Let me start by introducing myself and XynoSync. I'm one of the co-founders of XynoSync, with over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. As a software engineer, I've spent more than 7 years working for various tech companies and over 3 years serving as a director at my previous company. These days, my focus is primarily on back-end engineering and system administration. I'm also a cybersecurity expert. To put it simply for non-technical folks—I handle everything from basic website hosting to complex infrastructure setups, and I manage cybersecurity across websites and servers.
Together with one of my colleagues, I co-founded XynoSync with a clear purpose. Over the years, I've observed several issues in the industry. Many companies focus on flashy presentations but lack real expertise in software engineering and infrastructure management. Others excel in client communication and software development, yet fall short when it comes to infrastructure. And the few that do offer all three—client handling, software engineering, and infrastructure management—often charge a premium price. Recognizing this gap between low-quality providers and high-end firms, we created XynoSync to bridge it. Our main goal is to make the web better and more accessible—for our clients and their users alike.
In general, we charge our clients only for the actual effort we put in and the infrastructure costs involved, with just a minimal profit margin. Interestingly, I've found that this approach can be misunderstood—even seen as unprofessional or undervalued by some. A few people assume we're just a group of undergraduates trying to undercut the market. I get it—every service needs to be priced appropriately to sustain the industry. But the reality is, the market had already deteriorated by the time we started XynoSync. That's one of the main reasons we chose to offer lower prices—we had to stay competitive, especially on platforms like Meta.
More importantly, we didn't start this company just to make money. Of course, we need to be profitable to sustain operations—we're not a charity. But our core mission is to provide high-quality, reliable services at fair and affordable prices. We're here to bridge the gap between overpriced service providers and those offering subpar quality.
We chose to focus on the audience found on the Meta platform for a specific reason. Many high-quality web development companies tend to avoid this space—and there's an unfortunate reason behind it. Let me explain.
As both a businessperson and an experienced software engineer, I've seen firsthand why many high-quality web development companies view clients on the Meta platform as "cheap clients." And honestly, there's a reason behind that perception.
In my previous role as a director, I usually didn't engage directly with clients—we had dedicated specialists for that. I only stepped in when a client requested a meeting with our team. As the head of the development department, I often joined those discussions to help guide our technical direction.
Now, here's the key point: from the perspective of top-tier companies, these clients weren't problematic—they were actually very genuine. Most weren't individuals; they represented businesses. That means they were often highly skilled professionals in their respective fields who understood the value of expertise. They respected our knowledge because they knew how professional environments and collaboration work.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying that most individuals on the Meta platform lack education or professionalism. That's certainly not the case. However, this is the perception held by many high-quality companies. Because of that, they often choose to avoid taking on clients from the Meta platform, even if those clients are willing to pay higher prices. For these companies, their skills, reputation, and professional pride often take precedence over financial gain.
The reason we chose to focus on the Meta platform is simple: many individuals on this platform have never had the chance to experience truly high-quality services or products. Unfortunately, they often end up with subpar companies that don't deliver real value. As I mentioned earlier, our goal is to fill that gap—to bring professional, reliable, and high-standard services to a space where they're often missing.
This story actually begins with a Meta ad. Our company recently launched a campaign offering any type of website for just LKR 5,990 upfront, with the remaining balance payable in 12 easy installments. Personally, I expected this to be a huge success and that many people would respond positively. However, the campaign turned out to be a complete failure. While we received a large number of inquiries, we struggled to convert any of them into actual clients. The reasons behind this are clear—and I'll dive into them later in this article. Since I typically don't engage directly with clients, the campaign ended up serving as a kind of social experiment for both me and our company.
First, I'd like to share three specific inquiries we received. Let's start with the first one.
One inquiry we received was from someone requesting a Shopify website. From my experience as a software engineer, this is a common misconception—many clients believe that choosing the tech stack is their responsibility. That's actually why I wrote the article, "Ultimate Web Development Guide for Clients." In response, I explained that since we don't use content management systems, we couldn't meet their specific request. I also asked why they wanted their site built on Shopify in the first place. Their answer was almost comical—let me share it with you in their own words.
"I just wanted sugar buns, are you trying to sell fish buns? Pathetic."
At first, I nearly couldn't understand what they meant. But after a few minutes, it became clear—they seem to think all e-commerce websites are Shopify sites. What's amusing is that they don't even give us a chance to explain, as they believe they already know everything. This is the first type of client we often encounter on the Meta platform.
The second type of client is quite interesting. Someone inquired about a website to operate in Dubai and emphasized that it needed to be high quality. Their first question was about our location. Since it seemed like a standard question, I simply shared our location without much thought. Then they asked about the educational background of our team. After that, they went on with the usual technical jargon, which I just listened to as a normal part of such conversations. Toward the end, they asked us to send a proposal based on their requirements. I agreed and asked my colleagues to prepare a thorough project proposal. I was careful not to quote anything above the actual cost.
After preparing the proposal, I sent it to the client along with several helpful blog articles, hoping these would demonstrate our expertise. To my surprise, my instinct was completely wrong—it seemed to offend them. They called and asked if we planned to outsource the project to a freelancer or someone else. At that moment, I realized they hadn't properly read the proposal or the articles. Even though we clearly outlined our expertise, they still doubted our ability, which was a bit frustrating.
They mentioned they had been in the web development business about 15 years ago but decided to hire a company now due to time constraints. When I asked about their past experience, they never gave a clear answer. What followed was almost comical—they threw around buzzwords like "open source" and "proxy" without really understanding their meaning, which made me smile.
I won't go into every detail, but the key point is they tried to act superior without the knowledge to back it up. That's when I understood why high-quality companies avoid clients like these. Their attitude of pretending to know everything, combined with disrespect, makes working with them unappealing. They assumed we were just a bunch of undergraduates, which gave them the confidence to insult us. In the end, we simply discarded the proposal and moved on.
The third type is more straightforward—these are smaller developers or low-quality companies. They often send inquiries to every company they come across, hoping to gain inside knowledge to improve their own business. However, this approach has never worked for them.
Now you can see why most high-quality companies tend to avoid clients on the Meta platform. Just one difficult client can cause others to be unfairly grouped in the same category. So, the real question is: why haven't we been able to convert any of these inquiries into actual clients? Let's break it down.
- I believe we made a mistake with our campaign on the Meta platform—perhaps in targeting the wrong audience. It's also possible that Meta's ad system didn't show our ads to the right people. Either way, I'm quite disappointed with the results of our Meta advertising.
- I was inspired by Danube Properties and their 1% plan, which sparked the idea to apply a similar approach in our field—offering affordable services with installment payment options. I noticed many clients hesitate to invest in a website because of the upfront costs, so they end up not having an online presence for their business. Seeing this opportunity, I wanted to help by making web development more accessible. Unfortunately, most clients saw us as just a group of undergraduates trying to make money by any means.
- Some other developers viewed our offer as a criticism, arguing that such low prices could harm the industry. Aware of this concern, I still decided to take the risk—and ultimately, we didn't succeed.
- Because of our low prices, many people didn't believe us and assumed we were a scam. From my experience, most didn't even take the time to read our website—they simply sent inquiries asking about prices or payment plans, without much concern for who we are or the quality we offer.
However, the outcome was frustrating. As a company, we decided to move forward with a bold decision—one that left us no other option but to follow the path taken by other high-quality firms. We now take Meta clients seriously and focus solely on offering professional, top-tier services. While we have no intention of abandoning this platform—since genuine clients do exist here—we recognize that there's no benefit in continuing to offer heavily discounted deals.
I wrote this article to openly address the challenges we've faced and to share our company's decision with the public. I have not revealed any names or private information, as it is never my intention to harm or mislead anyone. Thank you for placing your trust in XynoSync.
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