Only after 5 years did I turn it into a business. Until then, it was something like a project for me as a student.
So, there really was no formal process. I did a few things right, I learned a lot along the way, but there's nothing to copy or to model. It was mostly luck and an opportunity I took.
Edit: I once read: "The perfect time to start a company that is successful in 2013 was 2007" or something in that sense. This is what happened. I took this opportunity. I would do things differently today, but to be honest, I have the same hard time as everybody else to come up with a new business and a viable idea. Because everything changed since 2006. So what I did right back then wouldn't work now, process-wise.
Still, I did a few things right I guess that are still valid in 2013. Mostly: I concentrated on important things, I do customer support myself, I listen to people, I'm friendly, I help people solve their problems. I care about them, about their privacy and do everything to protect it. I write emails that take me 30 minutes if it's necessary. Why? Because I only get a handful of emails per day. It's not scalable but then, it doesn't have to be. I do some SEO and rank well for my niche keywords. About 50-70% is word of mouth.
What I don't do: I don't have a blog, I didn't integrate any social network crap, I don't use Google Analytics or any other fancy third-party application that must be included via JS. I use Piwik that I check occasionally (sometimes every week, sometimes only every few months). I don't have big metrics. My most imporant metrics are: Money earned per week/month. Amount of active (paid) users. Signups per week.
Edit2: My product has nothing to do with PHP and doesn't target IT people. Just in case this is misinterpreted. I mention PHP only, because people on HN hate PHP that much and sometimes forget that it doesn't matter if it's PHP or anything else, as long as it pays the bills. PHP is fast, PHP is reliable and I get shit done in PHP. That's why I use PHP.