Credo

How John Doherty Bootstrapped Credo to Doubling Monthly Visitors Rapidly

Founded By

John Doherty

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2013

Customer

B2B

Founded By
John Doherty: Founders
1

Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2013

Customer
B2B

Who is John Doherty?

John Doherty, the founder of Credo, is a digital marketing expert with a background in SEO and entrepreneurship, who previously worked with Distilled in New York City and Zillow Group. After being unexpectedly laid off in 2015, he used the opportunity to pursue his entrepreneurial ventures, creating Credo, a platform that connects clients with digital marketing agencies, and later launching EditorNinja. Originally from Denver, John leverages his experience to build businesses that emphasize automation and efficiency.

John Doherty, the founder of Credo

What problem does Credo solve?

Credo helps businesses find reliable marketing agencies by providing a marketplace that vets and connects them with proven professionals, saving them the time and risk of blindly choosing agencies that may not deliver results. This solution is crucial for businesses overwhelmed by the often arduous task of selecting trustworthy marketing partners, which can significantly impact their growth and success.

Credo Homepage

How did John come up with the idea for Credo?

John Doherty's journey to founding Credo began out of an unexpected career transition. After being laid off unexpectedly, John faced a pivotal moment and chose to seize it as an opportunity to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. With a strong background in digital marketing, his network and experiences highlighted the prevalent challenge companies faced in hiring the right SEO and marketing professionals.

Eager to solve this problem, John began by reaching out to his connections, which confirmed the substantial demand for a service that could bridge this gap. His initial strategy involved leveraging his network for insights and advice, leading him to conduct informal research and validation through discussions with potential users and clients.

He recognized the need for a solution that was transparent and user-friendly, leading him to refine his offerings based on early feedback. John also faced financial challenges, which he overcame by leveraging consulting work to fund his venture, allowing him to focus on building Credo. Through this journey, he learned the importance of networking and a bias towards action, which became pivotal in refining Credo's vision and ensuring its initial traction.

How did John Doherty build the initial version of Credo?

John Doherty built Credo through a process of methodical development and strategic use of technology. Initially, he leveraged WordPress with Gravity Forms and Gravity View to create the first iteration of his service, which allowed him to efficiently manage leads without significant upfront costs. This initial setup took a few months as John worked on optimizing the website to ensure it was professional enough to instill trust in potential users. Despite being bootstrapped, he focused on automation to reduce manual tasks, allowing him to concentrate on essential business aspects and keep the team lean. One challenge John faced was balancing consulting work alongside developing Credo; however, this helped him build a financial runway to invest more time into the product.

What was the growth strategy for Credo and how did they scale?

SEO

Credo focused heavily on SEO to grow its software marketplace. The founder, John Doherty, capitalized on his background in digital marketing to optimize Credo's online presence. By targeting specific keywords related to hiring SEO or marketing providers, the company successfully attracted a stream of organic traffic, reaching approximately 14,000 monthly visitors. SEO was a cost-effective method, as it didn't require a large budget but demanded consistent, valuable content to rank well on search engines. This approach helped Credo tap into a vast audience actively searching for the services it facilitated.

Why it worked: Focusing on SEO ensured that Credo could be found by its target audience—businesses looking for marketing services. The strategy brought in consistent traffic from users who were already interested in hiring marketing agencies, increasing the chances of conversion and fostering sustainable growth.

Network and Referrals

John leveraged his extensive network within the digital marketing industry to fuel Credo’s growth. After being laid off, he quickly reached out to friends and past colleagues, informing them of his new venture. This led to an influx of consulting leads and opportunities to connect with potential clients. Additionally, networking facilitated partnerships and word-of-mouth referrals, creating credibility and expanding Credo's reach beyond initial contacts.

Why it worked: By utilizing a pre-existing network, Credo was able to generate a customer base without significant upfront costs. The trust and relationships built over the years meant that recommendations carried weight, making potential clients more inclined to engage with Credo’s platform.

Consulting Services

Initially, John Doherty used consulting services to finance Credo. This dual approach allowed him to keep cash flow positive while building the platform. He took on SEO and marketing consulting projects to sustain his living expenses and reinvest profits into developing Credo further. This pragmatic strategy provided him the financial runway needed to get Credo off the ground without external funding.

Why it worked: Consulting projects provided essential financial stability and allowed John to refine the platform according to market needs, ensuring that Credo didn’t go into debt or run out of resources before gaining traction.

Automation

Credo incorporated significant automation in its operations, which played a crucial role in its growth. This included automating lead generation, client communications, and other repetitive tasks. Automation helped keep the team small, streamlined processes, and ensured that high-quality leads were passed to relevant agencies without manual input at every step.

Why it worked: Automation streamlined operations and reduced the manual workload, enabling Credo to focus on strategic growth initiatives rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks. This efficiency was crucial for scaling the business sustainably.

What's the pricing strategy for Credo?

Credo offers a free matchmaking service for businesses seeking digital marketing agencies, monetizing through service packages for agencies starting at $1,399 per month, plus a success fee.

Credo Pricing

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Credo?

Embrace Change and Take Action: John Doherty turned a layoff into an opportunity by quickly pivoting to build Credo. He emphasized action over analysis, which helped him maintain momentum and capitalize on new opportunities. This demonstrates that quick adaptation and decisive action can be crucial in entrepreneurship.
Leverage Your Network: After being laid off, John reached out to his network, which resulted in consulting projects and new opportunities. Building and maintaining a strong network can provide essential support and open doors during challenging times.
Focus on Automation: To keep operations lean and efficient, Credo heavily relied on automation. This approach helped the company cut down on manual tasks and allowed the team to concentrate on growth areas, exemplifying the importance of using technology to streamline business processes.
Prioritize Financial Planning: John ensured he had financial runway by balancing consulting work with building Credo. This highlights the importance of understanding your financial situation and planning accordingly to sustain your business through the uncertain early stages.
Understand Client Needs: Credo's business model focuses on ensuring that clients find the right agencies, emphasizing the need to listen to feedback and adapt services to meet client expectations. Satisfying customer needs is at the heart of building a successful service-based business.

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