Sagi is a startup that helps businesses expand their customer base and retain clients

Jaksylbek Yeselbayev, 37 years old, entrepreneur, founder of the Sagi startup, Instagram

How it all began

I am from Taraz and have been in entrepreneurship for over 15 years. I love working with new technologies; I was the first to bring DJI drones to Kazakhstan and have worked on various startups. In 2021, I founded the Sagi startup after realizing that many small and medium-sized businesses do not use modern digital tools for customer engagement.

Sagi is a loyalty marketing platform that helps increase customer bases and retain clients. I have seen how large companies implement innovations and develop rapidly, while small and medium-sized businesses lag behind due to a lack of resources, competencies, and understanding of new trends. This gap between giants and smaller companies is growing. I have always enjoyed bringing people together and helping businesses. It bothers me when businesses close due to a lack of experience, and I enjoy seeing how customers save money on their purchases thanks to our platform.

Launching the startup

Launching the startup began with research and numerous conversations with businesses to better understand their needs. Of course, there were mistakes, and we had to change our approach several times, making pivots. The first employees who joined the project were developers who believed in our idea, for which I am grateful. At the beginning, we tried working with Indian developers but faced communication and accountability issues, and we ourselves did not fully understand how to properly manage development and lacked knowledge in product management. Gradually, we attracted our first clients, received investments, and assembled an excellent team that allowed us to move forward and develop the product.

Target audience

Our startup is aimed at small and medium-sized business entrepreneurs who need tools to attract and retain customers. Our loyalty system is particularly useful due to features such as cross-marketing and collaborations between businesses. This allows enterprises to unite, direct customers to each other, and thereby attract a new audience without spending their own money or compromising their budget.

Currently, more than 500 companies are already using our platform, and over a million of their clients are users of the Sagi loyalty program. Our services are used in different countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The system helps businesses grow and strengthen their market positions by attracting new customers and retaining regular ones through effective marketing and collaboration tools. Measuring business growth in numbers helps you get ahead of competitors.

Incubation programs

We participated in various incubation and acceleration programs, both at local hubs and in city initiatives. During these programs, we took prize places several times, which helped us strengthen the project. This year, our project was invited to events in Dubai and Austria, where we shared our experience, particularly regarding the environmental aspect of our solution. These programs gave us the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and establish important connections, as well as contributed to the development of our startup.

Difficulties

Difficulties are inevitable in any endeavor, especially when a startup is growing. We faced our first problem when we began idealizing the product without sufficient validation from clients, or when the market was not ready. We waited for the perfect moment, which turned out to be a mistake. One of the most difficult challenges was the lack of knowledge about product management and development management, which prolonged the process. When resources began to be allocated, we realized that money was needed to attract clients and faced financial difficulties.

Then, difficulties arose with hiring a team—it turned out to be important to find people who share our values. My advice to those who are just starting: knowledge and speed are key factors for success. A startup is an expensive pleasure, so it is important to have competencies or buy them if they are lacking. Choosing the right market is another important component. A startup is built at the intersection of knowledge, competencies, and the market.

Achievements

One of our main achievements is assembling an excellent team that fully shares our values. We continue to exist and develop, which is already an achievement in itself for a startup. We work with clients from different countries, and many of them have been with us for three years, continuing to renew our product and observing the growth of their sales thanks to our solution.

In numbers, our achievements are as follows: we are growing every month; currently, our MRR is $65,000. We are developing independently and continuing to grow, which also confirms the value of our product.

Plans

Our plans for the rest of the year focus on expanding our presence in the USA. We have already successfully launched the product in Kazakhstan, and now we are actively testing and validating hypotheses in the American market. We have created four new sub-products within the startup and plan to conduct research to attract clients by the end of the year. The main focus is the USA, although the market here is complex and expensive, especially in terms of attracting and retaining customers. Nevertheless, we are confident that this market is necessary for our further growth and scaling.