a complex video editing offering to a simple "one-click" solution. This adaptability allowed the company to better meet their customers' needs and grow rapidly.
Prioritize Customer Interaction: Regular live sessions with customers helped OneTake AI gather real-time feedback, prioritize features, and maintain high user satisfaction. This direct interaction played a crucial role in refining the product and reducing churn.
Focus on MRR Growth: By concentrating efforts on growing monthly recurring revenue (MRR), OneTake AI was able to streamline decisions about feature development, hiring, and marketing. This focus steered the company towards consistent and profitable growth.
Leverage Existing Networks: Sébastien initially leveraged his existing email list and partnerships to drive growth. Utilizing pre-existing networks can provide a solid user base and initial traction without significant marketing expenses.
Resilience and Perseverance: Despite facing high costs and the challenges of fundraising, Sébastien and his team focused on cutting expenses and leveraging consistent growth to achieve profitability. Their resilience ensured the company could weather tough periods and emerge successful.

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