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XinYe
1 month, 1 week ago
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[Related links] Photopea: https://www.photopea.com/ Photopea Blog: https://blog.photopea.com/introduction.html
In today's context where AI is hot but not many people are really making money from AI products, today I want to share with you the story of a successful developer - Ivan Kutskir and the product he created, Photopea, which contains a lot worth learning. and valuable experience in thinking.
1. The growth trajectory of developer Ivan Kutskir
- Early life : Ivan Kutskir was born in 1990 in a small village in western Ukraine and moved to the Czech Republic with his parents in 2001. At the age of 13, he got his first computer, which became his computer. His starting point for learning programming and other skills. At the age of 16, he began to use Flash to make some small games and earned a certain amount of income from these games. This was his first step in making money in the field of programming.
- College days : While in college, he used JavaScript to create web games. A game called "Electric Hum" is particularly popular. Over 1,000 people play every day throughout the year. He also earned a monthly income of US$100-400 by placing advertisements in the game, accumulating experience and an economic foundation for subsequent development.
2. The birth and initial development of Photo P
- Why it was born : September 2012. When I was working on games and other projects, I often needed to open PSD files. At that time, Photoshop was relatively expensive and required high computer configuration, so Ivan Kutskir came up with the idea of developing it. An idea for a photo editor that can easily open PSD files in a web browser and implement simple functions.
- Initial version : He then spent five months using his free time at school to create the first version of Photopea. The functionality is very simple. The core is to parse PSD files, display PSD on the web page, and has basic functions such as zoom tools and grabbers for dragging canvases.
3. The road to early user promotion and accumulation is difficult
- Promotion dilemma : In the early days, Ivan Kutskir's financial resources were limited. He shares a house with two friends and lives on only $200 a month. He simply had no money for marketing. He posted photo P ads on various Internet platforms, and 90% of his posts were marked as malicious marketing content and deleted. He approached many YouTubers for video promotion, but most of them were fruitless because he had no budget.
- Early accumulation : However, even if it is difficult, the remaining 10% of promotional content that has not been deleted has gradually played an role, accumulating hundreds of early users. With his good knowledge and services, he meets the needs of users one by one and continuously adds new functions, making the product's reputation better and better, and the number of users also increases. Users spontaneously began to help him promote Amway products.
4. Business model and influence gradually expand
- Business model : In 2018, Ivan Kutskir added ads to Photopea and launched a paid option (pay to remove ads). This model draws on his early experience in developing games and making money through advertising. Facts have proved that the effect is good. In January of that year, there were only tens of thousands of visits. By October, the number of monthly visits reached 1.5 million.
- Expansion of influence : As the product gained a certain popularity, he conducted an AMA (question and answer session) on Reddit, which caused a great sensation, received many likes and comments, and attracted "a group of people" to develop independently. in the community. "Brother" drew attention to I/O, who tweeted about Amway's photo P many times. Since then, Photopea's monthly visits have continued to rise, reaching 7 million in 2020, 10 million in 2021, and now more than 12 million. After Ivan Kutskir tasted the benefits, he has been active on Reddit to answer questions for users.
5. Product operation costs and summary of successful experience
- Operating costs : Currently, Photopea's annual server fee is $600 and the domain name fee is $20. After adding AI capabilities, the annual cost is about $12,000. With total annual operating costs of only $13,000 and no marketing expenses, we have achieved success with annual revenue of $1 million.
- Success experience : Ivan Kutskir represents a deep-dive approach to products. Unlike developers who pursue the rapid launch of multiple products, he focuses on one product and keeps digging deeper. At the same time, it is also a good direction to choose to replace popular commercial products (such as Photoshop), so that you can easily reach the user group and clarify the product positioning and functions. In addition, speed to market is also critical. For example, the first version of his product took him just five months to complete in his spare time. He started by opening the small function of PSD, first launched it online, and then continued to improve it.
The story of Ivan Cusco and Photopea provides a good example for many developers and entrepreneurs. At a time when AI products are difficult to promote and grow, the organic growth on this platform, the focus on in-depth product development, and the rational selection of product positioning are worthy of in-depth study and reference. I hope you can get inspiration from it and gain something on your own entrepreneurial path! You are also welcome to share your opinions or similar experiences in the comment area, let us interact and communicate together~
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