Meet Fikry

I’m Fikry, CEO of KIRIM.EMAIL. I’ve been in the email marketing trenches since 2008. After witnessing the industry’s evolution firsthand, I launched KIRIM.EMAIL in 2016 with a contrarian thesis: treat email lists like bonsai trees, not blast zones.

Fast forward nearly a decade, we’ve collected some awards, but more importantly, we’ve served almost 35,000 customers who’ve discovered that email marketing doesn’t have to be rocket science. It’s been a fascinating journey watching the pendulum swing from “email is dead” to “email is the highest ROI channel”—spoiler alert: it never died, people just sucked at it.

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What inspired the creation of Kirim Email?

Two things pissed me off about the email marketing industry. First, every platform was built like they expected NASA engineers as users. Second—and this is the kicker—other platforms would ban users for having “low-quality lists” and then wash their hands of it. That’s like a gym kicking you out for being out of shape.

We flipped the script. Instead of punishing users for imperfect lists, we help them cultivate and nurture those lists. Think of us as the rehabilitation center for email lists that other platforms gave up on. Because here’s what nobody tells you: a “bad” list is often just a neglected relationship waiting to be revived.

What makes Kirim Email different from other email marketing platforms?

Three core differentiators that actually matter:

1. Built-in email validation: We’re the only platform that validates emails before you send them. According to recent data, invalid emails can tank your sender reputation faster than a Nigerian prince scam. We prevent that disaster before it happens.
2. Radical simplicity: Three clicks to send an email blast. Period. While competitors add feature after feature (feature creep is real), we obsess over subtraction. As Dieter Rams said, “Good design is as little design as possible.”
3. Honest metrics: Here’s something wild—we don’t count duplicate contacts as separate emails. I know, revolutionary concept, right? We also integrate with virtually everything because walled gardens are so 2010.

But the real difference? We’re built for the 99% of businesses who just want email marketing to work without a PhD in marketing automation.

What are the top mistakes you see users making in email marketing?

The unholy trinity of email marketing sins:

1. Zero validation: Sending to unvalidated lists is like driving blindfolded—you might get somewhere, but probably not where you intended. In 2025, with AI filtering getting smarter, this is digital suicide.
2. Treating subscribers like ATMs: No relationship, just constant withdrawal attempts. The best email marketers I know follow a simple rule: give 10x more value than you ask for. Most do the opposite.
3. The permission paradox: Here’s the uncomfortable truth—sending unsolicited emails isn’t just illegal in most jurisdictions, it’s mathematically stupid. Our data shows permission-based emails convert 40x better than cold outreach. Yet people still blast away thinking volume beats relevance. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Do you offer email templates or an editor to create visually appealing emails?

Absolutely. But here’s our philosophy: the best email template is the one that doesn’t look like a template. 

We offer a drag-and-drop editor that’s so intuitive, my 70-year-old neighbor uses it. But more importantly, we’ve analyzed millions of sends and discovered something counterintuitive: simpler emails often outperform designed ones by 2-3x. 

So yes, we have beautiful templates, but we also educate users on when NOT to use them. Sometimes a plain text email from a human beats a gorgeous newsletter. We give you both options and the data to choose wisely.

What are your recommendations for growing an email list from scratch?

Forget everything you’ve heard about lead magnets. Here’s my contrarian approach that’s built multiple six-figure lists:

Create a low-ticket digital product—an ebook, mini-course, workshop recording, whatever. Price it at $7-27. Why? Because someone who pays $7 is infinitely more valuable than someone who downloads a freebie. It’s not about the money; it’s about the psychological commitment.

Free lead magnets attract freebie seekers. Paid products attract buyers. Which list would you rather have? I’ve tested this across dozens of markets. Paid list subscribers are 8x more likely to buy your main offer and have 70% lower unsubscribe rates.

Think of it as a bouncer for your email list. The small price filters out the tourists and attracts the residents.

What’s your take on the future of email marketing—especially with rising AI use?

Here’s the paradox: as AI makes content creation easier, authentic human connection becomes more valuable. Email is becoming the last direct line to your audience that isn’t controlled by an algorithm.

With organic website traffic plummeting (thanks, AI overviews), email is your insurance policy against platform dependence. While everyone’s chasing the latest AI tool, smart marketers are doubling down on owned audiences.

The future? AI will handle the mundane—subject line optimization, send time prediction, segmentation. But the winners will use that freed time to create deeper, more meaningful connections. Email isn’t dying; it’s evolving from a broadcast channel to a relationship channel.

What advice would you give to aspiring SaaS founders entering the SaaS space?

Bootstrap until it hurts, then bootstrap some more. Here’s why: constraints breed creativity, and creativity breeds differentiation.

Three non-negotiables:

1. Validate brutally: Talk to 100 potential customers before writing a line of code. If you can’t find 100 people with the problem, you don’t have a business.
2. Charge from day one: Free users will drain your soul and bank account. Even $1/month changes the entire dynamic.
3. Focus on boring businesses: Everyone wants to build the next Instagram. Build the next QuickBooks instead. Boring businesses with clear ROI print money.

Remember: in SaaS, you’re not selling software. You’re selling a better version of your customer’s life. Never forget that.

What’s the long-term vision for Kirim Email over the next few years?

We’re building the backbone infrastructure for online businesses—the nervous system that connects entrepreneurs to their audiences. 

Not the sexiest vision, but here’s the thing: while others chase shiny objects, we’re laying pipes. And in a world where direct audience access is becoming the ultimate competitive advantage, we’re positioning ourselves as the arms dealer in the attention economy.

Did you enjoy our interview? Do you have anything to say to our community?

Loved it. Here’s my parting gift to your community:

Stop reading about entrepreneurship and start doing it. The gap between knowing and doing is where dreams go to die.

Knowledge without action is just sophisticated procrastination. And if you’re still reading this, you’re probably procrastinating right now. Go. Build. Ship. The world needs what you’re creating, even if you don’t believe it yet.

Remember: fortune favors the bold, but revenue favors the persistent.