What's your backstory?

I worked in the Singapore government, as a service designer. It was a cool yet stable job, but after a few years, I felt the itch to create my own business. So I quit, started my consulting agency, and did that for about 10 years. Now I'm itching again, to create my indie products.

What does your company do and how did you come up with the idea?

I love using the website builder Carrd, and the tight community around it. Over time, I noticed I wanted my Carrd sites to do more, and have certain features/components which were not available on the platform. So I made my own plugins for my Carrd site, and shared it for free with other Carrd folks.

It became popular, I started making more plugins, including paid ones. And the rest is history like they say.

How did you get your first 10 customers/subscribers?

I think being a part of the community was the key. I was a Carrd user just like everyone else. Still am. So, I think I understand their needs too. Building free tools initially helped build a user base and some awareness. Then once I chanced on a meaty enough problem that a plugin can solve that people seems willing to pay for, I built it and got my first 10 customers.

What steps did you take to understand and confirm that your product or service was a good match for the needs and wants of your target customers?

1 - When I kept seeing the same questions being asked in Carrd communities and forums
2 - I build a quick MVP, just the core functionality
3 - Launch it, share it, and see if people are willing to pay
4 - Iterate on the features of the plugin

How do you acquire customers now? Which platforms or methods do you use to connect with them and promote your product or service?

A few things I'm trying right now:
- Sponsorship ads on other Carrd maker sites
- Being on multiple social media channels
- Continuing to build free tools

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What distribution channels did you try that didn’t work?

Sponsorship ads in newsletters that focus on indie hacker/maker audiences didn't work. There's some overlap between makers and Carrd, but most of the time, sponsorship ads in newsletters targeting that general audience didn't convert.

What specific tools, software, or resources have been most helpful in growing your business?

Community platforms like Reddit, Facebook and Telegram have been super helpful in me engaging and being part of their communities.
SEO tools like Google Search Console and SEMrush/Ahrefs had been helpful in finding keywords.

Who are some recommended experts or entrepreneurs to follow for learning how to grow a business?

I get a lot of inspiration from other indie hackers. Some notable folks I follow -

Levelsio

Danny Postma

aj

What drives you to do what you do?

Freedom and autonomy!

Your links + socials

Personal Twitter
Company Twitter