Startups For the Rest of Us Episode 471 | Fighting to Gain Traction in a Crowded Space with Jane Portman of Userlist
Nov 19, 2019
Jane Portman, co-founder of Userlist and a SaaS growth expert, shares her insights on navigating the challenges of a crowded market. They discuss the importance of community and effective onboarding strategies for early-stage founders. Jane delves into the emotional and financial implications of securing a strong brand identity and the difficulties in customer acquisition for essential products. She also reflects on team dynamics during co-founder transitions and the lessons learned from their previous product, highlighting the relentless pursuit of product-market fit.
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Acquiring Userlist.com
- Userlist recently acquired the .com domain after a year and a half of negotiations, costing $4,000.
- This was a significant investment for the bootstrapped company but boosted morale.
Slow Growth Challenges
- Userlist's slow growth is partly due to the team's initial naiveté about time-to-market and the complexity of their product.
- Their focus on being an essential business tool, rather than a "vitamin" product, creates onboarding challenges.
Building Brand and Following Up
- Build a strong brand image to attract customers, especially when selling an essential business tool.
- Follow up with potential leads politely but persistently to address switching costs and encourage adoption.