Piotr Karwatka

Months after we launched Chatbase, OpenAI released Custom GPTs, which was exactly what we were developing: That should have killed our company, but it was a blessing in disguise. I thought we were dead. Instead, OpenAI educated the entire market for us. Suddenly, the whole market understood what we were then building: A tool that would enable anyone to create their own custom ChatGPT with their data. Six months later, 10 other companies launched the exact same thing. By then, we already had 1,000 paying customers. Because we shipped while others debated competing with OpenAI. Your idea isn't unique, and it shouldn't be. A big tech company probably has 50 engineers building it right now. It doesn't matter. Speed matters. Execution matters. The market doesn't care who thought of it first.

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Here's what I've learned building digital products at Fcode Labs and others that actually keep users coming back. The first 5 minutes of your app experience is very important. When was the last time you gave an app a second chance after a confusing first experience? This is what actually works: • Make onboarding interactive, not just a slideshow. Let users learn by doing, not just reading. • Personalize the experience. A tech-savvy developer needs different guidance than someone who's less comfortable with technology. The most overlooked part is the Analytics. Specially when you are in early stage. You need solid analytics to see exactly where users drop off. Are they stuck on the signup? Confused by the dashboard? Without data, you're just guessing. Recently, we saw a reduction of 40% users dropping in Linkify just by redesigning onboarding flow based on actual user behavior patterns. Onboarding isn't just about teaching features. It's about showing value quickly. Users need to think "This solves my problem" within minutes, not days. What apps or platforms do you think have the best first-time experience? #ProductDevelopment #UserExperience #Analytics

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You don’t fix checkout abandonment with design tweaks. You fix it with clarity, speed, and trust. Here’s what actually moves the needle: ✅ Address auto-complete (especially for mobile) ✅ Clear shipping & returns info *before* payment ✅ Smart defaults — country, delivery method, payment ✅ Progress indicator — but only if steps are short ✅ 1-click checkout for returning customers And no, A/B testing button colours won’t save a broken flow. Before redesigning your PDP or cart, audit your checkout. That’s where your profit leaks. What’s one thing you’ve changed in your checkout that made a real impact? #ecommerce #checkoutoptimization #uxstrategy #conversionrate #onlinestore #ecommercetech #digitalcommerce

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OpenAI would have killed my startup - so I did it first. In 2023 I was chasing a moon-shot: a universal AI agent that could “do any task.” Investors nodded. Customer research seemed good on the surface. Then I dug further asking.. “How much would you pay” “What would get you to tell other founders about it” Customer calls ended with the same reality-check: “Love the idea… but how will it actually bring in revenue?” I dug deeper: • 500k founders sit in the $1-10 M ARR valley. • Each loses ~10 hours / week juggling a multi-tool sales stack. A “task agent” would need to dive WAY DEEPER in sales to actually drive millions of dollars to Founders’ bottom line revenue So we killed the Swiss-army-knife dream and doubled-down on one problem founders really screamed about: → Turn AI into a sales team… not an AI feature/tool Since then - we’ve seen • 25 % → 72 % opens on outreach • 2-3× replies • 10+ hours a week won back for building, not chasing prospects OpenAI can own “general automation.” We’re focused on the half-million builders who just want to scale their businesses. Congrats to all the founders who have reached $1MM in ARR - let’s add another $10M 🫡🚀

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Most founders kill their products before launch. I almost did too. At Filedgr 🦉 we had built a stable application - but I kept finding "essential" improvements before releasing it to developers in the testnet. Other apps with established user bases looked more polished, and the bar for new products keeps rising since Facebook's early days. I was scared to move forward, yet knew we built this app for people to use, not to keep in a drawer. This was completely paralyzing. And I was worried we'd eventually miss our window if something didn't change. Self-doubt set in. To cope, I focused on: Finding all the little issues to fix → which only delayed us further. The anxiety became more overwhelming each day. And yet, I was convinced our app wasn't ready without these extra features. And one day, it culminated in a breaking point. Our team had to have an honest conversation about what was holding us back. All I could think was: "We can't launch until everything is perfect." That's when our team collectively gave each other strength to move forward. When I looked at historical product launches, I remembered what Steve Jobs once said about Apple: He explained they were a sinking ship, and his job wasn't to fix the sinking but to "point it in the right direction so it sinks just before reaching land." I didn't realize that I was confusing features with purpose. I was completely overthinking what users needed on day one. And that had to change. With the help of my team, we agreed to launch while keeping ourselves less busy to work on customer requests as they came in. That shift in perspective led to us finally flipping the switch. So here's the big lesson I learned: Yes, perfecting features does improve user experience. But it was preventing actual users from experiencing anything at all. I was always prioritizing theoretical improvements over real feedback; And it finally caught up to me. That honest team discussion was ultimately what saved our launch. It helped me: 1. Distinguish between core functionality and nice-to-have features 2. Trust that our product fulfilled its purpose 3. Remember to prioritize people, product, and profit - in that order (Based on one of my favorite readings) I'm sharing this because most founders face this same struggle. If you want to overcome launch anxiety, be brutally honest about what your app must accomplish on day one and scrap what isn't essential yet.

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3 years ago, being good at Webflow development was enough to sign deals and grow. Not anymore. Today, high demand has met high competition, driven by three key factors: • Plenty of free resources are available to learn Webflow • AI tools (like ChatGPT) that help debug and integrate logic, even with basic development skills • The platform’s new features enable faster, more efficient workflows, allowing partners to deliver more projects in less time This has put “development-only” providers in a tough spot to stay profitable. When outcomes are perceived as similar, clients will naturally ask: 1. Who’s cheaper? 2. Who’s faster? Two volume-driven mechanics that, in my view, are unsustainable for building a healthy, long-term entrepreneurial path in our industry. As our Webflow agency enters its fourth consecutive year of growth, it’s important to note that Webflow remains a small part of the web, powering only 0.8% of it. However, I strongly believe that every actor in the Webflow ecosystem has a role to play in growing this market significantly and qualitatively. Ultimately, we’ll all benefit from the virtuous circle this growth creates. So, in our latest article, I share insights on the Webflow market in 2025 and outline seven key lessons we’ve learned—lessons every Webflow business should consider. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eWim2vQj

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When people think about early-stage startups, they usually imagine starting from scratch: Building an idea, finding the first users, testing, iterating, and slowly growing a community.   But sometimes, the story takes a different turn.   We recently worked with a startup that had already done the hard part - They had built a strong and active community of over 10,000 people.   The energy, trust, and engagement were already there. The challenge wasn’t about finding users.   It was about moving them onto an app and ensuring the tech could handle that weight. At first, the client didn’t go into the details. They simply wanted to take the next step. So, we built their MVP phase to make that move possible.   But very quickly, we realized that this wasn’t a “standard MVP” problem. This was a scale challenge.   Think about it: 10,000 active users engaging in real time. Messages, data, interactions, and community dynamics - all needing to be managed seamlessly without breaking the experience.   On the tech side, that meant: Designing a backend that could handle sudden spikes in traffic. Making sure the database structure was optimised for both speed and stability. Setting up a system that could grow with the community instead of collapsing under its weight. Creating a user flow that didn’t just “move people over” but encouraged them to actually stay active inside the app.   The truth is, building an MVP for a new idea is one thing. But managing 10,000 real people who already expect a certain level of trust and performance?   That’s a completely different ball game. And that’s where the real learning comes in: A community-first startup doesn’t always need “marketing-first” solutions. Sometimes, the biggest risk isn’t growth - it’s stability. Founders need to think not only about acquisition but also about retention, experience, and scalability from day one.   For us, this project was a reminder that not all startups follow the same playbook. Some are busy finding their first 100 users. Some are fighting to turn 1,000 users into 10,000. And some, like this one, already have the community But need to make sure the tech doesn’t let that community down.   The journey is different for every founder. But the one constant is this: You need to know where the real challenge lies. Sometimes it’s idea validation. Sometimes it’s market entry. And sometimes, it’s about making sure your 10,000 users don’t feel like they’re standing in a house with shaky foundations. PS: Your next 10,000 users won’t wait for slow tech. Are you ready to scale without breaking trust? #Startups #TechForStartups #MVP #ScalingChallenges #CommunityFirst #ProductDevelopment #StartupLessons #UserExperience #TechLeadership #StartupGrowth

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