Its just me, I'm a developer, which meant I could bootstrap the whole thing for zero cost (time not included) but I've always felt I knew I had what it takes to make a small business successful. Its an online service, we have a web site and apps in the app stores. I'd rather not say exactly what we do as this way I can be transparent on numbers. (Also, I am slightly paranoid of copy-cats) We have a paid for service, costs less than £50, its not a subscription, just a one off purchase. As has been said previously, luck plays a big part in success and I'm not going to pretend this is not true for me too.
-The competition are £MM businesses, and this is probably why I am able to be so successful as I can move faster, adapt, and resolve issues. Over time, people notice this. They tend to buy the customer via adwords.
-Word of mouth is a huge part of how the product has grown, people like the product and tell their friends/family, I spend less than £1500 p/m on advertising through the traditional online mediums.
- I always try new ideas out, and find out if people like them. Its low risk, low cost, high reward. Big fan of XP, agile, etc
- I'd recommend - Getting real (Basecamp) - https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real, its got some solid advice
- A mentality of always wanting to make the product better, without bloating it, is key.
- People always worry about support. It's really not a big deal, I've had hundreds of thousands of customers over the years, support contact is low.
Happy to answer any questions if people find it useful.