You Might Not Know This, But I Sold My Email Service Last Month – Here's Why
How It All Started
My email service started with a simple thought: I could do better. One late night, I was using my email and feeling frustrated with its features—though I can't even remember exactly what annoyed me. But in that moment, I knew I could build something better. So, I did.
It started as a side project, and in just a week, I had a basic prototype that I could actually use. For the next month or two, I tested it out, refining things here and there. Then one day, while screen-sharing on Discord with a friend, I happened to open my email platform. He noticed it and started asking questions—what features it had, how it worked, and why I built it.
After I explained it to him, he got excited. Really excited. He immediately started pushing me to turn it into a startup. At first, I brushed it off. But after we ended the Discord call, the idea wouldn't leave my mind. The next day, I called him and said, "Let's do it." We started brainstorming, adding more features, and making it better.
Building It – The Real Challenge
Building it was a whole different headache. When I first created my email service, it was just for me. I never thought anyone else would use it, so I only built features that suited my workflow. It was optimized for me and no one else. But once we decided to turn it into a startup, we had to start from scratch.
We decided to write our own SMTP server and build a full backend architecture from the ground up. We had to integrate interceptors to scale better with message throughput, implement AI to detect spam and malicious content, and ensure security at every level. On top of that, I had to pick up new programming languages—learning Flutter for mobile app development and Go for the backend. It was spreading me thin, but honestly, it was fun.
But here's where we made our biggest mistake: since we knew this was going public, we wanted everything to be perfect before launch. That mindset cost us. We spent seven months building everything—instead of launching early and iterating. Looking back, if I had to do it again, I wouldn't take the same approach. I would focus on launching quickly and improving it over time.
The Tech Stack That Made It Possible
Our technology choices were crucial to our success. We built the backend using Go for its performance and concurrency capabilities, which was essential for handling thousands of emails simultaneously. For the frontend, we used a combination of Next.js for the web app and Flutter for our mobile applications, giving us the best of both worlds - SEO optimization and cross-platform efficiency.
The architecture followed what I outlined in my previous post about the Email Service. We implemented a robust API Gateway powered by Go that handled 100k+ connections without breaking a sweat. Our storage layer was particularly clever - we used PostgreSQL for user data, Redis for caching, RabbitMQ for our message queue, and Amazon S3 for mail storage with AES-256 encryption.
Our core services included dedicated components for Authentication, Mail Processing, Spam & Malware Filtering, Mail Store, Search, and Mail Transfer. The external services layer handled all the email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, along with DNS management that included security features like DNSSEC protection and anti-spoofing measures.
What really set us apart was our monitoring system - we implemented health checks more frequent than coffee breaks, multi-provider redundancy, and Grafana dashboards that were prettier than most Instagram feeds. As I joked in my architecture post, our monitoring was "always watching, not in a creepy way."
The Team That Made It Happen
At some point, my friend invited some of his friends to join the project. And suddenly, we had a small team—just a bunch of so-called "stupid" developers working on an email service. I was handling them, they were handling me, and honestly, we were all just figuring things out as we went.
But here's the funny thing: turns out, working with other people isn't so bad—especially when they're really smart. Sometimes, I'd look around and think, "There's an imposter among us… and it's me!" But it was a fun experience. We were all learning, failing, and building something cool together.
Each team member brought something unique to the table. One was a security expert who helped us implement end-to-end encryption. Another was a UX wizard who transformed our clunky interface into something beautiful and intuitive. We even had a marketing guru who helped us craft our messaging and reach potential users.
The Beta Testing Phase
After some time, we started launching small beta tests to gather feedback. Every two months, we'd open a new beta round, collect feedback, and use it to improve the platform. Honestly, this was one of the most fun parts of the journey—seeing real users interact with what we built and refining it based on their input.
Our first beta test was a disaster. The server crashed within hours, and users couldn't even create accounts. But we learned from it, fixed the issues, and the second beta was much smoother. By the third beta, we had a stable product that people actually enjoyed using.
The feedback we received was invaluable. Users pointed out features we hadn't even considered, like advanced filtering options and customizable notification settings. They also helped us identify pain points in the user experience that we were too close to see.
The Unexpected Offer
Then, out of nowhere, we received an offer. Someone wanted to buy our infrastructure and code. When I saw the email, we were all excited. It felt surreal—like validation that we had built something valuable. But at that point, we didn't want to sell. We believed in what we were creating and wanted to take it further.
The potential buyer was persistent, though. They saw something in our technology that aligned with their vision. They increased their offer twice, but we still declined. We were determined to see our project through to the end.
The Burnout
At some point, we started to burn out. We had been working on this project day and night, pouring everything we had into it. No breaks, no balance—just pure obsession. Looking back, we were just a bunch of stubborn, passionate, stupid kids trying to build something big.
But burnout doesn't hit all at once. It creeps up on you. One day, you realize you're exhausted. The excitement that once fueled you starts feeling like a weight. We had given everything to this project, and slowly, it was taking everything from us.
I remember one night when I couldn't even look at code anymore. My eyes were strained, my mind was foggy, and I felt physically ill. That's when I knew something had to change. I was so tired I tried to debug my coffee maker because it wasn't responding to my API calls. Turns out, coffee makers don't have APIs. Who knew?
The Decision to Sell
Right in the middle of our burnout, we got another offer to buy our email service. It wasn't a life-changing amount, but it was a solid offer. At that point, we were exhausted. We had given everything to this project, and honestly, we just wanted out.
We went back and forth on the decision. Selling meant letting go of something we had built from scratch. But in the end, we knew it was the right move. We were burned out, and pushing forward without a clear plan wasn't going to help. So, we made the call—we sold it.
The negotiation process was surprisingly smooth. The buyer appreciated what we had built and wanted to integrate our technology into their existing platform. They also offered us consulting roles to help with the transition, which gave us some closure.
Lessons Learned
We talked about this a lot—what went wrong, what we could have done differently. We knew that if we ever built something again, things had to change. Next time, we wouldn't burn ourselves out. Next time, we wouldn't just exist in survival mode.
We decided that whatever we build in the future, we're going to see it through—not just run until we collapse, but plan, pace ourselves, and finish strong.
I guess one of the reasons we burned out so early was simple—we were just a bunch of stubborn kids working on something we believed in. We gave it everything, working day and night without a break. Meetings, coding, fixing issues—it never stopped. And that was one of our biggest mistakes. We were working so hard that one time I accidentally wrote "return coffee;" instead of actually getting coffee. The compiler didn't catch it, but my body sure did.
The Expensive Mistake
At one point, one of my friends left the project. He didn't say much, just disappeared. We didn't even notice at first because we were so deep into the grind. Then, two days later, we noticed something else—our AWS bill had skyrocketed. Turns out, he had left some email processing code running, and we had no idea. That was one of the most expensive mistakes we made.
The bill was nearly $600+ money we didn't have. We had to scramble to contact AWS support, explain the situation, and beg for mercy. Thankfully, they were understanding and reduced the bill significantly. But it was a wake-up call about the importance of proper DevOps practices and monitoring. I now have a recurring nightmare where Jeff Bezos chases me with a giant AWS bill rolled up like a newspaper, trying to swat me while yelling "SCALE EFFICIENTLY!"
The Financial Reality
One aspect I haven't discussed much is the financial side of our venture. We bootstrapped the entire project, meaning we didn't take any external funding. This gave us complete freedom to build what we wanted, but it also meant we were constantly watching our bank accounts drain.
We implemented a freemium model with premium features like custom domains, advanced analytics, and priority support. It wasn't enough to sustain the business long-term, but it validated that people were willing to pay for our product.
The acquisition wasn't life-changing money, but it covered our expenses and gave us a small profit. More importantly, it taught us valuable lessons about monetization and business models that we'll carry forward to future projects. I joke that we made just enough money to buy ramen for the next startup idea – but the fancy ramen with an egg on top, so we're moving up in the world!
What's Next?
You might be wondering, "What's next?" Honestly, I don't know. Time will tell.
Right now, I'm at a point in my life where I'm not sure what to do with everything. I don't have it all figured out. Should I dive into another project? Should I step back and focus on something else?
For now, I'm taking some time to reflect, recharge, and rediscover my passion for building things. I'm exploring new technologies, reading books on entrepreneurship, and connecting with other founders to learn from their experiences.
One thing I know for sure: the next venture will be different. We'll start with a minimum viable product, launch early, and iterate based on real user feedback. We'll prioritize sustainability over perfectionism, and we'll make sure to take care of ourselves along the way.
Let's see where the next journey takes us. Whatever it is, I'll be sharing it with you right here.