This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Martin Staufcik
Modeldraw started as a side hobby of one passionate developer and has since grown into a full-fledged diagramming platform. We officially launched this spring, and the journey has been a masterclass in hard-won lessons.
I'd like to share a few of the biggest takeaways and, in return, would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on our journey so far.
My Hard-Won Lessons:
- Your Users Will Tell You What to Build (and What to Fix): I quickly learned that user feedback is invaluable. The users who actually tried to use the app for their work revealed our biggest friction points. Listening to them has been the single most effective way to improve the product and mitigate our user churn.
- Marketing is Harder Than Coding: For a technical person, marketing is by far more difficult than building the product itself. The results aren't predictable; they require constant testing and iteration to find what works. This has been a humbling but essential lesson.
- Paid Ads are a Boost, But Not a Strategy: We used Google Ads to bring traffic to the site, but I quickly realized it's not a complete solution. Paid traffic is a temporary fix. It doesn't build a community, and savvy users can recognize it. It seems the only way to build a sustainable business is through the patient, long-term work of content marketing.
- Every Single Click Matters: In a productivity app, user experience is everything. I've found that even removing a single unnecessary click can significantly improve the user experience and reduce friction, leading to better engagement.
I'm currently focused on turning these lessons into action. I'm excited to hear from others who have gone through a similar journey. What did you find to be the most effective marketing channel for your B2B SaaS? Any feedback on the Modeldraw site itself would also be incredibly helpful. Thanks for reading!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Martin Staufcik
Martin Staufcik | Sciencx (2025-08-29T16:59:20+00:00) From Side Project to Full-Fledged Platform: Lessons from Building Modeldraw. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/08/29/from-side-project-to-full-fledged-platform-lessons-from-building-modeldraw/
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