Flodesk

Big news! Flodesk is now inside the Canva app. 🤯 Start your email design in Canva. Finish it in Flodesk. One click sends your design directly into our editor, where you can layer on polls, countdown timers, and real-time analytics that help you send smarter. No more recreating what you already built. No more toggling between tabs. For small business owners who are already stretched thin, removing that friction between "I designed something beautiful" and "it's in someone's inbox" is a real unlock. Two tools you already love, now working together the way they should.

When I think about what we've built at Flodesk, and where we're going next, I feel it in my chest. I'm honored to be named to Inc.'s Female Founders 500 2026 list, recognized for leading the development of Flodesk's patent-pending AI technology. But more than the recognition, I'm energized by what this moment represents. Small business owners deserve marketing tools that create designs that truly represent their brands and take the frustration out of marketing, so they can focus on their craft. AI is unlocking a future where that's more possible than ever. We've spent years building with that in mind, and we're about to take it to the next level. To the Flodesk team, our members, and everyone who's believed in what we're building: thank you. This belongs to all of us. We are just getting started.

Several founders. Completely different paths. One room full of women who saw themselves in at least one of them. Flodesk co-founder and CEO Rebecca Shostak joined fellow founders on stage at the Future Summit during SXSW week for a conversation about what it actually means to build a modern business — from the bootstrapping beginnings to wherever the road takes you. What made it resonate wasn't any single story. It was the honesty in all of them. The acknowledgment that there's no template for this. That conviction matters more than consensus. That the founders who last are usually the ones who stayed closest to the people they were building for. Flodesk has never taken outside investment. We've been profitable almost since the beginning. And every decision we've made along the way has come back to one thing: our members — the photographers, designers, coaches, and creators who trust us with something as personal as how they show up in someone's inbox. Seeing Rebecca on that stage, in a room of 500 women writing their own playbooks, felt like exactly that. A reminder of why we build the way we do — and who we build it for. Thank you to Create & Cultivate for creating space for that kind of conversation. We need more of it.

Last week I sat on a stage in Austin between Allison Ellsworth, who built Poppi from her kitchen to a $1.95 billion PepsiCo acquisition, and Susan Yara, who grew NATURIUM into a $355 million exit with e.l.f. Beauty. The panel was about founders writing a playbook for the modern business—from bootstrapping beginnings to billion-dollar exits. I’m still in the bootstrapping chapter. Flodesk has no outside investors. We’ve been profitable since our second week. We’ve grown to $36M+ in annual recurring revenue by doing one thing relentlessly: listening to the people we serve and building what they actually need. What made this conversation so good, in front of 500 people, during SXSW week, was that the three of us took completely different paths and landed on the same truth. Allison built a category-defining brand and found the right partner to scale it globally. Susan turned deep expertise and community trust into a brand that a publicly traded company wanted to own. I chose to stay independent, stay profitable, and keep building. Different playbooks. Same conviction that you build something real by putting your customers at the center. I just have to say it: Allison has been a business idol of mine for years, and sitting next to her was surreal. But the thing I keep thinking about is how many women in that room saw themselves in at least one of our stories. That’s the point. There’s no single “right” path. There’s just yours. Thank you CreateCultivate for having me, and to Allison Ellsworth, Susan Yara, and Natalie Marie Byrne for a conversation I won’t forget. Truly the best panel I’ve ever sat on!

On Saturday night during SXSW, we co-hosted a small partner dinner with the incredible Jean Kang in Austin. No stage. No presentations. Just a table full of founders, partners and creators who care deeply about supporting small business owners. What stood out most wasn’t just the ideas shared. It was the energy that comes from bringing the right people together. Community isn’t a soft concept anymore. It’s becoming one of the most powerful forces in modern companies. When people who share a mission gather in the same room, conversations turn into collaboration. Collaboration turns into momentum. And momentum turns into real progress for the people those companies serve. At Flodesk, that sense of community has always been core to how we think about building. Not just creating tools, but creating spaces where founders, creators and partners can learn from each other and grow together. Grateful to everyone who joined us in Austin and helped make the night what it was. Rebecca Shostak Jess Ramos Sundas Khalid Dawn Choo Hannah Zhang Anjali Viramgama Madeline Zhang Eric Pan Alberta Devor Jasmine Wong Colin Rocker Devin Howlett Sho Dewan Grace Ling 🐰 Maya Grossman Arjay McCandless Gabriela Gironas Dominick Namis Madeline Levy Joanna Waterfall Neal Jean Mike Peditto

One of my favorite parts of my job as CBO at Flodesk is getting a front-row seat to the wins our Partner community makes possible every single day... and last week our Content Creator + Social Lead, Madeline Levy, reminded me how impactful it can be to CELEBRATE these accomplishments out loud. So I figured it was a good day to give a shout out to some of our Flodesk Partners and celebrate their momentum so far in 2026... you ready? 🔥 A few January wins I’m still not over: - We co-hosted a tech-creator happy hour with Avni Barman in SF and I’m not exaggerating when I say the talent in that room was unreal. - Krystal Ivy helped a client transition to Flodesk + warm their list — and they’re already seeing 88% open rate and 11% CTR! - Phil Pallen surpassed 19K subscribers, primarily from freebies + opt-ins (and he's just getting started). - Erin E. Perkins has been building Successible: an accessibility assistant making inclusivity easier than ever! - Valerie Chapman launched Ruthapp.ai, an AI-powered career advancement platform for women aiming to close the gender wage gap. - Geily Romero launched her first-ever retreat using Flodesk Checkout and seats are selling fast! - Diana Wei Fang set up her first recurring checkout page and is actively using our Meta Pixel integration to optimize. - Angelica Pompy sold out her first networking event of the year in 17 minutes! - Greg Sebell partnered with Flodesk to create a free Brand Touchpoints Audit for the community - it's fantastic! If you’re a small business owner: I hope you celebrate your wins so far this year (even the quiet ones). And if you’re a Flodesk Partner: thank you for raising the bar. We are rooting for you fiercely. 🫶

Email, it turns out, never left—it just got better dressed. Flodesk just crossed $36M in ARR, powering billions of emails for creators who prefer ownership over algorithms. No venture capital theatrics. Just design doing the heavy lifting. Now AI enters—not as a copy machine, but as a brand assistant that knows when not to shout. The quiet lesson here: control still converts. In a noisy internet, the most powerful channel may still be the one you actually own. Read the full story -- https://lnkd.in/dBhDTd6A

We’re honored to be featured in Inc. Magazine—sharing the story of Flodesk and what it looks like to build with conviction (and never let an early rejection hold you back)! 🔥 A few moments from the piece that I’m especially proud of: 1) Flodesk is still 100% bootstrapped and just crossed $36M in ARR (built by listening relentlessly to small business owners + cultivating a passionate community around our platform). 2) In 2025, our members sent 13B+ emails through Flodesk, and we now support 100,000+ users. 3) Our design + product visionary, Rebecca Shostak, has stepped into the CEO role to lead our next chapter (bringing the same builder energy that shaped Flodesk from day one). My dear friend and powerhouse leader, Martha B., has transitioned into the role of Executive Chair on the heels of our most successful year to date. In 2026, our focus is to continue to leverage generative AI to level the playing field for small business and make building a business within reach of anyone. To our members that have taken part in our AI user testing and Flodesk labs over the last several weeks—thank you. 🫶 There is massive innovation in the pipeline that we cannot wait to share with the broader community and public in the months to come. Huge gratitude to Jennifer Conrad and Inc. for telling this story, and to our team + community for building with us. As a female founded, bootstrapped startup who is fighting relentlessly for small businesses... we deeply appreciate your support! ✨ Sharing the article in the first comment below.