Hi everyone! Our team got accepted by Techstars Oakland'24 last February. I have an interesting story to share about why I decided to build this service, how I found my first users and more.
What We Built:
No-code software that integrates custom AI (e.g., GPTs, Assistants, Claude) into daily work tools such as Slack, MS Teams, HubSpot, and more.
Why We Made This Service:
Last October, OpenAI held an event called OpenAI DevDay, which some people called the "red wedding." This event caused serious problems for thousands of startups, including ours. Our original product was an AI assistant for technical support. However, because OpenAI introduced new products that made it easier for people to build their own custom AI, we realized we would have to compete with our customers' engineering teams instead of other service providers.
We had to choose between adding more features to our product or changing directions completely. Although we had some potential customers interested, it was taking them a very long time to make decisions. Big companies would take months just to say no. So, at the end of November, we decided to test out a new idea instead.
Our key idea was that companies would want to create their own custom AI for different purposes. It was clear that creating AI was becoming easier and easier. So, we believed that many companies would create their own AI apps instead of purchasing readymade solutions.
At the same time, creating AI is different from actually using it. While services like GPT and custom GPTs are amazing, it's challenging for people to change their workflow from familiar tools to something new. Also, writing code to integrate new services takes a lot of time. To be honest, integrating new services took more time for us than actually building the AI part.
So we decided to help users take better advantage of their own GPTs instead of building AI for them.
How We Attracted Our First Users:
We didn't plan too much in advance. One of our principles is "Launch fast and learn from users." We built the basic service within just one week and then launched it on Product Hunt. It took courage to do that because we were afraid to release an imperfect product, but we overcame our fear and launched it anyway.
We used most of our social media accounts and connections. We asked friends and family members to upvote our product. We also shared posts about it on LinkedIn and Facebook. Thanks to that, we were ranked as the #5 developer tool that week on Product Hunt.
We also shared posts on Reddit, especially in communities related to OpenAI. We found people in those subreddits who wanted to use AI within their familiar tools. We posted some videos that ended up going viral.
Building in Public is Awesome:
We love building our service in public view. It helps us interact with users, stay motivated, focus on the core features, and attract more users. We share weekly updates with users via changelogs and emails. Although it's tough at times, we love hearing feedback from our users.
Where We Are Now:
After that, my monthly recurring revenue quickly grew to $3,000. The coolest part was finding new opportunities at the most painful time for our company.
We are now participating in Techstars, one of the top accelerators in the world. We are now learning a lot from Techstars, mentors, and our customers.
I'm grateful to the users who patiently provided feedback. Without them, I'm certain my product wouldn't be as seamless and powerful as it is now.
Thanks for listening to my story, friends!
You can check out my website at https://plugbear.io
What We Built:
No-code software that integrates custom AI (e.g., GPTs, Assistants, Claude) into daily work tools such as Slack, MS Teams, HubSpot, and more.
Why We Made This Service:
Last October, OpenAI held an event called OpenAI DevDay, which some people called the "red wedding." This event caused serious problems for thousands of startups, including ours. Our original product was an AI assistant for technical support. However, because OpenAI introduced new products that made it easier for people to build their own custom AI, we realized we would have to compete with our customers' engineering teams instead of other service providers.
We had to choose between adding more features to our product or changing directions completely. Although we had some potential customers interested, it was taking them a very long time to make decisions. Big companies would take months just to say no. So, at the end of November, we decided to test out a new idea instead.
Our key idea was that companies would want to create their own custom AI for different purposes. It was clear that creating AI was becoming easier and easier. So, we believed that many companies would create their own AI apps instead of purchasing readymade solutions.
At the same time, creating AI is different from actually using it. While services like GPT and custom GPTs are amazing, it's challenging for people to change their workflow from familiar tools to something new. Also, writing code to integrate new services takes a lot of time. To be honest, integrating new services took more time for us than actually building the AI part.
So we decided to help users take better advantage of their own GPTs instead of building AI for them.
How We Attracted Our First Users:
We didn't plan too much in advance. One of our principles is "Launch fast and learn from users." We built the basic service within just one week and then launched it on Product Hunt. It took courage to do that because we were afraid to release an imperfect product, but we overcame our fear and launched it anyway.
We used most of our social media accounts and connections. We asked friends and family members to upvote our product. We also shared posts about it on LinkedIn and Facebook. Thanks to that, we were ranked as the #5 developer tool that week on Product Hunt.
We also shared posts on Reddit, especially in communities related to OpenAI. We found people in those subreddits who wanted to use AI within their familiar tools. We posted some videos that ended up going viral.
Building in Public is Awesome:
We love building our service in public view. It helps us interact with users, stay motivated, focus on the core features, and attract more users. We share weekly updates with users via changelogs and emails. Although it's tough at times, we love hearing feedback from our users.
Where We Are Now:
After that, my monthly recurring revenue quickly grew to $3,000. The coolest part was finding new opportunities at the most painful time for our company.
We are now participating in Techstars, one of the top accelerators in the world. We are now learning a lot from Techstars, mentors, and our customers.
I'm grateful to the users who patiently provided feedback. Without them, I'm certain my product wouldn't be as seamless and powerful as it is now.
Thanks for listening to my story, friends!
You can check out my website at https://plugbear.io