{"id":12089,"date":"2026-01-22T09:18:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flodesk.com\/blog\/?p=12089"},"modified":"2026-02-04T08:24:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:24:04","slug":"a-milestone-year-made-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flodesk.com\/blog\/a-milestone-year-made-together\/","title":{"rendered":"A milestone year, made together\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We built, we grew, we broke records. And there\u2019s so much more to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Hi friends,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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If I had to sum up 2025 in a single image, it would be this: I\u2019m standing in a warm office in Vietnam, surrounded by whiteboards covered in sketches, sitting shoulder to shoulder with our engineers and designers as we debate (lovingly) about the best way to build the future of Flodesk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It was a year of going back into the workshop. Of asking harder questions. Of falling back in love with building.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Meanwhile, our team stayed laser-focused on launching the features you need most. And it led to record-breaking growth\u2014for us and<\/em> for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Flodesk surpassed $36 million in ARR, but more importantly, we helped generate more than $33 million in revenue for our members. This year alone, members sent 13+ billion emails and grew their audiences by 314 million subscribers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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On top of that, we just wrapped one of our most successful campaigns ever\u2014tens of thousands of you joined us this fall as we launched new plans and pricing designed to future-proof your business. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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As I step into the role of CEO, and my co-founder Martha transitions to executive chair, I couldn\u2019t be prouder of everything we\u2019ve accomplished together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Why I went to Vietnam<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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When I decided to move to Vietnam, it wasn\u2019t for the scenery or a change of pace. It was because I wanted to be closer to the work again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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As a designer and co-founder, some of the happiest moments in my career have been those early days of Flodesk. Sleeves rolled up, obsessing over a single screen, redrawing a button 10 different ways until it finally felt right, reading your feedback and making changes overnight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Over time, as the company grew, my role shifted. I spent more time on Zoom and less time in Figma. More time in strategy docs and less time sitting next to the people writing the code.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Moving to Vietnam was my way of getting back into the trenches with our product and engineering teams. We were building a new kind of email builder\u2014one that could act as a true extension of your creativity\u2014and I wanted to be close enough to see the pixels, not just the roadmap. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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There was one late-night working session that changed everything for me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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We were staring at a prototype, trying to figure out how to translate decades of design instincts into something that actually understands your brand and can take action on your behalf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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That\u2019s when it hit me: Building AI isn\u2019t like working with wood, where you measure, cut, and it stays exactly as you left it. It\u2019s like working with water. It flows. It resists. It reacts. You guide it, coax it, and it keeps evolving as you learn together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It\u2019s messier. It\u2019s harder. But when done right, it can feel magical.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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That\u2019s really what this move to Vietnam was all about: Building the kind of company that can keep up with what small businesses actually need next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What I\u2019ve learned from you<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The real reason we\u2019re here, doing all of this, is you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Over the past year, our team has spent countless hours listening to your stories: brand-new creators launching their first offers, seasoned shop owners reinventing themselves, agencies managing dozens of clients, brick-and-mortar businesses adding digital revenue streams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The details change, but the themes are remarkably consistent:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
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  • You are always on<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You never have enough time<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You are surrounded by too many tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You feel pressure to show up authentically and beautifully on every channel, all the time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
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    Most software still responds by giving you more blank boxes to fill and more to-do lists to manage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    Templates help, but they still require you to shove your unique vision into someone else\u2019s layout. They ask you to contort your brand into a pre-made mold, instead of starting with who you are and what you want to say. There has to be a better way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    You want your marketing to feel like an extension of your creativity, not a chore you dread. So our roadmap is shaped by what you\u2019ve told us you\u2019re struggling with. Because we know you don\u2019t get excited about software. You get excited about ideas, momentum and seeing your business transform lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    Why small businesses deserve better <\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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    Here\u2019s the part that never stops bothering me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    Big companies have CMOs, creative directors, marketing teams, data analysts and millions in budget to spend figuring out what works.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    Small businesses get to roll up their sleeves and figure it out themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    You\u2019re writing the emails. Designing the graphics. Filming the content. Running the ads. Checking the analytics. Shipping the product. Serving your customers. And doing it all with a fraction of the resources, time and support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    You deserve better than a scattered collection of tools and tutorials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    You deserve:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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      \n
    • A true brand partner, not just another platform<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Design that feels like yours, not generic templates or AI slop<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Help turning ideas into consistent marketing that actually converts
      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
      \n

      This is where concepts like generative design come in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      Imagine a system that understands your brand, your voice, and your goals so well that it can help you plan, design, and execute your marketing in a way that feels like you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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      That is the direction we are headed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      Back in builder mode: what we\u2019ve been working on<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
      \n

      So what does all of this look like in practice?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      Without spoiling the roadmap, here\u2019s where our energy is going behind the scenes:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      Making your marketing feel even more like magic<\/strong>
      <\/strong>We\u2019re doubling down on what Flodesk has always been known for: design that makes your brand feel elevated and effortless. Only now, we\u2019re layering in intelligence so that it doesn\u2019t just look beautiful, it feels uniquely yours and gets better with each campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      A smarter, brand-aware design tool<\/strong>
      <\/strong>We\u2019re working on ways for Flodesk to understand your brand more deeply (your colors, typography, tone of voice and preferences) so the starting point is more \u201cthis already feels like me\u201d and less \u201clet me spend an hour tweaking this template.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      Faster ways to go from idea to finished email<\/strong>
      <\/strong>You have ideas in the car, in the shower, in line at the grocery store. We want to shorten the distance between that spark and a finished email, sequence, or campaign that\u2019s ready to go out into the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      From single emails to true marketing systems<\/strong>
      <\/strong>Your business needs more than one-off blasts. It needs thoughtful systems that nurture, sell and re-engage on your behalf. We\u2019re exploring ways to help you design a concept once and translate it into a cohesive experience across multiple touchpoints.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      Beyond email (carefully, and with intention)<\/strong>
      <\/strong>Email will always be at the heart of Flodesk. But we\u2019re also expanding our current surfaces and exploring new possibilities so that the same intelligence and design-forward approach can support you in more places, without overwhelming you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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      We want every change to feel like a relief. Like something is being taken off your plate, not added to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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      Looking ahead to 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
      \n

      When I think about 2026, I don\u2019t picture Flodesk as \u201can email tool\u201d at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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      I picture it as the marketing brain and design studio behind your business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n

      A place where you can:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

      \n
        \n
      • Spend more time on your craft and your customers, and less time battling with a host of clunky tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Turn your ideas into ready-to-go marketing with far less friction<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Trust that your brand will show up consistently and beautifully, even when you\u2019re busy living your life
        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
        \n

        We\u2019ll be introducing new AI-native experiences that feel like having a true creative partner: not a robot writing over your voice, but a collaborator helping you protect it, refine it and share it more often.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        You\u2019ll see Flodesk show up across more surfaces to help you sell and grow, while we continue to invest deeply in email and monetization tools like Checkout as part of this broader vision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        At the heart of it all is a simple belief: We\u2019re building the marketing engine that small businesses have always deserved, but have never been given.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        Thank you for building this with us<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
        \n

        None of this would exist without you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        Thank you for believing in Flodesk from the beginning. For sharing your wins and your worries, for sending us long emails, quick DMs and honest feedback.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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        Thank you for pushing us to be better, for cheering us on and for supporting us passionately through our evolution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

        \n

        Stepping into the CEO role as a co-founder is not something I take lightly. I feel the weight and the privilege of your trust every single day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

        \n

        My promise to you is simple: we will keep listening, keep building, and keep fighting for small businesses to get the level of creativity, intelligence, and care that has always been reserved for the big guys.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

        \n

        Please keep talking to us. Join betas. Share ideas. Tell us what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

        \n

        Let\u2019s build this next chapter together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

        \n

        With so much gratitude,
        Rebecca<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

        \n

        Co-founder and CEO of Flodesk<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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