Up to this point, we've said very little about "us", the actual people behind DatoCMS.
About who we are, how we think, how we face our daily challenges and choices in running a small, profitable, bootstrapped company. There are several reasons for this, but the main one, at the root of many others, is quite simple — and relatable, I think. By exposing yourself, you are more subject to public criticism. Who wants public criticism, especially when things are going well?
Second reason: are we really sure we have something interesting to share in the first place? 😕
So the choice has always been to keep doing what we're really good at: keep a low profile, and let our product and our obsession with usability and customer service speak for us.
So far it hasn't gone too bad I'd say. It's the third year in a row that we're doubling revenues, while keeping our churn well below 1%. Customers stay with us for years, and every interaction confirms that people value our no-bullshit approach, and our dedication to taking the best care of every customer. What's even better, is that there's no sign of slowing down. New, happy customers keep coming every day.
Why we need to do better
So why should we be interested in trying something different? The trigger for us was the realization that when someone finds us for the first time, "just" discovering a great product may not be enough.
As a customer, you don't choose a product just because it does what you need. Sure, that's the most important part of the decision process... but there's so much more behind. How is the documentation? Am I comfortable with the level of support I receive? Or at an even deeper level: do I share the mindset of the team behind the product? Do we think similarly? Can I envision myself building a long-lasting professional relationship with this kind of people?
So here we are. For us this blog post is meant to be a public statement. From today we want to be more transparent and less "shy" in telling our story. We don't mind exposing ourselves and our thoughts/errors, because that's the only way we know to build a sincere relationship, and ultimately gain your trust. Which is what we care the most.
What's going to change?
Over the next few months we'll try to launch a few new initiatives to publicly document not only what we're working on our product, but also what's going on at the company level, our growth status, challenges/doubts on the agenda, and whatnot.
Stay tuned, and see you very soon 😉
