Building an early stage startup in public with Jan de Wulf, founder of Webtastic

Welcome to Note One, Episode 3:

Meet Jan de Wulf, Co-Founder of Webtastic AI, a startup that aids digital agencies and B2B SaaS organizations in finding new clients. In this episode, Jan shares valuable insights about his entrepreneurship journey, emphasizing the importance of acting fast, maintaining a direct line of communication with clients for feedback, and trusting gut instincts.

A glimpse into Jan’s previous work:

• Antler: Entrepreneur in Residence

• Snap Inc.: Head of Marketing Northern Europe

• Bird: Head Of Marketing EMEA

• Red Bull: Global Marketing Manager

• Google: Senior Account Manager

Jan gives anecdotes of how his experiences at Red Bull, Bird, and Snap proved vital to building his startup. We also talk about Webtastic's strategy, including how they prioritize feature builds and handle tiered memberships for their service. In this episode, we discuss:

1. Webtastic's Journey:

1. Founded after Jan's leap from the corporate world.

2. Initially aimed at building a crypto payments app, shifted focus to Webtastic during an incubator program led by Antler.

3. Jan emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, sharing progress and challenges in building in public.

2. Transition from Corporate to Startup:

1. Jan discusses the personal challenges of leaving the corporate world to bootstrap Webtastic.

2. Despite occasional anxiety about finances, Jan values the freedom, growth, and community that entrepreneurship brings.

3. Maintains a healthy balance through regular sports activities.

3. Pricing Tiers and Free Trial Strategy:

1. Webtastic has introduced four pricing tiers: Free, Starter, Business, and Enterprise.

2. The Free version allows limited lead list creation, while higher tiers unlock additional features. They now have the credit system live.

3. A future limit on leads in the Free version will remove certain feature locks, encouraging users to explore the platform fully.

4. Lifetime Appreciation for Early Clients:

1. A gesture of gratitude towards existing clients who joined early. They will continue to enjoy an "all-you-can-eat leads" policy for a lifetime.

2. This decision is framed as a thank you for their loyalty and early support.

Where to Find Jan:

• Jan's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/iamjandewulf/?originalSubdomain=nl 

• Webtastic AI's Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/webtastic-ai/about/ 

• Webtastic Website: webtastic.ai/ 

Timestamp for the episodes:

1. (00:22) Jan's Journey to Entrepreneurship

2. (01:38) The Birth of Webtastic

3. (02:29) ​​The Power of Collaboration and Teamwork

4. (05:28) Transition from the Corporate World to Entrepreneurship

5. (08:27) The Importance of Building in Public

6. (12:59) The Role of Feedback in Product Development

7. (18:12) Pricing Strategy and Free Trial

8. (21:31) Lessons Learned and Advice for Other Founders

9. (28:25) The Impact of Past Work Experiences

10. (31:23) Conclusion and Contact Information

Key Takeaways: 

1. Understand the balance between user accessibility and safeguarding the business model through thoughtful product feature evolution.

2. Emphasis on enhancing the overall user experience through measures like lead extraction limitations and removing product feature locks.

3. Recognize the importance of expressing gratitude to early clients, seen in initiatives like a lifetime "all you can eat leads" policy.

4. Be adaptable regarding pricing packages to meet evolving user expectations and sustain the business model.

5. Overcome hesitations, and embrace uncertainties in entrepreneurship for personal and professional growth.