AI is dramatically impacting many facets of running a business – including photo generation. And now, a relatively new platform called 88stacks aims to make this function even simpler. Read about the offering and the company behind it in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.

What the Business Does

Offers an AI photo generator.

Founder Jason Toy told Small Business Trends, “88stacks is a platform for AI enthusiasts and marketers to tell stories through images. The platform allows users to create images of anything to use for visual storytelling, marketing, visual assets, or anything else. Users can run one prompt on hundreds of models and generate beautiful images instantly.”

Business Niche

Catering to marketers and storytellers.

Toy says, “There are many competitors, but we are creating tools specifically for marketers and storytellers. We want to make it as easy as possible for non-technical people to use this technology. We have built lots of tools and technologies around non-technical people. 88stacks is dedicated to developing innovative solutions that simplify the process of generative modeling and image creation while also offering comprehensive training and support to users.”

How the Business Got Started

Due to a strong interest in AI.

Toy explains, “I’ve always loved the idea of using machine learning and visual storytelling together and I’ve been playing with generative AI since 2016. The technology was not ready at that time for general users, but in the summer of 2022, the technology made huge leaps forward. So I started to explore the technology again and built products for people to use the technology. I have a strong passion for machine learning and artificial intelligence, where I have contributed significantly to both practical implementation and cutting-edge research. I also believe that everyone should have the opportunity to explore and create with generative technology, regardless of their technical background or expertise.”

Biggest Win

Booking a big client.

Toy adds, “Our biggest win was when a major marketing agency chose 88stacks as their go-to AI image generator for their visual storytelling campaigns. It took a lot of hard work, smart marketing, and happy customers to spread the word. This success boosted our reputation as the top choice for AI image generation in the marketing industry. We gained exposure, more users, and even partnered with other marketing agencies. It was a game-changer for us.”

Biggest Risk

Revamping the entire platform.

Toy says, “We took a massive risk with a major product overhaul aimed at improving user experience and scalability. It was a rollercoaster of resources, time, and effort. If it flopped, we could’ve lost customers, our reputation would’ve been on the line, and financially, it could’ve been a disaster. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. The new platform was a hit, as it is way more user-friendly and capable of handling loads more users.”

Lesson Learned

Focus on community.

Toy adds, “Looking back, we’d totally focus on building a strong user community right from the start. We’ve always valued our users, but we’d have loved to foster more connections and interactions among them. A tight-knit community can share knowledge ideas, and support each other. Plus, they give us valuable feedback, helping us make our platform even better for everyone.”

How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000

Providing extra customer support.

Toy says, “With an extra $100,000, we’d boost our customer support and training services. More support staff, including tech experts, would help users with any issues. We’d create video tutorials and guides to make sure anyone, tech-savvy or not, could efficiently use our AI image generator like a pro.”

Team Tradition

Friendly competition.

Toy explains, “We’ve got this internal competition where team members challenge each other to create their own visual stories using only images generated by our own platform. It’s a friendly battle of creativity, and it gives us a glimpse into the true potential of our product.”

Favorite Quote

‘Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.’ – Jim Rohn.

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Image: 88stacks, Jason Toy

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