Social Currency with Sammi Cohen Rebecca Shostak (Flodesk) on Why “Marketing Is Dead,” Email Isn’t, and Building a Profitable SaaS in Two Weeks
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Jan 22, 2026 Rebecca Shostak, co-founder and CEO of Flodesk, shares her intriguing journey from designing for celebrities to creating a profitable email marketing platform in just two weeks. She argues that 'marketing is dead' as we know it and highlights why email remains the most resilient marketing tool. Rebecca discusses her focus on simplicity, the power of AI in email design, and how moving to Vietnam transformed her approach. She emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in email lists and offers practical advice for new founders.
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Template Complaints Sparked Flodesk
- Rebecca got repeated angry emails from customers who couldn't implement her MailChimp templates.
- Those complaints convinced her the email product gap was a mission she had to build for small businesses.
Founding Chemistry Over Wine And Shared Pain
- Rebecca met co-founder Martha at a happy hour and found overlapping customer pain.
- Rebecca recruited longtime developer Truong from her template shop relationships to complete the founding team.
Moving To Vietnam To Build AI Together
- Rebecca relocated to Vietnam to sit side-by-side with their 35-person engineering team to build AI features.
- That immersion produced an AI-driven design integration with multiple patent opportunities.