E40: Making Money with Memes with Jason Levin
In this episode of the SAAS Operators Podcast, we talked to Jason Levin, the founder of Memelord. Jason explained how memes are the most useful tool for growth on the internet, and how “posting” is quickly becoming a nessessity skill. We talk about government accounts memeing like creators, why shareability is more important than polish and professionalism and how Jason thinks about “memetic warfare” as distribution for ideas. Jason explains why he chose SAAS over media, how Memelord grew out of a simple problem he had himself and built in Bubble, and how improvements in AI agentic coding have made commercializing what you build the challenge, not building. We talked about how great ads might actually be memes, the decision between hard work and leverage work, and why most people are building random side projects with no business model. We also talk about copycats, why building one is a waste of a life, and how building software is getting easier every month.
In this episode of the SaaS Operators Podcast, we talked to Jason Levin, the founder of Memelord Technologies, you get a live look at where marketing is heading next.
Not “better ads.”
Not “more content.”
The ability to ship ideas at internet speed and make them travel.
The conversation starts with a simple observation. Even government leaders are memeing now. Whether you like it or not, the people in power are learning how to post. You are watching the feed become a battleground for attention, narrative, and persuasion.
And the implication is obvious.
If you cannot communicate online, you get drowned out.
Memes Are The New Poster System
A meme is not a joke. A joke is just one use case.
A meme is a compressed message. Image plus text. One idea. Instantly understood.
You can think of it like the modern version of an old propaganda poster or a subway ad. It is the same format, just distributed through the internet instead of walls.
When you build in that format, you are building for shareability.
And shareability is the whole game now.
You Are Not Competing On Quality First
You are competing on whether people pass your message around.
The question is not “is this correct.”
The question is “would someone send this to a friend.”
That is why the best ads become memes. The ad stops being an ad and turns into culture. It gets shared because it feels like a truth, not a pitch.
If you sell anything, you should care about that.
A meme is the cleanest top of funnel you can get.
Speak Fluent Internet
The deeper thesis is not “memes are cool.”
The thesis is that you need tools, systems, and taste that let you speak the language of the internet.
That means:
- Turning ideas into simple, high signal formats
- Moving fast without sounding like a brand
- Packaging the message so it lands
Because the internet is a marketplace for ideas. Products ride on top of that.
If you cannot spread ideas, you will struggle to sell anything.
Censorship, Platforms, And The Reality Of Distribution
There is a real tension you need to understand.
The internet is supposed to be a marketplace for ideas, but platforms still shape what wins. Algorithms reward certain formats. Certain narratives get boosted. Others get throttled.
You can pretend that does not matter, but it does.
The practical takeaway is simple.
You should play the game as it exists, not the one you wish existed.
Build messages that travel inside the current incentives.
SaaS Beats Media When You Want Scale
One of the most useful parts of the conversation is the business model contrast.
Media and services can make real money, but they hit ceilings fast. You can get trapped in being the operator forever. You become the bottleneck.
Software is harder up front, but it scales harder once it works.
The path that actually works looks like this:
- Start scrappy
- Sell before it is perfect
- Learn what people pay for
- Build the product after demand is proven
The early version can be ugly. It can be a newsletter and a basic template. If people pay, you have something.
Then you earn the right to build.
Hard Work vs Leverage Is The Wrong Argument
The more interesting split is not hard work versus leverage.
It is speed versus direction.
You can build faster than ever. You can ship faster than ever. You can automate half the work.
And still be lost.
Velocity is speed with direction.
Most people have speed. They do not have a target. So they build random tools, chase trends, and copy other products without caring about the problem.
That is why so many projects die.
If you want direction, solve a problem you actually have. That gives you clarity and obsession. Both matter.
Vibe Coding Makes Building Easier, Not Selling Easier
You can vibe code something on a weekend.
So what.
If it cannot be commercialized, it is not a product. It is a demo.
Building got cheaper, which means positioning and distribution got more valuable.
The winners will be the ones who can do both:
- Ship quickly
- Turn it into dollars
- Keep it simple enough to explain
Technology is not the hard part anymore.
Getting someone to care is.
The Barbell Rule For How You Work
There is also a lifestyle point that is worth stealing.
Stop living in the middle.
Half working and half scrolling is where ambition goes to die.
You want two modes:
- Locked in execution
- Real rest and thinking
That combination is what keeps you sharp. It also keeps you from burning out while still shipping.
If you are building anything, your job is to make it travel.
Make the message simple.
Make it memeable.
Make it shareable.
Attach it to something real people will pay for.
Then keep improving after you launch.
That is the whole formula.
