Here's a fun thought experiment: You probably agonize over whether to accept cookies on every website, but you'll happily answer "How satisfied are you with your mental health?" through a survey tool without asking who owns that data. Wild, right?
We're out here panicking about AI reading our emails while
cheerfully handing over employee burnout surveys, customer complaints, and
diversity feedback to platforms that treat your data like it's community
property. Over 5.5 billion accounts were breached in 2024 alone; that's nearly
180 accounts compromised every second. But sure, let's keep using that free
survey tool because it has cute templates.
Wilson Bright discovered this cosmic joke during a 48-hour hackathon. Picture this: He's sleeping on his co-working space floor (because nothing says "startup hustle" like premium carpet accommodation), using survey tools to validate ideas, when he has what I call a 'using shampoo as body wash for three months' moment; that instant when you realize you've been fundamentally misunderstanding something everyone else takes for granted.
"Wait," Wilson thought, probably at 3 AM with his
fourth energy drink. "Do we actually own any of this data we're
collecting?"
Spoiler alert: They didn't. Nobody did. The survey industry
had somehow convinced the entire world to collect sensitive data through
platforms that offered about as much privacy protection as a glass house in a
hurricane.
That moment of pure "oh crap" spawned Block
Survey, a privacy-first platform now trusted by everyone from city governments
to Web3 giants like Yuga Labs. The kicker? Wilson never planned to build a
business at all.
"We didn't imagine that we will build a business,"
Wilson admits. "It's a very simple story from the hackathon."
Yeah, "simple." Like how Jeff Bezos
"simply" started selling books online.
The Accidental Privacy Crusader
Let's set the scene. It's a Blockstack hackathon themed
"Society 3.0" with the cheeky subtitle "Can't Be Evil"
(basically a middle finger to Google). Wilson and his caffeinated crew were
doing what every good founder does: surveying people to see if their problems
actually existed.
Then Wilson had his moment of clarity, or maybe it was just
the sleep deprivation talking.
"Do we really own the ideas and insights we gather from
people? Do we really have any privacy in this space?"
Their 2 AM research session revealed something that should
terrify anyone who's ever sent a feedback form: Not. One. Survey tool offered
complete data ownership. Basic encryption? Nope. Data security? What's that?
User profiling and data sales? Oh, absolutely; that's where the money is.
It's like discovering your therapist has been live-tweeting
your sessions.
FOUNDER LESSON #1: The biggest opportunities hide in the
tools everyone uses but nobody questions.
Before building your next revolutionary app, audit the
boring stuff in your daily workflow. That project management software driving
you crazy? That email platform that loses messages? Your next million-dollar
idea is probably disguised as a daily annoyance you've learned to tolerate.
Example: Frustrated with Discord's search that somehow
can't find messages from yesterday in your DAO? That's not user error; that's a
decentralized communication platform waiting to happen.
The World's Worst Value Proposition That Somehow Worked
When Block Survey launched on Product Hunt, their messaging
was, by Wilson's own admission, absolutely terrible:
"Decentralized survey tool, own your data."
That's it. That's the pitch.
"Is it the right way for communicating value
proposition? Certainly it is not," Wilson laughs. "But then the
people who are tech savvy, who really understand this, they were able to pick
it up and spread the word of mouth."
Here's the beautiful irony: Wilson's terrible messaging hit
at exactly the right moment. This was peak "decentralization fixes
everything" hype; imagine today's AI agent craze but with more blockchain
buzzwords and fewer autonomous assistants. Anything labeled
"decentralized" caught attention like free pizza at a crypto
conference.
FOUNDER LESSON #2: Sometimes awful messaging with perfect
timing beats perfect messaging with awful timing.
Don't wait for the perfect elevator pitch. If you're
building during a trend wave, ride it with whatever gets people's attention.
You can always refine your value proposition after you have users to actually
talk to.
Example: Building productivity software in 2025? Lead
with "AI agent-powered" even if it's just smart automation. Hook them
with the buzzword, then blow their minds with actual value.
When Black Lives Matter Became Your Product Team
The real validation came from the most unexpected source
possible. When Block Survey went live, community members immediately started
using it for Black Lives Matter rally registration forms. Nonprofits adopted it
for activist organizing. Foundations deployed it for sensitive community work.
"This helped us to see what resonated with them and how
people may use it," Wilson explains.
Wilson realized he'd accidentally stumbled into the most
crucial niche in data collection: surveys for stuff that actually matters.
Employee diversity surveys where anonymity isn't just nice-to-have, it's
survival. Mental health assessments. Sexual health studies. Activist organizing
where surveillance could literally be life-threatening.
Without real encryption and privacy, these use cases simply
couldn't exist. It's like trying to run a witness protection program through a
public Discord server.
FOUNDER LESSON #3: Your weirdest early users are often
your best product managers.
Don't force users into your predetermined boxes. Pay
attention to the "misuse" cases; they're usually showing you markets
you never imagined existed.
Example: Built a DAO governance platform and notice
communities using it for neighborhood organizing? That's not user error; that's
market research pointing toward a local democracy tool.
The Two-Audience Death Trap (Or: How to Almost Kill Your
Startup)
Here's where Wilson learned entrepreneurship's most
expensive lesson: trying to serve everyone means serving no one.
Block Survey attempted to court both Web2 traditionalists
and Web3 natives simultaneously. It was like trying to DJ a wedding where half
the guests want Taylor Swift and the other half only accepts death metal in
Sanskrit.
"I see it's tough, really tough when you build for
many," Wilson admits. "The challenges we were facing were, primarily
when we were spreading across to build for the Web2 and the Web3 world, it's so
much to take."
Web3 users expected wallet connections and got excited about
decentralization. Web2 users saw "connect wallet" and immediately
assumed they needed to memorize 12 random words in ancient Sumerian just to
leave feedback about their office coffee machine.
Different communities. Different languages. Different
existential fears about losing seed phrases.
Wilson's hard-earned advice? "Pick one niche. Master it
completely. Then think about the next one."
FOUNDER LESSON #4: The riches are in the niches. Master
one audience completely before attempting to serve multiple.
Trying to be everything to everyone is the fastest way to
become nothing to anyone. Pick your beachhead market, dominate it so thoroughly
that competitors weep, then consider expansion.
Example: Creating a tokenized project management
platform? Target crypto startups OR traditional agencies first, not both.
Master one workflow completely, build killer case studies, then adapt for the
other market.
The Counter-Intuitive Customer Acquisition Strategy
Wilson's approach to landing his first 100 customers was
brilliantly backwards: he asked for feedback instead of money.
"Someone told me in the community, if you ask for
dollars, they will give you feedback. But then if you ask for feedback, they
will give you dollars."
Pure gold, right there.
Wilson spent weeks sliding into DMs across Twitter, Discord,
and Telegram with the least salesy message ever: "Hey, I built this thing.
Want to try it? Is this actually a problem? Can you give me honest feedback?
I'm not trying to sell you anything; I just want to know if I'm onto something
or completely delusional."
The responses were... mixed. Some people were brutally
honest (the internet being the internet). Others were genuinely helpful. But
here's the magic: the people who engaged became early champions who helped
refine the product and spread word-of-mouth organically.
FOUNDER LESSON #5: Lead with curiosity, not sales
pitches. People love helping builders who genuinely want to learn.
Master the art of asking great questions before you master
the art of making great pitches. When people feel heard and valued as advisors
rather than targets, they're infinitely more likely to become customers.
Example: Instead of "Try our revolutionary Web3
CRM!" ask "What makes you want to throw your current customer
management system out the window when dealing with wallet addresses?"
Listen first, pitch second.
The Daily Shipping Addiction That Built Trust
Block Survey developed something most startups struggle
with: relentless forward momentum. They shipped features every single day in
the early stages.
Not because they were trying to "move fast and break
things" (that's so 2019). Not because they had ADHD. But because they
wanted to prove to users that this wasn't another abandoned side project.
"We wanted to build this trust with them that we are
building seriously for them," Wilson explains. "We didn't
differentiate paying versus free at all. All feedback that comes in, if it is
novel, if it is unique, we said, okay, let's build it."
This evolved into weekly shipping cycles that continue
today. Users see immediate benefits from new features instead of waiting months
for "the big update."
FOUNDER LESSON #6: Consistency beats intensity. Small
daily progress trumps sporadic big launches.
Establish a rhythm of shipping that your users can depend
on. Whether it's weekly features, daily content, or monthly product updates,
consistency builds confidence that you're not going anywhere.
Example: Building a DeFi newsletter platform? Ship small
improvements weekly rather than massive redesigns quarterly. Users need to feel
the product is alive and growing, not stuck in development hell.
The Only Metric That Tells the Truth
Wilson learned to ignore the vanity metrics that make
founders feel good and focus on the one number that actually predicts success:
retention.
"Someone told me, the number one metric you should
focus on within a subscription business is retention. Can you focus on
retention till you hit one million dollars? That's the only key metric you
should focus on."
For surveys, where people typically use a tool once and
vanish into the digital ether, retention meant something different. It meant
building relationships.
Block Survey helps customers plan entire data collection
calendars. They provide design assistance. They show research possibilities.
They use surveys as engagement tools with their own customer base.
"This relationship building is the way," Wilson
emphasizes.
Translation: treat your users like humans, not metrics.
FOUNDER LESSON #7: Retention reveals truth better than
any other metric. It's easier to fool someone into trying your product than
into staying.
You can growth-hack your way to impressive signup numbers,
but you can't growth-hack your way to genuine value. If people aren't coming
back, no amount of marketing wizardry will save you.
Example: Got 1,000 wallet connections but only 50 active
users after a month? Stop all marketing immediately and start interviewing the
950 who left. Their feedback is worth infinitely more than 10,000 new signups.
The Crypto Wallet Nightmare That Almost Killed Everything
Block Survey faced the classic Web3 dilemma: their
crypto-native features scared normal humans more than a haunted house staffed
entirely by tax auditors.
Initially offering only wallet login, Web2 users dropped off
faster than free donuts at a WeightWatchers meeting.
"They thought it's another crypto platform. They were
asking, are tokens involved? If tokens are involved, they said they don't want
to come in, because they were afraid."
The fear wasn't just about crypto; it was about seed phrase
management. Users would lose their wallet keys and get absolutely furious when
told their data was gone forever.
Imagine losing your house keys, but instead of calling a
locksmith, you're told your house has been dissolved into the quantum realm and
you'll need to rebuild it from memory.
Block Survey's solution? Passkeys that give you all the
privacy benefits without the existential terror of memorizing 12 random words.
FOUNDER LESSON #8: Advanced features can become barriers.
Always provide a simple on-ramp alongside powerful options.
Don't force users to understand your entire technical stack
just to get basic value. Create progressive complexity where beginners can
start simply and power users can access advanced features when they're ready.
Example: Building a DeFi lending app? Offer familiar
email login alongside wallet connection. Let users graduate to full Web3
features after they understand your core value proposition.
The Pricing Psychology That Costs Real Money
Wilson learned about pricing through the school of hard
knocks: underpricing doesn't just leave money on the table; it destroys trust.
"We've lost deals when we undervalued ourselves with
respect to pricing and then there was no trust in it as well."
It's pricing psychology 101: if something costs $5, people
assume it's worth $5. If something costs $500, they assume it must be worth at
least $500 or you wouldn't have the audacity to charge that much.
FOUNDER LESSON #9: Premium pricing builds trust in
markets where quality matters. The race to the bottom usually ends at the
bottom.
Start high and discount selectively rather than starting low
and trying to raise prices later. Your early customers aren't buying features;
they're buying transformation.
Example: Launching Web3 consulting services? Don't
compete on price with freelancers on crypto Twitter. Position as premium
tokenomics strategy work and price accordingly. Lower prices often signal lower
expertise.
The Three-Step Validation Framework That Actually Works
Wilson's advice for new founders boils down to three steps
that sound simple but require actual courage:
- Validate
with 10 real people: DM people directly asking for brutal honesty.
Don't build anything yet; just confirm the pain point actually exists in
the wild.
- Build
for those 10 and obsess over keeping them: If they recognize the
problem, build specifically for them and focus entirely on retention.
- Turn
them into your customer advisory board: These first customers become
your champions, your roadmap advisors, and your unfair advantage.
FOUNDER LESSON #10: Your first 10 customers are worth
more than your next 1,000. Treat them like the VIPs they actually are.
Don't rush past early users to chase growth metrics. These
people will tell you what to build, how to position it, and who else
desperately needs it.
Example: Building a DAO treasury management tool? Get 10
DAOs using it daily for a month. Learn their governance habits, frustrations,
and secret motivations. Their insights will guide your product better than any
market research report.
The Accidental Empire
Wilson's journey from floor-sleeping hackathon participant
to privacy-first platform serving governments and Web3 giants proves something
important: the best businesses often come from questioning the everyday tools
everyone else accepts without thinking.
Block Survey now protects sensitive conversations for city
departments, nonprofits, and crypto communities while pioneering AI integration
that doesn't sacrifice privacy. What started as a simple question about data
ownership became a platform that actually matters.
The founder who never intended to build a business learned
that:
- Building
for everyone is infinitely harder than building for someone specific
- Retention
beats acquisition every single time
- Sometimes
the worst messaging works when it hits the right people at exactly the
right moment
- You
can bridge Web2 and Web3, but only if you're willing to learn both
languages fluently
For aspiring founders wondering how to "just
start," Wilson's story offers the clearest blueprint possible:
Question the boring tools you use daily. The biggest
opportunities are hiding in plain sight, disguised as daily frustrations you've
learned to accept. Validate with real conversations, not surveys about surveys.
Focus obsessively on retention over vanity metrics. Master one audience
completely before expanding. Ask for feedback, not money. Ship consistently to
build trust. Price for value, not volume.
Sometimes the best way to start is by accidentally solving
your own problem. And sometimes the biggest opportunities are lurking in your
current workflow, disguised as tools that "just work fine."
Your next business might be one sleep-deprived realization
away.
Wilson Bright is the co-founder and CEO of Block Survey.
You can follow the company @blocksurvey and Wilson @wlsnbr on X (previously known as Twitter), or
connect with him on LinkedIn.
Visit https://boom.money to learn more about the project
or follow us on X @boom_wallet
No comments:
Post a Comment