Rytis Lauris, the founder of Omnisend, transformed from a shy teenager to an entrepreneur through early exposure to business. After earning a degree in political science, he spent a decade building startups and honing his expertise in digital marketing. Despite the challenges, Rytis successfully scaled Omnisend, a marketing automation platform for eCommerce, without relying on outside investment. His journey exemplifies persistence and strategic thinking. Let’s explore how Rytis transformed his vision into a reality, building Omnisend into a thriving company from the ground up.

Kajal: Can you tell us about yourself and your background before starting Omnisend?

Rytis: I have always wanted to start my own business. Omnisend was my third attempt to launch a successful start-up. The first one was a business selling eco-friendly postcards and planting a tree for every postcard sold. The second was called IQ Polls and was something similar to what Slido does now, helping speakers interact with their audience.

I also tried to launch a more traditional business, a marketing agency, which later transformed into my third and most successful start-up, Omnisend. It is important to say that I didn’t launch any of these businesses alone, I had partners and co-founders along the way.

Kajal: How/when did you decide it was worth pursuing Omnisend full-time? What were the early days like?

Rytis: Two years after the launch of the product we knew that it made sense to pursue Omnisend full-time. We saw the potential, but were not able to fulfill our vision without changing our focus from working as a marketing agency to a SaaS startup.

The early days were not perfect and had a lot of uncertainty. But we saw that even having an MVP we had paying customers and it inspired us to work to make our product better. Since the early days we knew that the main challenge is understanding customer needs and we will succeed if we meet those needs.

Kajal: Omnisend has been built without any outside investment, which is a rare achievement for a SaaS company. What were the key factors that led you to pursue bootstrapping, and how has this decision influenced your leadership style and company culture?

Rytis: To build the type of company I wanted, I knew outside investments would likely interfere with that mission, at least in the early stages. Once we were able to prove we could sustain ourselves, it became clear that keeping the customer at the center of our purpose was how we could compete with larger, more established players in the space. To this day, we remain customer-funded, meaning our organizational culture and product have the customer at the center of it.

Kajal: Many founders struggle with balance between growth and maintaining control. Were there moments when external funding seemed tempting, how did you navigate those decisions?

Rytis: With any startup, there comes a point where continued growth requires scaling, and that can be expensive. This is often the point at which entrepreneurs engage in investment talks. We were faced with this same situation but ultimately, I knew that taking outside investment would mean I would have to report to people more interested in making a return on their investment than growing the company in a responsible and sustainable way.

Taking the money can be tempting at first, but trusting your gut and having a clear focus on what you’re trying to build can be a guiding light.

Kajal: Growing a company in the competitive marketing automation space is no easy task. What were some of the major milestones that helped you realize Omnisend was on the right path? Was there a particular turning point where you had to pivot for things really took off?

Rytis: It’s always a great feeling when your first paying customer renews. That’s hurdle number one. I think our biggest change came in 2017 when we went from an email provider to an omnichannel marketing provider by making new marketing channels available to our customers. That really helped propel us into the spotlight and earn a reputation as a trusted tool for eCommerce merchants.

Then, a short time later, a well-established competitor of ours stopped integrating with Shopify, one of the primary eCommerce platforms used by eCommerce brands. These companies started searching for a replacement and this is the point that things really took off for us.

The great thing about this is that companies didn’t choose us as their replacement just because we integrated with Shopify. They chose us because our platform worked and they saw value in that. This proved that building a product with the customer at the center was the right decision.

Kajal: With such rapid growth, how did you ensure that Omnisend remained customer-centric, particularly during the scale-up phase?

Rytis: Honestly, it wasn’t hard. Because we made a conscious decision to be customer-funded, we used that as a filter to judge our decisions through. If it wasn’t going to help our customers, we didn’t do it.

Kajal: Omnisend is known for utilizing customer data to enhance marketing automation. How do you see the role of data evolving in the next five years, and what should brands focus on to stay competitive in an increasingly data-driven world?

Rytis: While customer data is becoming more accessible for brands, consumers are also becoming more protective of what they share with them. In the next five years, I predict consumers will be more willing to share data with the brands that provide them with relevant shopping experiences — and that should begin now.

Consumers will expect data to be used across channels to personalize their experiences and create an omnichannel brand experience. If brands wait too long to begin delivering these personalized experiences, they will find themselves chasing customers and their competition.

Kajal: With years of experience in e-commerce and digital marketing, what do you believe are the biggest challenges today’s eCommerce founders face, and how can one address them?

Rytis: The biggest challenge I see with eCommerce founders today is a lack of time and resources at their disposal. Founders today need to do more with less time to grow their business. To overcome this challenge, they need the right tools that help them.

This is exactly what we built with Omnsiend. We have pre-built, just about everything, like popups, email templates, and workflows. Of course, automated messages work for brands around the clock, and that’s why we make workflows available to all users — not only those who spend a certain amount.

We want brands to grow and we give them the tools to do it. That’s being customer-centric!

Kajal: What upcoming trends do you think will shape the future of eCommerce, especially in terms of customer engagement and marketing automation?

Rytis: It’s going to center around relevant, omnichannel marketing. That doesn’t mean every single message needs to be individually personalized, but consumers are going to, and to some extent already do, expect timely messages via the channel they choose.

Right now, we see SMS embed itself with email as an everyday channel. Web push messages are quickly joining the ranks of these channels. And consumers are increasingly expecting their web browsing and shopping histories to impact their social experiences. Brands that can better customize these experiences will be the ones to foster loyalty.

Kajal: Marketing automation has become essential for brands looking to scale efficiently. What common mistakes do you see brands making when it comes to automation, and how can they avoid these pitfalls?

Rytis: Honestly, the biggest mistake is thinking you don’t need them. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Forty-one percent of all email orders come from automated messages, and they account for only 2% of sends. Without automation, brands are leaving money on the table.

That being said, a big mistake I see many companies make is not using SMS with email automation. Brands can easily combine email and SMS in the same workflows, providing consumers with a relevant experience across multiple channels. And just like email, SMS automation outperforms campaign sends. Automated SMS makes up over a quarter of all SMS orders and only a fraction of sends.

Kajal: You’re on a personal mission to read a book a week—how has this habit shaped your thinking as a leader? Are there any particular books that have had a profound impact on your approach to business or life?

Rytis: I had this mission for quite a few years, but had to lower my expectations when my kids were born. Now I read around two books a month.

Books that I have read shaped the way we work at Omnisend a lot.

For example we use the concept of 20-mile march to inspire teams across the organization to have the positive look at progress they are doing. This one I took from Jim Collins’ “Great by Choice”.

Another book the entire company read is Fish! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results. The reason I think it’s good for any organization is because it speaks to everyone, regardless of role or responsibility. We all go through ruts or times when doing our jobs becomes less inspiring than others. The book is a good example of how to bring joy back into your workday.

The best book about a business that I have ever read is called “The Hard Thing About Hard Things”. Unlike most of the books about entrepreneurship, it doesn’t talk about success that much and focuses on how much people fail before they succeed.

Kajal: Building a successful company while maintaining personal well-being is no easy feat. How do you balance your professional commitments with personal interests and what advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are struggling to find this balance?

Rytis: I always prioritize physical activity, sometimes I have to prioritize it over work. I typically play squash two times a week and swim once a week with my son. The truth is that if your body feels good – you will perform much better at work in the long run.

For the exact same reason I take care of my nutrition. Supplements are very helpful in that.

Kajal: What excites you the most about Omnisend’s future? Are there any upcoming features, partnerships, or expansions that we should be looking out for?

Rytis: I am excited to continue growing and providing our customers with an exceptional product that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. That’s what it’s about. To do that, we constantly make improvements, both large and small, to Omnisend.

The biggest improvement we are making is to our reporting. We have completely overhauled our reporting functionality to give merchants greater insights into their marketing efforts with relative ease. The best part: the direction was all provided through customer feedback.

Kajal: As a seasoned entrepreneur, what advice would you give to founders who are just starting out, especially in SaaS or eCommerce?

Rytis: Just do it. Don’t overthink every aspect of the business you want to launch or a change you want to make. Start acting, evaluate the results, and pivot if needed.