How Farid and his team survived the Rollercoaster of Startup Life - Beep ($50k AR)

Today’s case study is about Beep (JustBeepIt.com), a startup founded by Farid Shukurov (@hustle_fred) back in the beginning of 2023. 

Farid is a UX/UI designer from Azerbaijan with big dreams of building something of his own. Wanting more than the usual client work, he started creating online courses to fund his goals, beginning with a Photoshop class that quickly took off. Soon, he’d built nearly 50 courses, gathered 50,000 students, and was making $2,500 to $4,000 a month—a solid income in Baku, where the average salary is about $500.

But even with this success, Farid realized that courses alone wouldn’t take him to his bigger goal: creating a unicorn startup that could impact Azerbaijan’s startup scene. He moved on from his course work and focused on finding a business idea with real potential.

Looking back at his design career, one big problem stood out, the endless back-and-forth with clients using screenshots, screen recordings, and endless messages. He knew he wasn’t alone in this; other designers and developers faced the same frustrations. Teaming up with a group who understood the struggle: Roberto Perez (@roberto_beep) & Abbas Mirzayev (@cuuuriousBeing), they created “Beep”, a tool designed to make collaboration clear, simple, and seamless.

Now, with Beep, Farid is chasing his vision of building something impactful, solving real communication problems in teamwork, and moving closer to his dream of changing the game for startups in Azerbaijan.

And that’s how it all began!

The birth of “JustBeepIt.com” 👶

With the idea for “Beep” in hand, Farid and his team quickly got to work on building their MVP. They rolled up their sleeves and began coding, focusing on the features that would address the common communication issues they had faced as designers. The goal was to create a tool that made collaboration simple and effective for teams.

After weeks of hard work, they finally had a functional version of Beep ready for testing. To ensure they were on the right track, they reached out to potential users for feedback. This early customer validation was crucial; it helped them refine their product based on real-world needs and allowed them to make adjustments before a broader launch.

Once they felt confident in the product, they launched Beep to the public. Their journey from zero to success happened quickly—within just three months, they went from $0 in sales to crossing the $20,000 mark. It was a testament to their dedication and the potential of their idea.

Growing Beep: The Highs and Lows 🚀

Beep has had quite the journey since its launch, hitting some impressive milestones along the way. It all started in January 2023 when the team released Beep to the public after months of development and beta testing with over 150 users. They were thrilled by the initial feedback, which helped them make their first sale shortly after launching.

To increase their visibility and break into new markets, the team strategically participated in key industry events. Their involvement in TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 helped them build relationships with important stakeholders in the North American market. Similarly, being featured at the Web Summit in November 2023 provided additional networking opportunities and valuable insights into the European market, further reinforcing their approach.

The big moment came in December 2023 with a strategic launch on Product Hunt, where they proudly achieved the "#1 Product of the Day" title. This recognition created a buzz, leading to $2,000 in sales on the very first day. To keep the momentum going, Beep joined the AppSumo Select program in February 2024, which brought in $7,500 in sales during the first week and welcomed 225 new users. This partnership showcased how being active in the startup community can expand a brand's reach.

By March 2024, Beep had made important progress, reaching over $11,000 in sales while helping more than 300 companies enhance their websites.

But by October 2024, things took a turn. The founder shared that they had initially made $40,000 from selling licenses, but after switching to a subscription model, they spent most of that money trying to nail down the right marketing strategy. Unfortunately, nothing clicked, and they burned through their funds.

They didn’t stop spending earlier because, three months back, they won a startup competition that promised $100,000 in investments. That funding never came through, leaving them feeling a bit scammed. Now, with just $1,000 left, they decided to rely on personal savings to keep things running, with plans to relaunch in January 2025. They still believe in the product and are focused on making a successful pivot.

Marketing Deep Dive: How JustBeepIt.com succeeded?