Behind the Screen: The BuiltWith Guide to Tech Creation

In 2007, Gary Brewer was your average internet explorer, diving into website source code like a digital Indiana Jones, uncovering what tech treasures they were built with. His lightbulb moment? Realizing nobody had made it easy to figure out the digital DNA of online businesses. Enter BuiltWith, a nifty tool for the tech-curious to peek under a website's hood with just a URL.

Gary wasn't trying to fix some big internet issue; he just thought it was cool to know whether a site was using PHP magic or Windows wizardry. Turns out, a bunch of other people did too.

Fast forward a bit, and users started sliding into Gary's DMs, asking for more specific tech tea like, "Can you find all the Aussie sites using this fancy tech?" They were ready to pay for this intel, and just like that, Gary saw dollar signs.

Back when Google Analytics was a baby, BuiltWith was already giving sales and marketing folks a leg up by revealing what tech their potential leads were using. Today, BuiltWith is a full-blown SaaS sweetheart, offering all sorts of data goodies for market analysis, lead generation, and sales intelligence.

From tech giants to small startups, everyone's using BuiltWith to spy on tech trends or find their next customer. They've got plans ranging from "Just getting started" to "We're in this big time," catering to everyone's needs. Despite serving up data to thousands and pulling in millions of page views, it's still a small crew at the helm, led by Gary, who's all about keeping things automated and simple.

No need for a sales team; the free version of BuiltWith does all the heavy lifting, attracting users to sign up for more. So, if you're ever curious about the secret sauce behind your favorite website, BuiltWith's got you covered, no Indiana Jones hat required. Oh did I forget to tell you? BuiltWith generated $14,000,000 in 2022 with technically no employees. It's a completely automated and fully functional business generating millions of dollars a year.

And that's the essence of BuiltWith, born from a simple curiosity about the digital world. It's more than a story; it's a nudge for every reader with a spark of an idea. Gary Brewer turned a "what if" into a "why not," creating a tool that's now indispensable for many.

This tale is your call to action. If a single question can lead to the birth of BuiltWith, think about what your curiosity can achieve. It's time to move from spectator to creator, from wondering to building. Your idea could be the next big thing we all talk about. Let's get building and shape the future we're excited to be part of. The first step? Start now.

All the best,

— James