Notes from Evernote

Evernote is the largest and most popular note-taking application in the word. There are over 100 million users, and the product keeps growing. Users of Evernote find more value in the product over time, and it’s one of the few products on the market in which users decide to upgrade the longer the use it. Evernote differs from a lot of other apps in that it is intensely personal, rather than social. Founder Phil Lebin has said “Evernote is the anti-social network—built for the 90% of your life where you’re not bragging about your dog or your vacation.”

So what has Evernote done right that any business owner can learn from?

Think Big — Evernote was one of the few start ups that wanted to grow without the intention of being sold. They invested early in accessibility on all major mobile platforms.

Early Users are Key — Evernote learned from it’s early adopters what worked best about the product.

Analog is Relevant — Evernote understood early on that people still love to take notes using notebooks and whiteboards, so it worked to complement those methods rather than just replace them. It enabled screenshot recognition of whiteboard handwriting, and also introduced a partnership with Moleskine.

To read the full Forbes article, “Evernote and the 100 Year Business Plan: Why Users Love It and Funders Hated It,” click here.