Joshua Strebel discusses how he grew his company Page.ly organically without external funding. He emphasizes earning revenue from the first customer, automating processes, acting like hiring will never happen, using social media and blogging which have low costs, focusing on needs over wants, being the best and pricing accordingly, educating customers, having focus and discipline, and working harder than others. Strebel advocates organic growth through social networks, referrals, press, and limited paid advertising only after achieving 2000 customers organically.

1. Growing Organically
Joshua Strebel - Page.ly
on the twitter: @strebel
AZEC 2011: LIKE A BOSS EDITION

2. Who am I?
Good question.

3. 2003
2005
flare9
2006
Do Work. 2008
Like Dad taught me. 2009

4. 2003
Entrepreneurship
2011

5. Page.ly is WordPress SaaS. First
to market, marquee clients,
bootstrapped & profitable.
Born right here in Arizona.

6. Organic customer growth since
launch. Sexy, but not yet world
dominating.
Thousands of paying customers with very little
paid advertising/marketing.

7. SWEEPING GENERALIZATION
Why grow organically?
There is little smart money in Arizona, and your
business is boring. (read: higher probability of success)

8. SWEEPING GENERALIZATION
Arizona
It kind of sucks. It’s wicked hot and most people
suffer from head-in-ass disorder.

9. SWEEPING GENERALIZATION
The Valley
Series C for your “Does a bear shit in the woods”
iPhone app with 47 free users will be an up round

10. Arizona
Hearty, slower.
The Valley
Delicate, faster.

11. TM
grizzlyscat.com
So we have established you are
not building a bear poop
awareness API, so lets grow a
real business that can sustain
itself.

12. Before you have a
product or service
• Talk about it.
• Show what you are working on.
• Repeat the above often.
• Don’t forget to STFU and listen

13. Customer #1-50
• #1 is you. ( Know thyself, Know thy customer )
• 2-10 are friends and family
• 11-50 is your beta group or close social graph

14. Customers 51-2000
• Mine your social graph
• Community outreach. Digital/Analog
• Pick 1 significant something to spend real dollars on.
• Referral program.
• Iterate. “Unicorn enhancement technology”

15. Customers 2000+
• Get covered in the press
(keep dreaming)
• Congratulations, you may finally have a small monthly
budget to actually spend on banner ads, PPC, and other
experiments that may or may not work.

16. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.

17. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.

18. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.

19. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.
• Raising capital is an inefficient use of time.

20. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.
• Raising capital is an inefficient use of time.
• Twitter, Facebook and blogging only costs time.

21. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.
• Raising capital is an inefficient use of time.
• Twitter, Facebook and blogging only costs time.
• Spend the money on quality needs, not the wants.

22. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.
• Raising capital is an inefficient use of time.
• Twitter, Facebook and blogging only costs time.
• Spend the money on quality needs, not the wants.
• Be the best, and price accordingly.

23. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.
• Raising capital is an inefficient use of time.
• Twitter, Facebook and blogging only costs time.
• Spend the money on quality needs, not the wants.
• Be the best, and price accordingly.
• Educate your customers.

24. What worked for us
• Earn revenue on customer #1.
• Automate everything.
• Act as if you will never hire anyone, ever.
• Raising capital is an inefficient use of time.
• Twitter, Facebook and blogging only costs time.
• Spend the money on quality needs, not the wants.
• Be the best, and price accordingly.
• Educate your customers.
• Focus and Discipline.

25. B A
Konami Code
• Work Harder then the next guy.
• Don’t be shady.
• Treat your customers well (but don’t be a patsy)
• Build/Make/Do awesomely epic shit.
• Trust yourself.
• Celebrate every success. (Moving towards motivation)

26. Thank you.
Joshua Strebel - Page.ly
the twitter: @strebel