We Bootstrapped Our Creator App to $1M/Year
Who are you and what business did you start?
I’m Elijah, the co-founder of Vidovo. We help DTC and retail brands connect with 10,000 vetted creators to scale authentic UGC and influencer content. Our customers range from fast-growing startups to household names like Forbes and Notion.
What makes Vidovo different is we built it from scratch, bootstrapped the whole way, and focused first on creators instead of chasing investors. That creator-first approach is why brands stick with us. We’re forecasted to close out the year with $1M in revenue, and that’s just off our current growth.
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How do you come up with the idea for Vidovo?
The idea for Vidovo came from my e-commerce grind. One UGC video I purchased blew up with over 15 million views and drove massive sales, which showed me the real power of creator content. I had tried multiple business ideas before, but most felt like I was pushing something people didn’t really need. This was different because the demand was obvious. My background was growing Discord communities through TikTok, so I already understood how strong short-form content could be. To validate Vidovo, I sold to small brands and dropshippers, cold-emailed hundreds of creators, and watched videos take off with brands coming back for more.
How did you build the initial version of Vidovo?
When building the product for Vidovo, the founders took a creator-first approach and focused on connecting with vetted creators to scale authentic UGC and influencer content. They bootstrapped the development process and did not chase investors. The initial growth of the product was driven by selling to small brands and dropshippers, as well as reaching out to hundreds of creators through cold emailing. The development process involved iterating on the product based on feedback from early clients and continuously improving the platform to attract more creators and brands. It took time and dedication to build relationships with creators, engage with the community on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit, and create a product that made creators' lives easier, leading to organic growth and word-of-mouth referrals.
How did you launch Vidovo and get initial traction?
Vidovo actually started as a tech agency, and it flopped right away. We kept the name but shifted into what Vidovo is today. When we first launched, we told the world by posting here and there, joining Discord communities, and sending out cold emails. The truth is it was mostly crickets, hardly anyone knew what UGC was back then, and we weren’t posting enough to explain it.
Three weeks in, a health and wellness founder replied to one of our cold emails and gave us a shot. That deal was five videos for $750, which was our first dollar and the moment we knew we had something. Our first few clients all came through cold email because it was cheap and direct.
Looking back, we’d post sooner, talk with more founders right away, and show up at events earlier. The biggest lesson we learned was to drop the ego, stay curious, and treat business as a game of conversations and relationships.
What was the growth strategy for Vidovo and how did you scale?
We grew Vidovo through every scrappy move we could think of. Cold emails, cold DMs, LinkedIn posts, Reddit threads, Twitter networking, you name it. Cold outreach gave us our very first customers because it was free and direct. But what really helped us scale was leaning into community and content.
LinkedIn became a natural channel because founders and marketers scroll there every day. Twitter has been good for connecting with other founders. Reddit turned into a surprise growth engine since creators were already talking about platforms and sharing their experiences. When people started mentioning Vidovo in those threads, it created a flywheel effect that we didn’t have to pay for.
The biggest growth driver though was creator acquisition. Every platform promises brands content, but since we bootstrapped we didn’t have to follow investor playbooks that put brand acquisition first. We flipped it around and asked ourselves how to get the best creators. Once you have that, brands follow naturally. That bet paid off. Now creators post about us on Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook on their own, and we’re adding over 100 creators per day organically.
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One thing readers can take away is that people talk about products that make their lives easier. We didn’t spend big on ads, we built something creators wanted to tell each other about. If you’re starting out, my advice is simple. Post content even if it feels cringe, and build community wherever your audience spends time. Growth is just consistency, conversations, and trust stacked day after day.
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What were the biggest lessons learned from building Vidovo?
The best advice I can give from building Vidovo is to stay curious and open. The people who helped me most weren’t the ones I planned on meeting, they were the ones I bumped into because I showed up, asked questions, and actually listened. Networking isn’t about handing someone a card or pitching them, it’s about being genuine and building relationships over time.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. I sat on content for too long because I thought it was cringe, which slowed down momentum. I missed chances to double down on creators posting about us because I didn’t realize how powerful organic buzz could be. I also underestimated how hard it would be to balance school, work, and building a company at the same time.
Some of my best decisions came from getting into the right rooms. I used to LITERALLY sneak into events when I wasn’t old enough or didn’t have a badge, just to be around founders and marketers. I never tried to sell people, I focused on relationships. That mindset has paid off, because now I get invited and even host events myself.
There were also forces I couldn’t control that worked in our favor. UGC exploded right as we doubled down on it. Short-form content became the standard for every brand, TikTok kept booming, and suddenly everyone was talking about creator-driven marketing.
The biggest lessons I’ve learned are simple. Post content even when it feels awkward, because attention compounds. Show up to events, because you never know who you’ll meet. Talk to your customers, because they’ll tell you what to build if you actually listen.
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More about Vidovo:
Who is the owner of Vidovo?
Elijah Khasabo is the founder of Vidovo.
When did Elijah Khasabo start Vidovo?
2023
How much money has Elijah Khasabo made from Vidovo?
Elijah Khasabo started the business in 2023, and currently makes an average of $1M/year.
