How Ruurtjan Pul Built a Successful Web Tool Business From Scratch
How Ruurtjan Pul Built a Successful Web Tool Business From Scratch
Nov 6, 2024
Ruurtjan Pul
Ruurtjan Pul
⏳ 6 min
⏳ 6 min
Revenue/month
Revenue/month
$4,000+
$4,000+
$4,000+
No. of founders
No. of founders
1
1
1
Startup costs
Startup costs
$100
$100
$100
Company type
Company type
Company type
Saas
Saas
Saas
Contents
Background
Background
Ruurtjan Pul isn't your average entrepreneur. He’s a self-starter who went from running a single-page school tabloid at 10 to creating web tools that attract over 800,000+ monthly users combined. His two biggest projects, a DNS lookup tool (NsLookup) and an ISP checker, have grown significantly in popularity—and all while keeping things lean and simple.
(Nslookup.io landing page)
(whatismyisp.com landing page)
With a background in software engineering, Ruurtjan took a leap in February 2022, quitting his job to focus full-time on his portfolio of web tools. As of now, Ruurtjan has not disclosed how much both of his projects are bringing in but it's estimated to be over $5,000+.
(A photo shared by Ruurtjan Pul on X)
His goal? To build sustainable revenue without compromising user privacy.
Ruurtjan Pul isn't your average entrepreneur. He’s a self-starter who went from running a single-page school tabloid at 10 to creating web tools that attract over 800,000+ monthly users combined. His two biggest projects, a DNS lookup tool (NsLookup) and an ISP checker, have grown significantly in popularity—and all while keeping things lean and simple.
(Nslookup.io landing page)
(whatismyisp.com landing page)
With a background in software engineering, Ruurtjan took a leap in February 2022, quitting his job to focus full-time on his portfolio of web tools. As of now, Ruurtjan has not disclosed how much both of his projects are bringing in but it's estimated to be over $5,000+.
(A photo shared by Ruurtjan Pul on X)
His goal? To build sustainable revenue without compromising user privacy.
The Early Spark: Where Ruurtjan’s Journey Began
The Early Spark: Where Ruurtjan’s Journey Began
Ruurtjan’s entrepreneurial spirit showed up early, even if he didn’t recognize it as such. He and a friend ran a small tabloid, charging a penny per copy, and later tried (unsuccessfully) to create a flash game site using basic HTML and PHP. While those early projects didn’t lead anywhere, they planted a seed. Fast forward to adulthood, and that seed grew into a love for building online tools that could actually make life easier for users.
In the background, he always had passion projects. Some saw the light of day; most didn’t. But one that did was whoismyisp.org, which eventually evolved into whatismyisp.com, now one of his two major tools. He kept experimenting, juggling a full-time job while trying to find the right side project that could eventually become his main gig.
Lesson Learned: Sometimes, your first few projects won’t make it. But each failure teaches you something new. That’s how Ruurtjan discovered the importance of consistency over the shiny excitement of endless “new ideas.”
Ruurtjan’s entrepreneurial spirit showed up early, even if he didn’t recognize it as such. He and a friend ran a small tabloid, charging a penny per copy, and later tried (unsuccessfully) to create a flash game site using basic HTML and PHP. While those early projects didn’t lead anywhere, they planted a seed. Fast forward to adulthood, and that seed grew into a love for building online tools that could actually make life easier for users.
In the background, he always had passion projects. Some saw the light of day; most didn’t. But one that did was whoismyisp.org, which eventually evolved into whatismyisp.com, now one of his two major tools. He kept experimenting, juggling a full-time job while trying to find the right side project that could eventually become his main gig.
Lesson Learned: Sometimes, your first few projects won’t make it. But each failure teaches you something new. That’s how Ruurtjan discovered the importance of consistency over the shiny excitement of endless “new ideas.”
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➤ Every week, we dig up stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses—
➤ Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers.
➤ Then, we share those insights with you.
➤ Every week, we dig up stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses—
➤ Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers.
➤ Then, we share those insights with you.
Finding Focus: Narrowing Down His Ideas
Finding Focus: Narrowing Down His Ideas
At some point, the endless cycle of starting projects and dropping them started to feel unproductive. Ruurtjan had a document full of ideas but realized he needed to stick with one if he wanted to make this entrepreneurship thing work.
So he created a system to narrow down his options. He looked at each idea through three main criteria (he even wrote an article about it!) and decided on NsLookup as the one worth focusing on. He got to work and created a prototype, but he soon found himself in a mess of complicated tech setups—AWS Lambda, Terraform, Cloudfront—that left him stuck. So, he went back to basics and rebuilt NsLookup using simpler tools he knew well.
Key Insight: When starting, don’t overcomplicate. Use tools you’re comfortable with and focus on launching quickly.
At some point, the endless cycle of starting projects and dropping them started to feel unproductive. Ruurtjan had a document full of ideas but realized he needed to stick with one if he wanted to make this entrepreneurship thing work.
So he created a system to narrow down his options. He looked at each idea through three main criteria (he even wrote an article about it!) and decided on NsLookup as the one worth focusing on. He got to work and created a prototype, but he soon found himself in a mess of complicated tech setups—AWS Lambda, Terraform, Cloudfront—that left him stuck. So, he went back to basics and rebuilt NsLookup using simpler tools he knew well.
Key Insight: When starting, don’t overcomplicate. Use tools you’re comfortable with and focus on launching quickly.
Slow and Steady Wins the SEO Race
Slow and Steady Wins the SEO Race
For NsLookup, the goal was always to attract users through search engines. That’s why Ruurtjan didn’t go all out with a big launch event. He launched quietly and focused on SEO, knowing the results would take time. His traffic started to trickle in slowly, but after a few months, it hit 3,000 daily visitors, then eventually 5,600.
(Ruurtjan Pul's growth masterplan for his web tools)
SEO, in his words, is “a compounding, delayed effect.” There wasn’t a single magic trick; instead, it was a combination of good content, the right keywords, and a focus on giving users exactly what they needed.
Lesson: If you rely on SEO, be patient. Consistent, quality work pays off over time.
For NsLookup, the goal was always to attract users through search engines. That’s why Ruurtjan didn’t go all out with a big launch event. He launched quietly and focused on SEO, knowing the results would take time. His traffic started to trickle in slowly, but after a few months, it hit 3,000 daily visitors, then eventually 5,600.
(Ruurtjan Pul's growth masterplan for his web tools)
SEO, in his words, is “a compounding, delayed effect.” There wasn’t a single magic trick; instead, it was a combination of good content, the right keywords, and a focus on giving users exactly what they needed.
Lesson: If you rely on SEO, be patient. Consistent, quality work pays off over time.
Going Full-Time: Taking a Leap of Faith
Going Full-Time: Taking a Leap of Faith
Once he started seeing traction, Ruurtjan knew he wanted to go full-time. But quitting his job was a major decision. After discussing it with his wife, they decided to give it a year. The goal: $4,000 in revenue and $3,000 in profit per month.
Six months in, his revenue is around $2,000—not quite where he needs it to be, but he’s investing in quality and hoping for long-term growth. Now that his user base is solid, he’s shifting focus to monetization. He’s looking for an ad partner who values privacy, and avoiding invasive trackers in favor of ethical advertising.
Insight: If you’re going full-time, make a realistic financial plan. Give yourself a timeframe to make it work and stick to it.
Once he started seeing traction, Ruurtjan knew he wanted to go full-time. But quitting his job was a major decision. After discussing it with his wife, they decided to give it a year. The goal: $4,000 in revenue and $3,000 in profit per month.
Six months in, his revenue is around $2,000—not quite where he needs it to be, but he’s investing in quality and hoping for long-term growth. Now that his user base is solid, he’s shifting focus to monetization. He’s looking for an ad partner who values privacy, and avoiding invasive trackers in favor of ethical advertising.
Insight: If you’re going full-time, make a realistic financial plan. Give yourself a timeframe to make it work and stick to it.
How Ruurtjan Attracts and Retains Users: SEO, Content, and a Few Viral Hits
How Ruurtjan Attracts and Retains Users: SEO, Content, and a Few Viral Hits
Since SEO is his main traffic driver, Ruurtjan sticks to the basics: answering search intent, targeting the right keywords, and building backlinks. But he also writes viral articles now and then to drive bursts of traffic. These posts, like “DNS propagation does not exist” and “I quit my job to make free web tools,” are crafted to be eye-catching and concise, perfect for platforms like Reddit and Hacker News.
This combination of long-term SEO and short-term viral content has worked well for him. The viral posts don’t bring sustained traffic, but they often lead to backlinks, which help in the long run.
Key Takeaway: For organic growth, balance evergreen SEO content with occasional viral posts to build authority and attract backlinks.
Since SEO is his main traffic driver, Ruurtjan sticks to the basics: answering search intent, targeting the right keywords, and building backlinks. But he also writes viral articles now and then to drive bursts of traffic. These posts, like “DNS propagation does not exist” and “I quit my job to make free web tools,” are crafted to be eye-catching and concise, perfect for platforms like Reddit and Hacker News.
This combination of long-term SEO and short-term viral content has worked well for him. The viral posts don’t bring sustained traffic, but they often lead to backlinks, which help in the long run.
Key Takeaway: For organic growth, balance evergreen SEO content with occasional viral posts to build authority and attract backlinks.
The Current State and Future Vision
The Current State and Future Vision
Currently, Ruurtjan is about 2 years in on working on his business full-time. His main challenge is increasing revenue per visitor. He’s still optimistic and he believes there’s plenty of room to grow in both search volume and revenue potential.
For now, the plan is to keep building, improving, and monetizing without compromising on user privacy. He’s aware that the journey might take longer than expected, but he’s committed to making it work.
Currently, Ruurtjan is about 2 years in on working on his business full-time. His main challenge is increasing revenue per visitor. He’s still optimistic and he believes there’s plenty of room to grow in both search volume and revenue potential.
For now, the plan is to keep building, improving, and monetizing without compromising on user privacy. He’s aware that the journey might take longer than expected, but he’s committed to making it work.
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Ruurtjan’s journey taught him one crucial lesson: hard work and results don’t always correlate. Some high-effort changes he made didn’t move the needle, while small, five-minute tweaks sometimes made a big impact. He’s learned to look for low-effort, high-reward opportunities rather than focusing on just putting in the hours.
For personal growth, two books have helped him immensely: Mindset by Carol Dweck and Atomic Habits by James Clear. Dweck’s book taught him that abilities can be developed, while Clear’s book gave him practical advice for building habits that make progress automatic.
💡Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for small changes that yield big results, and invest in learning materials that actually help you grow.
Ruurtjan’s journey taught him one crucial lesson: hard work and results don’t always correlate. Some high-effort changes he made didn’t move the needle, while small, five-minute tweaks sometimes made a big impact. He’s learned to look for low-effort, high-reward opportunities rather than focusing on just putting in the hours.
For personal growth, two books have helped him immensely: Mindset by Carol Dweck and Atomic Habits by James Clear. Dweck’s book taught him that abilities can be developed, while Clear’s book gave him practical advice for building habits that make progress automatic.
💡Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for small changes that yield big results, and invest in learning materials that actually help you grow.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Ruurtjan’s advice to those just starting out? Building a business takes time—often more than you think. Start small, like he did with NsLookup, and use your evenings or weekends to get the ball rolling. By doing it on the side, you’re giving yourself time to grow without the pressure of needing to make it work right away.
Final Words: Take it slow, be consistent, and remember that success comes from compounding efforts over time.
This case study captures Ruurtjan’s entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and determination to make his side project a full-time business. His journey shows that building something sustainable takes time, focus, and a commitment to learning from both wins and losses. For anyone looking to build a business on the side, Ruurtjan’s story is proof that it’s possible, one small step at a time.
Ruurtjan’s advice to those just starting out? Building a business takes time—often more than you think. Start small, like he did with NsLookup, and use your evenings or weekends to get the ball rolling. By doing it on the side, you’re giving yourself time to grow without the pressure of needing to make it work right away.
Final Words: Take it slow, be consistent, and remember that success comes from compounding efforts over time.
This case study captures Ruurtjan’s entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and determination to make his side project a full-time business. His journey shows that building something sustainable takes time, focus, and a commitment to learning from both wins and losses. For anyone looking to build a business on the side, Ruurtjan’s story is proof that it’s possible, one small step at a time.
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If you're interested in more stories like this, here's more for you 🙂
I share more of these case studies + interviews in my newsletter and I'd love for you to join here 😊
Do me a favor and pass this on to a friend or share? It'll take just 20 seconds—this one took me about 5 hours to research and write 🫠
Shoot me a DM if you want to share your story or visit this page to submit your information 💌
h/t ( ruurtjan.com, starter story, Stat show)
