Sramana Mitra: Where are we in terms of chronology? You figure all these optimizations out at what point? Until what point is it primarily an SEO and content marketing-driven strategy? At what point do you layer on top of the paid search strategy? Ben Dilts: I have to go back and look. It was really in
Sramana Mitra: Boredom doesn’t create happiness. Ludovic Huraux: Yes. I really try to keep it in mind. We think about the future all the time, “In the future, I will be happier because I’ll get something.” It doesn’t work like that. You really need to learn to be in the present and really enjoy what
Sramana Mitra: Your source of bringing people onto the site is all content marketing and SEO? Ben Dilts: There are a couple of channels that have turned out to be tremendous sources of users. Early on, we were featured in the launch of the Chrome web store, which was a big deal with the Chrome
Sramana Mitra: What did he figure out in terms of how you acquire customers? What is the business model? What is the pricing model for your product? Ben Dilts: One piece of real concrete skill that Dave brought to the table was that he had a history in SEO. He had a good handle on
Ludovic Huraux:The US VCs said, “You have a very interesting model. It’s profitable but it doesn’t mean that it will succeed in the US.” They were scared to invest in a French startup. I was very frustrated. I decided to focus on the French market. I explained to my shareholder that I wasn’t the best
Sramana Mitra: Where was Karl based? Ben Dilts: He’s based here in Utah. As I mentioned, he moved here with his family. He was living here. He had left Google at that time and was looking around and seeing what he wanted to get involved with locally. He had spent most of his time at
Sramana Mitra: How did the community decide who was going to be in versus not? Ludovic Huraux: Because you have thousands of people who decide, it’s difficult to tell you exactly. Most of the time, they want to make sure that the profile is fully completed. It’s a proof of commitment. The picture is important
Sramana Mitra: We’re now in mid-2009? Ben Dilts: That’s right. At this point, it was still very much a one-man show. I may have collected a grand total of a few hundred dollars in revenue from some users. It was a product but it was in no way a company at that point. When I