Jay Founder Spotlight

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Jay Founder Spotlight | BuildHop

Question 1

Who are you, and what kind of problems do you like working on?

Hey I'm Jay and I love to optimize and create useful systems, that improve workflows and create value. I love the idea of making things more efficient and productive, which is ultimately what led to to building SaaS.

Question 2

What are you building or working on right now?

I'm building EverList, an AI-powered SEO directory for SaaS founders. Founders submit their product once, and EverList automatically generates high-quality, search-optimized pages including reviews, alternatives, comparisons, and audience-specific pages, to help them get discovered on Google and AI search engines. The goal is to help great products get found without requiring founders to become SEO experts.

Question 3

What got you started on this?

I first built SoloBoss, a client management platform for freelancers that helps users manage clients, projects, time, invoices, and revenue while calculating effective hourly rate and client profitability so they know which clients to keep, fix, or drop. I had a hard time getting eyes on my product after launch, so that's when I came up with EverList, to solve a pain point I myself was facing, as well as many other founders.

Question 4

What's one thing that's changed your mind since you started building?

I like many builders starting out, I think, was under the impression "if you build it, they will come" and that couldn't be farther from the truth. Through building SoloBoss, then EverList, I now have a totally different view of how important marketing and distribution is. Putting your product in front of the intended users instead of waiting for them to show up has been quite the reality check. It sounds obvious, but I think that is something I severely underestimated starting out.

Question 5

What's a moment that told you something was actually working?

The first time I knew EverList was actually solving a problem for people was when I got my first one-time payment for a Premium listing on the site. A complete stranger saw the site, said this has value to me, and paid for greater exposure. It was a really cool moment for me.

Question 6

What's something you're stuck on right now, in any of your projects?

Something I am currently working on is how to bring even more value to EverList's Premium listings. Whether talking to users, or asking myself what I would actually want, I am looking at more ways to increase the worth of a Premium spot, to help founders get more visibility and discoverability for their SaaS.

Question 7

What's one thing you'd want to share with first-time builders?

I would tell a first time builder to do outreach to potential users for your new project, before actually building it. This is a way better way to understand their pain points and help them ultimately solve their problem, all while setting you up to be profitable in the process.