I've set up the same landing page stack 47 times. Same tools. Same $500+ annual cost per client. Same frustration with scattered logins and duplicate data entry. After the 47th time, I stopped accepting it as "just how things are" and decided to build something better.
I run Quadralyst, a boutique agency working with early-stage startups. Every single project starts the same way: we need a landing page, a waitlist, and email automation to nurture early interest. Should be simple. It's not.
The same setup dance, every time
For every client, I'd assemble this Frankenstein stack:
Landing page builder: $15-30/month (Carrd or Webflow)
Email marketing: $15-50/month (ConvertKit or Mailchimp)
Form/survey tools: $10-25/month (Typeform)
Referral tracking: $30-50/month (if we're serious about growth)
That's 3-5 different tools, 3-5 logins, 3-5 billing cycles, and $600-1,200 per year before my clients make their first dollar. Worse, their subscriber data lives scattered across platforms they don't control.
I kept thinking, "There has to be a better way." Then I'd move on to the next project and repeat the cycle.
The Landing Page Compromise No One Talks About
Here's what I realized after years of doing this: creating a landing page is no longer the hard part. ChatGPT can generate one in 30 seconds. A Fiverr freelancer can deliver something decent for $50. Landing pages have become a commodity.
The challenge isn't getting the HTML. The challenge is turning that static page into something functional—something that actually helps you validate your idea.
Static site generators (Hugo, Jekyll, 11ty) give you beautiful, fast HTML. But that's where they stop. You've got a page that looks great and does nothing. Want to collect emails for a waitlist? Add a third-party form. Want referral tracking? Integrate another tool. Want to send blog updates? Set up yet another service. You end up with the same fragmented stack, just wearing different clothes.
Dynamic site builders (Carrd, WordPress, Framer, Webflow) promise to solve this by offering integrated features. But now you're dealing with:
Monthly fees that compound across projects ($180-600/year per site)
Vendor lock-in (try migrating off Webflow with your design intact)
Performance hits from framework bloat
Template limitations that require workarounds
Still needing separate tools for advanced features like referral systems or pricing validation
Here's the fundamental problem: You can get the landing page HTML easily and cheaply. But the moment you need it to actually do something, capture emails, track referrals, send updates, publish blog posts, validate pricing, you're either paying $500+/year or cobbling together a technical nightmare.
That gap shouldn't exist in 2026.
I asked around (Nobody had good answers)
I started asking other consultants and agency folks: "How are you handling this?"
The responses were depressingly consistent:
"Yeah, it's annoying, but what can you do?"
"Just use Webflow and bill the client for it."
"Cobble together whatever's cheapest."
Nobody had a solution. Everyone just accepted this as the cost of doing business.
After the twelfth conversation, ending with "that's just how it is," I realized: if no one else is fixing this, maybe that's the opportunity.
Enough Was Enough
After setting up the same fragmented stack for the dozenth time, I decided to build the tool I kept wishing existed.
If I need this for every client project, and every consultant I know faces the same frustration, there's clearly a gap here. Why keep paying $500+/year per project when I could build something once and use it forever?
But here's where I had a moment of clarity: why keep it to myself?
The startup community has given me so much: knowledge, connections, and the chance to work with ambitious founders building interesting things. If I'm solving this problem anyway, why not share it with everyone else dealing with the same headache?
What Arc CMS Does Differently
Here's the core idea: You bring the HTML (from ChatGPT, a Fiverr designer, a template, or hand-coded), and Arc CMS adds the superpowers that turn it into a validation platform.
Your static landing page gets:
Waitlist capture with viral referrals: Every signup gets a unique referral link. A public leaderboard gamifies sharing. Each person who joins brings 0.3-0.5 more people through referrals. Your acquisition cost drops toward zero.
Email automation that works: Welcome emails are sent instantly. Drip sequences nurture interest (Day 1, 3, 7, 14). Broadcast messages when you have updates. All managed from one dashboard.
Blog/updates system: Write and publish posts directly from the dashboard. No rebuilding. No redeploying. Your landing page automatically shows recent posts. Keep your audience engaged while you're building.
Pricing validation nobody else offers: After signup, ask "What would you pay for this?" Show pricing tiers or collect open responses. Know your price point before writing a single line of code.
Analytics without the headache: Google Analytics auto-injected. Conversion tracking built in. Referral performance metrics. Email open rates. Everything you need to know if your idea has traction.
And here's the critical part:
Zero recurring fees: You pay ~$1/month for Firebase hosting (using your own account). No subscriptions. No surprise price increases. No vendor lock-in.
Complete data ownership: Your Firebase project. Your database. Your code. Export everything anytime. No platform holds your subscribers hostage.
Open source: The code is public. You can see exactly what it does, modify it for your needs, and never worry about the project disappearing.
It's laser-focused on what founders need at the very beginning: testing the idea, capturing interest, nurturing relationships, and understanding demand.
This Is Where You Come In
Arc CMS is in active development. The core features work. The docs are being written. But I'm not building this in isolation.
I want this shaped by the people who'll actually use it, that are the founders who are tired of the same expensive, fragmented setup I've been dealing with for years.
That's why I'm opening a Founding Circle limited to 100 members. Here's what you get:
Early access: February 2026, one week before the public launch. You'll be testing and deploying while everyone else is still waiting.
Direct influence: Monthly input sessions where you vote on what gets built next. Your feedback directly determines the roadmap.
Priority support: 24-hour response time from me personally, not a community forum. If something breaks or you need help, you get actual support.
Founding member benefits: Permanent badge, grandfathered access to future features, and priority consideration if we ever build a Pro tier.
We're capping this at 100 to keep the feedback loop tight and manageable. I am starting with 0, but I hope this changes soon.
Let's Fix This Together
I'm tired of watching founders spend $600+ on landing page infrastructure before they've validated anything. I'm tired of setting up the same stack over and over. I'm tired of data scattered across platforms that can change their pricing or shut down tomorrow.
The landing page HTML is the easy part now. Making it actually functional for validation, that's the problem worth solving.
So I'm building Arc CMS. And I want you to help shape what it becomes.
Join the waitlist at arccms.com and be part of the Founding Circle. Let's make landing pages work the way they should: simple, powerful, and affordable.
Because testing ideas shouldn't require a venture capital budget.
Let's build this thing together.
Gunjan