Feature Upvote

How Steve McLeod Grew Feature Upvote Into a Successful B2B SaaS Venture

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About
Business

Steve McLeod

Founder, Feature Upvote

Founders

Feature Upvote

featureupvote.com

from

started January 2017

Founders

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Want more updates on Feature Upvote? Check out these stories:

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Days To Build

125

Year Started

2017

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Days To Build

125

Year Started

2017

Customer

B2B & B2C

Who is Steve McLeod?🔗

Steve McLeod, the founder of Feature Upvote, is originally from New Zealand and is now based in Barcelona, Spain. He transitioned from a background in software development and geospatial projects to founding a SaaS company that focuses on customer feedback management.

What problem does Feature Upvote solve?🔗

Feature Upvote helps businesses prioritize customer feedback by letting users suggest and vote on features, ensuring development focuses on what matters most to customers.

How did Steve come up with the idea for Feature Upvote?🔗

Steve McLeod developed Feature Upvote as a response to the challenges he faced with managing customer feedback for his own software company. Having previously worked in the B2C market, Steve noticed a recurring problem: effectively tracking and prioritizing feature requests from users. Inspired by this personal pain point, he sought to create a solution that streamlined the feedback process, allowing customers to suggest and vote on ideas.

Before fully committing to the idea, Steve conducted informal research by discussing his concept with fellow entrepreneurs and exploring the existing market for user feedback tools. His own experiences with the desktop app and observations about the inefficiencies in feature request management played a crucial role in shaping the concept of Feature Upvote.

As Steve developed the initial prototype, he received feedback from early adopters, which highlighted the need for stronger spam control and the ability to cater to diverse industries—not just small software companies as initially envisioned. He was able to refine the product accordingly, learning valuable lessons about customer needs and product versatility. Through these trials, Steve recognized the importance of flexibility and customer-centric design in product development, leading to the robust solution that Feature Upvote offers today.

How did Steve build the initial version of Feature Upvote?🔗

Feature Upvote was initially developed as a B2B SaaS product with its first prototype taking form in November 2016. The team relied primarily on a small developer workforce, including Steve McLeod, who was instrumental in the initial coding and development of the platform. The process involved starting with a rough prototype, which by early 2017 evolved into a working product ready to secure its first paying customers. Given its nature as a web-based application, particular emphasis was placed on ensuring the system's stability and security, leading to the early involvement of a freelance system administrator. Incorporating user feedback was a fundamental part of the development, demonstrated through usability testing, which provided critical insights into design flaws that were subsequently addressed. The overall experience of building Feature Upvote was challenging, marked by refining customer needs, addressing feedback, and dealing with technical issues like scalability under increased load.

How did Steve launch Feature Upvote and get initial traction?🔗

Quora Engagement🔗

The founder, Steve McLeod, utilized Quora to gain the attention of potential customers by answering relevant questions. Someone advised him to respond to queries about "alternatives to UserVoice," and he took a few minutes to do so. The result was substantial: Quora quickly became the leading source of trial customers for Feature Upvote in its early days.

Why it worked: Quora allowed Steve to directly reach individuals actively searching for solutions similar to what Feature Upvote offered. By positioning himself as knowledgeable and providing genuine insights, he attracted trial users who were already showing interest in that type of product.

Leveraging Personal Network🔗

Initially, Steve reached out to his personal network to get his first customers. He engaged with individuals he knew personally and those from discussion forums like bootstrapped.fm, where he was active.

Why it worked: Engaging with a network of people who already trust him provided quick access to early adopters. Although many of these early users churned quickly, it gave Steve the needed feedback and initial traction to refine his marketing strategies.

Targeted Outreach and Personal Offers🔗

Steve also made targeted offers to potential customers based on their feedback needs. When a particular customer expressed the need for single sign-on functionality, Steve engaged with them directly, which led to the customer offering to pay extra for this feature to be prioritized.

Why it worked: By listening to specific customer needs and responding to them, Steve was able to convert interest into revenue. This personalized approach not only met customers' immediate needs but also encouraged substantial investment in the product.

Metrics:

Most of the first 10 paying customers came from Quora interactions.

What was the growth strategy for Feature Upvote and how did they scale?🔗

Quora🔗

Feature Upvote initially obtained most of its first customers through Quora, a question-and-answer platform. Steve McLeod, the founder, started by answering a few niche questions related to "alternatives to UserVoice," which was suggested by an acquaintance. This unexpectedly turned Quora into the main source of trial customers at the beginning.

Why it worked: Quora allowed for direct engagement with potential users who were actively searching for solutions that Feature Upvote offered. The answers McLeod provided not only displayed authority and knowledge but also directly addressed the needs of users looking for a tool like Feature Upvote. By helping potential customers make informed choices, this method built trust and drove high-converting traffic with relatively low effort and cost.

SEO🔗

As the months progressed, Feature Upvote's SEO strategy began to yield results, eventually surpassing Quora as the leading source of new customers. By strategically targeting specific keywords and optimizing their website content, they improved their visibility on search engines.

Why it worked: SEO is a long-term strategy that, when implemented well, consistently drives organic traffic. For Feature Upvote, having targeted keywords relevant to their niche ensured that potential customers searching for a feature voting tool could discover them easily. The continuous growth of organic traffic suggests their strategy effectively captured interested audiences.

Networking🔗

Steve McLeod's participation in communities like the bootstrapped.fm discussion forum played an integral role in acquiring the first wave of customers for Feature Upvote. Engaging with peers in these forums helped in understanding customer needs and building relationships.

Why it worked: Networking within niche communities can provide opportunities for word-of-mouth referrals and authentic connections. For Feature Upvote, actively participating in relevant forums where potential users congregated allowed them to build credibility and directly reach out to individuals with a vested interest in their product. This approach fostered trust and early adoption among users within similar networks.

Usability Testing🔗

By conducting usability testing, Feature Upvote gained invaluable insights into user challenges and friction points. This involved observing volunteers as they attempted specific tasks using their software, enabling McLeod and his team to make necessary changes and enhancements.

Why it worked: Usability testing ensured that the product's design and user interface aligned with real-world user needs and expectations. By directly addressing the issues discovered during testing, Feature Upvote could offer a more streamlined and intuitive user experience. This proactive approach likely contributed to converting trial users into paying customers, as the product met users' practical requirements effectively.

What's the pricing strategy for Feature Upvote?🔗

Feature Upvote offers a straightforward pricing model with plans starting at $49 per month, providing a 30-day free trial to attract and convert potential customers.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Feature Upvote?🔗

Understand Your Real Audience: Initially targeting small software companies, Feature Upvote discovered that their true audience included larger organizations focused on product management. This highlights the importance of remaining open to discovering who really values your product.
Leverage Varied Platforms for Customer Acquisition: Besides standard SEO practices, Feature Upvote gained initial traction by actively participating in relevant discussions on Quora, demonstrating the value of exploring diverse platforms for visibility.
Prioritize System Reliability: By hiring a sysadmin from the start, Feature Upvote ensured robust system management, especially beneficial when unexpected traffic spikes occurred. This underscores the importance of technical foresight in maintaining service continuity.
Embrace Usability Testing: Observing users interact with their product revealed unforeseen usability issues, leading to informed improvements. This highlights the power of direct user observation in enhancing product design.
Plan for Scale and Security: Investing early in proper infrastructure and security measures allowed Feature Upvote to handle unexpected challenges. This illustrates the importance of proactive planning for scale and safeguarding against potential threats.

Feature Upvote Acquisition: How much did Feature Upvote sell for and what was the acquisition price?🔗

Feature Upvote was acquired by SaaStock in March 2023 for an undisclosed amount, highlighting its strong foothold in the B2B SaaS market.

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