Mark Gavalda started Kinsta (WordPress hosting) with 4 others out of his apartment 5 years ago.
They have since bootstrapped to 7 figures in revenue…
How?
This posts explains…
Hosting is commoditized.
10 years ago, being able to host a large number of WordPress sites was a significant technical task, just a few players existed.
Now… things are different, it’s a bloody red ocean filled with hungry sharks.
Go on… go and Google WordPress hosting and see how many options you receive…
You will see 7 paid Ads on the homepage along with multiple organic options trying to collect their generous affiliate commission.
So how did Kinsta manage to rise to the top of the pile, completely bootstrapped?
Well, it’s not a scientific as other #saasmarketing.
They have built a brand:
Check they’re About Us page:
– This shows that they have been in the game for over 5 years
– They show that they love WordPress
– Focusing on what’s important to their customers (speed)
Kinsta is open enough to show that they care:
These two are hungry, undifferentiated, weakly branded sharks swimming around the red ocean of WordPress hosting competitors whilst the Kinsta dolphin floats by eating all the tasty fish, un-noticed.
What did we learn?
If you are competing in a bloody red ocean, build a brand, be open and show that you care