Interview with the founder of Horcrux Email Backup

About

Horcrux Email Backup helps you save your emails on your computer, so you can use them if something goes wrong.

In this interview, we ask Suhas to share his story about Horcrux Email Backup.

How did you come up with the idea for the business?

In 2012, Google disabled my account out of the blue. I felt powerless after that experience. So, I set out to build a backup application. I've written more about it here: https://thehorcrux.com/why-i-built-horcrux-app/

I now have an email philosophy where I ask people, even who aren't technically savvy, to start using their own domain for their emails and make sure they have backups: https://thehorcrux.com/about/

How did you build the product?

I was in university when I build it. I had just started to learn to code. I'm glad I pushed myself to release it. The first version was pretty bad, it used to crash every 5 minutes. That yielded a lot of first bad reviews. However, It validated the idea that such a product is needed.

How big was your team when you started?

It was and is a 1-person show.

How did you launch the business?

I launched it on Hacker News, and it got on the first page. I did that with Product Hunt as well few years later, it went on the front page.

How have you grown the business since its launch?

I haven't grown the business as such. That is the skill that I lack at the moment.

What are the main marketing channels that work out for you?

Mostly word of mouth.

Which tools do you use most often to help grow your business?

None at the moment

What is the business model (ads/subscription etc)?

One time payment. I've thought of making it subscription, but it is hard to do that for a traditional desktop application.

What do your finances look like?

I think it has been at a stagnant $500 a month revenue for years now. I haven't been able to move the needle up.