By Mikael Cho, CEO & Co-Founder of Crew and Unsplash
(Originally posted nearly 7 years ago)
Introduction
In a candid AMA session, Mikael Cho shared his journey from a modest start with just a Mailchimp form and a Tumblr blog to building two thriving ventures—Crew, a platform connecting designers and developers to short-term projects, and Unsplash, one of the fastest growing photography communities. His story is not only about overcoming personal challenges like climbing out of student debt but also about learning to start small, iterate fast, and trust in a minimal version to validate a big idea.
Launching With the Essentials
Mikael began by explaining how both Crew and Unsplash were launched using the bare minimum of tools. In the early days, Crew was nothing more than a combination of Mailchimp and Wufoo forms, and Unsplash started as a Tumblr blog created in just an afternoon. Although these versions were rudimentary, Mikael noted that the simplicity helped lower expectations while providing a platform to test the market. Unsplash, for instance, exceeded all expectations by becoming the top story on HackerNews and garnering 20,000 downloads upon launch.
“We figured if people would use a primitive version of our solution, they’d appreciate a more refined product later on.”
– Mikael Cho
Validating Ideas Through Iteration
During the discussion, Mikael elaborated on why launching with a simple prototype was crucial. Instead of overinvesting in an unproven idea, the team chose to “ship it and see what happens.” This approach allowed them to quickly gather feedback and validate whether their solution was addressing a real problem. For Crew, even the minimal setup was enough to attract a growing base of users and eventually lead to significant contracts worth millions of dollars.
Overcoming Challenges and Building Resilience
Mikael’s journey wasn’t without its challenges. He shared a personal anecdote about living in his wife’s parents’ basement while battling $40K in student debt—a humbling start that fueled his determination to succeed. He emphasized that the road to building a successful startup is often rocky and filled with learning moments, from questioning if your product is good enough to dealing with the ongoing challenge of balancing multiple projects.
Advice for Aspiring Founders
Throughout the AMA, Mikael offered practical advice for anyone trying to build something from scratch:
- Start Small: Launch a minimal viable product to test your assumptions.
- Embrace Imperfection: Early versions don’t need to be perfect; they just need to work well enough to gauge user interest.
- Iterate Fast: Use feedback to guide your next steps rather than waiting for the “perfect” version.
- Balance Opportunities: Avoid spreading yourself too thin. Weigh every new idea against your current commitments to maintain focus.
“When you build something simple, you lower the bar not just for your expectations but also for your ability to iterate quickly and learn from real user feedback.”
– Mikael Cho
Insights on Side Projects and Innovation
Another key topic was the role of side projects in driving innovation. Mikael described how side projects are born from spontaneous ideas—often captured on a Trello board—and are executed quickly to see if they have the potential for a larger impact. For example, Unsplash began as a side project that blossomed into a full-fledged community for photographers, complete with plans to showcase creative work derived from its vast collection of images.
Looking Forward
Even as the conversation wrapped up with discussions on what’s next for Unsplash, Mikael’s vision remained clear: to push for even greater exposure for photographers and to evolve Unsplash into a community hub that not only offers images but also celebrates the creative process behind them. He acknowledged that the journey of building a product is never-ending and that constant reevaluation of priorities is key to long-term success.
Conclusion
Mikael Cho’s AMA provides a masterclass in launching with limited resources, embracing failure as a stepping stone, and iterating based on real-world feedback. His experiences with Crew and Unsplash remind us that a minimal, well-executed idea can scale into something remarkable if nurtured with the right mindset and agility.