In 2020, Wilson Bright launched BlockSurvey, a privacy-focused survey tool built for Web3. Today, it boasts over 500 customers, has facilitated more than 10 million survey submissions, and generates $15,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). What makes this story interesting? Wilson took an existing product idea - online surveys - and reimagined it for privacy-conscious Web3 companies. He believes others can do the same, as Web3 is still an underserved market.
Let's look at how Wilson went from a simple idea to a thriving business, and what we can learn from his journey.
Wilson Bright
How it all began
In 2020, Wilson Bright was working as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Fidelity Investments and later as a Business Systems Consultant at Wells Fargo Securities. He had a desire to build something of his own but wasn't sure what.
The spark came during a hackathon called 'Can't Be Evil' by Stacks Blockchain. The theme was "Society 3.0 / Reimagining ownership of data in the digital space." This event changed Wilson's career path.
During the hackathon, Wilson realized something important: none of the survey tools he was using offered end-to-end encryption. In an era of frequent data breaches, this seemed like a big problem.
Wilson also noticed how domain names he searched for would become unavailable shortly after, raising concerns about privacy in the digital world. These experiences made him see the importance of privacy as a basic digital right.
Creating the first version
Instead of spending months planning, Wilson took quick action. He built the first version of Block Survey in just three days.
He used his technical skills and the momentum from the hackathon to create a basic product that addressed the privacy gap he had found.
The technology behind BlockSurvey wasn't simple. Wilson used Stacks Blockchain for identity, authentication, and storage, linking it to Bitcoin for security. He used Angular for the front-end and NodeJS for the back-end, with Cloudflare Workers for serverless functions.
On the third day, Wilson launched BlockSurvey on Product Hunt. He moved fast and didn't wait for perfection.
How BlockSurvey makes money
BlockSurvey's business model is simple but effective. It offers subscriptions to two main groups:
- Individual users and small businesses: They can sign up for BlockSurvey on their own. Prices start at $29 per month for individuals and go up to $69 for teams.
- Big companies: For larger organizations with more complex needs, BlockSurvey offers a custom service. This includes features like Single Sign-On, special integrations, and higher security standards. Prices for these clients vary based on what they need.
Unexpected early users
Sometimes, your product finds users in ways you didn't expect. For BlockSurvey, this happened with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Soon after launching, people started using BlockSurvey to organize Black Lives Matter rallies. They used the platform to manage event RSVPs. This surprise use of his product inspired Wilson. It showed him that BlockSurvey could have a real impact on important causes.
But here's the thing - at this point, BlockSurvey was still free. While people were using it, they weren't paying for it yet. Real business validation comes when people are willing to pay for your product.
Finding paying customers
The real test came when Wilson started charging for BlockSurvey. He found that privacy-focused surveys were most popular in sensitive areas. These included mental health, sexual health, activism, relationship coaching, and spirituality. People working in these fields saw the most value in a secure, private survey tool.
This insight helped Wilson focus on serving these specific markets, rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
Why web3 matters
You might wonder why Web3 is important. Wilson believes it's the future of the internet. Web3 focuses on decentralization, privacy, and user control.
For BlockSurvey, using Web3 technology isn't just a trend - it's a core part of what makes the product valuable. It allows BlockSurvey to offer features that regular survey tools can't. For example, they can provide token-gating and collect Web3 identities. These are important features for many blockchain and cryptocurrency projects.
BlockSurvey also follows security standards like SOC2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA. This level of security is very attractive to companies dealing with sensitive information.
Challenges of web3 products
Building a Web3 product isn't easy. Wilson faced several problems:
- Many traditional businesses are unsure about using Web3 solutions because they seem complicated.
- Web3 technology changes quickly, making it hard to keep up.
- Many Web3 businesses don't last long due to competition and market changes.
To overcome these challenges, Wilson keeps learning. He takes online courses, joins hackathons, and works with the Web3 community to stay updated.
How BlockSurvey grew
How did Wilson grow BlackSurvey from zero to $15,000 monthly revenue? Here are some strategies he used:
- SEO through product use: BlockSurvey's link-sharing feature helps drive organic traffic and improve their search engine ranking. This now brings in 10-15% of their traffic.
- Teaching users: BlockSurvey created lessons within their platform to help users and show the value of their product.
- Small newsletter ads: BlockSurvey advertised in niche newsletters with 1,000 to 10,000 subscribers, spending no more than $100 per ad.
- Direct outreach: They contact potential customers through email, LinkedIn, and Twitter. This approach has a higher success rate of about 20%.
The importance of sales skills
Wilson learned an important lesson: don't ignore sales. He admits this was a mistake he made early on.
To improve his sales skills, Wilson hired a teacher to work with him. He still reviews his sales calls and gets feedback every month to get better. He suggests books like "Founding Sales" and "Sales Acceleration Formula" for entrepreneurs who want to improve their sales skills.
Future plans
Wilson wants to make BlockSurvey the top choice for secure data collection. He's looking into using artificial intelligence to make the product more efficient. He's also thinking about how augmented and virtual reality could create new ways to do surveys.
The Web3 field is still new, with lots of opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to innovate.
As Wilson says, "Web3 opens up new chances to build innovative applications that prioritize user privacy, data ownership, and resistance to censorship."
Conclusion
Wilson Bright's story with BlockSurvey offers lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. By finding a gap in the market, using new technology, and focusing on a specific group of customers, he built a successful business in a crowded field.
The main takeaways? Don't be afraid to enter a busy market if you have a unique approach. Use new technologies like Web3 that can give you an advantage. Focus on solving real problems for specific groups of customers. And never stop learning and adapting.
As we look to the future of the internet and digital privacy, stories like BlockSurvey's show that there's still room for new ideas and growth. Who knows? The next big Web3 success story could be yours.
