Table of Contents
- Tell us about your product and what inspired you to start it?
- How long did it take you to acquire your first 50 customers, and what was your growth strategy?
- Which technology stack are you using and what challenges and limitations does it pose?
- What are some of the most essential tools that you use for your business?
- What have been some of the biggest insights you've gained since starting your entrepreneurial journey?
- Your recommended books/podcasts/newsletters etc.:
Eric Turner is the founder of Japan Dev - job board for tech jobs in Japan
Tell us about your product and what inspired you to start it?
I struggled to find a good job as a software engineer in Japan. So I set out to build the job board I wished had existed back then. It's curated, so we only showcase modern startups and international tech companies with offices in Japan.
How long did it take you to acquire your first 50 customers, and what was your growth strategy?
Japan Dev is B2B, so our sales process is focused on companies. I started by signing up my own company back when Japan Dev was a side project, and then convinced a few more companies to sign up via outreach on LinkedIn, Email etc. It took over a year to rack up contracts with 50 companies.
Which technology stack are you using and what challenges and limitations does it pose?
A rails API with a Vue.JS front-end. It's a single-page application (SPA) so it requires Javascript to run, which has led to a lot of issues. Sharing on social media and ensuring it gets crawled properly are a major pain with this tech stack. But then again, server-side rendering can be tricky too, so I'm not sure what the solution is.
What are some of the most essential tools that you use for your business?
Slack, Email via Bento, Cloudflare, Digital Ocean, Figma
What have been some of the biggest insights you've gained since starting your entrepreneurial journey?
For products like mine, marketing and distribution are far, far more important than tech.
Your recommended books/podcasts/newsletters etc.:
My First Million, Indie Hackers, All-In Podcast.
