Comments on: Lessons learned: How I founded, bootstrapped, grew and sold my web startup http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/ me = entrepreneur + hacker; Sat, 05 Jun 2010 08:08:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Amy http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-42190 Amy Sat, 05 Jun 2010 08:08:49 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-42190 Hi Carl, I enjoyed your presentation videos but I have one unanswered question. Did you get into the details of how to make your service/product profitable. How did you with AjaxWhois? I've followed your progress since I am a also Python programmer. Your success is really inspiring but I'd like to have more details especially on how to make my product profitable/attractive enough to be sold out like you did. Using AjaxWhois, can you share any details? I saw you tried AdWords, and perhaps some affiliate programs. Please, what was the strategy. Thanks for your generous and kind advice. -Vlad Hint: A book/bio would be your next revenue stream. =D Hi Carl,

I enjoyed your presentation videos but I have one unanswered question. Did you get into the details of how to make your service/product profitable. How did you with AjaxWhois?

I’ve followed your progress since I am a also Python programmer. Your success is really inspiring but I’d like to have more details especially on how to make my product profitable/attractive enough to be sold out like you did.

Using AjaxWhois, can you share any details? I saw you tried AdWords, and perhaps some affiliate programs. Please, what was the strategy.

Thanks for your generous and kind advice.

-Vlad

Hint: A book/bio would be your next revenue stream. =D

]]> By: Lake Geneva Website Development and SEO http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-31250 Lake Geneva Website Development and SEO Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:49:38 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-31250 Thanks for the presentation. More startups should have a look at this. Karl A. Krogmann Thanks for the presentation. More startups should have a look at this.

Karl A. Krogmann

]]> By: Jay Liew http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-16142 Jay Liew Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:37:47 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-16142 Congrats on the WSJ coverage of Defensio! http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574445502831219412.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop Congrats on the WSJ coverage of Defensio!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574445502831219412.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop

]]> By: Carl Mercier http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-16033 Carl Mercier Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:20:08 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-16033 Vlad: I did explain how I made AjaxWhois profitable. Basically, ads is a very tough business model that basically never works. However, I found out 2 things: - Users will click ads if they'd be stupid not to. For example, when they search for a domain name, they're obviously looking to buy it if it's available. By clicking my ads, they saved money (I gave them a discount) and it made their life easy because buying was just 1 click away. - For the above to work, the ad has to fit well in the normal flow. Sidebar ads don't really work because nobody notices them, but by sticking them in the search result made the site a lot more profitable. But it all lies down this: Make something people need, make it easy to use with little or no barrier to entry and make sure the world knows about it. Then you have a winner. Vlad: I did explain how I made AjaxWhois profitable. Basically, ads is a very tough business model that basically never works. However, I found out 2 things:

- Users will click ads if they’d be stupid not to. For example, when they search for a domain name, they’re obviously looking to buy it if it’s available. By clicking my ads, they saved money (I gave them a discount) and it made their life easy because buying was just 1 click away.

- For the above to work, the ad has to fit well in the normal flow. Sidebar ads don’t really work because nobody notices them, but by sticking them in the search result made the site a lot more profitable.

But it all lies down this: Make something people need, make it easy to use with little or no barrier to entry and make sure the world knows about it. Then you have a winner.

]]> By: Vlad http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-16031 Vlad Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:12:06 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-16031 Hi Carl, I enjoyed your presentation videos but I have one unanswered question. Did you get into the details of how to make your service/product profitable. How did you with AjaxWhois? I've followed your progress since I am a also Python programmer. Your success is really inspiring but I'd like to have more details especially on how to make my product profitable/attractive enough to be sold out like you did. Using AjaxWhois, can you share any details? I saw you tried AdWords, and perhaps some affiliate programs. Please, what was the strategy. Thanks for your generous and kind advice. -Vlad Hint: A book/bio would be your next revenue stream. =D Hi Carl,

I enjoyed your presentation videos but I have one unanswered question. Did you get into the details of how to make your service/product profitable. How did you with AjaxWhois?

I’ve followed your progress since I am a also Python programmer. Your success is really inspiring but I’d like to have more details especially on how to make my product profitable/attractive enough to be sold out like you did.

Using AjaxWhois, can you share any details? I saw you tried AdWords, and perhaps some affiliate programs. Please, what was the strategy.

Thanks for your generous and kind advice.

-Vlad

Hint: A book/bio would be your next revenue stream. =D

]]> By: VC part 3: Engineers deserve more equity — Some French Guy http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-15215 VC part 3: Engineers deserve more equity — Some French Guy Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:30:51 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-15215 [...] While many Montreal startups pursued a high-risk, high-payoff strategy, Defensio successfully bootstrapped and got a nice, small exit. As founder Carl Mercier put it, “Exiting for $30M is 100 times less likely than exiting for $3M” [...] [...] While many Montreal startups pursued a high-risk, high-payoff strategy, Defensio successfully bootstrapped and got a nice, small exit. As founder Carl Mercier put it, “Exiting for $30M is 100 times less likely than exiting for $3M” [...]

]]> By: Michael http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-14210 Michael Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:23:52 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-14210 I can't seem to view the movies, when I click on the link they take me to the itunes store. I'm using Ubuntu and really don't want to install itunes, can't you put the video in open format or on Youtube!? I can’t seem to view the movies, when I click on the link they take me to the itunes store. I’m using Ubuntu and really don’t want to install itunes, can’t you put the video in open format or on Youtube!?

]]> By: Jason http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-13946 Jason Wed, 27 May 2009 21:29:03 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-13946 Nicely done Nicely done

]]> By: Alex Frakking http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-13932 Alex Frakking Mon, 25 May 2009 08:02:01 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-13932 I was at MeshU, was a great presentation! Inspirational and educational. I was at MeshU, was a great presentation! Inspirational and educational.

]]> By: Missed the Meshes but not the content - im addicted http://blog.carlmercier.com/2009/04/08/lessons-learned-how-i-founded-bootstrapped-grew-and-sold-my-web-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-13787 Missed the Meshes but not the content - im addicted Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:45:52 +0000 http://blog.carlmercier.com/?p=242#comment-13787 [...] Carl Mercier has his piece on building and then selling his startup available in video and with slides. [...] [...] Carl Mercier has his piece on building and then selling his startup available in video and with slides. [...]

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