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Richard Gigi
Richard Gigi

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From a 3 AM Idea to 1,000 Users

#buildinpublic #startup #challenge #product

I'm sitting here, staring at our dashboard, and the number still doesn't feel real: 1,000 users.

Let me be perfectly honest with you. I've never built a product and pushed it to 500 users, let alone a thousand. The fact that Zealock, our WhatsApp-powered marketplace has surpassed that in just one month is... mind-blowing. I'm equal parts ecstatic, exhausted, and terrified. But mostly, I'm incredibly grateful.

This isn't just a milestone post; it's the story of how a simple question in the dead of night spiraled into a product people actually use. It's about the chaos, the backlash, the self-doubt, and the features we're building to shape the future of shopping in Nigeria.

The 3 AM Spark That Ignited Everything

The origin story doesn't start in a fancy office or a structured brainstorming session. It starts with video games.

I was almost done with Torgist, a tool for collecting feedback (the irony is not lost on me). One early morning, after a long gaming session with my co-founder, Emmanuel, we were just talking. And then, out of sheer personal frustration, I asked a question that would change everything:

"Why do I always have to ask for a plug for laptops?"

It was a simple pain point we both felt deeply. The chaos of WhatsApp DMs, the endless group chats, the unsaved numbers, the ghosting. It was a fragmented, inefficient mess. We started joking about a solution, and then the joke stopped being funny. It started being an idea.

We posted a little about this nascent idea. The response wasn't just positive; it was overwhelming. Our DMs flooded with people not just saying "good idea," but asking, "When?" and "How can I use it?" Some messages were so detailed, outlining their own frustrations, that we knew we weren't just solving our own problem. We were solving a universal one.

The validation was so raw and genuine that we had no choice. We had to build it. Torgist was paused. Zealock was on.

Building in Public, for the People Who Asked for It

Our strategy was unconventional but intentional. We built Zealock in public, but not on the usual platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn first.

We built it for our WhatsApp audience.

They were the ones who asked for it, so they were the first to see the teasers, the early UIs, and the struggles. Their feedback was immediate and brutal in the best way possible. How did I know they weren't just being nice? Let's just say even the people I least expected to be supportive were hitting me up saying, "Bro, this is impressive." When your enemies love it, you know you're onto something. 😂

Torgist Analysis showing the sentiment calculation of what people think about Zealock

The Road Was Anything But Smooth

Let's not romanticize this. The journey was, and still is, hard.

  • Meta's Maze: We faced our fair share of backlash and blockers. Meta frustrated us to no end. At one point, our account was suspended for a violation that felt vague. Other times, we were just stuck waiting for verifications, watching precious momentum slow to a crawl. It was a constant reminder that building on someone else's platform is a double-edged sword.

  • The Founder's Doubt: There were countless times I'd just sit in my chair, head in my hands, and ask myself, "Am I doing too much?" I'd spend hours staring at the analytics, obsessing over every single user, wondering, "Are people actually making sales? Is this really working?"

  • The Burnout Balance: This is where your support system becomes everything. Shoutout to the people really close to me, and especially to Jay, who would literally tell me to step away from the computer and force me to rest. Founders, hear me: you cannot pour from an empty cup. Rest is a feature, not a bug.

The New Phase: Introducing "The Zealock Handshake"

Hitting 1k users isn't a finish line; it's the starting gate. The work has just begun. We're here to serve our users and prove that Nigerian innovation can thrive with integrity, despite the country's challenges.

But vision needs execution. So, as promised, here's what we've been building:

1. The New Zealock.com: Clarity is Key.

We've completely overhauled our website. It's now crystal clear who we are, what we do, and why it matters. If you've ever been confused about Zealock, visit zealock.com now. The message is sharpened.

2. Smarter Search & Priority Placement.

We've made significant changes to our search algorithm. Now, when you subscribe to any of our plans, your product or service gets priority placement at the top of relevant searches. It's a win-win: buyers find the best options faster, and serious sellers get the visibility they deserve.

3. The Zealock Handshake: A Better Way to Connect.

This is our biggest update yet. We're moving beyond just showing a phone number.

Now, when you find an item you like, you'll see a full dedicated view for it—a clean, focused page with all the details. When you're ready, you click to get the contact. We call this "The Zealock Handshake."

Why does this matter?

  • For Buyers: A cleaner, more secure user experience.
  • For Sellers: Higher-intent leads. We know who contacted you, allowing us to build better features for both sides.
  • For Us: Crucial data to understand what's working and how to better facilitate real, successful deals.

This isn't just a feature; it's the foundation for everything we're building next: ratings, verification, analytics. The Handshake makes it all possible.

The Honest Ask: We Can't Do This Alone

We have single-handedly bootstrapped Zealock to this point. We're proud of that, but I'm not ashamed to say it: we are low on resources.

To push Zealock to where it needs to be, to serve our users the way they deserve, to build out the dozen game-changing features we have mapped out—we need investors. We need partners who believe in our vision to "make shopping feel like chatting" and who see the immense potential in organizing the chaos of WhatsApp commerce.

This is our call. If you believe in what we're building, if you see the potential, we want to talk.

What's Next?

The journey from 1,000 to 10,000 users is a new mountain to climb. There will be new challenges, more Meta frustrations, and undoubtedly more moments of doubt.

But there will also be more moments of pure joy, like seeing that user count jump after two hours of staring at a frozen number.

I'll be documenting it all, right here. The code, the challenges, the wins. This is just the beginning.

Want to be part of the journey?

Here's to the next 1,000. The grind continues.

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