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.:
Surjith S M is the founder of Web3Forms - Contact Form API for Static Websites
Tell us about your product and what inspired you to start it?
I was selling website templates on Envato Market. After a user purchases the template, the most common requirement was to set up the contact form. So I made a quick re-usable PHP snippet and I started to use it on all templates. Customers were happy but there were a lot of problems with PHP Mail() like Deliverability & Spam issues.
So I looked for an alternative solution for my needs. I did not find anything and decided to build my own. That's how Web3Forms is born.
How long did it take you to acquire your first 50 customers, and what was your growth strategy?
Currently, Web3Forms has ~3000 registered users with 20+ Paying customers.
I focus on product-based growth & SEO. I got some initial traction from Twitter.
Which technology stack are you using and what challenges and limitations does it pose?
I'm currently following the serverless stack and it's powered by AWS Cloud. As everyone knows AWS is hard to pickup even for a seasoned developer. As a front-end dev, I struggled. Even now, I still google for some AWS related tasks.
What are some of the most essential tools that you use for your business?
I'm using Email for communication & Mailcoach for sending newsletters.
I also have a small Telegram group with our users to chat.
I use Umami.js for the Analytics. Hosted on Vercel.
Other than that I don't use many tools.
What have been some of the biggest insights you've gained since starting your entrepreneurial journey?
Overnight Success is a myth. Playing Long term games is the way to go.
I'm still following this. Slow and Steady.
Your recommended books/podcasts/newsletters etc.:
I don't read many books. But I liked the UX of everyday things and Rich Dad Poor Dad.
