Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in web design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Philip Thomas, Developer of Postcard, located in Chicago, IL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Postcard helps people stay in touch, with or without social media. It lets you set up a personal website and newsletter in minutes on your own domain. When you have something to say, you can post it to your website and share that link on social media. Postcard links on Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook show a big image of your post that attract high engagement. And, as people visit your website - they can join your newsletter directly. Over time, you'll grow a newsletter that you own forever, independent of whatever social media site is popular.
Postcard users come from various backgrounds - founders, students, authors, and artists. They use Postcard to have more control of their online presence. Many found Postcard as they became increasingly dissatisfied with Twitter and wanted an alternative to Mastodon.
Tell us about yourself
During the pandemic, I deleted most of my social media - including Facebook and Instagram. Social media apps promoted an inaccurate and unhealthy worldview, and my life was better without them. But I still wanted a way to stay in touch - the Internet is a fantastic way to connect with people. I wanted simple social "networks," not manipulative social "media." So, I built Postcard to solve that problem.
I built Postcard for my website at philipithomas.com. There, I post a monthly newsletter about my life that feels like a 2010-style Facebook update. It's been a great way to stay in touch with my friends about my life.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm proud of my last company, Moonlight, which I worked on from 2017 to 2020. I started the company to help engineers get remote jobs. During that time, we bootstrapped to profitability, helped engineers earn millions of dollars, and finally sold the company in 2020. It continues to operate today.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest part is changing people's behavior. Moonlight sought to get companies to hire remote workers. Postcard seeks to get people to turn off social media. At the core here, you have to convince people to do something different. As a business owner, you need to have the conviction that your solution is better and that you can convince people to change.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find a problem. Good businesses start with a problem, not an idea.
- Research how people are solving that problem today. Maybe there's a good solution you didn't know existed.
- Build a better solution as quickly as possible - hopefully with low code.
Where can people find you and your business?
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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