StoryTribe founders meet after a year of building virtually

Have you ever built something meaningful with someone you've never met? Yunmie Kim and I have done exactly that with StoryTribe, our storyboarding tool. And soon, we're about to break the virtual barrier; Yunmie has traveled from Australia to the UK, and we're preparing for our first-ever joint talk at a UX conference in London. The anticipation is both nerve-wracking and electrifying.

So, how did we manage to create something so impactful without ever sharing the same physical space? Well, it’s 2023, and technology has given us platforms that make such collaborations possible. We’ve spent countless early mornings and late nights huddled in front of our screens, working across time zones, but always in sync. Trust, transparent communication, and a shared vision have bridged the geographical distance between us.

The conventional startup wisdom urges you to "move fast and break things" or put out a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as quickly as possible. But our experience with StoryTribe has been a little different. We invested time and energy into creating a product that isn't just useful but also genuinely loved by its users. It took us just over a year to launch our beta version, and the encouraging feedback from our users reassures us that the time was well spent.

Interestingly, we chose to charge for our beta version. Many SaaS startups offer free trials or free versions to attract users, but we've gone against the grain. The decision was partly practical—we needed to cover the operational costs and focus on serving a committed user base. Surprisingly, this approach has also built a stronger community around StoryTribe. Our users, including around 300 who supported our Kickstarter campaign, have been incredibly engaged, offering valuable feedback and even helping us find bugs to fix.

That community engagement has become one of our most valuable assets. We've installed a feedback tool that has proven invaluable. It allows users to rate the product, capture screenshots or videos, and even submit bug reports or feature requests. It's not just about creating a storyboarding tool; it’s about co-creating it with our community.

This journey hasn't been without sacrifices. Leisure time has been rare, and social outings have become a distant memory. But the joy of building something as exciting as StoryTribe outweighs the downsides. The comments from our users range from "I'm already hooked" to "You guys hit a jackpot here," and those kinds of reactions make the long hours worth it.

As for the future, we're in the process of preparing an investment deck. We have big plans for StoryTribe, and while I can't disclose all the details right now, what I can say is that we're just getting started.

To wrap it all up, the road to building StoryTribe has been unorthodox, challenging, but immensely rewarding. Whether you've been with us from day one or you're just hearing about us, thank you. The journey has been made richer by your participation and support. And if you haven’t experienced StoryTribe yet, what are you waiting for? The storytelling revolution is here, and it’s more than a product—it’s a community.

This article was originally published in our LinkedIn newsletter on September 9, 2023.