Why I Stopped Building Showcase Websites
I built websites for years before stopping entirely. Framer, Webflow, custom builds: the real problem was the market.
I've been doing web development since I was 13. Showcase websites were my first instinct when I wanted to go out on my own. After several years and about ten clients, I stopped. Here's why.
Websites Are Where It All Started
I coded my first website at 13. Static HTML, then dynamic. During my studies in a work-study program, when I wanted to start a side business, websites were the obvious choice -- it's what I'd been doing since the beginning.
Friends launching their businesses asked me to build them a site. Word of mouth did the rest. One beautician recommended me to another, one tradesman to a colleague. Without really prospecting, I had projects coming in.
I used Framer, Webflow, or built from scratch depending on the need and budget. Tools I genuinely appreciate -- the results were always clean.
The Real Problem: Pricing
I was charging under 1,000 euros per site. For the work involved -- design, development, content, hosting, back-and-forth revisions -- it was absurd. The real value of a well-designed website is 5,000 to 10,000 euros. But my clients weren't in that segment.
When your prospects are freelancers and small businesses comparing you to Wix at 15 euros/month or freelancers on Fiverr at 500 euros, you end up justifying your price instead of working.
The classic lines:
- "My nephew can do that for free"
- "It's just 5 pages, that's quick right?"
- "I saw it costs 500 euros on Fiverr, can you match that?"
I wasn't selling templates -- I was building custom. Hard to explain the difference to someone who's never seen a line of code.
The problem wasn't the tools or the quality of the work. It was the target. Clients who need a website but don't have the budget for a real digital investment.
The Webflow Trap (and SaaS in General)
I loved Webflow. The tool is excellent. But for a business managing multiple client projects, the pricing becomes a nightmare.
Webflow changed its pricing policy by adding constraints on the number of undeployed projects. I had draft projects, templates, experiments -- and overnight, I had to upgrade to a plan that cost me +800 euros/year more.
That's the fundamental problem with SaaS: they build an excellent product, make you dependent, then raise prices when you can no longer leave. Webflow and Framer aren't the only ones -- it's a recurring pattern in the industry.
For a personal website, their pricing is fair. For a business managing 10+ projects, it becomes a major cost center eating into already thin margins.
What Really Made Me Walk Away
Beyond pricing, a deeper unease settled in.
I've been a developer for over 15 years. I design complete products -- mobile apps, scalable backends, AI integration -- with a real product vision. Identifying a problem, structuring a solution, building and launching it. Being reduced to "the guy who makes websites" clashed too much with what I actually know how to do.
I tried diversifying: ads, LinkedIn content, a professional page, a blog. No tangible results. I couldn't sell that positioning because deep down, I didn't believe in it myself.
Showcase websites are a commodity. The market rewards whoever does them cheapest. And I wanted to be recognized for my skills.
The Pivot
When I created Jungle Labs in mid-2023, I initially positioned myself as a web agency -- it was what I knew. By the end of 2024, I pivoted to a development studio building proprietary products.
Before: websites under 1,000 euros for clients who didn't understand the technical value.
Now: Inner Gallery (privacy-first iOS app), Coachy (strength training tracking with AI), and high-end technical freelance work.
The difference? Every day I learn something. Security and encryption for Inner Gallery, Event Sourcing and AI for Coachy. Problems that challenge me.
What I Take Away from It
Showcase websites aren't dead. Specialized Shopify agencies or premium Webflow studios do just fine -- but with budgets over 10,000 euros and mature B2B clients.
Word of mouth has its limits. It's an excellent channel for getting started, but it attracts a homogeneous client profile. If your network isn't in the premium segment, you stay stuck at the bottom of the market.
Tools don't make the business. Framer and Webflow are excellent. The problem was never technical -- it was the business model.
Positioning on what you know how to do is not the same as positioning on what sells. Websites were my first skill, but that didn't mean it was the right business.
Further reading:
- Building your products alongside freelance work
- Two and a half years of Jungle Labs: what I've learned
- Solo studio: organization, tools, reality