MangoSigns Q&A: Simplifying Digital Signage for Small Businesses

Interviewee: Tom Westerberg | Founder & CEO, MangoSigns

December 2024

Q: Can you give a brief overview of MangoSign?

A: MangoSigns is a cloud-based digital signage platform designed for any business. We make it easy for anyone to turn a TV into a powerful communication tool with professional-looking results. By leveraging our platform, businesses can effectively promote their brand, share information, and connect with their audience.

Q: What problem are you solving, and how is your solution unique?

A: MangoSigns addresses the challenge of high costs and complexity associated with traditional digital signage solutions. Our platform enables businesses to use affordable and readily available hardware—like TVs they already own—to create digital signs. Through our web-based application, users can display videos, menus, real-time social media posts, and more. This approach makes digital signage accessible and easy to manage for businesses of any size.

Q: Who is your ideal user or customer?

A: Our ideal users include office administrators and small business owners who want an easy, cost-effective way to improve their internal and external communications.

Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced in developing or launching your product/service?

A: Time management was a significant challenge. Developing MangoSigns while having a newborn and a demanding full-time job required coding nights and weekends. A supportive wife made it possible to navigate these challenges. To make the product self-sufficient, we had to ensure it was self-service, automate support processes, and set up recurring payment systems, which added to the development timeline before the launch.

Q: Tell us about the growth of your product or business.

A: MangoSigns has grown steadily by focusing on providing a simple, user-friendly interface that appeals to a broad audience. Our participation in the Tampa Bay Innovation Center’s Accelerator program in 2020 helped refine our product to meet the needs of our ideal customers. This focus has been key to our ongoing success.

Q: What inspired you to start this company?

A: One of my first jobs out of college was with a digital signage company that catered to high-end hotels, casinos, and convention centers. While the product was valuable, the costs associated with proprietary hardware and on-site servers made it inaccessible for small businesses. I realized there was a significant opportunity to create a cloud-based solution that could run on low-cost hardware or smart TVs, providing small businesses with the same benefits at a fraction of the cost.

Q: How do you see your product fitting into the larger tech landscape?

A: MangoSigns simplifies digital signage, making it accessible for small and medium-sized businesses that are often overlooked by larger, enterprise-focused solutions. By embracing cloud technology and a simple user interface, we fit into the growing trend of scalable, self-service SaaS platforms.

Q: Who are your biggest competitors, and how do you differentiate yourselves?

A: Our main competitors are ScreenCloud, OnSignTV, and Yodeck. We differentiate ourselves by focusing on simplicity and avoiding overcomplicating our product with features that most users don’t need. This balance allows us to serve a diverse client base effectively.

Q: What is your funding strategy? Have you secured any funding yet?

A: MangoSigns started as a bootstrapped company and remains self-funded. This approach has allowed us to maintain full control over the direction of the business.

Q: What are some exciting trends you see in your industry, and how are you capitalizing on them?

A: The increasing integration of APIs and applications into digital signage is a major trend. To capitalize on this, we’ve recently introduced a feature that allows us to integrate new applications and data sources without code deployments. This innovation reduces downtime and minimizes risk while offering enhanced functionality to our customers.

Q: What is a surprising fact about your company or product?

A: The initial MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of MangoSigns was built during nights and weekends while balancing a full-time job and family life. Despite these challenges, the product has grown into a robust platform used by businesses worldwide.

Q: What has been the biggest accomplishment for your team so far?

A: One of our biggest accomplishments is creating a self-service product that empowers small businesses to manage their own digital signage without extensive support. This achievement reflects our commitment to simplicity and customer empowerment.

Q: What advice would you give to first-time startup founders?

A: Start small and release frequently. When we first launched MangoSigns, it was a basic product with just a signup page and the ability to display images on an Android device or Fire TV stick. Seeing early demand validated our product-market fit and allowed us to build on that foundation.

Q: Do you have any upcoming milestones or announcements?

A: Yes! We recently extended our platform to introduce new integrations and applications without requiring code deployments. This advancement allows us to seamlessly integrate the tools our customers rely on while maintaining a stable and reliable platform.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share?

A: MangoSigns is more than just a tool—it’s a solution built with small businesses in mind. We’re excited to continue empowering businesses to communicate more effectively and grow their brands with affordable, easy-to-use technology.