In episode 698, Rob Walling interviews Noah Kagan, CEO of AppSumo. They discuss the importance of eliminating distractions, cover strategies that led to growth in Noah’s businesses, and share insights from growing YouTube channels. Noah also shares why he decided to write his new book, Million Dollar Weekend. Episode Sponsor: Is your outsourced development team dropping the ball? Maybe you’ve worked with a team that just couldn't grasp your vision and needed constant oversight because they weren’t thinking strategically. Or maybe you ended up wasting hours micromanaging, often needing to jump on late-night calls across massive time zone differences to get alignment. And in the end, they delivered a sluggish app with a frustrating UI that didn’t come close to the solution you had envisioned. If any of that sounds familiar, you need to reach out to our sponsor - DevSquad. DevSquad provides an entire development team packed with top talent from Latin America.  Your elite squad will include between 2 to 6 Full Stack Developers, a technical product manager, plus experts in product strategy, UI/UX design, DevOps, and QA - all working together to make your SaaS Product a success. You can ramp up an entire product team fast, in your timezone, and at rates 75% cheaper than a comparable US-based team. And with DevSquad, you pay month to month with no long-term contracts.  Get the committed, responsive development team that your business deserves.   Visit DevSquad.com/startups and get 10% off the first three months of your engagement. Topics we cover:  2:38 – Making good decisions, consistently 5:47 – Noah’s disappointment in selling Sumo 13:20 – Strategies and decisions that led to growth 15:46 – Focus on eliminating distractions 20:15 – Noah returns as AppSumo CEO 23:20 – Making the mistake of not listening to customers 26:55 –Growing a YouTube Channel to 1M+ subscribers  35:03 – The role of YouTube content in supporting AppSumo 37:11 – Building a million dollar business in a weekend Links from the Show:  Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024 Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan Noah Kagan (@noahkagan) | X Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin Sumo AppSumo TidyCal SendFox KingSumo Noah’s YouTube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit

In episode 697, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he makes predictions for SaaS in 2024. His predictions focus on Vertical SaaS, emerging markets, the professionalization of No-Code, subscription fatigue,  AI and more. At the end of the episode, he evaluates predictions he made over the past 10 years to see if they held up. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:  1:32 – Opportunity in vertical SaaS 3:48 – SaaS will continue to grow in emerging markets 5:08 – Twitter changes hands in 2024? 6:56 – Subscription fatigue has little impact on adoption of B2B SaaS 8:13 – No-Code and Low-Code will undergo “professionalization” 10:24 – Is it hype, or is it not? How AI will continue to develop this year 14:11 – Will Stripe go public? 17:08 – Revisiting past predictions: SaaS, Twitter, VR, crypto, markets, & gadgets Links from the Show:  Call for Pitches TinySeed Portfolio Start Small Stay Small Dave Kellett (@davekellett) | X Once.com If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 696, Rob Walling and Ruben Gamez cover a variety of topics. They discuss how product market fit is achieved across customer segments and use cases, not simply broadly. Ruben shares how he approaches effective decision making and sales as an introvert. They wrap up by sharing how they evaluate candidates when hiring to build their teams. Topics we cover:  4:47 – Product market fit, increasing average revenue per customer 7:58 – When did you know you had product market fit? 11:03 – Product market fit is a continuum, and use case specific 14:27 – Making hard decisions around product market fit 19:01 – Getting better at prioritizing and making hard decisions 27:38 – Doing sales as an introvert 33:09 – Building a functional team that gets stuff done 40:10 – Evaluating potential hires Links from the Show:  MicroConf Sponsorships Microconf Connect Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | X SignWell Episode 695 | Ideal Customers, Moving from B2C to B2B, and More Listener Questions (with Asia Orangio) The SaaS Playbook Dynamite Jobs Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart, Randy Street Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, et al.  If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 695, Rob Walling and Asia Orangio answer listener questions. They take questions about ideal target customers, moving from B2C to B2B, and how to advertise for a product in a new space. They wrap up discussing the challenges of making freemium work while bootstrapping. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:  4:06 – Adjusting your target customers to chase an opportunity 11:58 – Is translating marketing or educational content worth it? 16:46 – Moving from B2C to B2B 25:53 – Defining a cross-channel marketing approach 33:22 – Advertising for a product in new product category 41:40 – The issues with making freemium work while bootstrapping. Links from the Show:  State of Independent SaaS Report MicroConf Mastermind Program Asia Orangio (@AsiaOrangio) | X DemandMaven Episode 681 | Why Launching a Second Product is Usually a Bad Idea User Interviews Episode 685 | 7 Things You Should Never Do (A Rob Solo Adventure) Four Fits for $100M+ Growth by Brian Balfour Brian Balfour (@bbalfour) | X Reforge Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us

In episode 694, join Rob Walling as he recaps 2023. He reflects on growing TinySeed, MicroConf, the YouTube channel and this podcast. Rob also addresses his struggle with "arrival fallacy" and the continuous journey of success. Alongside the growth, he describes seeing burnout on the horizon, emphasizes the importances of addressing that early, and what it means for him and his team in 2024. Episode Sponsor: Going from an idea sketched on the back of a napkin to a robust, stable product requires a wide range of skills. You can spend ages looking for a one-in-a-million developer who can do it all, or you can quickly ramp up an entire product team to help you build and launch your product with our sponsor - DevSquad. DevSquad provides an entire development team packed with top talent from Latin America.&nbsp; Your elite squad will include between 2 to 6 Full Stack Developers, a technical product manager, plus experts in product strategy, UI/UX design, DevOps, and QA - all working together to make your SaaS Product a success. You can ramp up an entire product team fast, in your timezone, and at rates 75% cheaper than a comparable US-based team. And with DevSquad, you pay month to month with no long-term contracts.&nbsp; Take the hassle out of assembling and managing a sprawling team of freelancers and work with a group that’s ready to hit the ground running. Visit DevSquad.com/startups and get 10% off your engagement.&nbsp; Topics we cover:&nbsp; 4:20 – 2023 growth, launch of The SaaS Playbook 6:04 – Audience growth and supporting the mission 7:24 – Seeing burnout on the horizon, content calendars, and travel 11:49 – Dealing with burnout if you are experiencing it 14:18 – Adjusting travel schedules and amount 15:39 –&nbsp;Doing the things that “give me life”, sustainably Links from the Show:&nbsp; TinySeed Get Your tickets for MicroConf Atlanta State of Independent SaaS Report The SaaS Playbook Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube channel Start Small Stay Small Episode 670 | Relying on Luck, Avoiding Burnout, and Bad Player vs. Bad Instrument (A Rob Solo Adventure) The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together The Zen Founder Guide to Founder Retreats If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!</

In episode 693, Rob Walling interviews Grant McConnaughey, founder of Postpone, a social media scheduling tool. They discuss the app's growth from inception to mid six figures, early growth tactics, a successful price increase, and platform risks with Reddit and Twitter. Grant also shares his experience going all-in on one idea, joining TinySeed, and reveals what he can still improve upon. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:04 –&nbsp;Postpone starts off as part of a New Year’s resolution 4:13 –&nbsp;Validating and building the MVP to schedule content for Reddit&nbsp; 6:44 – Launching lean to slow growth in the beginning 9:10 – Doing things that don’t scale&nbsp; 10:53 – What were the reasons for joining TinySeed 13:06 – Full time focus and pricing changes enabled strong growth for Postpone 17:15 – Initial hesitation for raising prices at first 22:08 – Experiencing and overcoming Reddit platform risk 26:00 – What could Grant be doing better? Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf Connect TinySeed Grant McConnaughey (@gmcconnaughey) | X Postone’s MRR graph | X Postpone Adam Wathan (@adamwathan) | X Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 692, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he addresses a variety of topics. He stresses revisiting your onboarding to evaluate your product’s “minimum path to awesome” and warns of conducting “mirror research” instead of market research. Rob also tackles why being the cheapest option is not always the best positioning. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:33 – Walking customers through signup to first value, revisit your onboarding 4:29 – The early entrepreneur’s trap: "We are pre-revenue still…” 8:31 – Not being the cheapest option 14:31 – Mirror research vs. market research 17:16 – Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist Links from the Show:&nbsp; Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024 The SaaS Playbook Episode 456 | Launching a 2nd Product + Revisiting Freemium with Ruben Gamez TinySeed Mentors Comic Lab Episode 685 | 7 Things You Should Never Do (A Rob Solo Adventure) Episode 687 | An 8th Thing You Should Never Do, Things That Don’t Scale, and More Rob Solo Topics If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startups-for-the-rest-of-us/id366931

In episode 691, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He evaluates freemium as it relates to paying by the “honor system”, competing&nbsp; against big incumbents, and whether to sell using high-touch vs. low-touch strategies. Rob also recommends books for introverts looking for sales advice.&nbsp;&nbsp; Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:01 – Charging for your product using the “honor system” 6:16 – Competing against big, entrenched incumbents 12:36 – Low-touch vs. high-touch sales strategies 17:01 – Selling as an introverted founder 20:45 – Skipping the “Stair Step” approach to quickly validate a SaaS Links from the Show:&nbsp; Startups For the Rest of Us | X Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube channel Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | X The SaaS Playbook TinySeed Keap Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone by Matthew Pollard The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping Episode 628 | The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework Ask a Question on SFTROU If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please <a href="https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/

In episode 690, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He advises on the ethical considerations of email marketing and answers how he would value a business when buying out a partner. He also addresses the best ways to collect customer feedback and the value of high-fidelity customer calls. Episode Sponsor: Going from an idea sketched on the back of a napkin to a robust, stable product requires a wide range of skills. You can spend ages looking for a one-in-a-million developer who can do it all, or you can quickly ramp up an entire product team to help you build and launch your product with our sponsor - DevSquad. DevSquad provides an entire development team packed with top talent from Latin America.&nbsp; Your elite squad will include between 2 to 6 Full Stack Developers, a technical product manager, plus experts in product strategy, UI/UX design, DevOps, and QA - all working together to make your SaaS Product a success. You can ramp up an entire product team fast, in your timezone, and at rates 75% cheaper than a comparable US-based team. And with DevSquad, you pay month to month with no long-term contracts.&nbsp; Take the hassle out of assembling and managing a sprawling team of freelancers and work with a group that’s ready to hit the ground running. Visit DevSquad.com/startups and get 10% off your engagement.&nbsp; Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:59 – Emailing users about other projects you are working on 9:26 – Avoid sending spam-like emails 12:55 –&nbsp;Building a service vs. selling it as an affiliate 17:34 – SaaS evaluation after business partner falling out 21:25 –&nbsp;The best ways to collect customer feedback 25:36 –&nbsp;Determining which group of buyers to sell to, HOA’s or property managers Links from the Show:&nbsp; The SaaS Playbook Ask a Question on SFTROU Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping Quiet Light FE International Discretion Capital MicroConf Connect Producer Xander (@ProducerXander) | X Episode 139 | 6 Questions You Should Ask In Your Customer Development Survey If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submi

In episode 689, Rob Walling interviews Robert Cserti, co-founder of SessionLab. Robert and his team provide tools and resources for designing workshops and SessionLab operates fully remote. Rob and Robert discuss strategies for motivating remote teams, fostering team culture and communication, and being intentional about synchronous meetings and team bonding. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:01 – SessionLab, for creating workshops&nbsp; 3:42 – Keeping employee engagement high in remote teams, intentionally creating a workplace culture. 7:15 – Daily check-ins, synchronous vs. asynchronous communication 10:32 – Finding a cadence for synchronous calls and “all-hands” 13:20 – Planning in team retreats 15:18 – Meetings specifically for team bonding 18:42 – Regularly scheduled, random 1:1 social chats 21:05 – Experimenting with tools to facilitate communication and identify issues early 26:02 –&nbsp;Managing synchronous working overlap across time zones Links from the Show:&nbsp; Are you considering selling your SaaS business? The Psychology of Exiting Your Company&nbsp; Quiet Light Robert Cserti | LinkedIn SessionLab (@SessionLab) | X SessionLab SessionLab’s Library of facilitation techniques Geekbot Cozy Juicy Real Donut SpatialChat If you have questions about start

In episode 688, Rob Walling interviews Lane Wagner, founder of Boot.dev. Boot.dev is a learning platform gamified to teach backend development. They discuss the journey of bootstrapping Boot.dev, its explosive growth, and its unique business model. Lane also shares challenges of running a B2C business, why he took some funding, and the significance of customer lifetime value over MRR in his business. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:38 – Boot.dev seeing incredible growth 3:35 – Growing on YouTube with partnerships 5:42 – Teaching Python and Go as a B2C business 7:49 – “This is not really SaaS”, considering JTBD 11:18 – The beginnings of Boot.dev, serving the backend niche 14:21 – Gaining the confidence to quit the day job 15:51 – Deciding to raise funding and “mostly” bootstrap 20:31 – Enduring hardship before turning the corner on growth 26:38 – Finding the right revenue metric for the business Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf US - Atlanta - April 21 - 23, 2024 Interested in Sponsoring MicroConf Content? Subscribe for Exclusive Episodes Lane from Boot.dev (@wagslane) | X Boot.dev Profitable, at last! Purple Cow by Seth Godin If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 687, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where discusses a variety of topics. He revisits a recent episode to add one more item to the list of things founders should never do. Rob also offers a hot take on Meta’s new subscription plans and weighs in on a Hacker News post about doing things that don’t scale. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:50 – There’s one more thing that founders should never do 8:44 – Facebook and Instagram will offer a subscription for no ads 12:42 – Ask HN: Paul Graham’s “Do Things That Don’t Scale” 19:53 – Lugg, doing what it takes to prove out an idea Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf Connect Episode 685 | 7 Things You Should Never Do (A Rob Solo Adventure) Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | X TinySeed Facebook and Instagram To Offer Subscription for No Ads in Europe&nbsp; Ask HN: PG's 'Do Things That Don't Scale' manual examples? Do Things that Don't Scale Lugg If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify</

In episode 686, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He answers how to evaluate monetary success, combat hedonic adaptation, and how to evaluate the capabilities of technical co-founders. Rob also discusses whether outsourcing sales and marketing is possible and considers some alternative no-code approaches.&nbsp; Topics we cover:&nbsp; 4:20 – Success after stair-stepping, confronting hedonic adaptation 15:35 – Sales funnels, friction before demos, and collecting email addresses 19:24 – Outsourcing marketing and sales 23:54 – Evaluating the technical capabilities of your technical co-founder(s) 29:41 – Reducing the platform risk of developing in typical no-code tools Links from the Show:&nbsp; State of Independent SaaS Survey and Report MicroConf Local in Austin MicroConf Connect Bernard Huang (@bernardjhuang) | X WP Engine (@wpengine) | X Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes) | X The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup&nbsp; The SaaS Playbook This Took 11 Years to Be An "Overnight Success" - SaaS Exit Strategy Once&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 685, Rob Walling goes solo to share his insights on 7 common mistakes that SaaS founders make. Be sure to listen to the end to hear Rob’s spicy take on launching a portfolio of products to see what sticks. Episode Sponsor: As a founder your plate is full. So when you have to hire devs, there’s no time to search for that perfect culture-fit, get-things-done developer. Lemon.io’s new product, Lemon Hire saves founders time by connecting them with a pipeline of 80K+ senior engineers. Each dev is filtered through a 4-step vetting process, available to interview within 48 hours of choosing, and backed by a 30-day replacement guarantee. Find your great-fit candidates fast with Lemon Hire. Claim a special discount for our fans. Visit  https://lemon.io/hire/, sign up, and mention “Startups” to receive $2000 off your first hire. Topics we cover:  1:29 – Sign the National Association of Manufacturers Letter, Section 174 3:52 – Compiling a list of things founders shouldn’t do 6:49 – B2C applications, “the worst of all the worlds” 9:42 – Don’t build a second product if your first has stopped growing 10:40 – Defining a new category of software is usually a bad idea  19:59 – Avoid multi-language support 24:13 – Dig deep to find root causes beyond the symptoms 27:41 – The portfolio approach Links from the Show:  The Small Software Business Alliance MicroConf Remote The SaaS Playbook Dan Andrews (@TropicalMBA) | X Episode 681 | Why Launching a Second Product is Usually a Bad Idea Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 684, Rob Walling is joined by Dr. Sherry Walling to share their experience from MicroConf Europe 2023 in Lisbon. They discuss a continued shift in MicroConf’s focus towards fostering founder connections and networking, and the value of face-to-face interactions. Rob and Sherry reflect on their own talks and highlight others by fellow founders and attendees.&nbsp; Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:28 – Reflecting on MicroConf locations 6:28 – Continuous event improvements, focus on community 9:41 – Michelle Hanson’s talk “Frameworks For Making Product and Strategic Company Decisions” 10:38 – Rob’s talk about the five stages of customer awareness 13:21 – Einar Vollset’s talk on applying AI iteratively to solve problems 15:07 –&nbsp;QuietLight’s live business valuation 16:39 – Attendee talks from Sophie, Johannes Akhison, and more 19:25 – Dr. Sherry Walling discusses motivational archetypes 22:46 – Steven Craven’s founder story Links from the Show:&nbsp; Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | X Sherrywalling.com Dr. Sherry Walling | YouTube MicroConf Remote Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | X Michele Hansen (@mjwhansen) | X Powered by Search (@poweredbysearch) | X David Newell | Quiet Light thisissophie.com Johannes Åkesson – “How Consulting Gave Me Time to Nail Product-Market Fit.” Stephen Craven (@stephen_craven) | X Stridist Producer Xander (@ProducerXander) | X If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 683, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He addresses gathering feedback from customers that are reluctant to give it to you, whether to bring on a partner, and the value of going to in-person events. Rob also covers topics such as equity for advisors, pricing strategies, &amp; productized services. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:56 – Gathering feedback from reluctant customers 8:47 – When to bring in other partners 12:45 – Weighing the positives and negatives of going to trade shows 15:36 – Staying energized and motivated 17:51 – Offering pre-launch discounts vs. offering value-added product 22:08 – Charging for products in different currencies 23:37 – Productized service, pricing, and pausing 26:40 – Fractional CTOs and equity grants&nbsp; Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf Mastermind Matching MicroConf Connect The SaaS Playbook Episode 671 | Working on What Matters, Left-handed Threads, and Being Lucky (A Rob Solo Adventure) If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 682, Rob Walling interviews Alex Theuma, the founder of SaaStock, a conference for SaaS founders. They discuss the challenges of bootstrapping an event and the pros and cons of large startup events versus small startup events. Alex also shares his experience of building credibility and authority in the industry, the importance of maintaining a positive attendee experience, and ensuring financial sustainability. Episode Sponsor: Tired of searching endlessly for highly skilled software developers? CloudDevs is your solution. Gain access to over 8000 pre-vetted senior devs distributed across their Latin America and global talent pools. All their remote developers work within your own time zone and can get onboarded within 24 hours. The CloudDevs team can help you recruit full time hires, or part time, project based freelancers. And every hire comes with a week-long free trial, making sure you get the right person for the job. All of our listeners get a 15% discount on their first month of collaboration. Hire trusted tech talent efficiently without breaking the bank by visiting CloudDevs.com. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:44 –&nbsp;How Alex bootstrapped SaaStock in the early stages 4:32 –&nbsp;Laying the groundwork and building credibility 6:59 – Figuring out sponsor subsidies 8:53 – Reflecting on the first event, growing afterwards 12:59 – Event sizing and event types 19:44 – Setting up event programming 23:00 – Swapping crazy event stories Links from the Show:&nbsp; Microconf Mastermind Matching SaaStock SaaStock (@SaaStock) | X SaaStock |&nbsp; LinkedIn Alex Theuma (@alextheuma) | X The SaaS Revolution Show ChartMogul Web Summit ProfitWell Dunbar's number SaaS.City Muck Rack Patrick Campbell’s “Churn” talk If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://podcasts.apple.co

In episode 681, Rob Walling and Ruben Gamez go deep on the drawbacks of launching a second product. They both generally advise against doing so, as it can distract from the existing product. However they do share some successful attempts, strategic insights, how to approach feedback on second ideas, and the benefits for founders that beat the odds. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:31 – When you should launch a second product 5:32 – Ruben’s experience growing Bidsketch and SignWell 9:45 – Responding to market pull, avoid the sunk cost fallacy 12:26 – Dividing attention between multiple products 16:40 – Choosing when to split focus 21:13 – Why a second product worked for Ruben and others 28:54 – Gauging your product intuition and getting outside feedback 32:50 – Avoiding bias when receiving feedback on your ideas 38:21 – Strategies and goals for adding a second product 42:50 – Cross selling multiple products Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf US Tickets are on sale Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | X Episode 499 | The (First) Six Stages of SaaS Growth – Part 1 Intelligent Editing SignWell (@SignWellApp) | X Bidsketch SignWell Stratosphere finchat.io David Cancel (@dcancel) | X The SaaS Playbook If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 680, Rob Walling goes solo again, covering a wide variety of topics including listening to customers, but not necessarily their solutions. He also cautions against making decisions based on one customer's feedback, but listening to the crowd. Finally, Rob highlights the importance of doing whatever it takes to succeed as a founder. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:52 – Paying attention to customer problems, not customer solutions 6:52 – Don’t listen to a customer, always listen to your customers 9:42 – Finding product market fit with limited information 13:01 – Identifying the appropriate time to grind out the work 19:18 – Don’t be above “taking out the trash” Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf Connect Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | X Ruben’s repost of @sequence_film ComicLab (@ComicLabPodcast) | X Dave Kellett (@davekellett) | X Brad Guigar (@guigar) | X The SaaS Playbook If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 679.5, Rob shares seven announcements about the future of MicroConf in the upcoming year.&nbsp; Whether you're a long-time supporter or a new member of our crew of misfits, you know we're all about empowering bootstrapped SaaS entrepreneurs. For nearly a decade, we've been fueling the permissionless entrepreneurship movement that's gripped founders worldwide - and we're nowhere close to finished. Our next big leap is coming, and you won't want to miss it. If you want to get the inside scoop, and to keep up to date as we roll out all of these offerings, head over to https://www.futureofmicroconf.com/. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:03 – MicroConf Connect has leveled up, and is accepting new signups 2:41 – The return of The State of Independent SaaS Report 3:21 – Community voting for MicroConf Local 2024 cities 3:50 – New course launch, “Starting Up From Idea to Traction” 4:21 – MicroConf co-founder matching coming soon 4:58 – Host your team retreat with MicroConf’s Team Sync 5:28 – MicroConf Platinum Events for an exclusive and intimate experience Links from the Show:&nbsp; Sign up to get notified for MicroConf updates MicroConf Connect Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X MicroConf (@MicroConf) | X MicroConf YouTube Channel MicroConf On Air Podcast MicroConf Mastermind Matching State of Independent SaaS (2022) DemandMaven MicroConf Local TinySeed If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 679, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He discusses how “mock features” can be implemented to close deals with certain buying dynamics, how to recover from a failed launch, and the benefits of phased launches to minimize those. Rob also gives advice on creating organic content for a SaaS and suggests alternative marketing strategies to content creation. Finally, he covers what an engineer might encounter during an acquisition in a small startup and how to dive into consulting and contracting. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:43 – Mock features for B2B SaaS 6:20 – Recovering from a failed launch 10:37 – Advice for a consumer-facing “vitamin” product 12:53 – Creating content to market SaaS tools 17:13 – Acquisitions for startups with small engineering teams 20:24 –&nbsp;Consulting for junior and mid-level engineers Links from the Show:&nbsp; The SaaS Playbook MicroConf Connect Applications are Open! Episode 671 | Working on What Matters, Left-handed Threads, and Being Lucky (A Rob Solo Adventure) Ab Advany’s “Mock Features for B2B SaaS” If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 678, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He answers how he might find buyers for a half-done SaaS product, addresses platform risk that accompanies no-code development, and shares insights on bookkeeping for SaaS startups. Rob also details what frameworks new marketers should be looking into and gives advice on launching a new SaaS tool to an email list. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:10 – Where can I sell partially developed SaaS apps? 7:42 – Evaluating higher platform risk inherent in no-code apps 11:44 – Approaches to bookkeeping early on in your SaaS business&nbsp; 14:47 – Setting up a marketing engine for those with little experience 20:43 – Launching a new product to an email list with a phased approach Links from the Show:&nbsp; Apply for TinySeed Join Us For A Big MicroConf Announcement The SaaS Playbook MicroConf Connect Acquire.com #1 Mistake No-Code SaaS Founders Make - Don't Build Without THIS Episode 642 | The Pros and Cons of Building a No-Code MVP Bench.co Xero.com Traction by Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares Hacking Growth by Sean Ellis, Morgan Brown Postaga <a href="https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-670-rely

In episode 677, Tracy Osborn interviews Leon Barnard from Balsamiq about wireframing and design. They discuss the book "Wireframing for Everyone" written by Leon and his co-authors from Balsamiq and they emphasize the value of low-fidelity wireframes for founders. They also cover how wireframing can improve ideation and communication processes among teams. To wrap up, they recommend resources for non-designers interested in learning more about wireframing and design. Episode Sponsor: Life as a founder can put a strain on even the strongest relationships, but spending dedicated quality time with your better half can help you recharge and refocus. If you’re ready to unwind from the daily startup grind, head over to cratedwithlove.com to level up your next date night. And for listeners of this podcast, you can use code STARTUPS during checkout for an exclusive 15% off your first order.&nbsp; Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:29 – TinySeed applications for Fall 2023 are open 5:00 – Leon’s passion for wireframing&nbsp; 8:32 – Designing in low fidelity wireframes 11:03 – Wireframing, ideation, and iteration 16:21 –&nbsp;Communicating design with wireframing 21:22 – Using wireframing to iterate on already existing, high fidelity content 24:35 – Writing about wireframing within the broader context of general design principles 28:16 – Additional resources for non-designers to gain confidence in design 32:36 – Asking questions informs good design Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf is leveling up! Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes) | X Leon Barnard (@leonbarnard) | X Leon Barnard | LinkedIn Balsamiq (@balsamiq) | X Wireframing for Everyone by Michael Angeles, Leon Barnard, and Billy Carlson Balsamiq Wireframing Academy Sketching User Experiences by Bill Buxton Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug UX for Lean Startups by Laura Klein If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 676, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he answers more listener questions. He answers questions around the inflated valuations in the B2B SaaS market, choosing between ideas, and validating a SaaS idea before building. Rob wraps up evaluating the effectiveness of building a podcast or YouTube following prior to launch. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 0:56 – TinySeed applications for fall 2023 batch 1:42 – The Future of MicroConf announcement event 2:13 – Why are B2B SaaS valuations so high? 10:43 – Choosing between two software ideas 15:02 – Don’t start a two-sided marketplace 17:04 – Do my “Stair Steps” have to be related? 19:47 – Co-founder equity splits and founder agreements 24:56 – Idea validation techniques 28:02 – Starting a podcast to building an audience Links from the Show:&nbsp; The SaaS Playbook TinySeed Future of MicroConf The UpFlip Podcast 27. How to Build a Thriving Software Company (From Scratch) Quiet Light, Empire Flippers, FE international Castos Productions Nolo, Rocket Lawyer, Lexgo Slicing Pie Episode 671 | Working on What Matters, Left-handed Threads, and Being Lucky (A Rob Solo Adventure) The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping Traction by Gino Wickman Hacking Growth by Sean Brown, Morgan, Ellis If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXN0b3MuY2

In episode 675, Rob Walling interviews Stephen Steers, author of "Superpower Storytelling." They discuss Stephen’s experience in selling and teaching startups how to sell better. They cover Stephen’s storytelling “AREA” framework and the concept of the problem stack. They also talk about when founders should consider delegating sales, the importance of documenting successful sales processes, and using humor in the sales process. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:36 – Start Small, Stay Small 3:21 – Stephen’s book, Superpower Storytelling, and how to tell the story of you and your company 4:30 – Why is storytelling important for startups 7:47 – A valuable background in sales consulting 10:35 – The AREA mental framework 13:21 – The “problem stack” 18:42 – When to outsource sales in your organization 22:37 – The four reasons that businesses buy, consultative selling 28:01 – Using humor to your advantage when selling or as a founder Links from the Show:&nbsp; Stephen Steers | LinkedIn Steers Sales Consulting Superpower Storytelling by Stephen Steers Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling Made to Stick by Chip Heath &amp; Dan Heath Taki Moore (@takimoore) | Twitter Scott Sambucci (@scottsambucci) | Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startups-for

In episode 674, ​​join Rob Walling, Einar Vollset, and Tracy Osborn for Hot Take Tuesday, where they analyze and discuss some of the latest news. They talk about Elon rebranding Twitter to X and the emergence of Instagram's Threads. They also cover the pros and cons of taking VC and SparkToro's unique funding model and paying back investors. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:49 – Twitter is now X 5:53 – Does the rebranding make sense? 12:15 –&nbsp;Instagram launches Threads 19:18 – SparkToro pays back investors 26:04 –&nbsp;Planning ahead for the payback 28:53 – “Don’t take VC funding” 35:11 – “We Raised a Bunch of Money” Links from the Show:&nbsp; Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes) | Twitter Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | Twitter The SaaS Playbook TinySeed Twitter is being rebranded as X Introducing Threads: A New Way to Share with Text Rand Fishkin (@randfish ) |Twitter Casey Henry (@caseyhen) |Twitter SparkToro Postpone SparkToro Year 3 Retrospective: Investor Payback, Systemic Challenges, and V2 on the Way Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin Fly.io We Raised A Bunch Of Money If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 673, Rob Walling chats with Ruben Gamez, the founder of SignWell, as they answer listener questions. They cover topics related to pricing models for SaaS products, marketing strategies for new products, the concept of copycat apps, and the challenges of balancing customer requests with product development. Additionally, they address a question about choosing between working at a startup or a big tech company. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:06 – Lifetime value pricing vs. monthly recurring revenue 11:33 – Pay-as-you-go as an alternative to lifetime or SaaS pricing 14:30 – Testing the market with a landing page 22:16 – Getting feedback from landing page signups 25:11 – Marketing strategies for SaaS 32:53 – Building copycat apps 38:51 – Startup roles vs. roles in a big tech company as a software engineer 43:33 – Balancing customer needs with our strategic roadmap Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf Sponsorships The SaaS Playbook Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | Twitter SignWell (@SignWellApp) |Twitter SignWell Hackers Incorporated, E4 | Lifetime pricing is underrated AppSumo Tailwind UI Loadster How to Grow Your Self Funded Business Faster – Hiten Shah – MicroConf 2014 If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please <a href="https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/contact" tar

In episode 672, Rob Walling speaks with Jon Hainstock, M&amp;A advisor at Quiet Light and previously ZoomShift. They discuss Jon’s bootstrapper journey, his exit from ZoomShift, the benefits of buying versus building, and how he helps other founders sell their businesses at Quiet Light. To wrap up, Jon exposes some common pitfalls to avoid when buying businesses. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:17 – Timeline of building and selling ZoomShift 6:07 – Deciding to sell ZoomShift 11:06 – Jumping into a new project immediately after exit 17:16 – Acquiring small assets 19:16 – Picking Quiet Light Brokerage over smaller acquisitions 26:23 – “Broker” vs. “Advisor” 30:26 – What to avoid when buying a business Links from the Show:&nbsp; The Exit Event Jon Hainstock (@jonhainstock) | Twitter Quiet Light (@quietlightinc) | Twitter ZoomShift ChatterDocs.ai Quiet Light Finish Big by Bo Burlingham Acquire.com, formerly MicroAcquire Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki The Quiet Light Podcast If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 671, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he covers a variety of topics. First, he shares an example of why successful founders move the needle rather than staying in their comfort zone. He shares an anecdote about discovering left-handed threads and how it applies to startups, and wraps up with some thoughts on the role of luck in audience building.&nbsp; Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:56 – Moving the needle rather than staying comfortable 11:10 – First time discovering left-handed threads 19:15 – Building an audience doesn’t require luck Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf MicroConf Connect The SaaS Playbook Episode 670 | Relying on Luck, Avoiding Burnout, and Bad Player vs. Bad Instrument (A Rob Solo Adventure) Joel Spolsky (@spolsky) | Twitter TinySeed How to Build SaaS from Scratch in 8 Simplified Steps If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 670, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure, where he discusses why, while striking luck in your SaaS journey is great, working hard and building skills is the sustainable way to build businesses for the long haul. He also shares his personal approach to work when burnout is on the horizon and finally an anecdote relating to SaaS marketing approaches. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 0:41 – RSS feed issues, undesirable startup tasks 2:52 – Two exclusive episodes of Startups For the Rest of Us 3:39 – Success takes hard work, luck, and skill 11:00 – The grind of content creation, burnout on the horizon 21:38 – Bad player or bad instrument? Links from the Show:&nbsp; Episode 667 | Increase Your Exit Price by Decoupling Yourself from Your Business with John Warrillow Castos Sugarcult – “Stuck in America” MicroConf YouTube Channel MicroConf On Air Podcast Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | Twitter The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together TinySeed If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 669, Rob Walling chats with Rick Hymanson, founder of detamoov and previously Shugo. They discuss Rick’s exit from Shugo in 2018 in what Rob calls “ten years to overnight success”. Rick recounts an early pivot for the company in finding product market fit, building the business with a day job, the logistics of the exit, and why he’s excited to join TinySeed with detamoov. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:59 – How Rick felt after exiting Shugo 5:10 – Deciding to start detamoov after the exit 7:09 – Creating a Shugo MVP and pivoting 11:15 – Building a SaaS product while working a day job 15:34 – Transitioning to full time and growing Shugo ARR 20:28 – Expanding the product feature set 22:11 – When did you know you had product-market fit? 23:28 – Finding an acquirer and navigating the process 27:38 – Starting and growing datamoov 31:12 – The value of relationship building 34:43 – IP ownership agreements Links from the Show:&nbsp; Rick Hymanson | LinkedIn detamoov The SaaS Playbook TinySeed If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 668, Rob Walling and Arvid Kahl share nine key takeaways from MicroConf US 2023 in Denver. They cover topics ranging from founder mental health, shared motivations for bootstrapping, the value of in-person conferences, and the MicroConf experimentation that led to the “Chaos Lunch”. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:04 – MicroConf 2023 in Denver, building back after COVID 9:09 – Founders are sharing an experience of struggles and pivots 11:21 – Why nothing beats being in a room together 14:07 – Discussing mental health in a welcoming environment 17:07 – How experimentation on the MicroConf format led to “Chaos Lunch” 21:03&nbsp; – Sharing strategies and tactics, Dev Basu’s talk on product marketing 24:28 – What motivations do founders have for running their SaaS businesses 27:27 – Arvid’s workshop encourages discussion of founder mental health&nbsp;&nbsp; 30:22 – MicroConf’s powerful Hallway track 32:45 – Patrick Campbell’s talk on mental frameworks and founder paths 36:47 – Upcoming MicroConf events 40:05 – The not-so-hidden track: Arvid’s Twitter growth and strategy Links from the Show:&nbsp; MicroConf US 2024 | Atlanta, GA | April 21 - 23, 2024 MicroConf US Recordings Arvid Kahl (@arvidkahl) I Twitter Episode 492 | From Zero to $55k MRR to Exit (in 2 Years) with Feedback Panda thebootstrappedfounder.com Lianna Patch (@punchlinecopy) | Twitter Claire Suellentrop (@ClaireSuellen) | Twitter Dev Basu (@devbasu) | Twitter Patrick Campbell (@Patticus) Twitter John Ndege (@johnndege) | Twitter Comte Anthony Eden (@aeden) | Twitter Quiet Light (@quietlightinc) | Twitter Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify |&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXN

In episode 667, Rob Walling speaks with John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell, about validating and launching his second SaaS business, VidGuide. They cover how Standard Operating Procedures can help your business, from leading toward better exits to easing your burden as a founder. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:59 – Why John decided to launch VidGuide 7:23 – Validating and positioning a “scratch-your-own-itch” SaaS idea 13:45 – Considerations for novel software solutions 18:27 – Success stories of others and their SOPs 22:42 – John’s early validation for VidGuide 26:13 – Following April Dunford’s methodology for positioning Links from the Show: John Warrillow (@JohnWarrillow) I Twitter Built To Sell by John Warrillow The Automatic Customer by John Warrillow The Art of Selling Your Business by John Warrillow The ValueBuilder System Built to Sell Radio VidGuide Episode 532 | The Art of Selling Your Business with John Warrillow Episode 603 | Bootstrapping HotJar to $40M ARR Using D2C Marketing Episode 492 | From Zero to $55k MRR to Exit (in 2 Years) with Feedback Panda Ten Year Career by Jodie Cook MicroConf Refresh Episode 60: How to Craft a Story that Sells with April Dunford If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 666, Rob Walling chats with fan favorite Derrick Reimer, the founder of SavvyCal, as they answer listener questions. They cover topics ranging from idea validation in competitive spaces to book recommendations to development strategies for non-technical founders. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io&nbsp;helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With&nbsp;Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:05 – How to validate ideas in competitive markets 7:49 – How to manage stress when growing a small SaaS business 15:48 – Finding a technical co-founder vs. outsourcing development 28:24 – How to decide between doubling down on a current project or starting a new SaaS app 34:15 – Tools for tracking traffic, conversions, and A/B test results 40:21 – Recommended reading for SaaS startups Links from the Show: Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) I Twitter SavvyCal&nbsp; The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | Twitter Pieter Levels (@levelsio) | Twitter Danny Postma (@dannypostmaa) | Twitter Fathom Analytics, Mixpanel, Heap, Segmetrics.io, June Optimizely, VWO, Hotjar, Crazy Egg Obviously Awesome by April Dunford <a href="https://a.co/d/dowrgbt" target="_blank" rel

In episode 665, Rob Walling chats with Georgiana Laudi, who is the co-author of the new book, Forget the Funnel. They dive deep into key concepts from the book, including specific Jobs-to-be-done interview examples and how to apply these insights to your marketing strategy. They also chat a bit about the process of writing a book. Topics we cover: 2:37 - Gia and Claire's intentional decision to keep the book under 200 pages 5:28 - What size SaaS companies will get the most value from Claire and Gia’s new book? 9:49 - The customer-led growth framework 11:29 - Why you shouldn’t think in terms of marketing funnels 15:51- Jobs-to-be done interviews 20:27- An approach for founders who are skeptical about customer research and JTBD interviews 25:15- How to use information gathered from customer interviews to inform your marketing strategy 29:47- What was the experience like recording the audiobook? Links from the Show: Claire Suellentrop @clairesuellen I Twitter Georgiana Laudi @ggiiaa) I Twitter Forget the Funnel: A Customer-Led Approach for Driving Predictable, Recurring Revenue&nbsp; MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 664, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he answers more listener questions. These questions range from positioning a new SaaS product with many use cases to consumption vs. seat-based pricing and managing your time as a single parent. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io&nbsp;helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With&nbsp;Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover: 2:07 - Positioning a new SaaS business&nbsp;with multiple use cases 9:22 - Consumption vs. seat-based pricing 13:00 - When to expand a SaaS business outside of the core problem it solves 19:07 - Building a marketing flywheel for a 2-sided marketplace 22:23- Managing your time as a single parent Links from the Show: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It&nbsp; Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer’s Guide To Launching a Startup&nbsp; The SaaS Playbook MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 663, Rob Walling and Einar Vollset share five insights SaaS founders should know about the state of AI. They offer a unique perspective by sharing a mental model around the four categories of AI and how to use this to think about the impact on your business. Topics we cover: 2:08 - Einar’s thoughts on the state of AI 7:11 - Why you shouldn’t ignore AI 9:33 - The 4 categories of AI 18:36 - AI is not a product differentiator 22:01- Should bootstrapped companies try to build their own LLMs? 24:41- Using AI internally in your company 30:03 - Is my business model a ticking time bomb? Links from the Show: Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) I Twitter MicroConf Europe MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 662, join Rob Walling for a solo listening adventure where he talks through the key factors to consider in an acquisition, whether to sell a business for five years of runway and knowing when to move on from a SaaS app you built. Topics we cover: 1:15 - Switching jobs while bootstrapping 7:36 - Key factors to consider for an acquisition 18:57 - Taking a job as a founding engineer vs. starting a lifestyle business? 23:49 - Selling a business for five years of runway 27:47- Knowing when it is time to move on from a SaaS app you’ve built Links from the Show: The Art of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies &amp; Secret Hacks For Exiting on Top Deploy Empathy: A Practical Guide to Interviewing Customers&nbsp; The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers &amp; Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying To You&nbsp; Episode 628 I The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework&nbsp; MicroConf Europe MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 661, Rob Walling chats with Mike Perham, the founder of Sidekiq, who is a solo founder doing millions in revenue as a one-person business. If this isn’t unique enough, Sidekiq originally started as an open-source project before he later monetized it by selling features that aren't available in the core product. You'll also hear how it took him ten years to become "an overnight success" because of all the things Mike tried before launching Sidekiq. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io&nbsp;helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With&nbsp;Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover: 2:51 - Sidekiq’s unique business model 5:24 - Running a multimillion-dollar software company with no employees 6:41 - How did Mike get here? 8:23 - Mike’s approach to monetizing Sidekiq 12:58- The 10-year overnight success story 14:13 - Did Mike ever have any doubts about this not working? 16:54- Mike’s thoughts around building on top of the Ruby ecosystem 19:26 - Why doesn't Mike hire any employees? 23:31- Mike’s approach to competitors 26:08 - Mike’s response to open-source purists on Hacker News Links from the Show: Mike Perham (@getajobmike) I Twitter Sidekiq Code Code Ship: Mike Perham Hacker News Discussion about Sidekiq MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 660, join Rob Walling for another solo listening adventure where he talks about the tradeoffs of hiring a team vs. contractors, when to raise funding as a bootstrapper, and the importance of knowing what you are bad at. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io&nbsp;helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With&nbsp;Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover: 1:57 - Hiring full-time employees vs. contractors 6:12 - The danger of thinking your customers are just like you 11:19 - Buying souvenirs 14:34 - Raising funding if you are a bootstrapper 18:18- On career progression 21:51 - The importance of knowing what you are bad at Links from the Show: Comic Lab MicroConf Mastermind Matching MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 659, Rob Walling speaks with Courtland Allen and Channing Allen, the co-founders of Indie Hackers, to talk about their newfound independence since they are no longer owned by Stripe. For the first half of the episode, they turn the tables and interview Rob about his new book, The SaaS Playbook. They also share a bunch of theories about entrepreneurship and investing. Topics we cover: 4:46 - About Rob’s new book - The SaaS Playbook 6:47 - Why did Rob hire a writing coach? 12:35 - Rob’s decision to launch a Kickstarter for his book 20:39- Rob’s thought process for what to include in his book 28:31 - Startup positioning 31:07 - Founder mindset 35:51 - Is it possible to find a business idea that both makes money and aligns with the things you enjoy doing? 42:38 - What motivates Rob these days? 48:18 - Courtland and Channing’s approach to going indie again with Indie Hackers 53:46 - Did Courtland and Channing have hesitations about going independent again? 57:44 - What does Rob want to see Courtland and Channing do next? 1:01:07 - Indie hackers investing in other indie hackers Links from the Show: Courtland Allen (@csallen) I Twitter Channing Allen (@channingallen) I Twitter Indie Hackers The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business The War of Art Lifting the Veil: The Data Behind Successful Product Launches - Ryan Delk - MicroConf 2014 MicroConf Upcoming Events MicroConf Mastermind Matching MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 658, Rob Walling speaks with Geoff Roberts, co-founder of Outseta, about global sales tax compliance for SaaS founders. Geoff wrote a 4,400 article on the topic about when SaaS founders should care about sales tax not only within their own country but globally, along with the pros and cons of various solutions. We also dive into a bit of Geoff’s own story as the cofounder of Outseta. Topics we cover: 3:01 - Why should SaaS founders care about sales tax? 4:20 - At what revenue level does sales tax become important? 6:28 - Country-specific sales tax obligations 7:50 - The added tax complexities of running a membership platform 9:07 - What is a merchant of record? 14:28 - Why did Geoff write this 4,000-word post on sales tax compliance? 16:05 - The pros and cons of using a third-party merchant of record 17:39 - Alternative solutions where you are your own merchant of record 20:38 - How does a foreign government enforce tax requirements for an American small business? 21:48 - Mitigating sales tax risks if you take on funding or sell the company 23:34 - About Outseta 24:27 - The impact of the pandemic on Outseta 25:20 - The challenge of speaking to two very different audiences Links from the Show: Geoff Roberts @GeoffTRoberts I Twitter Outseta Global Sales Tax Compliance and Remittance&nbsp; MicroConf Mastermind Matching MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 657, join Rob Walling as he answers more listener questions. Topics range from concierge onboarding to getting higher engagement rates on cold emails. He also covers how to think about balancing product improvements vs. marketing. Topics we cover: 1:00 - Concierge onboarding 7:34 - Branding tips for a new business 14:42 - Getting higher engagement rates on cold outreach emails 21:29 - Prioritizing product improvements vs. funnel-building 14:42 - Getting higher engagement rates on cold outreach emails 21:29 - Prioritizing product improvements vs. funnel-building Links from the Show: Fascinate, Revised and Updated: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist TinySeed&nbsp; MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 656, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure, where he revisits a few topics from earlier episodes. These topics range from balancing having taste while shipping consistently to the only two keys to being remembered for something. Topics we cover: 1:39 - What founders need to know about the Section 174 tax change 5:03 - Balancing developing taste with shipping 10:47 - If you want to be remembered for something, you either have to be the first or the best. 17:13 - Lifestyle bootstrapper vs. ambitious bootstrapper vs. the billion-dollar entrepreneur and why you need to get clear on the path you aspire to take. Links from the Show: Small Software Business Coalition Letter To Congress&nbsp; Episode 652 I Mixing No-code with Code, Developer Superpowers, $5k Angel Check, and More Listener Questions Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It&nbsp; The SaaS Playbook&nbsp; TinySeed&nbsp; MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

It’s possible to build a multimillion dollar startup without venture capital. I know this, because I’ve done it myself and I’ve watched hundreds of other founders do the same. This podcast is all about the strategies and frameworks that can get you there too. Welcome to Startups For the Rest of Us, a podcast that’s focused on helping developers, designers and entrepreneurs build life-changing businesses without begging venture capitalists for money. You’re in the right place if you’re a bootstrapped or mostly bootstrapped SaaS founder who wants to build and grow your company faster. I’m your host, Rob Walling. I’m a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits, I’ve written 4 books about starting companies, and I’ve invested in more than 150 startups. For over 13 years, I’ve shown up here every Tuesday sharing my experience starting, growing, and mentoring startups, so you can avoid the mistakes others have made. When I first got started, I realized that most of the startup advice I could find online was aimed at companies focused on billion dollar exits, or founders looking to build a slide deck instead of a real business. I was constantly frustrated that no one was providing stories, strategies and tactics for founders who just want to build a real product for real customers who pay them real money. If you want to launch a startup, or grow your SaaS startup so it supports you full-time, OR you’re already making six or seven figures and want to grow your business faster, the stories, strategies, and tactics on this show will help you do just that. Go ahead and subscribe and I’ll be in your ears next Tuesday. Links from the Pod: Rob Walling | Twitter Startups For the Rest of Us | Twitter MicroConf YouTube Channel

In episode 655, Rob Walling answers listener questions on enterprise pricing frameworks, validating a business idea, and if it is possible for your churn rate to be too low. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:17 - How to avoid login abuse on individual plans 8:12 - How to validate a business idea before committing to it 15:26 - Enterprise pricing frameworks 19:34 - What Rob learned in the early days as a consultant and building early products pre-Drip 26:22 - Finding role fit in a SaaS 32:21 - Is it possible to have a churn rate that is too low? 33:41 - How much should you pay yourself vs. investing back into the business? Links from the Show: The SaaS Playbook&nbsp; Validate Your SaaS Idea Fast&nbsp; State of Independent SaaS Report The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping Episode 628 I The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework&nbsp; MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 654, Rob Walling chats with Tom Merritt, who is the host of multiple shows, including Daily Tech News, Know A Little More, Sword &amp; Laser, Cordkillers, and more. Tom has more podcasts than anyone I know, and this episode will be a little different since Tom is not a SaaS founder or someone who wrote a book for founders. Instead, you’ll learn about the systems, processes, and discipline that Tom has set up so that he can be such a prolific creator. You’ll also learn more about his innate ability to summarize complex situations and then talk about both sides in a fair and balanced way. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:13 - Tom’s decision to go into business for himself in 2013 7:10 - Being an early adopter of Patreon 9:29 - Dealing with the emotional aspect in the early days 10:40 - The hardest parts of launching a daily show in the early days 13:01 - Tom’s approach to dealing with public criticism 19:07 - Tom’s process for shipping new content every day for 10 years 24:00 - Has Tom missed a day for recording The Daily Tech News Show in 10 years? 25:01 - Tom’s ability to see and communicate both sides of a story 28:22 - Is Tom using AI in his workflow? 34:10 - The Secret Hidden Track Links from the Show: Tom Merritt I Twitter Tommerritt.com Daily Tech News Show&nbsp; ElevenLabs&nbsp; MicroConf Youtube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 653, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he talks through three topics, including the story of an Armageddon beer, developing taste, and an important question that all entrepreneurs should ask themselves. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io&nbsp;helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With&nbsp;Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:41 - The Armageddon beer story 10:49 - Developing taste as an entrepreneur 18:25 - What if I succeed? Links from the Show: MicroConf U.S. MicroConf Remote 6.0&nbsp; The Gap by Ira Glass TinySeed If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 652, Rob Walling answers more listener questions with Derrick Reimer, the founder of SavvyCal. They cover topics from the most important superpower for developers to the best resources for learning how to code and should you ever mix no-code with code. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:03 - The most important superpower for developers 11:39 - Combining no-code with code 20:31- Should you take a $5k angel investment? 25:30 - How to do outreach for initial idea validation calls 29:09 - How should bootstrapped founders handle the Section 174 changes 33:50 - Best resources to learn how to code Links from the Show: Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) I Twitter Derrickreimer.com&nbsp; SavvyCal&nbsp; Episode 642 I The Pros and Cons of Building a No-Code MVP&nbsp; MicroConf Remote 6.0&nbsp; TinySeed If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 651, Rob Walling catches up with fan favorite Mike Taber, who co-hosted the first 448 episodes of Startups For the Rest of Us. The last time he was on the podcast, Bluetick was still a side hustle. Now, 15 months later, he shares that the app is now profitable, supporting him full-time, and gives an update on some key parts of his entrepreneurial journey. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:34 - An update on Bluetick 6:26 - Is Bluetick a profitable business? 8:59 - Why Mike decided to pivot his company to supporting agencies 13:34 - Setting up Bluetick to scale from 1x to 500x volume 15:33 - Is Mike doing much marketing these days? 19:12 - Mike’s celebration moment in the past 15 months 20:40 - When Mike realized he had product-market fit 23:54 - How Mike thinks about implementing new features 24:55 - Mike’s low point in the past 15 months 26:27 - What changed that allowed Mike’s business to grow so dramatically over the past year? 32:50 - Is Mike planning to update his marketing to position the product to agencies? Links from the Show: Mike Taber (@SingleFounder) I Twitter Bluetick.io MicroConf US If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 650, Rob Walling answers more listener questions. We cover topics like how to get more customers while working a full-time job, talking to users when there is a language barrier, and whether to buy vs. build a SaaS product. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:59 - Buying a small SaaS for $10,000 vs. getting financing and buying a SaaS for 6-figures 8:00 - How to get more customers while working full-time 13:33 - Can you hire someone to find an established SaaS business for you to buy? 16:40 - Diverse entrepreneurship podcast recommendations 20:08 - Talking to users when there is a language barrier Links from the Show: MicroConf Remote 6.0&nbsp; SaaS Playbook&nbsp; Zen Founder Software Social&nbsp; Indie Hackers&nbsp; In Demand: How To Grow Your SaaS to $100k MRR&nbsp; They Got Acquired&nbsp; Afford Anything Deploy Empathy: A Practical Guide To Interviewing Customers&nbsp; The Jobs-To-Be-Done Handbook If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 649, Rob Walling chats with Pete Kazanjy about his book Founding Sales, which is designed to help SaaS founders learn how to sell as well as how to hire and scale sales. We cover a lot, including objection handling, how to ask for the sale, and mindset shifts you need to make when learning how to sell. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With&nbsp;Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:53 - Overview of Founding Sales 7:54 - Growing TalentBin to $6M ARR 10:28 - What Pete is working on today with Atrium 12:28 - Mindset changes when doing sales for the first time 19:26 - Speed vs. production value for sales materials 22:46 - Handling objections 26:50 - Asking for the sale 31:03 - Relentless execution 32:15 - What sets good sales reps apart from those that struggle? Links from the Show: Pete Kazanjy (@Kazanjy) I Twitter Atrium Founding Sales Modern Sales Pros Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into A Sales Machine With The $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com The Lean Startup&nbsp; The Startup Owner’s Manual&nbsp; ElevenLabs Prime Voice AI&nbsp; <a href="https:/

In episode 648, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he answers a bunch of listener questions. Some topics covered include competing against a nonprofit, validating step 1 app marketplace businesses, and driving traffic to idea validation landing pages. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:02 - Competing against a nonprofit as a startup 4:11 - The trend of bigger companies building more projects in adjacent verticals 8:03 - Incorporating as a Delaware C Corp 9:57 - Bootstrapping a spinoff startup from a dev agency 14:27 - How to go to market when solving a latent pain 19:09 - How to validate step 1 app marketplace businesses 22:19 - Driving traffic to an idea validation landing page Links from the Show: SaaS Playbook&nbsp; The Elephant in the Room: The Myth of Exponential Hypergrowth Episode 442 I Corporate Structures and How The Choice You Make Now Can Impact You Years Down The Line&nbsp; Stripe Atlas&nbsp; How to Get Your First Hundred Customers for Your SaaS Product&nbsp; Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this bonus episode, we are playing back the audio from yesterday’s TinySeed Application Q&amp;A livestream. The TinySeed team (Rob Walling, Tracy Osborn, and Alex McQuade) answers questions from the audience about the application process. TinySeed is a year-long, remote accelerator designed for early-stage SaaS founders. Our program is designed to help founders with a revenue-generating SaaS optimize product-market fit and grow faster.&nbsp; Spring 2023 applications are open until from February 6th to February 19th, 2023. For more information about the program and application process, check out https://tinyseed.com/program Links from the Pod Watch this Q&amp;A on YouTube Apply for TinySeed Tracy Osborn I Twitter Alex McQuade I Twitter

In episode 647, Rob Walling chats with Whitney Deterding about product marketing and how to equip sales, support, and your entire team with critical product knowledge as you grow. We dive into how to communicate all aspects of your product, from individual features to benefits and use cases. When you're one or two people, you're doing all of this as a founder, but the moment you have three, four, or more people on your team, you have to figure out a way to communicate how the product is changing effectively. Otherwise, your prospects, sales, and support won't know that. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 4:08 - What is product marketing? 8:56 - How do you implement cross team knowledge sharing? 14:54 - When should you start writing product or launch briefs? 16:35 - Training new sales and customer success people 23:05 - How to equip your salespeople 31:18 - Product positioning 35:13 - How to navigate positioning changes over times Links from the Show: ​Whitney Deterding (@WhitDeterding) I Twitter Coschedule&nbsp; Guru TinySeed TinySeed Applications Q&amp;A on February 8 If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this bonus episode of Startups For the Rest of Us, we realized that we have never talked about the refocusing of MicroConf US and MicroConf Europe and growing our extended hallway track to focus on helping founders build more connections. Since we started the event in 2011, we've done 35 of them now. The feedback we've always gotten is that the hallway track is the best part of MicroConf, and the speakers are an excuse to get us all in a room so that we can meet one another and build those relationships. After Covid hit, we decided to take a chance and adjust our traditional format. We cut down the number of speakers and focused more on additional ways to grow the hallway track.&nbsp;In MicroConf US - Denver - this April, we’re at 5 speakers. All the rest of the time is spent doing activities and connecting with other founders, including through offsite adventures, roundtables, workshops, etc. Finally, we’ve also introduced Founder by Founder, which is like speed networking. We set a seven-minute timer and encouraged everyone to talk to someone they don't know and introduce themselves. Whether it's at the workshops, the offsite adventures, or Founder by Founder, we've found getting out of your bubble and connecting with other founders has been an extremely valuable change and a shift to the way that the MicroConf in-person events happen. Head over to Microconf.com/events to see all of our events happening this year.

In episode 646, Rob Walling catches up with James Kennedy, the founder of ProcurementExpress, about James’s unconventional approach to price increases. Every year, James does an annual price increase across the board. He talks about how he communicates it to both leads and customers, the pros and cons of this approach, and why it is been a net positive for the business. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:03 - About ProcurementExpress 4:41 - How big is the ProcurementExpress team? 7:43 - Why did James change the company name? 9:48 - What led James to settle on an 8% annual price increase for all customers 15:02 - Communicating the annual price increase to new customers 17:01- How James uses these annual price increases to close more deals 17:36 - When you shouldn’t do annual price increases 23:04 - SaaS buying patterns that James sees 24:00 - The best subject line that James has ever written Links from the Show: James Kennedy (@JamesKennedy) I Twitter ProcurementExpress TinySeed Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business with Jason Cohen ​​How to Stop Giving Demos &amp; Build a Sales Factory Instead – James Kennedy – MicroConf Growth 2017 How We Reduced Churn by 25% and How You Could Do It Too – James Kennedy – MicroConf Europe 2019 If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Mastermind Matching applications are now open.&nbsp; Whether you are in the process of validating your SaaS idea and looking for product-market fit to finding a scalable marketing channel, or maybe you are looking for an extra dose of accountability and support as you grow the company, joining a mastermind can help. With hundreds of successful matches under our belt, we have brought together founders from all walks of life, from over 50 countries across 20 time zones, with a collective $150M+ in ARR. To do this, we focus on a number of key data points to get a feel for each entrepreneur’s experience level, expectations, work and personality styles, and other key criteria that allow us to make informed matches, including: Location Time zone Language Experience Level Current Revenue Level Goals Skill Set Industry served Whether or not this is your first business If you already have 1 or more established businesses (like an agency) and building a SaaS as a 2nd business, etc. We've also made some big updates to the content in our mastermind program, including adding a series of 3 mentor sessions to tackle topics and challenges you are likely to experience based on where you are currently at with your business. These mentor sessions range from how to structure and get the most value out of your mastermind to mastering customer interviews, building a marketing flywheel, and hiring and onboarding your first few employees. For those of you who sign up for a mastermind and are doing more than $500k in ARR, you'll be invited to attend three virtual office hours with Rob Walling, Co-Founder of TinySeed + MicroConf &amp; Einar Vollset, Co-Founder of TinySeed. Links from the Show: MicroConf Masterminds

In episode 645, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he covers whether bootstrapping is the anti-bro movement, the difference between working with someone good vs. someone great, and the rise of outrage culture on social media and how that doesn’t leave much room for nuanced thinking. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:28 - The anti-bro startup movement 8:58 - Outrage culture on social media 12:49 - Declining a $9M acquisition at 18 16:14 - What startup founders can learn from outlier performers 22:23- The difference between being good vs. being great Links from the Show: MicroConf Masterminds I Learned 227 Beatles Bass Lines And Discovered This… If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 644, Rob Walling chats with Dan Martell about founder productivity, delegating, and the difference between being effective and efficient. Dan also shares the key frameworks from his first book, Buy Back Your Time, which was released this week. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:40 - Dan’s process for writing his first book 7:56 - The Buyback Principle 12:31 - Hiring and delegating to an assistant 18:02 - The Buyback Loop: Audit, Transfer, and Fill 25:19 - Why no one does it right, and I can’t afford to hire are limiting beliefs 30:53 - 1-3-1 hack Links from the Show: Dan Martell @DanMartell) I Twitter Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire The SaaS Playbook&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 643, Rob Walling chats with fan favorite Derrick Reimer, the founder of SavvyCal, as they answer listener questions. They cover topics ranging from SaaS feature flags to communicating product needs to a technical founder and combating imposter syndrome. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp;Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp;With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:17 - How to think about feature flags for different pricing tiers 10:31 - How to communicate product needs to a technical cofounder 22:03 - When to put your main SaaS on the backburner 28:13 - Combating developer imposter syndrome Links from the Show: Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) I Twitter SavvyCal&nbsp; MicroConf US The Stair Step Method to Bootstrapping&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 642, Rob Walling chats with Tara Reed, who is the founder of Apps Without Code. We talk about her journey getting into no-code, bootstrapping Apps Without Code to $5M ARR, and the decision she made last year to throttle growth to become more profitable. In our conversation, we also cover some of the pros and cons of no-code tools, along with some entrepreneurial mindset shifts that new entrepreneurs need to make. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:46 - How Tara came up with the idea for Apps Without Code 3:56 - Why Tara deliberately scaled the business back from $5M to $3M in ARR 5:35 - Tara’s approach to building the Apps Without Code Team 6:04 - Two ways that Apps Without Code makes money 10:50 - The biggest no-code limitations today 16:29 - Using no-code tools to build MVPs and internal apps 19:07 - Tara’s preferred no-code platform 20:24 - The biggest positives of building with no-code tools 22:40 - The biggest drawbacks of building with no-code tools 26:56 - 3 entrepreneurial mindset shifts that new founders need to make Links from the Show: Tara Reed (@tarareed_) I Twitter Apps without Code MicroConf 2023 Accountability Challenge&nbsp; MicroConf Connect&nbsp; State of Independent SaaS Report&nbsp; Glide&nbsp; Episode 14 I Overcoming Fear&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 641, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he answers more listener questions. Topics covered range from dealing with high churn when your tool is project-based, what product feedback to listen to in the early days, and when to hire project-level thinkers vs. task-level thinkers. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:18 - Dealing with high churn when your tool is project-based 8:38 - Going upmarket 9:42 - Who to listen to in the early days to improve your product 15:47 - Should I worry about people copying my business idea? 24:26 - Should I join MicroConf Connect if I’m still in the idea validation phase? 25:54 - Hiring project-level thinkers vs. task-level workers Links from the Show: The SaaS Playbook MicroConf 2023 Accountability Challenge&nbsp; MicroConf Connect&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 640, join Rob Walling, Einar Vollset, and Tracy Osborn for Hot Take Tuesday, where they analyze and discuss some of the latest news. We dig into ChatGPT, the new tool everyone is talking about from OpenAI. We also discuss Elon Musk acquiring Twitter and the drama around this entire endeavor and whether or not the U.S. is in a recession right now. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:06 - ChatGPT 14:29 - Is there a path to bootstrap an AI startup? 18:59 - Is the U.S. in a recession right now? 29:37 - Elon Musk acquiring Twitter and the drama around his early moves Links from the Show: Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes) I Twitter Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) I Twitter ChatGPT&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 639, Rob Walling chats with Andrew Berkowitz, the co-founder and CEO of Suggestion Ox, about the secret sauce to building happy, high-performing teams and how we as founders need to unlearn some of the strict policies that have been in place for hundreds of years. Suggestion Ox is a feedback platform that helps HR teams build candid communication between leadership and employees. And before that, Andrew co-founded a sports management platform that was acquired in 2021. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:10 - Why trust is the key ingredient when building high-performing teams 6:56 - Flexible vacation policies 9:17 - Flexible work hours 15:08 - The link between remote work and hiring and retaining great employees 18:14 - Using transparency to build trust with your team 19:43 - How transparent should you be with your team for temporary issues? 21:55 - Does this approach to trust and transparency work at scale? 25:57 - Getting better at giving constructive feedback as a manager 28:20 - Is it possible to hire the best people at scale? 32:08 - Andrew’s approach to dealing with bad apples or people who slack off 36:41 - Building a company culture where employees feel safe to give candid feedback Links from the Show: Andrew Berkowitz I Twitter Suggestion Ox

In episode 638, Rob Walling chats with Justin Vincent about how to generate startup ideas. They share 8 startup ideas in this episode along with Justin’s approach for coming up with thousands of startup ideas. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:58 - Coming up with SaaS ideas 3:51 - Transcription for team meetings 11:42 - Online time capsule 15:41 - Pest control using drones 20:29 - Prerecorded live interviews 25:06 - Special diet builder 26:30 - AI-casting director 29:53 - Cash burn alert for VC 31:47 - database modeling tool Links from the Show: Justin Vincent (@justinvincent) I Twitter Nugget.one Techzing Episode 526 I Launching, learning and teaching with Justin Vincent&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 637, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure as he answers a handful of listener questions. Topics covered range from hiring your first salesperson and acquiring a web app to dealing with the fear of having your idea copied and why bootstrapping a two-sided marketplace is usually a bad idea. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:14 - You either die a consumer startup hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a B2B SaaS founder. 2:40 - Hiring your first salesperson 9:36 - Bootstrapping a talent marketplace 15:10 - Acquiring a web app 19:40 - Getting over your fear of being copied when doing idea validation interviews Links from the Show: Daniel Nguyen (@daniel_nguyenx)’s tweet The Mom Test&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 636, Rob Walling chats with Claire Suellentrop about the new book she co-wrote with her co-founder, Georgiana Laudi. The book is called Forget the Funnel: A Customer-Led Approach to Driving Predictable Recurring Revenue. Gia and Claire have run a consulting firm for the past several years where they are working with startups and SaaS companies to help them learn more about their customers in order to drive more revenue. And this book is a distillation of their learnings. Topics we cover: 1:09 - Why did Claire name their new book, Forget the Funnel? 2:36 - A three-step approach for unlocking customer-led growth 3:09 - A framework for getting inside your customers’ heads 14:01 - How to learn from future customers 20:21 - Applying and operationalizing all your customer insights Links from the Show: Claire Suellentrop (@ClaireSuellen) &nbsp;I Twitter Georgiana Laudi (@ggiiaa) I Twitter Forget The Funnel: a Customer-Led Approach to Driving Predictable, Recurring Revenue The Jobs-to-be-Done Handbook: Practical techniques for improving your application of Jobs-to-be-Done Deploy Empathy: A practical guide to interviewing customers Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It Episode 537 | On Launching, Funding, and Growth with Serial SaaS Founder Rand Fishkin Sparktoro&nbsp; MicroConf Growth&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 635, Rob Walling catches up with Tony Chan, the co-founder of CloudForecast, an AWS cost monitoring tool. Tony shared his victories, challenges, and failures in TinySeed Tales Season 3.&nbsp;It has been over eight months since we recorded the final episode. In this episode, we reflect and catch up on what’s been happening with Tony and CloudForecast. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:03 - Losing one of CloudForecast’s engineers 5:35 - Tony’s approach to hiring engineers 8:31 - Did Tony end up hiring someone to help with content marketing? 17:32 - What is Tony struggling with right now? 21:07 - Managing your founder psychology 25:08 - Tony’s recent conundrum Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter CloudForecast TinySeed Tales Season 3 MicroConf Local: Austin If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 634, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions on topics ranging from naming your startup to initial aha moments and how to know if you have tapped out a specific niche. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at&nbsp;Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting&nbsp;lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:38 - Naming your startup 6:02 - How to know if you tapped out a specific niche? 13:21 - Did you have an initial aha moment when you felt that this was the winning idea to start up? 22:25 - How would you value your time if you have a client that is gonna be competing in the same space? Links from the Show: MicroConf Europe&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 633, Rob Walling chats with Matt Wensing, the founder of Summit. Matt is no stranger on the podcast. And we talk about Matt's decision to change Summit's brand positioning and the far-reaching impact on his business. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:24 - Matt’s decision to change Summit’s positioning 15:22 - Redesigning Summit’s website 22:39 - The dangers of scaling up before you have product-market fit 24:43 - The response to Summit’s relaunch 29:33 - How Summit is evolving into a 2-sided marketplace Links from the Show: Matt Wensing (@MattWensing) I Twitter Summit&nbsp; MicroConf Remote&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 632, join Rob Walling and Einar Vollset for Hot Take Tuesday, where they analyze and discuss some of the latest news. Some topics covered include the Figma exit, side project distractions, no-code apps, and more. Episode Sponsor: Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/startups The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io/ helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io/, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:35 - Adobe acquires Figma 8:20 - Growing one product to $20k MRR vs. launching a bunch of side projects 18:43 - Apple’s anti-ad tracking crackdown 25:58 - Building no-code apps 31:12 - Watching movies at 1.5x speed Links from the Show: Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) I Twitter&nbsp; MicroConf Remote&nbsp; Adobe snaps up Figma for $20 billion&nbsp; Pierre de Wulf’s tweet&nbsp; Apple’s ad business set to boom on the back of its own anti-tracking crackdown&nbsp; Hana’s tweet&nbsp; Ruben’s tweet&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 631, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he answers listener questions on topics ranging from when to rewrite your codebase to founder salaries and balancing your founder vs. developer mindset. Episode Sponsor Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce.&nbsp; Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America. They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running. When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months.&nbsp; With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week. And for subscribers of Startups For the Rest of Us, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/startups Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:32 - Is there any validity that rewriting our code and changing our tech stack will get us to a higher multiple at a future exit? 8:08 - Founder salaries 12:16 - Using the stair step approach to create a course 15:20 - Can you sell a Zapier-type connection between several products as an early MVP for your target market? 20:06 - Founder mindset vs. developer mindset Links from the Show: Episode 622 I Making Hard Product Decisions &amp; Growth vs. Profitability with Derrick Reimer&nbsp; The Stair Step Approach to Bootstrapping&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 630, Rob Walling chats with Jonathan Weinberg, who is the founder of Builder Prime,&nbsp;a CRM software for home improvement contractors. We chat about how he came up with the idea for Builder Prime, getting early traction, and finding product-market fit. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:46 - Getting Builder Prime to almost $1M ARR 3:32 - Deciding who to hire next 4:40 - How did Jonathan come up with the idea for Builder Prime? 8:29 - Jonathan's decision to quit his day job and work on Builder Prime before it made any money 10:55 - The unique steps that Jonathan took to get early traction 17:05 - When did Jonathan realize he had product-market fit? 24:04 - Jonathan’s hockey stick growth moment 28:31 - What’s next for Jonathan? Links from the Show: Jonathan Weinberg @Jonathan_codes) I Twitter Builder Prime&nbsp; TinySeed&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In the final episode of TinySeed Tales Season 3, Rob Walling checks in with Tony Chan of CloudForecast. They reflect on some of the most prominent challenges and milestones that the business has faced over the last year. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:31 - Tony reflects on attending his first MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis 3:30 - An update on how CloudForecast’s content marketing efforts are going 7:59 - Getting an article featured at the top of Reddit 11:16 - An update on how their new senior engineer is doing 16:18 - Why Tony prefers to hire full-time employees 18:26 - An update on CloudForecast’s sales pipeline 20:50 - Tony reflects on the challenges of figuring out where to invest time and capital 24:30 - The importance of getting low-level tasks off your plate 28:36 - What is Tony least looking forward to in the next year? 30:38 - What is Tony most looking forward to in the next year? Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter CloudForecast Cost of living the cloud life: Fossil fuel consumption as a service If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 628, join Rob Walling on a solo adventure where he dives into his newest framework.&nbsp;The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework is a helpful way to evaluate different startup ideas through a set of criteria to gauge the size of the opportunity. Want to download the PDF version the the 5 p.M. Idea Evaluation Framework? Join the Startups For The Rest Us Mailing List, and we'll send you the link in the first email. Look for the orange email opt-in widget on the page. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:37 - Why is it called The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework? 4:06 - Problem 6:23 - Purchaser 8:17 - Pricing Model 9:00 -&nbsp; Market 12:48 - Product-Founder Fit 13:21 - Pain to validate the product 13:59 - Evaluating two business ideas through Rob’s 5pm framework Links from the Show: SaaS Ideas to Build Right Now, Before Someone Else Does&nbsp; Jon Yongfook's Tweet MicroConf Connect If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In the penultimate episode of TinySeed Tales Season 3, Rob Walling checks in with Tony Chan of CloudForecast. Tony shares some recent big wins, including hiring a senior engineer. We also meet Tony’s cofounder, Francois Lagier, for the first time. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:49 - The story of how Tony and Francois first met 2:14 - Hiring a senior engineer at CloudForecast 8:51 - Tony shares two recent big wins at CloudForecast 14:31 - The paradox of choice that all startup founders face 16:30 - CloudForecast dives into some new content marketing and SEO initiatives 18:35 - What are Tony and Francois looking forward to in the next month? Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter Francois Lagier (@francoislagier) I Twitter CloudForecast If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 626, Rob Walling chats with Nick Swan, the founder of SEOTesting.com. SEOTesting helps SEO professionals and agencies automate the reporting of page updates and changes. Nick originally launched it as a free tool under a different name. In this episode, we cover when Nick decided to charge for it, renaming the tool, rewriting the codebase, and the journey to growing to $18,000 MRR. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:17 - Growing SEOTesting.com to $18,000 MRR 4:53 - What kinds of businesses use SEOTesting.com? 8:11 - The decision to build SEOTesting 12:33 - Launching SEOTesting as a free tool 15:39 - When Nick started to charge for SEOTesting? 18:16 - Nick’s initial pricing strategy and rollout 27:06 - Reflecting on the initial launch 29:49 - Nick’s thought process for pivoting and changing the company name 34:45 - Reaching product-market fit 36:01 - Nick’s decision to bring on a co-founder a few years in 39:32 - Prioritizing marketing vs. development Links from the Show: Nick Swan (@NickSwan) I Twitter SEOTesting.com&nbsp; TinySeed&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In the fourth episode of TinySeed Tales Season 3, Rob Walling checks back in with Tony Chan of CloudForecast. Tony shares that they’ve doubled their MRR in the last couple of months, and it feels like he has unlocked a cheat code. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:02 - What’s changed since the last episode? 3:14 - Winning a huge enterprise deal that nearly doubled their MRR 5:21 - Deploying capital 12:31 - A key mindset shift that Tony had to make 13:33 - Tony’s experience at a recent TinySeed retreat 18:10 - Tony reflects on some low points 19:35 - What is he looking forward to? Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter CloudForecast TinySeed Applications are now open If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 624, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he answers some listener questions on topics ranging from customer interviews to transitioning from a free to a paid product and prioritizing marketing vs. development. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:11 - What episodes should I start with to get up to speed? 3:27 - When to transition from a free to a paid product 11:37 - Customer interviews as a service 15:03 - Making the jump from software to manufacturing 19:32 - Prioritizing marketing vs. development Links from the Show: Greatest Hits Spending Benchmarks for Private B2B SaaS Companies&nbsp; How Much Do SaaS Companies Spend on Marketing? MicroConf Locals MicroConf Youtube Channel&nbsp; MicroConf Connect If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In the third episode of season 3 of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling checks in with Tony Chan of CloudForecast to see how he is faring since his co-founder is now on paternity leave. During this time, Tony shares a big win along with dealing with some hiring and growth setbacks. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:24 - How the business is doing while Francois is on paternity leave&nbsp; 2:36 - Tony’s perspective on being a solo founder for the past 6 weeks&nbsp; 5:04 - Managing your own founder psychology&nbsp;&nbsp; 7:49 - How Tony is dealing with an unexpected sales slump&nbsp; 16:16 - Did Tony end up hiring a full-time SDR?&nbsp;&nbsp; 21:04 - Dealing with setbacks&nbsp; 22:41 - What Tony is looking forward to in the next couple of months&nbsp;&nbsp; Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter CloudForecast TinySeed Applications are now open&nbsp; Episode 613 | Hacking Your Founder Psychology Summit If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 622, join Rob Walling and fan favorite Derrick Reimer, the founder of SavvyCal, as they discuss topics like balancing profitability versus growth and deciding which features to build and not. They chat about some specific features that Derek has decided to build, those he has not decided to build, and the thought process behind them. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 4:02 - Making product decisions&nbsp; 9:22 - Deciding on what features you are not going to build&nbsp; 19:12 - When to reply to debates on Twitter&nbsp;&nbsp; 27:42 - Twitter’s newsletter feature&nbsp; 31:40 - Derrick’s perspective on balancing profitability vs reinvesting in the business&nbsp; 43:10 - Is Rob scratching his maker itch by being an investor in companies through TinySeed, or is he missing building SaaS businesses?&nbsp;&nbsp; 46:29 - Should Rob join TikTok?&nbsp; Links from the Show: Derrick Reimer @derrickreimer I Twitter SavvyCal Applications for TinySeed’s Fall 2022 SaaS Accelerators Are Now Open&nbsp; MicroConf Youtube Channel&nbsp; High Signal If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob chats with Tony Chan from CloudForecast about the progress his rapidly growing team has made over the previous few weeks. Tony is riding the roller coaster that is entrepreneurship and in this episode you get to follow along. Topics we cover: 1:47 - New full time engineering hire onboarding results 4:50 - Part time SDR hire onboarding results 7:31 - How hiring affects company culture 10:19 - Tony’s biggest wins in the last few weeks 14:30 - Growing the product to grow Expansion Revenue 15:45 - CloudForecast’s summer sales lull 19:40 - Keeping sane as a founder 22:00 - What Tony is worried about coming out of summer 24:00 - The next MRR target Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter CloudForecast TinySeed Applications open September 12, 2022 TinySeed Tales S2E1 I Introducing Gather&nbsp; TinySeed Tales 1 I A Non-Technical Saas Founder&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 620, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he answers some listener questions. These questions range from which SaaS business metrics to pay attention to and how to find good SaaS ideas to helping an employee transition from a task-level to a project-level thinker. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 1:44- What SaaS business metrics matter the most?&nbsp; 11:21- Do you have any general observations about building a SaaS for non-technical customers?&nbsp; 16:00- How do you find a good SaaS idea?&nbsp; 24:41- How can I assist an employee in transitioning from a task-level to a project-level thinker?&nbsp; Links from the Show: Episode 480 I Stairstepping Your Way To SaaS with Christopher Gimmer 2022 State of Independent SaaS Report&nbsp; The Stairstep Approach to Bootstrapping&nbsp; TMBA 100 - Rip, Pivot, and Jam MicroConf Connect&nbsp; MicroConf Europe&nbsp; Applications for TinySeed’s Fall 2022 SaaS Accelerators Will Open September 12th MicroConf Youtube Channel&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Welcome to Season 3 of TinySeed Tales, where we follow the founders of one SaaS startup throughout a year as they share their struggles, victories, and failures. On the first episode of Season 3, Rob introduces us to Tony Chan, the cofounder of CloudForecast. CloudForecast is a daily AWS cost monitoring service for busy engineering teams. Tony is one of 33 startup founders from TinySeed’s Spring 2021 accelerator batch. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 2:41- What’s CloudForecast?&nbsp; 4:09- How large is the CloudForecast team?&nbsp; 6:54- Why did Tony apply to TinySeed? 8:30- Why Tony turned down venture capital offers?&nbsp; 13:48- Tony reflects on the added complexity of taking funding&nbsp; 19:47- Tony’s biggest fear&nbsp; 22:34- What is Tony looking forward to? Links from the Show: Tony Chan (@toeknee123) I Twitter CloudForecast&nbsp; TinySeed&nbsp; Castos&nbsp; Gather&nbsp; TinySeed Tales S2E1 I Introducing Gather&nbsp; TinySeed Tales S1E1 I A Non-Technical Saas Founder&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you.

In episode 618, join Rob Walling as he chats with Sam Dogen, the founder of Financial Samurai, which is one of the longest-running and most popular personal finance blogs. Over the last 13 years, Sam has personally written over 2,500 essays along with a Wall Street Journal Bestselling book. We talk about achieving financial freedom, money mindsets, and relentless execution. Topics we cover:&nbsp; 3:12- The 4% Rule&nbsp; 4:40- Sam’s alternative approach to the 4% Rule&nbsp; 7:25- The FIRE Movement&nbsp; 10:16- How to navigate the US health insurance system as an early retiree&nbsp; 12:10- Sam’s relentless execution when it comes to running Financial Samurai&nbsp; 17:40- How Sam learned about personal finance&nbsp; 18:47- How Sam negotiated a severance package despite quitting his investment banking job&nbsp; 22:47- Why he runs Financial Samurai as a true lifestyle business&nbsp; 26:07- Would Sam sell Financial Samurai for $20 million?&nbsp; 27:35- The premise of Sam’s new book&nbsp; 28:46- Sam’s mental model for allocating financial assets to generate passive income&nbsp; Links from the Show: Sam Dogen (@financialsamura) I Twitter Financial Samurai&nbsp;&nbsp; Buy This, Not That&nbsp;&nbsp; TropicalMBA&nbsp; MicroConf Europe&nbsp; Applications for TinySeed’s Fall 2022 SaaS Accelerators Will Open September 12th MicroConf Youtube Channel&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 617, Einar Vollset and Tracy Osborn join Rob Walling for a bootstrapper news roundup episode. They cover a wide range of topics from ProfitWell’s big 200 million exit, spreadsheet mentality, watching an acquirer ruin your company, and much more. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [3:06] What’s your take on ProfitWell’s acquisition?&nbsp;&nbsp; [5:52] Watching an acquirer ruin your company&nbsp; [14:03] The spreadsheet mentality&nbsp; [23:09] If you can’t buy it twice, don’t buy it [36:00] Balancing realism with optimism as a founder&nbsp; Links from the Show: Tracy Osborn @tracymakes I Twitter Einar Vollset @einarvollset I Twitter Episode 611 | Bootstrapping ProfitWell to a $200M Exit (with Patrick Campbell) Watching an acquirer ruin your company Episode 605 | Building a SaaS with Little Dev Experience, Using No Code for Your MVP, Bootstrapping a Two-Sided Marketplace, and More Listener Questions The “Spreadsheet Mentality” sucks, and kills the efficacy of jobs If You Can’t Buy It Twice, Don’t Buy It 14 Critical Things Investors Look for In A SaaS Startup Applications for TinySeed’s Fall 2022 SaaS Accelerators Will Open September 12th MicroConf Youtube Channel MicroConf Europe If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 616, Rob Walling chats with Liam Martin, the co-founder of Time Doctor and author of the new book, “Running Remote: Master the Lessons from the World’s Most Successful Remote Work Pioneers.” We dig into the fundamentals of asynchronous communication, how to do remote work better, and some surprises they saw during the pandemic. Episode Sponsor Hiring developers has been tough for years, but it is even tougher these days. Lemon.io is on a mission to make the process of hiring an experienced developer or even an entire team easier. They only have experienced developers on their marketplace, and each one is hand-vetted. It is virtually risk-free as they’ll guarantee a replacement in 48 hours if something goes wrong. Find your perfect developer or a team with Lemon.io. You can also claim a special discount for our podcast fans. Visit lemon.io/startups to receive a 15% discount for the first 4 weeks of work with a developer. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [2:46] What Liam has learned running Time Doctor for the past 12 years&nbsp; [6:23] Can extroverts thrive long-term in a remote work environment?&nbsp; [11:14] Liam’s approach to metrics and KPIs for engineering teams&nbsp; [18:23] Why remote companies that move faster collaborate less&nbsp; [21:31] How far can you take async communication in a remote team&nbsp;&nbsp; [24:29] Combating isolation on remote teams&nbsp; Links from the Show: Liam Martin (@LiamRemote) I Twitter Running Remote Book Time Doctor&nbsp; Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World MicroConf Youtube Channel&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 615, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he covers what makes a business bootstrappable (and things to avoid), cargo culting, and how large of a business you can build at different customer lifetime value levels. Episode Sponsor: Hiring developers has been tough for years, but it is even tougher these days. Lemon.io is on a mission to make the process of hiring an experienced developer or even an entire team easier. They only have experienced developers on their marketplace, and each one is hand-vetted. It is virtually risk-free as they’ll guarantee a replacement in 48 hours if something goes wrong. Find your perfect developer or a team with Lemon.io. You can also claim a special discount for our podcast fans. Visit lemon.io/startups to receive a 15% discount for the first 4 weeks of work with a developer. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:51] What makes a business bootstrappable?&nbsp; [14:15] Cargo culting&nbsp; [20:05] How large of a business can you build at a specific annual contract value or lifetime value?&nbsp; Links from the Show: Bootstrapper’s Guide to Outside Funding&nbsp; Episode 613 I Hacking Your Founder Psychology&nbsp; Episode 602 I Explaining SaaS Metrics to a Child&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 614, Rob Walling chats with fan favorite Derrick Reimer. They start out by talking about Derrick’s decision to take a sabbatical from The Art of Product podcast after co-hosting it with Ben&nbsp;Orenstein for more than 5 years. Then, they answer a handful of listener questions, including when to quit your day job to focus on your startup full-time, coping with anxiety as a second-time founder, and choosing a domain name. Episode Sponsor: Hiring developers has been tough for years, but it is even tougher these days. Lemon.io is on a mission to make the process of hiring an experienced developer or even an entire team easier. They only have experienced developers on their marketplace, and each one is hand-vetted. It is virtually risk-free as they’ll guarantee a replacement in 48 hours if something goes wrong. Find your perfect developer or a team with Lemon.io. You can also claim a special discount for our podcast fans. Visit lemon.io/startups to receive a 15% discount for the first 4 weeks of work with a developer. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [2:18] Derrick’s decision to take a break from The Art of The Product podcast&nbsp; [10:22] When should you go full-time on your startup?&nbsp; [17:20] Before looking for tech firms, should I know the best frontend and backend architecture for my SaaS MVP and then only shop for firms who specialize in that?&nbsp;&nbsp; [24:13] I'm starting a new SaaS business, and despite a previous successful experience, I can't stop feeling extremely anxious about it. Is this something you're familiar with? How did you deal with it? [30:34] When choosing a domain name for my startup, should you go with a meaningful and expressive name, but a less serious TLD.io or a somewhat fictional name combined with the best tld.com?&nbsp;&nbsp; Links from the Show: Derrick Reimer @derrickreimer I Twitter&nbsp; SavvyCal The Art of Product&nbsp; Bootstrapped Web&nbsp; Summit&nbsp; TinySeed&nbsp; Bullet Train&nbsp; MicroConf Connect&nbsp; The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You The Mom Test&nbsp; How I Nabbe

In episode 613, Rob Walling chats with Dr. Sherry Walling about the release of her new book, Touching Two Worlds: A guide for finding hope in the landscape of loss. They cover a lot in this episode, including the hustle of launching a book, the behind the scenes of how Sherry has hacked her own psychology to help promote the book, and grief in entrepreneurship. Episode Sponsor: Hiring developers has been tough for years, but it is even tougher these days. Lemon.io is on a mission to make the process of hiring an experienced developer or even an entire team easier. They only have experienced developers on their marketplace, and each one is hand-vetted. It is virtually risk-free as they’ll guarantee a replacement in 48 hours if something goes wrong. Find your perfect developer or a team with Lemon.io. You can also claim a special discount for our podcast fans. Visit lemon.io/startups to receive a 15% discount for the first 4 weeks of work with a developer. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [4:04] What it is like to publish a book with a traditional publisher&nbsp; [5:30] The process of launching and promoting a book [9:24] A clever way to reframe cold outreach&nbsp; [15:52] Hacking your founder psychology&nbsp; [21:03] A short book summary&nbsp; Links from the Show: Sherry Walling (@SherryWalling) I Twitter Zen Founder&nbsp; Touching Two Worlds: A guide for finding hope in the landscape of loss Episode 585 I Moving Outside Your Comfort Zone with Dr. Sherry Walling&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 612, Rob Walling chats with longtime friend and repeat podcast guest Dave Rodenbaugh. Dave was even at the very first MicroConf back in 2011. In this episode, we have a candid conversation on our experiences balancing side projects with a day job, struggling with the decision in our own different ways of when to quit, and the surprising habits you have to unlearn once you are finally independent of the day job and consulting work. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:27] Dave’s thought process behind expanding Recapture&nbsp; [5:34] The decision to go full-time on Recapture&nbsp; [15:05] Dave’s process for unlearning bad employee / consultant habits&nbsp; [20:07] The danger of the arrival fallacy&nbsp; [24:20] What would you do if you sold the business? [26:03] Balancing a side project with your day job&nbsp;&nbsp; Links from the Show: Dave Rodenbaugh (@DaveRodenbaugh) I Twitter Recapture&nbsp; Rogue Startups&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 611, join Rob Walling as he chats with Patrick Campbell, the cofounder of ProfitWell, on how he and his co-founders bootstrapped ProfitWell to a $200 million exit. Profitwell was acquired by Paddle earlier this year. We dive into a bunch of topics you have not heard elsewhere, including details about the actual transaction, what was the stock vs. cash split, the revenue breakdown of consulting versus SaaS when they sold as well as talking through his thought process as they were deciding whether to sell. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [3:53] Using their consulting business to fund and grow Profitwell in the early days&nbsp; [8:23] The split between cash and stock in Profitwell’s acquisition&nbsp; [9:49] The percentage of Profitwell’s revenue from consulting vs. SaaS [13:39] The conversations that Patrick and his cofounders had from the get-go about their end goals and how much to reinvest in the business&nbsp; [15:02] The ownership split between all of the cofounders&nbsp; [17:08] How he made sure his employees were taken care of in the acquisition&nbsp;&nbsp; [19:05] Did Patrick ever consider taking funding?&nbsp; [26:14] How long it took to sell the business from the first contact with Paddle&nbsp;&nbsp; [31:55] Why should SaaS founders take money off the table once they hit certain milestones?&nbsp; [36:01] Patrick’s feelings about competing with Stripe&nbsp; [42:15] Why Patrick moved to Puerto Rico&nbsp; Links from the Show: Patrick Campbell (@Patticus) I Twitter&nbsp; Profitwell&nbsp; Paddle If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 610, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he talks about the benefits of working a day job before launching your company, some bad habits he picked up in the early days, why the college dropout narrative is annoying, and what he would do if he was starting over today. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:08] The benefits of working a day job [6:20] Some bad habits Rob learned as a solopreneur in the early days&nbsp; [9:45] Why the college dropout narrative is bs&nbsp; [12:51] What would Rob do if he was starting over today&nbsp; [19:22] The benefits of starting a business today vs. 10 years ago&nbsp; Links from the Show: Episode 551 I Task-level vs. Project-level Thinkers, No such Thing as an Autopilot Business, and More The Stair Step Approach to bootstrapping Quiet Light&nbsp; 68 B2B SaaS marketplaces with opportunities for indie hackers If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 609, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he answers a handful of listener questions ranging from when it makes sense to have multiple LLCs and hiring task-level vs. project-level thinkers to planning for large projects. He also shares his thought process behind ways you can build a complex mobile app prototype in a capital efficient manner. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:56] Is it worth it to create multiple LLCs?&nbsp; [6:10] Do you have any tips for how to find the time to work on future improvements when it feels like you don't have time to do anything but fix bugs and answer support tickets?&nbsp; [13:01] Do you have any advice around how to build a complex mobile app MVP in a capital efficient manner?&nbsp; [20:30] Should internal company, marketing and transactional emails be on the same domain?&nbsp; [22:27] How do you plan for a large project?&nbsp; Links from the Show: Episode 551 I Task-level vs. Project-level Thinkers, No such Thing as an Autopilot Business, and More MicroConf Connect&nbsp; Episode 505 I 42 Side Projects and the #NoCode Movement Github Issues&nbsp; Episode 311 I What’s It’s Like Selling a $128k Side Project&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 608, Rob Walling chats with Adrian Rosebrock, who bootstrapped and successfully exited his seven-figure info product company, PyImageSearch, in 2021. PyImageSearch provided digital courses around visual image detection and image classification in Python. Adrian wasn’t always an entrepreneur. He graduated with a PhD in computer science, got a day job, realized early on that he hated it, and just stair-stepped his way up to running a successful business. In this episode, we cover a lot including Adrian’s decision to start blogging and launch a Kickstarter campaign in the early days to learning how to hire employees and making the decision to sell the business in 2021. Episode Sponsor: Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founder Hub&nbsp; Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups is on a mission to help all founders innovate and grow no matter their background, location, or progress.&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges, including access to Azure credits, development tools like Github, mentorship resources,&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;collaboration and productivity software like Teams and Outlook and more. The program is open to all and takes 5 minutes to sign up, with no funding required. Learn more aka.ms/startupsfortherestofus Topics we cover:&nbsp; [2:41] The story of how Adrian first discovered MicroConf&nbsp; [6:29] Why Adrian didn’t want to go down the traditional path after getting his PhD in computer science&nbsp; [10:01] When he knew having a traditional day job as an employee wasn’t for him&nbsp; [11:24] How he used the stair-step approach to launch PyImageSearch&nbsp; [13:54] What Adrian did when he started to see early traction [16:45] Did having a PhD in computer science have a big impact in the early days of launching his business?&nbsp;&nbsp; [18:05] Adrian’s approach to learning how to market [20:31] How he balanced working a day job and his side business in the early days&nbsp; [23:39] Adrian’s launch plan for selling his first ebook in 2014 [28:48] The epiphanies that Adrian had in the early days to keep plugging away&nbsp; [33:33] How he went from making $38,000 in 2014 to $600,000 in 2016 as a company of one&nbsp;&nbsp; [36:28] The mindset shifts he had to make when he started hiring employees [39:10] Adrian’s decision to sell the business&nbsp; [45:03] His reflections after selling the business in 2021 Links from the Show: Adrian Rosebrock @InfoProdMastery I Twitter PyImageSearch Info Product Mastery The Stair Step Approach to Bootstrapping Ryan Delk: Lifting The Veil: The Data Behind Successful Product Launches I Youtube Quiet Light If you have questions about starting or scaling a soft

In episode 607, Rob Walling chats with Asia Orangio, and they answer listener questions about customer onboarding videos, overcoming revenue plateaus, stealth launches, and founder-driven sales. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:12] Where’s the best place to put customer onboarding videos?&nbsp;&nbsp; [5:37] How to scale a content business&nbsp; [15:36] What to do if revenue has plateaued?&nbsp; [21:41] When to do a stealth launch&nbsp; [26:30] Is it possible for a SaaS product to sell to the enterprise without a dedicated sales team?&nbsp; Links from the Show: Asia Orangio (@AsiaOrangio) I Twitter DemandMaven&nbsp; In Demand Productize &amp; Scale SaaS Metrics MicroConf Youtube Channel&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 606, Rob Walling chats with Craig Hewitt, the founder of Castos. They talk about company building, staying up to speed when you are no longer doing the day-to-day tasks as well as their thoughts on a recent string of acquisitions happening in the podcast ecosystem. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:24] 2 MicroConf Local events happening in Chicago and Denver &nbsp; [3:50] The pros and cons of Spotify acquiring a couple of podcast analytics platforms&nbsp; [7:51] The specific challenges with podcast analytics&nbsp; [12:39] Spotify vs. Apple&nbsp; [16:31] Staying up to speed as CEO once you have a team doing the day-to-day tasks&nbsp; [28:32] Implementing OKRs at Castos&nbsp; [33:07] Castos’ Mission Links from the Show: Craig Hewitt (@TheCraigHewitt) I Twitter Castos&nbsp; MicroConf Local&nbsp; Seeking Scale Rogue Startups Bootstrapped Web Tempo I Castos If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 605, Rob Walling is joined by Ruben Gamez, and they dig into a handful of listener questions. Topics range from building a SaaS with little development experience and using no-code tools to build your MVP to stair-stepping bootstrapping a two-sided marketplace. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [0:55] Selling to the enterprise&nbsp; [4:31] What level of development expertise would you say the founders of a B2B SaaS should have in order to create a successful product?&nbsp; [13:26] Should you launch a productized service to validate a SaaS idea before building it?&nbsp;&nbsp; [20:47] Can you use the stairstep method to bootstrap a two-sided marketplace business?&nbsp; [31:34] Is no-code something you see mainly for building an MVP,&nbsp; or is it something that you could sustainably build an actual SaaS startup on without running into scaling issues? What are the downside risks to no-code tools other than platform risk? [37:08] Do you think no-code tools will ever get to the point where you can build a full SaaS business?&nbsp; Links from the Show: Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) I Twitter SignWell RocketGems Castos&nbsp; Bubble Airtable&nbsp; Dynamite Jobs Clarity.fm MicroConf Masterminds&nbsp; The SaaS Founder Guide to No-Code&nbsp; If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 604, Rob Walling talks with Derrick Reimer and gets the latest update on SavvyCal, how he makes product decisions, and they also share the best things they’ve bought for $100 and $1000 that have added much more value to their lives than the price point. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [4:50] Apple’s influence on startup founders&nbsp; [8:52] SavvyCal’s new Squadcast integration [12:51] Some upcoming features in the works for SavvyCal&nbsp; [14:05] Experimenting with a freemium feature—meeting polls [17:07] Derrick’s mental framework for deciding what features to build next&nbsp; [23:58] Switching from an employee to a founder mindset [25:56] Would you rather fight one duck-sized horse or a thousand duck-sized horses?&nbsp; [27:25] The best purchase Derrick has made for under $100 in the last 6 months&nbsp; [33:14] The best purchase Derrick has made for under $1000 in the last 6 months&nbsp; Links from the Show: Derrick Reimer (@DerrickReimer) I Twitter SavvyCal Squadcast If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 603, Rob Walling chats with David Darmanin, one of the founders of Hotjar. Hotjar was bootstrapped to $40 million ARR with a fully distributed team of 170 employees. David and his cofounders sold the company for a 9-figure exit in 2021. From their incredible launch story and their unique DTC approach to sales and marketing in a B2B SaaS business to David’s mental models and the thought process behind selling the business, there is no shortage of key insights in this episode. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [5:07] How David initially financed building Hotjar&nbsp; [8:11] The biggest difference between Hotjar and its competitors&nbsp;&nbsp; [12:03] The unique approach that David took when launching Hotjar&nbsp; [12:44] Lessons learned from a failed product launch prior to Hotjar&nbsp; [15:01] How they built their initial launch list to 60,000 subscribers&nbsp; [19:32] How to know how much to spend on paid ads [24:53] Why David said it was easy to work 60-80 hour workweeks for the first 6-9 months of Hotjar&nbsp; [27:22] The two key ingredients needed if you want to sell a low-priced SaaS product&nbsp; [30:31] How they tripled their growth from $1M - $3M in the first year&nbsp; [33:26] How their initial launch strategy gave them a major competitive advantage when they started doing content marketing later on&nbsp; [34:03] What led him to sell Hotjar&nbsp; [40:39] How long the exit process took Links from the Show: David Darmanin @DavidDarmanin I Twitter Hotjar Episode 569 I The Life-Changing Decision of When to Sell your Company How a 7-hour workweek led to Anna Maste’s 7-figure sale I They Got Acquired Conversion Rate Experts Delivering Happiness&nbsp; Selling The Invisible&nbsp; The Dip Built to Sell The Great CEO Within&nbsp; Let My People Go Surfing Just Cause If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an

In episode 602, Rob Walling explains SaaS metrics to his kid. This is a great episode to listen to if you are unfamiliar or not well-versed in SaaS because we dig into from first principles, starting with dollars, revenue, and the purpose of businesses, all the way to SaaS metrics like MRR, ACV, and LTV. And, even if you are well-versed in SaaS metrics, you’ll likely learn a few things from this conversation. Episode Sponsor: Microsoft for Startups Founder Hub  Microsoft for Startups is on a mission to help all founders innovate and grow no matter their background, location, or progress. Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges, including access to Azure credits, development tools like Github, mentorship resources, Microsoft collaboration and productivity software like Teams and Outlook and more. The program is open to all and takes 5 minutes to sign up, with no funding required. Learn more aka.ms/startupsfortherestofus Topics we cover:  [1:55] MicroConf Local London tickets are on sale  [3:17] Starting with the basics: money, dollars, and businesses  [7:01] Revenue  [7:12] Expenses  [10:51] SaaS  [13:29] Recurring revenue  [13:58] Average revenue per account (ARPA) [14:56] Monthly recurring revenue (MRR)  [15:08] Average revenue per customer  [17:08] Annual contract value (ACV)  [18:18] Churn [19:30] Differences between Revenue Churn and Customer Churn  [21:18] Lifetime value  [22:10] Average customer lifetime value  [25:49] Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 601, Rob Walling chats with Nick Fogle of ChurnKey. Nick previously cofounded Wavve which was acquired in early 2021. In this conversation, they chat about how the idea for Churnkey came from his other business, decision to sell Wavve, and some of the key differences between bootstrapping a B2C vs a B2B SaaS. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [2:11] Tips for reducing churn&nbsp; [3:26] Asking for feedback at the point of cancellation via feedback surveys&nbsp; [8:09] When he knew it was the right time to double down on ChurnKey&nbsp; [9:06] A piece of advice for bootstrappers looking for SaaS business ideas&nbsp; [14:44] The process Nick and his cofounder used to sell Wavve for a life-changing exit.&nbsp; [22:13] The potential pitfalls of off-market deals&nbsp; [26:56] His initial reaction after selling Wavve [29:04] The key differences between selling B2B and B2C&nbsp; [30:36] Why Nick made the difference to hire a head of sales for ChurnKey [32:14] The mindset shifts he had to unlock around shifting from low touch to high touch sales&nbsp; [33:43] Why he decided to join the current batch of TinySeed&nbsp; Links from the Show: Nick Fogle (@nickfogle) I Twitter Churnkey&nbsp; Wavve TinySeed If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 600, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he dives into topics ranging from when to hire your first manager to a mental framework for deciding which things to work on vs. what to delegate to your team. He also shares his thought process behind when things take multiple iterations and how to know whether or not you are on the right track. Episode Sponsor: Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founder Hub&nbsp; Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups is on a mission to help all founders innovate and grow no matter their background, location, or progress.&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges, including access to Azure credits, development tools like Github, mentorship resources,&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;collaboration and productivity software like Teams and Outlook and more. The program is open to all and takes 5 minutes to sign up, with no funding required. Learn more aka.ms/startupsfortherestofus Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:04] A mental framework for deciding what things you should focus on as a SaaS founder vs. what to delegate&nbsp; [7:28] The importance of resting and taking proper breaks as a SaaS founder [14:28] When to hire your first manager&nbsp; [14:50] The two main components of management: supervising and leading&nbsp; [18:45] The importance of continuous iterations&nbsp; [26:21] Why you need to manage your own psychology as a founder&nbsp; [28:11] Hitting a big podcast milestone: 600 episodes Links from the Show: Strawberry Fields I Beatles Yesterday I Beatles Episode 200: Customer Acquisition Plans for Bootstrappers If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 599, Rob Walling chats with Dominic “Dom” and Tracy Phillips of CodeSubmit. CodeSubmit provides a library of real-world, take-home tasks in more than 60 coding languages. Some of their customers are Audi, Netflix, Carbon Health, 3M, and Apple. Dom and Tracy were also a part of the spring 2020 batch of TinySeed. During that year, they managed to 25x their MRR. In this episode, we’re digging into how they did that, what led to their bootstrapped hockey stick growth moment, what it is like working on a company with your spouse, and much more. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [2:20] How Dom and Tracy came up with the idea for CodeSubmit&nbsp; [6:59] The approach they used to build their product MVP on nights and weekends&nbsp; [11:16] Running a startup with your spouse&nbsp; [13:42] The catalyst that led to their hockey stick growth moment&nbsp; [17:06] When they knew they had product market fit&nbsp;&nbsp; [21:46] The number of different marketing channels they tried before they decided to double down on content marketing and SEO&nbsp; [26:19] The biggest mistakes that hiring managers and recruiters make when vetting new developers via take-home challenges&nbsp; [29:40] Thoughts on building a lifestyle business&nbsp; Links from the Show: CodeSubmit Dominic Phillips @domrdy I Twitter Tracy Phillips @tracy_s9z I Twitter ScrapingBee If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 598, join Rob Walling as he answers listener emails. Topics range from diversity in the startup ecosystem and when’s the right time to write your company’s mission, philosophy, and values to how to find good business ideas and the different approaches for developing features for a new app. Episode Sponsor: Microsoft for Startups Founder Hub Microsoft for Startups is on a mission to help all founders innovate and grow no matter their background, location, or progress. Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges, including access to Azure credits, development tools like Github, mentorship resources, Microsoft collaboration and productivity software like Teams and Outlook and more. The program is open to all and takes 5 minutes to sign up, with no funding required. Learn more aka.ms/startupsfortherestofus Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:21] MicroConf Remote 4.0&nbsp; [1:59] Improving diversity in the startup ecosystem&nbsp; [8:11] Is bootstrapping the great equalizer in business?&nbsp;&nbsp; [8:51] The right time to work on company values, mission statements, and philosophy&nbsp; [14:02] Developing features for a new app&nbsp; [15:18] How to figure out your minimum lovable product&nbsp; [21:18] How to find business ideas Links from the Show: State of Independent SaaS The Updated Survival Guide for Bootstrapping SaaS I MicroConf On Air Episode 589 I Finding a SaaS idea through 70 cold calls My First Million Tropical MBA If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 597, Rob Walling chats with Ashley Baxter, the founder of With Jack. With Jack gives peace of mind and protection for UK freelancers through insurance, professional indemnity, public liability, contracts, legal expenses, etc. We dig into the lessons Ashley learned from a failed insurance business she inherited from her father, how she used her freelance photography to fund With Jack in the early days, along with sharing many of the successes and failures she has had on her entrepreneurial journey. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [1:49] Tickets for MicroConf Remote 4.0 are now on sale&nbsp; [2:55] Putting a tech twist on a regulated industry&nbsp; [3:27] Improving the onboarding experience&nbsp; [5:24] How Ashley came up with the name for her business, With Jack [8:24] How she used the money from her freelance photography business to fund the early development costs for With Jack [10:16] Lessons learned from taking over her father’s insurance business at 18&nbsp; [15:20] The danger of depending on only one channel to run your business [17:49] Ashley’s three pivotal business moments [21:27] The concept of a vitamin vs. painkiller business&nbsp; [27:10] The challenges of hiring an executive or admin assistant in a highly regulated industry&nbsp; [28:42] How Ashley responded when a competitor stole her website design&nbsp; [31:17] Why you shouldn’t be intimidated if a competitor gets funding&nbsp; Links from the Show: Ashley Baxter&nbsp; @iamashley I Twitter With Jack I Company Website Ashley Baxter I Ashley’s website If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 596, Rob Walling is joined by Einar Vollset and Tracy Osborn for a bootstrapper news roundup episode. They cover a wide range of topics from Google’s decision to bring employees back into the office (and the potential implications for bootstrapped companies), founder salary data trends, email management strategies, and much more. Episode Sponsor: Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founder Hub&nbsp; Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups is on a mission to help all founders innovate and grow no matter their background, location, or progress.&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges, including access to Azure credits, development tools like Github, mentorship resources,&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;collaboration and productivity software like Teams and Outlook and more. The program is open to all and takes 5 minutes to sign up, with no funding required. Learn more&nbsp;aka.ms/startupsfortherestofus Topics we cover:&nbsp; [0:59] The State of Independent SaaS Report &amp; Livestream&nbsp; [5:38] Google is ending work from home options for most Bay Area employees&nbsp; [12:11] How much do startup founders pay themselves? [14:51] The impact on having cofounders and salaries&nbsp; [19:41] Why you are probably using email wrong [26:21] Rob’s system for filtering emails&nbsp; [30:45] Twitter is making it harder to choose the reverse chronological feed [37:37] Practical strategies for working with and getting money to your existing developers in Ukraine and Russia&nbsp; Links from the Show: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4 I Reuters What do startup founders pay themselves? I Sifted Twitter makes it harder to choose the old reverse-chronological feed I The Verge If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 595, Rob Walling catches up with Brian and Scottie Elliott, the husband and wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management SaaS. This husband and wife duo shared their victories, challenges, and failures, including a cash crunch, moving upmarket, and managing to double revenue over their nine episodes of TinySeed Tales Season 2. It’s been over a year since they were last on the podcast and wanted to see how the company is doing. It turns out Gather is on track to 10x their MRR. In this episode, we reflect on what they learned in the last year, how their thought process has evolved around deploying capital to grow the business, and what they are most excited about in 2022. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [3:33] How Gather is on track to 10x MRR&nbsp; [4:26] Shifting from solo designers and small design firms to catering to large firms&nbsp; [5:51] Moving upmarket&nbsp; [8:28] Why they shut down Gather consulting services&nbsp; [10:38] How they knew when they had product-market fit [12:57] How they bounced back after their developer accidentally crashed their entire app&nbsp; [20:11] Their thought process for deploying capital to grow the business&nbsp; [23:02] What they are most excited about in 2022&nbsp; Links from the Show: Gather | Website Brian Elliott (@brianleeelliott) | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out all of Season 2 of TinySeed Tales with Brian and Scottie and Season 1 of TinySeed Tales, where we follow the SaaS journey with Craig Hewitt of Castos. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 594, Rob Walling chats with Dan Andrews and Ian Schoen, the founders of Dynamite Jobs and the TropicalMBA podcast. We talk about how they started over. They started a new business, Dynamite Jobs, a couple of years after selling their physical products company back in 2015. Episode Sponsor: Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founder Hub&nbsp; Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups is on a mission to help all founders innovate and grow no matter their background, location, or progress.&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that provides founders with free resources to help solve startup challenges, including access to Azure credits, development tools like Github, mentorship resources,&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;collaboration and productivity software like Teams and Outlook and more. The program is open to all and takes 5 minutes to sign up, with no funding required. Learn more aka.ms/startupsfortherestofus Dynamite Jobs was born after seeing a need within their community, The Dynamite Circle, a community for location independent entrepreneurs. It’s a need that would be hard for most people to bootstrap because it is a two-sided marketplace, but Dan and Ian had an advantage with their existing business and audience, and were able to capitalize on it. In fact, after humble beginnings, the business has grown 10x in the last year. In this episode, we chat about how they are bootstrapping and growing a two-sided marketplace, along with a wide range of other topics. Topics we cover:&nbsp; [2:37] Why Dan and Ian both settled in Austin, Texas and the unexpected benefits that has had for their businesses&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [3:22] Why their digital nomad journey in the early days was born out of necessity&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [4:35] The events that led to the first DCBKK event in 2012 and the impact it had on their business&nbsp; [6:16] Embracing the chops index instead of the old school digital marketer “guru” model&nbsp; [8:21] The ideas that led Dan and Ian to start Dynamite Jobs in 2017 [14:46] The first key metric for Dynamite Jobs back in the early days [17:12]&nbsp; How deciding to hire a CTO was the catalyst that scaled Dynamite Jobs exponentially in late summer 2020&nbsp; [20:34] The critical mistake they made that cost them months of development time&nbsp; [22:51] The concept of CEO bombing vs. diving deeper into the core features that matter [24:53] The 1000 day principle&nbsp; [28:14] Where Dynamite Jobs is in relation to the 1000 day principle [29:00] How they 10x’ed the revenue for Dynamite Jobs in 2021&nbsp; [30:26] The value of hiring senior people who are better than you&nbsp; [35:59] Actionable tips for recruiting and hiring great people&nbsp; [38:44] The lowest cost, highest leverage hiring advantage for founders&nbsp; [41:21] The rip, pivot and jam framework&nbsp; [43:14] Why some of their “best ideas” turned out to be the biggest failures&nbsp; Links from the Show: Tropical MBA Dynamite Jobs <a href="https://twitter.com/tropicalmba" target="_blank" rel="noopen

In Episode 593, join Rob Walling for a Solo Adventure as he chats about accidentally deleting all of his old tweets, retaining talent, the ideal market for a SaaS business, and more. The topics we cover [3:10] Deleting old tweets [8:43] Retaining talent [12:39] Ideal market for a SaaS business If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 592, Rob Walling is joined again by Cody Duval for a technical conversation about the dos and don'ts for amazing customer support. The topics we cover [2:00] Customer success vs customer support [5:10] Response time [8:59] Post-support surveys [10:58] When to hire first customer support person [13:02] Chat widgets [17:09] Doing customer support early on as a founder [18:01] Training customer support to ask a question [19:00] Dealing with abusive customers [21:10] Customer support tool Links from the show How to Deal with Rude Customers Cody Duval (@codee)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 591, Rob Walling chats with Cody Duvall about his story of acquiring and growing Keeping in a really crowded space of help desk and customer support tools. The topics we cover [4:34] Launching into a crowded market [8:00] Keeping's sales process [10:01] Background on acquiring Keeping [14:53] Outsourcing a team to rewrite the codebase [20:03] Migrating customers [24;01] Challenges with building in a established category [26:09] Hitting product-market fit [28:30] Applying for TinySeed Links from the show Keeping Cody Duvall (@codee)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 590, Rob Walling chats with Craig Hewitt about building versus buying internal tools, how to compete in a competitive space, accounting software, a founder who has a zombie company where investors want their money back, and more. The topics we cover [5:03] Finding a co-founder as a non-technical founder [11:20] Balancing priorities between day job and a SaaS idea [17:35] Zombie company where investors want their money back [26:00] Accounting software for startups [28:10] Building in a competitive market as a solo-founder [32:24] When to buy vs build internal tools Links from the show The Mom Test - a book by Rob Fitzpatrick Audience Podcast Bench Accounting | Online Bookkeeping and Tax Filing Services for Your Small Business Craig Hewitt (@thecraighewitt)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 589, Rob Walling chats with Jason Buckingham about how he found a startup idea from making more than 70 cold calls. It's a great story about staying focused, putting in the time and doing the hard work. The topics we cover [7:14] Finding a problem via cold calls [13:07] Identifying a problem and deciding what to do next [22:32] Getting spouses on board with entrepreneur journey [25:06] Working day jobs while building the product [30:09] Getting into Tiny Seed right before COVID-19 Links from the show Episode 45: Onboarding Your Spouse | Zen Founder Senior Place - Senior Placement and Referral Agency Software If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 588, Rob Walling chats with Courtland Allen about a wide range of bootstrapper and indie hacker topics including the struggles with motivation/depression, bootstrapping today, fighting the urge to quit, and frameworks for getting your first dollar. The topics we cover [3:43] Hiring a podcast producer [6:21] Letting go in business [7:09] Invite-only experiment on Indie Hackers [16:03] Thinking about the future [20:47] Financial freedom and starting a business [25:05] Depression as a founder and rediscovering purpose [37:10] Fighting the urge to quit [41:10] Getting your first dollar [52:35] The bootstrapper scene in 2010 and the relevance of bootstrapping Links from the show Rob Walling on Twitter The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life Courtland Allen (@csallen)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Also, if you haven't seen, applications are open for TinySeed's Spring 2022 programs. TinySeed is a year-long remote accelerator program is designed to help founders with a revenue-generating SaaS optimize product-market fit and grow faster. Read about the program and how to apply here. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 587, join Rob Walling as he answers listener emails including feedback and a critique about the podcast, the state of microentrepreneurship, and where to start with user growth. The topics we cover [2:22] The reason Rob continues to podcast [5:26] Renaming a company or podcast [8:40] Revisiting inflation [15:06] The state of microentrepreneurship [20:00] Where to start with user growth Links from the show Where to Publish Plugins Episode 581 | Inflation for Founders Start Small Stay Small Quiet Light Brokerage MicroAcquire, the #1 Startup Acquisition Marketplace Empire Flippers Rob Walling - Serial Entrepreneur | Building, Launching and Growing Startups If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 586, Rob Walling chats with Michele Hansen about her new book where she talks about how to master customer interviews as a startup founder. The topics we cover [5:00] User experience research for startup founders [11:20] Customer Interviews for developers [12:30] Feature requests as customer research springboard [19:55] Practicing customer interviews [23:37] Comparing to Jobs to Be Done framework Links from the show Deploy Empathy: A practical guide for talking to customers Software Social Episode 524 | Bootstrapping a Commodity SaaS Michele Hansen (@mjwhansen)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review:&nbsp;iTunes&nbsp;|&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;|&nbsp;Stitcher

In Episode 585, Rob Walling chats with Sherry Walling about moving outside your comfort zone, the power of relationships, psychedelic-assisted therapy, as well as her new book about grief launching later this year. The topics we cover [3:22] Deciding against self-publishing [12:00 ] Building an audience vs. a network [14:26] Psychedelic-assisted therapy [24:00] The power and importance of relationships Links from the show The Entrepreneur's Guide To Keeping Your Sh*t Together Touching Two Worlds: A Guide for Finding Hope in the Landscape of Loss Sherry Walling (@zenfounder)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 584, Join Rob Walling for a Happy New Year edition of the show where looks ahead to 2022 and evaluates what he wants to focus on. The things we choose not to do are just as important as the things we chose to do and Rob encourages you to think hard about what is and is not working for you today. The topics we cover [3:00] Founder's retreat [4:36] Estimating growth [9:23] Hiring a full-time content producer [15:32] The power of focus Links from the show The Zen Founder Guide to Founder Retreats If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 583, Rob Walling chats with Sam Parr about about building an email list, selling to Hubspot, podcast growth, and how to spot business opportunities. The topics we cover [3:53] Building Hustle to 8 figures in revenue [5:52] Growing an email list [11:01] Selling to a B2B SaaS [19:00] My First Million and growing podcasts [23:45] TikTok marketing [27:30] Spotting interesting opportunities [34:70] Manifest cowboy Links from the show Sam Parr (@theSamParr)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 582, Rob Walling is joined by Einar Vollset to answer listener questions about enterprise sales, crowdfunding, replacing yourself, and things that every B2B SaaS founder should know. The topics we cover [1:26] Investing with Reg CF [6:20] Enterprise plans and pricing [13:31] Finding your replacement [19:29] Best way to give software demos [21:55] What fundamental things should startup founders should know Links from the show Sales Funnel Optimization for Bootstrapped Founders – Steli Efti – MicroConf Europe 2019 Einar Vollset (@einarvollset)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 581, Rob Walling discusses how to grow money sensibly while protecting the principle during inflationary times. He explores real estate, collectibles, crypto, stocks, bonds, and other strategies to consider as inflation and other economic changes occur. The topics we cover [2:00] Inflation is here [7:20] Pricing flexibility with SaaS [9:44] Rules when inflation goes up [13:53] Inflation and home mortgages [16:29] Emergency funds during inflation [17:36] Bonds during inflationary times [18:40] Growth stocks If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 580, Rob Walling chats with Ross Hudgins, an SEO expert, about seven common things that SaaS founders either do well or frequently get wrong. The topics we cover [4:42] Put your blog in a subfolder, not a subdomain. [7:18] With keyword-focused content, make the URL exactly the main keyword. [10:10] Be thoughtful about feature page keywords [13:39] It’s really hard to rank for “best X software” queries [16:24] Use on-page content marketing best practices [20:50] Build passive link assets around keyword [22:58] Answer keyword questions immediately, right after the H1 Links from the show On-Page Content Marketing Best Practices Readability: the Optimal Line Length Ross Hudgins (@RossHudgens)&nbsp;| Twitter This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from Google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this special episode of Startups For the Rest of Us, Rob Walling chats with Einar Vollset about not only the announcement of the TinySeed Syndicate but also the investment landscape for B2B SaaS today. Even if you don't think you'll raise funding, it's important to understand the dynamics of the investment and acquisition market as a bootstrapped founder. The topics we cover [1:40] Investment landscape for bootstrapped SaaS [10:26] What is a syndicate? [13:57] Introducing the TinySeed Syndicate Links from the show Invest — TinySeed Apply — TinySeed Einar Vollset (@einarvollset)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling SaaS that you'd like us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 578, Rob Walling is joined again by co-host emeritus, Mike Taber for an update on his progress with Bluetick. Today we find out how Mike's merger that he has been working on for the past year has panned out. The topics we cover [3:55] Mike reflects on time and effort working on partnership [7:20] What to do when a deal stalls [9:00] Doubling down on Bluetick [14:50] Differentiating Bluetick [17:47] Moving fast as a startup [19:03] Finding your intrinsic motivation [26:10] Mike's 90 day plan Links from the show Bluetick.io Mike Taber (@SingleFounder)&nbsp;| Twitter This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from Google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 577, Rob Walling chats with Jim Kalbach about how to uncover the right problem to solve with the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework. If you haven't been exposed to JTBD, this episode will be a great primer as we dive into practical examples for bootstrapped or mostly-bootstrapped founders. The topics we cover [3:00] Defining Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) [6:45] JTBD are stable over time [10:27] Be solution-agnostic [11:20] JTBD for pre-product or pre-solution [17:53] Questions to ask to find JTBD [20:50] Switch interviews [24:41] A switch interview case study Links from the show The Jobs To Be Done Playbook: Align Your Markets, Organization, and Strategy Around Customer Needs JTBD Toolkit Jim Kalbach (@jimkalbach)&nbsp;| Twitter This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from Google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 576, Rob Walling chats about permissionless entrepreneurship, why you probably shouldn't be a media company if you're an early stage or bootstrapped SaaS, and the importance of exploring beyond what your customers ask for to find out what they actually need. The topics we cover [2:01] Permissionless entrepreneur [9:25] All startups should not become media companies [15:10] Find out what your customers need, not what they ask for This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from Google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 575, Rob Walling is joined by Derrick Reimer for a quick update on SavvyCal and some recent hiring decisions he has made. They also answer listener questions about shipping code as a bootstrapper, pivoting, selling a business through a broker, and more The topics we cover [2:23] The latest with SavvyCal [12:02] Shipping code as a bootstrapper vs larger team [21:39] Considering a zoom-in pivot [25:15] Progressive web app vs two native app [28:20] Thoughts on white-label approach for SaaS [33:55] Selling a bootstrapped business through a broker Links from the show Episode 530 | Making Development Decisions, Regrets about Selling, and More Listener Questions (with Derrick Reimer) Episode 559 | Bootstrapping a Two-Sided Marketplace with MicroAquire SavvyCal MicroAcquire Quiet Light Brokerage Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer)&nbsp;| Twitter This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from Google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

TinySeed, MicroConf's venture fund and SaaS accelerator, is launching their Fall 2021 accelerator batch this week.

In Episode 574, Rob Walling chats with Andrew Fiebert, a founder who just couldn't get away from software. He's a software developer, turned podcaster, turned marketer, and now he's a software entrepreneur and on this episode, they discuss his success and struggles while building Lasso. The topics we cover [2:40] Introductions [4:15] WordPress plugin with an annual subscription [5:51] Starting a podcast [8:00] Experiments with monetizing a podcast [13:26] Starting Giftlab.co [15:08] Starting another software business [16:35] Building Lasso [21:23] Launching without the right pricing/product [23:32] Discovering the sticking points in the UI/UX [29:29] Freemium vs paid users [31:06] The biggest struggle with building Lasso [35:23] The future for Lasso Links from the show Lasso GiftLab Listen Money Matters Andrew Fiebert (@andyfieb)&nbsp;| Twitter This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from Google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

We need your help!  The 2022 State of Independent SaaS Survey is now live and we need as many eligible founders of B2B SaaS businesses to complete the survey.  This survey will be used to create our third annual State of Independent SaaS report, offering recommendations, insights, and pitfalls critical to planning for a future in B2B SaaS. Venture funded businesses have a wealth of research and data helping them make decisions about the next steps they should take with their business - our community and niche of indie funded SaaS businesses shouldn't miss out on these best practices. Fill out the 2022 State of Independent SaaS survey today! microconf.com/state-of-indie-saas

In Episode 573, Rob Walling chats with Einar Vollset and Tracy Osborne about the part-time contractor versus hiring full-time debate, the acquisition of Sandhills Development, as well as the launch of a TinySeed Europe. The topics we cover [02:14] FT vs PT Contractor [09:06] When could part time contracting work? [10:25] Sandhills Development acquisition [14:50] TinySeed Europe announced [21:04] DuckDuckGo and Privacy Links from the show Episode 551 | Task-level vs. Project-level Thinkers, No Such Thing as an Autopilot Business, and More (A Rob Solo Adventure) Awesome Motive has acquired our WordPress products and services – Sandhills Development, LLC Josh Pigford on Twitter Regarding FT vs PT Contractor DuckDuckGo and Privacy Careers — TinySeed Invest — TinySeed Tracy Osborne on Twitter Einar Vollset (@einarvollset)&nbsp;| Twitter This episode of Startups for the Rest of Us is sponsored by&nbsp;Software Promotions. Get better results from google. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 572, Rob Walling does another solo adventure to talk about taking responsibility for the outcomes of your business and the importance of putting in the reps as a founder. Bootstrapping a startup is a marathon, not a sprint and it's important to enjoy the journey along the way. Thanks to Software Promotions for supporting this podcast! Learn more about their SEO and AdWords services The topics we cover [1:56] Intro [2:20] It's not your fault, but it's your responsibility [8:35] It's not the game, it's the practice [15:23] Dietary patterns Rob wishes he would've known 15 years ago Links from the show Episode 551 | Task-level vs. Project-level Thinkers, No Such Thing as an Autopilot Business, and More (A Rob Solo Adventure) 11 Years to Overnight Success: From Beach Towels to A Successful Exit – Rob Walling – MicroConf 2017 Thanks to Software Promotions for supporting this podcast! Learn more about their SEO and AdWords services If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 571, Rob Walling chats with Peter Suhm about moving on from WP Pusher and Branch. We also dive into how he came up with the idea for Reform and his process for validating the idea with a landing page before building. The topics we cover [1:28] Intros [2:48] Default alive and selling Branch [8:15] Changing customer behavior is hard [12:25] Struggling through customer interviews from a small studio [16:20] Thinking through all the options and deciding to keep going [18:45] Moving from a list of requirements to a form builder [27:23] Building a high-quality MVP, starting with a landing page [34:52] Entering a big, horizontal, crowded space Links from the show Branch - Automated deployments for WordPress Reform - Hosted forms. No code required. Start Small, Stay Small Obviously Awesome - How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get it, Buy it, Love it Peter Suhm (@petersuhm)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 570, Rob Walling answers listener questions about the ideal business for bootstrapping, how to create trust with potential customers, navigating depression as an entrepreneur as well as advice for introverted founders. The topics we cover [1:42] Problems that are more conducive to bootstrapping [8:51] Creating trust with potential customers [10:51] Battling depression or mental illness as an entrepreneur [13:45] Advice for introverted founders [18:95] Standard operating agreement for co-founders If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 569, Rob Walling chats with Anna Maste, a founder who's been a part of the MicroConf community for several years. They talk about how Anna bootstrapped a two-sided RV marketplace and eventually sold it for a healthy multiple. The topics we cover [1:16] An RV boondocker [2:53] Selling for a healthy multiple [5:21 ] Building a business with a a family member [7:02] Tech stack used [8:23] Launching and early customers [12:45] Experimenting with business models and pricing [14:01] Inflection in growth [18:21] Bootstrapping and fitting in [23:53] First purchase offer [28:05] Accepting the second strategic offer Links from the show Boondockers Welcome Anna Maste (@skulegirl)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 568, Rob Walling talks about MailChimp selling for $12 billion to Intuit, the largest exit for a bootstrap company, ever. Not that all founders aspire to grow to this scale, but it's truly an incredible day for bootstrapped founders to know that we have the potential to get to this level without raising institutional funding. The topics we cover [1:41] $800 million in ARR without outside funding [4:14] Acquisition multiple [7:42] Everyone sells, eventually [9:31] Respect for MailChimp [11:49] Disappointed with the UX [13:21] Equity vs higher salaries and bonuses [18:00] Long term outlook for existing Mailchimp customers [21:21] Never say you're never going to sell [21:42] Being an email service provider today is hard Links from the show Episode 519 | Profit Sharing, Stock Options, and Equity (A Rob Solo Adventure) Rob Walling (@robwalling)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 567, Rob Walling chats with Don Pottinger about joining a company as a developer, transitioning to CTO within 6 months, buying the company for $1, and then later on selling it for a life-changing sum of money. The topics we cover [1:13] Introductions [4:08] Learning to code independently vs learning on the job [06:38] Joining Kevy in 2014 [8:00] Transitioning to Director of Engineering and then to CTO [11:58] Difficulty of laying employees off [14:20] A new CEO and $0 MRR [16:08] Cap table difficulties [19:56] CEO departure and buying the company for $1 [26:30] Starting over and doing it solo [29:01] Running as a lifestyle business and selling the company [35:02] Launching a new startup Links from the show Kevy Langua Talk Don Pottinger (@donpottinger)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 566, Rob Walling chats with Hana Mohan about her journey as a SaaS founder. They compare and contrast bootstrapping and being venture-backed, hiring a chief of staff early on as a startup founder, and more. The topics we cover [2:17] Intro [3:36] Deciding not to bootstrap MagicBell [6:34] The team Composition at MagicBell [9:15] The marketing approaches that are working today. [10:47] Technology behind MagicBell [19:32] Bootstrapping vs raising funding [24:24] The importance of finding the right investors and hiring the right people [25:27] Hiring a Chief of Staff Links from the show Starting a new tech business as a transgender woman From Bootstrapped to Venture-Backed with Hana Mohan Hana Mohan (@unamashana)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 565, Rob Walling answers listener questions about focusing on one product vs multiple, sharing revenue metrics with early employees, and how to overcome the lack of motivation when starting new projects. The topics we cover [05:31] Focusing on one core product vs multiple separate products at the same time [14:59] Sharing revenue metrics with new employees [18:37] Struggling with motivation and consistency Links from the show Cargo cult 1 simple rule to figure out which advice you should follow Episode 559 | Bootstrapping a Two-Sided Marketplace with MicroAquire Rob Walling (@robwalling)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 564, Rob Walling chats with Sol Orwell about growing his website,&nbsp;examine.com&nbsp;to millions of views per month, changing revenue models, and the importance of doing customer interviews. The topics we cover [2:14] Intro [3:06] How Examine started [7:21] Examine's differentiated approach based on scientific research [9:33] 10,000 paying subscribers [10:59] Building trust through transparency [15:26] Interviewing customers [21:14] Getting hit by Google [26:52] Sol's stunt marketing pages Links from the show Our Mistakes | GiveWell Examine SJO.com Sol Orwell (@sol_orwell)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 563, Rob Walling answers listener questions about startup operating agreements for co-founders, common cloud hosting solutions, struggling as a young entrepreneur, and selling your startup when you have over $1M in annual recurring revenue. The topics we cover [1:40] Operating agreements for startup co-founders [5:50] How to do startup vesting when not working fulltime on a project [9:41] Common cloud hosting solutions for startups [11:04] Struggling as a young entrepreneur [18:20] Call to action for info product [20:54] Virtual assistance [23:05] Selling above $1M ARR Links from the show LegalZoom Rocket Laywer Upcounsel Start Small, Stay Small Upwork Best Jobs Virtual Staff Finder Rob Walling (@robwalling)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

The application for TinySeed’s Fall 2021 SaaS accelerator batch of startups will open for two weeks starting on August 9th, 2021. Watch the video recording of the Fall 2021 Batch Info Session here: https://youtu.be/6dqTClonO2Y Interested in applying? Join us for an info session with the TinySeed team to talk about the application process, what to expect as a member of TinySeed, and some of the things we are looking for in companies we welcome into the fold. https://tinyseed.com #tinyseed We’ve written a few posts that might be helpful if you’re considering applying: — Our Fall 2021 application announcement: https://tinyseed.com/latest/tinyseeds-fall-2021-application-announcement — Preview our Fall 2021 application and requirements in this overview: https://tinyseed.com/latest/2021-application-preview — Curious about what it's like being a TinySeed founder? Part 1 - https://tinyseed.com/latest/whats-it-like-being-a-tinyseed-founder Part 2 - https://tinyseed.com/latest/part-2-tinyseed-founder

In Episode 562, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure to talk about enterprise sales, mental frameworks for founders, undoable decisions, and how to handle being approached about an acquisition. The topics we cover [2:33] Enterprise sales advice [5:48] Measure twice, cut once for SaaS [10:56] Holy Grail of SaaS: Expansion Revenue [13:12] Holy Grail of SaaS: Virality [14:25] Holy Grail of SaaS: Big space with slow-moving incumbents [15:46] Things to keep in mind when being approached about an acquisition Links from the show Josh Ledgard on Twitter Rob Walling (@robwalling)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 561, Rob Walling chats with Andy Cabasso, co-founder of Postaga, about launching on Product Hunt, having a done-for-you service in addition to a DIY self-service SaaS app, growing to a team of six people, having a free plan, and doing a ton of customer development in the early days. The topics we cover [01:35] Selling an agency with retainers to start Postaga [03:46] Explaining Postaga simply and succintly [06:32] Size and stage of Postaga [07:24] Using Postaga to market Postaga [10:22] Learning from early users [13:56] Launching on Product Hunt [18:09] Was it worth it to launch on Product Hunt? [20:30] Not charging at launch [22:22] Conjecturing on a Product Hunt flop [23:26] Postaga pricing plans [25:58] A big month of growth [32:13] A SaaS product with a service component Links from the show Postaga | Automated Post Promotion and Marketing Platform Andy Cabasso (@andycabasso)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 560, Rob Walling is joined by Einar Vollset and Tracy Osborn to talk about deciding when it's time to hire someone, how to think about which role to hire next, changing location to force productivity, and more. The topics we cover [2:52] Deciding to hire a community manager [9:28] Location hacks for improved productivity [14:52] Delta airline pilot suing Delta for stealing app [20:35] Product → Business → Company [27:18] Facebook Users say "No" and Advertisers are Panicking [32:32] Tech-enabled modern banks Links from the show MicroConf Remote Community Manager Tracy Osborn's Tweet on Location Hacking Delta pilot sues the airline for allegedly stealing an app he designed | Engadget Rob Walling's Tweet on Product → Business → Company FacebookUsers Said No to Tracking. Now Advertisers are Panicking Square Business Banking | Checking, Savings, &amp; Loans If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 559, Rob Walling chats with Andrew Gazdecki, the founder of MicroAcquire, about bootstrapping a two-sided marketplace in a competitive industry. They talk about Andrew's previous successes, including growing Bizness Apps to $10 million in annual recurring revenue. They also unpack Andrew's current business, MicroAcquire, and talk about how it was started, its current success, and the future plans for the business. The topics we cover [6:03] Why did Andrew decide to sell Bizness [8:12] Background on MicroAcquire [10:52] Ideal revenue for MicroAcquire [13:29] Comparing MicroAcquire differs from similar broker websites [16:59] The future of MicroAcquire [20:50] Metrics since launching in January 2020 [23:08] Bootstrapping a two-sided marketplace [26:33] Raising $22 million post-money valuation [31:25] The hardest thing about bootstrapping a business Links from the show MicroAcquire Bizness Apps Andrew Gazdecki (@agazdecki)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 558, Rob Walling chats with Einar Vollset about bootstrapping versus funding and the many options that exist in between. No longer is it a decision between a bootstrapped or venture path. With their unique perspectives, Rob and Einar talk about all of the funding options that exist. They also share some things to consider when deciding whether or not to take on funding and, if you do, how much you should plan on raising. The topics we cover [04:24] When funding makes sense for bootstrappers [11:54] Raising pre-revenue vs raising with revenue [15:29] Risks of raising as a platform (e.g. Shopify) business [20:40] Funding options available to bootstrappers [27:57] Convertible notes &amp; SAFE's [29:16] How much should a bootstrapper raise? Links from the show Episode 496 | "The Press Covers Exceptions, Don't Compare Yourself to Slack or Zoom" Episode 411 | Bootstrapping vs. Funding: 19 Questions To Ask Einar Vollset (@einarvollset)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 557, Rob Walling flies solo to talk about investing for founders, with an emphasis on retirement. Rob views investing as a long-term game, not treating the stock market like a slot machine by buying and selling stocks. As founders, we're busy with our work, our family, and our friends. We don't want to spend a ton of time fiddling with investments. In this episode, Rob outlines an 80/20 approach to getting the most out of investing as a founder. The topics we cover [02:13] How Rob made most of his money [04:07] The rule of 72 [07:30] Investing on autopilot while building startups [07:46] Build an emergency fund [09:53] Max out retirement plans [12:08] Open a simple IRA or SEP IRA [13:00] Life insurance [14:35] Retirement account asset allocation [18:32] Taking your investments to the next step Links from the show Rule of 72 Haven Life Lazy Portfolio Money For the Rest of Us The Stacking Benjamins Podcast Afford Anything If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 556, Rob Walling chats with Adam McCrea about growing from zero to $300,000 in ARR over the course of three years as a Heroku add-on. Adam is still a single founder with no employees and up until joining the TinySeed accelerator in their Spring 2021 batch, has fully bootstrapped Rails Autoscale. Now, he's working to grow the app, deal with platform risk, and launch pricing experiments. The topics we cover [03:30] Background before starting Rails Autoscale [07:04] Getting to 100 active users [09:30] Platform risk [14:59] Working on Rails Autoscale as a side project [20:54] Rails Autoscale vs. Heroku's Autoscaler [24:13] Free-trial to freemium experiment Links from the show Rails Autoscale Adam McCrea (@adamlogic)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 555, Rob Walling answers listener questions with Ruben Gamez. They discuss different models of bootstrapping success, hiring W2 versus hiring contractors, determining if a business is an ideal fit for bootstrapping and they revisit enterprise pricing. The topics we cover [01:24] Bootstrappers Rob &amp; Ruben admire [12:25] Pros and cons to hiring contractors vs W2 employees [23:05] Determining if an idea is a good fit for bootstrapping [28:31] How to develop competitive pricing for large enterprise clients Links from the show Moraware CartHook Balsamiq Churn Buster SparkToro Bidsketch Episode 551 | Task-level vs. Project-level Thinkers, No Such Thing as an Autopilot Business, and More (A Rob Solo Adventure) Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 554, Rob Walling chats with Sherry Walling about grief as a part of entrepreneurship and how to get better at handling grief as an entrepreneur. They also discuss burnout and properly evaluating if it's the right time to sell a company. The topics we cover [02:18] Grief is part of entrepreneurship [05:12] Getting better at handling grief and loss [06:07] Grief and selling a company [09:01] The importance of symbols [12:04] Evaluating reasons to sell a company [16:37] The three components of burnout [20:21] Changing your work schedule for summer Links from the show The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You 18 Summers ZenFounder Sherry Walling Sherry Walling (@zenfounder)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 553, Rob Walling chats with Tracy Osborn about the latest bootstrapper news, including the recent Stack Overflow and Moz acquisitions, quitting instead of giving up remote work, and highlights from TinySeed 2020 Batch. The topics we cover [01:52] Intro [03:45] Stack Overflow acquisition [12:11] Moz acquisition [16:33] Quitting instead of giving up remote work [26:44] Highlights from TinySeed 2020 Links from the show Episode 545 | The Value of Learning 80/20 Design Fundamentals Episode 511 | Raising Prices &amp; Re-writing Your Codebase Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home Stack Overflow Sold to Tech Giant Prosus for $1.8 Billion Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 552, Rob Walling is joined by co-host emeritus, Mike Taber to chat about his decision-making around whether to launch a freemium plan, whether to do an AppSumo deal, how his potential partnerships merger is panning out. The topics we cover [04:93] Update on the CRM partnership opportunity, AppSumo, and Freemium [23:39] Yet another Google security audit update Links from the show Bluetick.io Episode 535 | A Bluetick Update with Mike Taber MicroConf Remote Episode 543 | All Things Startup with #Mike Taber Mike Taber (@singlefounder)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 551 of Startups For the Rest of Us, Rob does another solo adventure to talk about hiring owner-level thinkers, the fallacy of an autopilot passive income software business, and more. The topics we cover [1:25] Hiring task-level thinkers, project-level thinkers, and owner-level thinkers [07:43] The fallacy of an autopilot passive income software business [15:21] Our bootstrap community [20:45] Questions you should ask yourself when building/growing a company Links from the show FE International: Professional M&amp;A Advisor Quiet Light Brokerage MicroAcquire - Startup acquisition marketplace. Free. Private. No middlemen. Empire Flippers - Website Brokers Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review:&nbsp;iTunes&nbsp;|&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;|&nbsp;Stitcher This episode is sponsored by&nbsp;Rewardful, turning your biggest fans into your best marketers. Get 30% off your first 3 months by heading to getRewardful.com/startups. Offer expires May 31st.

In Episode 550, Rob Walling chats with Tony Chan, co-founder of CloudForecast, about his incredible story of perseverance after getting rejected multiple times only to finally find product-market fit and reach six figures in annual recurring revenue. The topics we cover [04:11] CloudForecast's current revenue and customer base [08:43] Origin story for the idea of CloudForecast [16:53] Dealing with (many) rejections [28:01] Parting ways with a co-founder [30:07] The journey to Product-Market Fit [35:23] Marketing channels that are working for CloudForecast Links from the show CloudForecast Episode 464 | Highs, Lows, and Building Your First Sales Process with Steli Efti Episode 507 | Making Cold Email Work in B2B SaaS Episode 463 | Troubleshooting Enterprise Sales (A Founder Hotseat with David Heller) The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need by Anthony Iannarino Tony Chan (@toeknee123) | Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher This episode is sponsored by Rewardful, turning your biggest fans into your best marketers. Get 30% off your first 3 months by heading to getRewardful.com/startups. Offer expires May 31st.

In Episode 439, Rob Walling is joined by Jordan Gal to answer listener questions about starting an e-commerce SaaS and the laws and regulations, and compliance requirements required. They talk about managing enterprise perceptions of risk towards bootstrap startups. They also answer questions about bootstrapping and enterprise SaaS as well as hiring a growth role and whether you should hire full-time or outsource to a contractor or an agency. The topics we cover [01:11] Regulatory requirements for starting an e-commerce platform (Solman Ahmed) [06:18] Managing enterprise perception of risk when selling as a bootstrapper (Noah Stall) [16:26] Are some markets not feasible with a bootstrapped approach? (Declan Sweeney) [22:42] Finding someone who is experienced growing SaaS companies (Russ) [30:10] Hiring full-time versus outsourcing (Filip Kis) Links from the show Crossing the Chasm DemandMaven || Growth Marketing Consultancy for SaaS &amp; Startups MicroConf Connect — MicroConf Episode 537 | On Launching, Funding, and Growth with Serial SaaS Founder Rand Fishkin Episode 499 | The (First) Six Stages of SaaS Growth - Part 1 Episode 499.5 | The (First) Six Stages of SaaS Growth - Part 2 Jordan Gal (@jordangal)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review:&nbsp;iTunes&nbsp;|&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;|&nbsp;Stitcher This episode is sponsored by&nbsp;Rewardful, turning your biggest fans into your best marketers. Get 30% off your first 3 months by heading to getRewardful.com/startups. Offer expires May 31st.

In Episode 548, Rob Walling chats with Zack Naylor about Aurelius and the harrowing tale of launching multiple times and having to rewrite and re-platform the codebase before finally finding success. They also discuss how to interpret feedback from your customers and the importance of listening to your instinct as a founder. The topics we cover [03:24] Background on how Aurelius helps UX researchers [07:56] The struggles of building and launching multiple alpha versions [15:14] Bootstrapping during a pandemic [22:20] Taking risks as an entrepreneur [26:28] Building a third version of the product that lead to unprecedented growth [30:48] Using your gut as a founder Links from the show Aurelius Things You Should Never Do, Part I Episode 541 | Faster Horses &amp; Product Myths, Life-changing Money, Dual Funnels, and More Zack Naylor (@zacknaylor)&nbsp;| Twitter If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review:&nbsp;iTunes&nbsp;|&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;|&nbsp;Stitcher This episode is sponsored by&nbsp;Rewardful, turning your biggest fans into your best marketers. Get 30% off your first 3 months by heading to&nbsp;getRewardful.com/startups. Offer expires May 31st.

In Episode 547, Rob Walling chats with Craig Hewitt about private podcasting, Apple's announcement around their subscription podcast offering as well as the accelerating growth of Castos. The topics we cover [1:22] Focusing on private podcasting at Castos [15:50] Mobile app for private podcasting [20:21] Apple's big announcement [28:08] Castos MRR growth Links from the show TinySeed Tales - Season 1 Seeking Scale Trustshoring Craig Hewitt (@thecraighewitt)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 546, Rob Walling flies solo for a Q&amp;A episode. With a backlog of great listener questions, Rob discusses qualified small business stock (QSBS), hiring entrepreneurially-minded employees, indie hacking while working at a large company, and more. The topics we cover [01:51] Should I switch to a C Corp to take advantage of QSBS in five years? [05:40] How to attract entrepreneurial employees [14:19] Indie-hacking while working at a large Fortune 20 company [19:12] Finding a niche using the Disruptive Innovation Links from the show Episode 442 | Corporate Structures and How the Choice You Make Now Can Impact You Years Down the Line Episode 519 | Profit Sharing, Stock Options, and Equity (A Rob Solo Adventure) The Stair Step Approach to Bootstrapping | Rob Walling - Serial Entrepreneur Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 545, Rob Walling chats with Tracy Osborn about the importance of learning design fundamentals for startup founders. They also discuss her new book and the pros/cons of self-publishing vs working with a publisher. The topics we cover [00:52] Intros [02:00] Deciding to self publish vs going with a publisher [11:11] Design fundamentals for a startup founder [16:23] Training your design eye [18:57] The #1 thing to do to become a better designer [20:01] Prototypes: the process of sketching ideas Links from the show Hello Web Design No Starch Press The 90-Minute Guide to Building Marketing Funnels That Convert (Data Beats Opinion) Hello Web App Sounds True Tracy's Savy Call breakdown Balsamiq Sketch UX Pin Tailwinds Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob Walling is joined by Josh Pigford to answer listener questions, covering topics like annual pay increases, B2B SaaS price increases, white-label vs branded product, and hiring startup-minded people. The topics we cover [03:04] Building Maybe, and Rob busts Josh's chops about starting a business so soon [10:02] Question #1: Annual Raises - Anonymous [18:24] Question #2: Explaining a Price Increase - Steve McLeod Bootstrap FM [23:11] Question #3: Free or Discounted Plans in Exchange for Branding - Adam Wohlberg [29:28] Question #4: Finding startup people to hire - Anonymous Links from the show maybe Transparent Salaries | Buffer Radford | Compensation Surveys Episode 537 | On Launching, Funding, and Growth with Serial SaaS Founder Rand Fishkin Parachute List We Work Remotely Authentic Jobs Dynamite Jobs Josh Pigford (@Shpigford)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 543 of Startups For the Rest of Us, Rob is joined again by co-host emeritus, Mike Taber as he gives an update on all things startups and they analyze top tactics for superhero success. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 542, Rob Walling chats with Zach Moreno, the Co-Founder and CEO of Squadcast about how they grew their revenue and surpassed $3 million in ARR as a mostly bootstrapped startup. They also discuss the role and importance of having a co-founder, as well as the impact that having a "knowledge investor" had on their success. The topics we cover [04:18] Squadcast growth while entering into a crowded space [16:54] The importance of having a co-founder [22:43] The shelter in place inflection point and building out video functionality [34:08] Choosing a knowledge investor Links from the show Squadcast Zencastr SavvyCal Why we believe something: The quality of audio matters Rockwell Felder - Twitter Zachariah Moreno (@zach__moreno)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 541, Rob Walling flies solo to discuss things like product myths and the misinterpreted Henry Ford quote, selling a company, defining life-changing money, and dual funnels. The topics we cover [02:48] Product myths and the misinterpreted Henry Ford quote [07:21] Post-exit thoughts [15:32] Life-changing money [22:30] The power of dual-funnels Links from the show Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader Rob Walling - Mailing List Episode 510 | The Story of Startups.com If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob talks with Tracy Osborn and Einar Vollset, about the recent news that's come out in the bootstrapper community. They talk about the Indie.vc&nbsp;shutdown, the new features coming out on Twitter, LinkedIn’s new gig marketplace, and more. The topics we cover [03:18] Twitter Spaces [10:05] The Network Effect and Twitter Verification [14:32] The&nbsp;Indie.vc&nbsp;shutdown [24:20] Shopify removing the option to work directly with Stripe [32:34] The new ‘Super Follow’ feature in Twitter [35:43] Comparing Google Cloud and AWS onboarding [40:04] The new LinkedIn Gig Marketplace Links from the show TinySeed Tinyseed Thesis Remail Voxer Shopify says remove Stripe billing or get booted from their app store Substack Indie.vc Google Cloud vs AWS onboarding If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob chats with Dan Norris about selling his productized service to GoDaddy, his latest book, and latest business, a very successful brewery in Australia. They also ruminate on the impact that post-exit money has had on their lives. The topics we cover [07:04] Finding the motivation to write 6 books [07:38] Selling WP Curve to GoDaddy [18:11] Compound Marketing and applying the principles to Black Hops [33:53] Life post-exit and the arrival fallacy [45:57] Rob and the sale of Drip [53:37] Building a SaaS to sell vs as a long-term, profitable company Links from the show Episode 183 | 5 Startup Rules to Live By with Dan Norris The 7 Day Startup Compound book Black Hops Brewing - Gold Coast Craft Beer Brewery State of Independent SaaS Report 2021 — MicroConf - The Most Trusted Community for Non-Venture Track SaaS Founders Dan Norris (@thedannorris)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob Walling is joined by Einar Vollset as they answer listener questions ranging from when to sunset a product, filling out enterprise security assessments, acquiring a company where the previous owner had sold lifetime deals and not disclosed it, and more. The topics we cover [03:20] Deciding when to sunset a feature or product [08:27] Splitting a business to focus on two separate audiences [17:21] How to take advantage of being a consumer of your own product. [21:35] Acquiring a SaaS where the previous founder sold lifetime plans [28:20] Enterprise security assessments [35:22] Building a product to solve a problem as a full-time employee Links from the show TinySeed Tales S2E1 | Introducing Gather Episode 515 | Finding a Co-Founder, Getting Better at Sales, and More Listener Questions Episode 9: Raising Entrepreneurial Kids - ZenFounder SOC 2 Episode 463 | Troubleshooting Enterprise Sales (A Founder Hotseat with David Heller) The TinySeed Investment Thesis — TinySeed: The Startup Accelerator for Bootstrappers Einar Vollset (@einarvollset)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob is joined by Rand Fishkin for an honest and transparent conversation about his time at Moz, raising funding, his book&nbsp;Lost and Founder, as well as his current effort, SparkToro. They discuss growth levers and the importance of owning the channel where you build your audience. The topics we cover [01:44] Impacts from writing a book [08:41] Transitioning from Moz but continuing to work there [15:53] Venture capital vs angel investing [19:59] Launching SparkToro [36:08] Raising capital for SparkToro [44:14] Growth levers that are working today Links from the show Lost &amp; Founder Start Small, Stay Small Rand Fishkin's Bio Sarah Bird Startups.com Zirtual Clarity — On Demand Business Advice SparkToro Spark Toro Terms Conversion Rate Experts Rand Fishkin (@randfish)&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 536 of Startups For the Rest of Us, Rob does another solo adventure. As we all faced perhaps one of the worst years on record, Rob talks through some things that 2020 taught him personally, professionally, and at a higher level, philosophically. He also looks beyond 2020 and discusses opportunities for 2021 for software entrepreneurs. The topics we cover [01:53] Keeping perspective during difficult startup times [04:03] We can make it through scary and dangerous moments [07:04] There is always opportunity [09:53] Doing things in public creates opportunity [12:02] Growing niches/industries in 2021 [18:31] In search of problems Links from the show Episode 490 | How Founders Should Be Thinking About the Current Crisis Dynamite Jobs If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 535, Rob is joined by co-host emeritus, Mike Taber to talk about what Mike has been up to over the past seven months with Bluetick, including an exciting reveal of a big project he's been working on. The topics we cover [05:41] BlueTick partnership or merger with a CRM for field sales reps [11:52] Delays in partnerships from pandemic and potential asymmetric upside [15:42] How far along the CRM software compared to BlueTick? [19:32] Considering freemium and an AppSumo deal [32:48] Another Google security audit Links from the show SonarCloud&nbsp;(mentioned at 17:43) Episode 484 | Marketing That’s Working Today, Moving from 5 to 10 Employees, SaaS Longevity, and More Listener Questions&nbsp;(mentioned at 22:28) AppSumo If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob talks with Josh Pigford in a first appearance since the sale of Baremetrics for $4m. They discuss his seven-year journey to build Baremetrics, the details of the sale, and Josh's post-sale, non-software aspirations. The topics we cover [02:42] Intros [04:26] Avoiding capital gains via qualified small business stock. [09:08] Josh's post-sale purchases and other dramatic life shifts [13:46] Changes at Baremetrics after sale [18:32] Weeks of cash to profitable in 8 months [23:20] Breaking through plateaus and product vs marketing for growth out of plateaus [30:13] What motivated Josh to start thinking about selling [32:58] Launching a new feature called Intros in 2020 [39:11] Laser tweets and post-sale aspirations Links from the show Episode 244 | Competition, Transparency and Funding with Baremetrics Founder Josh Pigford Baremetrics: Subscription Analytics &amp; Insights for Stripe, Braintree, Recurly &amp; more! I sold Baremetrics - Baremetrics Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS)&nbsp;(mentioned at 04:26) Four Percent Rule How we went from weeks of cash left in the bank to profitable in 8 months&nbsp;(mentioned at 18:42) Revenue Dashboard - Baremetrics Demo I almost sold Baremetrics for $5m - Baremetrics Laser Tweets: Wooden Laser Etched Tweets If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob speaks with Adii Pienaar, a multi-time founder with multiple exits under his belt. They discuss life probability and the importance of measuring your entrepreneurial success by the things that matter the most to you and your life. The topics we cover [4:36] What motivated Adii to write the book [10:17] Life probability defined [12:45] Work-life balance is not the solution [29:21] Choosing to go back into the SaaS trenches If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob sits down with John Warrillow, author of multiple bestselling books and someone who has years of experience in building and selling companies. They discuss when to sell, how to create leverage, the importance of hiring an expert, and more. The topics we cover [7:30] The right time to sell a company [15:06] Gaining leverage when negotiating [20:59] Sell-side processes for founders [29:14] The 5/20 rule [31:41] Things to look out for from potential acquirers Links from the show The Art of Selling Your Business Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You Built to Sell Radio The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top Before The Exit: Thought Experiments For Entrepreneurs If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In Episode 531, Rob talks with Colin Gray, the founder of The Podcast Host and Alitu. Join us for this great conversation as we talk about Colin's early days of building a hobby project in podcast hosting, hiring a freelancer to start producing shows. and building a SaaS app on top of an audience. The topics we cover [7:05] Launching The Podcast Host [16:10] Growing and launching eight businesses at once [21:08] Making the switch to SaaS [30:49] Temptations of shutting down vs. accelerating growth Links from the show The Podcast Host Alitu Hostile Worlds Product/Founder Fit If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this week's episode, Rob sits down with Derrick Reimer to answer listener questions. They discuss whether they have any regrets about selling Drip, protecting against web scraping, making the leap from side project to full-time, and making decisions as a development team. The topics we cover [2:10] How development teams think about decisions together [13:42] Do you ever regret selling Drip to Leadpages? [21:00] Preventing against web scraping [27:16] Jumping ship from a full-time job [37:20] Advice on starting a mastermind group in 2021 Links from the show The Mom Test The Personal MBA The Ultimate Sales Letter Traction The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together Start Small Stay Small The Art of Product If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob chats with John Howard, a MicroConf Connect member and founder of Slingshot. They unpack the business model of measurable swag giveaways and then dive deep into John's pricing strategy and explore alternatives as well as opportunities to move into a subscription-based model. The topics we cover [9:26] Starting a physical product business [24:53] Previous pricing models [30:48] Customer acquisition [39:41] Removing setup fee or raising prices Links from the show Slingshot Black Airplane MicroConf Masterminds If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In today's episode, Rob and Mike Taber review and rank their past yearly predictions and then make big, bold projections for 2021 with bets ranging from extraterrestrial life, VR becoming mainstream, the end of commercial real estate, and more. The topics we cover [2:45] Reviewing our predictions for 2019 [7:42] Predictions for 2021 If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In today's episode, Rob is joined by Courtland Allen as they answer listener questions. They talk about equity splits, the best cities for bootstrappers, splitting brands, and where to look for business ideas. The topics we cover [2:03] Splitting brands between agency and SaaS [10:55] What percent equity split when co-founding an app [18:52] Where to look for ideas [31:02] Best city for bootstrappers Links from the show From $0 to $5M Without Writing Any Code with Tara Reed of Apps Without Code Bootstrapping to $1 Million in Two Years as a Non-Technical Founder with Christy Laurence of Plann Cities and Ambition Tropical MBA podcast If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 526 of Startups For the Rest of Us, Rob chats with a long-time friend, Justin Vincent about his startup successes and failures and the importance of taking small steps when starting as a founder. They also talk about Justin's latest project, Nugget, a startup bootcamp and academy. The topics we cover [4:04] Building&nbsp;Plugg.io [10:30] Enthusiasm half-life [16:03] Nugget Startup Academy [25:54] Founder context Links from the show Techzing Nugget Plugg.io Is it Keto? Michael Lynch Justin Vincent If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

This episode is a walk down memory lane as Rob shares the story of acquiring his first product 15 years ago. We hear how Rob navigated the purchase of the product, a potential partnership with a trusted friend, and pushing through when his back was against the wall. Hopefully, this episode will inspire you to take action and keep shipping. The topics we cover [5:03] Three levels to making money online [6:36] Discovering the original version of DotNetInvoice [11:34] The business proposition [15:10] The counteroffer from Rob's trusted friend [18:41] Business plan vs boots on the ground [20:49] Buying DotNetInvoice If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In this episode, Rob chats with Michele and Mathias Hansen, the married co-founders of Geocodio. We talk about bootstrapping into a commoditized space and how they've grown their SaaS app from a side project to full-time over the past 6.5 years. The topics we cover [01:38] What is Geocodio? [10:29] Innovating in a commoditized market [16:07] How they defined their product roadmap [18:06] Launching a HIPAA compliant enterprise pricing tier Links from the show Show HN: Ridiculously cheap bulk geocoding Geocodio | Website Geocodio | Website Michele Hansen | Twitter Mathias Hansen | Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In episode 523, Rob hosts a rapid-fire lightning round of listener questions ranging from whether to focus on one or multiple businesses, finding the right amount of customer research, breaking through slow growth, and teaching entrepreneurship to kids. The topics we cover [4:38] If you were starting a business today and you were earlier on in your career, would you try multiple business ideas at once or go all-in on one? [8:11] If building your first tiny product, like a WordPress plugin, what level of customer research should you do? [10:56] What advice would you give to someone entering a somewhat competitive market? [15:55] What questions would you be asking yourself if you had a slow-growing 12k MRR B2B SaaS? [18:22] How would you go about offloading tier-one customer support? [20:28] How do you feel about entrepreneurship being taught to children? [22:24] What are things you noticed that bootstrappers commonly overlooked that are preventing them from achieving their goals? [23:18] What are some of the biggest takeaways you can see across your portfolio of early-stage SaaS companies? [25:01] Have you ever built a business that got a fairly large portion of its revenue from services instead of products, but not just you consulting? [26:56] How do you prepare financially or otherwise for your retirement? Links from the show MicroConf Connect SavvyCal Stay on Top of Your SaaS Metrics: Know What to Measure to Maintain Sustainable Growth – Craig Hewitt The 2020 State of Independent SaaS ZenFounder Indie Founder Bootcamp AudienceOps Castos Production (formerly Podcast Motor) If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you!

Rob welcomes back to the show a frequent guest, Craig Hewitt for a "Where Are They Now?" syle episode. Craig is the founder of Castos and has appeared many times on Startups For the Rest of Us. In this episode, they reconnect and talk about the latest with Castos, from hiring a growth marketer, merging brands, private podcasting, and so much more. The topics we cover [3:54] Reflections on hiring a growth marketer 1 year later [6:92] How did the free trial without asking for a credit card experiment work out? [8:92] Merging brands and moving into enterprise offers [19:91] Private podcasting [23:44] What's new and exciting at Castos Links from the show Episode 466 | Answering Listener Questions With Craig Hewitt Episode 493 | A Roundtable Discussion about COVID-19, Working From Home, Payroll Protection and More TinySeed Tales - Season 1 Castos Productions (formerly Podcast Motor) Rogue Startups The SaaS Podcast Award If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. Join Rob as he chats with Brian &amp; Scottie for the final episode of Season 2 of TinySeed Tales. In the last year, Gather managed to double their revenue and overcome most of the challenges they faced along the way. It's been about a month since we last spoke and during that time, their recent cash crunch has started to resolve itself. In this episode, we reflect on the past year and their success (and struggle) with moving upmarket. The topics we cover [01:01] Gather's recent cash crunch Cashflow is not our biggest concern anymore, which is a great relief. Since that time growth has been either sorta normal steady when you average it out or maybe a little slower the last month and a half. Small Business Association loan and PPP loan changed things for us,. One was the loans, the other was that Gather landed a bigger enterprise client who was willing to fund features and who was willing to put cash upfront for you to build them. That allowed us to ramp our developer up from the part-time back to full-time, which was great. [06:46] Looking forward a year from now I think we're just going to have a much more well-rounded product. I could easily see us doubling again, this coming year. I feel like we've just been learning a lot about where we're lacking, what could be better, and what would be. More valuable or what to add. [07:55] Did going upmarket save the business? No doubt. Previous, smaller clients are very cost-sensitive. With our larger firms, pricing doesn't seem to ever really come up. It's mostly about features. We're not adding a ton of customers per month, but each one that we add they're worth more and we're just not turning out the smaller folks. It was such a big gamble right at the start. When you go upmarket, you can charge more and churn is going to tend to be lower Sales cycles will be longer, but people stick around longer. There's more loyalty. We're excited about where those next five years are going to go because we think we're sort of just, even at the beginning of this journey, even though we're a bit into it already. [14:56] Advice for early-stage SaaS founders Relax into it. It doesn't mean that you can be complacent and that you can't pay attention, but just realize like you're on this path, you're on this journey and it's going to take however long it's going to take. It may not be the product that you're working on right now. Maybe the next one, it may be five products down the line, but whatever it is, it's just a matter of staying with it and being okay with the waves and roadblocks that come up around you and just go around them as gracefully as you can. Keep at it because the process is, for me, anyway, as much as the outcome. Links from the show Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Season 1 of TinySeed Tales where we follow the Saas journey with Craig Hewitt of Castos.

Episode 521 is a roundtable episode where Rob brings on a couple of guests to talk through topics today that relate to bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startup founders. Today, we have Tracy Osborn and Einar Vollset joining us, as we talk through a potential impending recession, the Google anti-trust suit, Dropbox moving to permanent work from home, as well as a handful of other topics. The topics we cover [04:03] What do the revenue trends look like in 6-7 months from now? [13:36] Google anti-trust suit [19:23] Dropbox remote offices [27:29] SPACs and why it's so hard to go public in the US [39:35] A warning about Glassdoor Links from the show The 99 Investor Problem U.S. Accuses Google of Illegally Protecting Monopoly Dropbox will let all employees work from home permanently as it turns its offices into WeWork-like 'collaborative spaces' The TinySeed Investment Thesis A Warning About Glassdoor Tracy Osborn&nbsp;| Twitter Einar Vollset&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. Last time we spoke, they were bouncing back from the initial shock of the COVID-19 crisis with the potential to sign two large enterprise deals that could help them out with an ongoing cash crunch. In this episode, Rob talks with them about customer-funded development, always following up when doing outbound sales, and restarting a productized service. The topics we cover [01:14] Status on large enterprise deals One closed, one did not. The first touch with them was almost a year. They had a software proprietary software that they built internally and have been actively seeking a new tool Custom data migration and storage and it was also a bunch of custom development Win-win they got what they wanted and we got some new cool features Big win, I would say, to get paid, to build a feature that you expect other customers to be able to use. Optimistic that maybe we can sort of like build the product that we want by closing these sorts of deals and move into the hospitality world Referred to as customer-funded development [06:51] Obstacles remain for moving upmarket Outbound is not going as well as it used to. Inbound has been fine. It's a little down this month over the previous. Always be following up. Never letting go until you're explicitly told to go away. Making sure you never lose track of someone is like a huge win. [10:03] Moving past uncertainty There is still uncertainty. I think there's always that whether there's a pandemic or not. When you're first getting started and plugging along, there's always that kind of like tension, wondering how this month is going to be. We have plenty of signals that people are willing to pay us quite a bit more than they were paying us. When we started there, we were charging $29 or $39 a month, which in retrospect is just, you know, terrifying that we were priced that low. If we can get to that traction where, you know, we are selling 10 new customers per month at the price points that we're doing right now like it's a game-changer. [13:49] Restarting a services venture Brian and Scotty decided to dip their toes into the world of services with a virtual coordinator that would complement their software. The idea was to bring in some high-value clients and make some extra cash. And although they had to shelve it due to the COVID crisis, there's been some renewed interest. Initially, we thought of the services side as a way to get some revenue fast. This is pretty high touch services but finding a team to help with the services side. And then of course we'd be using the software. To also manage the services, which could potentially drive some of the features that we build for the software. The most important piece and that is going to be the process of setting up SOP and figuring out how I can best. Manage the services side. [19:23] Last week of TinySeed Tales So much knowledge gained and relationships built. It was a great year. I think not being able to meet in person in the year together feels like it's still, like, there's no closure. It does feel just sort of finished, not finished. Links from the show Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven't already

In this episode, Rob talks with the founder of SegMetrics, Keith Perhac. SegMetrics is a SaaS product that helps users get clarity on where their leads come from, how they act, and how much their marketing is worth. We dive into the difference between SegMetrics and other options for attributing sales and revenue to traffic channels. We also go through Keith's background and learn about why he shut down his million-dollar marketing agency to double down on his SaaS. The topics we cover [04:28] Where does SegMetrics fit within the analytics and attribute market? [09:35] Why build a SaaS when you are running a 7 figure agency [12:56] Dealing with a growth plateau [21:28] Shifting focus to work on SegMetrics full-time [28:05] Frugality as a bootstrapper (and how it can backfire) Links from the show SegMetrics&nbsp;| Twitter SegMetrics&nbsp;| Website Keith Perhac&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. Today's episode was recorded after the COVID-19 shelter in place orders went into effect. We talk with Brian and Scottie about how the pandemic has affected Gather as well as their life beyond the scope of their business. The topics we cover [01:10] How the pandemic has affected their lives beyond the scope of their business. Brian and Scottie live in Mexico Living in almost what feels like two worlds here. The ex-pat community is very tuned into what's happening in the US and sheltering in place [03:11] Current financial situation Our situation hasn't changed financially. I think that at the time we had hopes that we could raise some money or at least get alone. We're not even pursuing that at this point We're certainly used to bootstrapping and feeling that stress and coming up with interesting solutions to our cash problems. [05:57] High point or biggest wins since the last episode We have had a couple of requests for enterprise plans, one existing customer that has a lot of data that they need to be migrated over and they have a custom feature that they want Then a new customer who has a custom feature in data migration. It's unexpected. Feasibly you think they're going to cut back expenses, but larger deals are coming your way. The churn that we have had has been largely solo designers and smaller firms One of the things of going upmarket, the typical pattern is there price sensitive, they churn less. We've had a lot of inbound interest and a lot of them are saying things like now that we're home working remotely, we're sort of investigating better ways to work online [09:21] Impacts from the COVID-19 crisis and biggest setbacks so far Across the portfolio of companies that are part of TinySeed, there is about 15% that are having real struggles with the impact of the pandemic on the industry they serve. Another 70% are waiting to see what happens, perhaps cutting back on expenses and generally seeing a growth plateau. Then, there's the 15% of companies for whom remote work is a boon and their growth is accelerating faster than ever. Gather has had to cut their developer contract in half Big features are kind of on hold for a little while Staying focused has just been difficult [13:54] Fears and hopes for the future I think my biggest fear is that the trend that we've seen this month as being a big uptick in sales and opportunities is just a flash in the pan. In different times, we might be able to pivot if we needed to, but because of our financial situation it's going to be hard for us to pivot out of it Looking forward to seeing how these enterprise deals play out Trying to figure out ways that we could get customers to pay for some of the features that we'd like to build Links from the show Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Season 1 of TinySeed Tales where we follow the Saas journey with Craig Hewitt of Castos.

On this episode, Rob talks through profit sharing, stock options, and equity and makes a comparison between these various approaches. If you are thinking of ways to incentivize team members as a bootstrapper, this episode is for you. The topics we cover [04:34] Bonuses [07:52] Equity Grants [11:47] Stock Options [20:09] Profit Sharing [26:09] Which is best for your SaaS? Links from the show Trends.vc Peldi Guilizzoni's Profit-Sharing Plan Rob Walling&nbsp;| Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. On this episode, Brian and Scottie share with us an update on their unexpected MRR growth, the psychology of raising prices, and the difficulty of making decisions amidst a mountain of unknowns. The topics we cover 01:07] Update on MRR growth since we last spoke Had a goal to grow a thousand dollars of MRR in a single month. Trailing 30 days is like $1,006. MRR is currently $8,200. Get caught up in the day to day to actually celebrate. Is good for us to stop and recognize that we have made a lot of progress. We're still burning more cash than we're making. [03:53] Closing a large 20-person enterprise deal They did do a trial. Then they bumped up to an enterprise plan. You can have your sights set on a goal and before long you might achieve it. But that's not the end of your journey. You're onto the next hurdle. This is one of the things I've found so difficult about starting this kind of company, your to do list is never clear and things don't end until you put someone in charge of the company or you sell it. [05:47] Raising prices, again. We've even raised twice. Don't get a lot of price objections. We have had to reject our previous customer avatar. Lower prices send a bad signal to them. The psychology of pricing, both at the founder level and also at the buyer level. This is a tried and true SaaS playbook. You start at the bottom of the market because you don't have a brand and no one's heard of you and your product is really early, and you don't have the features that you need. You price yourself pretty low. You get a little bit of ttraction, use that to make a better product. You'll find your positioning. You learn more about the market, and then you just go up, up, up from there. Lower price points, higher churn. A lot of people don't realize product market fit is not just building a product that people want and are willing to pay for. It's also having a good idea about your positioning and pricing and some idea of channels where you can reach future customers. You're making a lot of decisions quickly with incomplete information and you only know which ones work in retrospect. [12:21] Biggest wins so far and looking to the future In the beginning it felt a little bit scary and unknown when we were leaving, seeing the small teams. Biggest win: validating with these larger teams. Biggest win: we are selling into the kinds of firms that we hypothesized we could sell into. Doing these sales over the last couple of months has just taught me how to sell. [15:33] Biggest fear right now That we're going to run out of money. It's scary to see the bank account dwindle. Just figuring out how we can keep going and keep growing and even accelerate growth. How are we going to cross this bridge? Because we can see the green pastures on the other side. Navigating a world that I don't quite understand yet should be the title and subtitle and every subheading of being an entrepreneur. I'm most excited to see how we deal with this cash crunch that we're heading into. Links from the show Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven't already, be sure to check out <a href="https://tinyseedtales.com/episodes/episode-1-a-non-techn

Episode 518 of Startups For the Rest of Us is an experimental format where Anthony Blatner, a LinkedIn expert, live consults with John Samuelson, a B2B SaaS founder on advertising a SaaS business on LinkedIn. There's a wealth of knowledge in today's episode so if you are considering or have thought about LinkedIn ads, this episode is worth a listen. We'd love your feedback on this new format. Was it helpful? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter (@startupspod)! [BONUS] Download a LinkedIn campaign brief PDF developed during this episode The topics we cover [04:29] Should a B2B SaaS founder consider LinkedIn? [07:33] Scatterspoke's ideal customer profile [13:12] Ideal company size for Scatterspoke [21:16] Looking at adds other companies are running [24:43] Putting this together into a campaign [30:36] Audience size and example ads [36:19] Setting a budget for ads [22:59] Free trials on LinkedIn Links from the show Episode 517 | Married Co-founders Who Turned a Free Tool Into a Fast-Growing SaaS Product 2021 State of Independent SaaS Survey Modern Media Scatterspoke Scatterspoke,Modern Media | Twitter Scatterspoke,Modern Media | Website Anthony Blatner | Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

On Episode 5 of TinySeed Tales, we learn about the success of their recent outbound email campaign. We also hear about their progress with raising their prices and transitioning away from Gather's solo pricing tier. The topics we cover [02:00] Checking in on the past few weeks A little bit of an emotional roller coaster We have definitely made some inroads with teams We haven't had the growth that we were hoping for Feeling a a little anxious about how it's all gonna play out. There's a time here where it's very uncertain because you're kind of leaving the solo practitioners behind, but you haven't quite reached product market fit. There's also a little bit of insecurity with the product It's a huge mind shift all together selling into these teams We were hoping for more of a spike and it's just been this slow, steady growth, which is not bad. It's growing as usual, but that's not helpful when you had to take all this risk [05:51] Patience can be dangerous Going forward Gather will be dropping their solar plan altogether. Half of their signups in the last month have come from their new cold email outreach campaign that's focused on larger teams. Had success from a customer development standpoint early on in the product before we ever even built anything. Brian was emailing tons of people and talking to them as much as I could We actually had quite a bit of traffic last month but the conversion rate was half what we usually have, so it just speaks to the fact that we aren't speaking to the right people right now. [07:31] Yet another pricing increase Currently they offer a tier at $99 a month and one at $159 a month, as well as a custom enterprise plan. That's way up from $39 a month, which was their lowest price plan when they joined TinySeed. My feeling is that price is not really an objection when we're selling to new people It'll be interesting to see, you know, if we do start getting price objections from at least the solo people, we kind of predict that we will. Next month we're planning on doing another potentially really big price jump. Raising prices is increasing the speed of learning and if it works, although it's a big gamble, the payoff is pretty In order to keep this up, like we would eventually need to hire some sales reps and some account executive types. But when we move into this double triple price thing, you know, like into the, let's say $250 average revenue per customer, Then the whole model shifts and changes and it looks way more interesting. [15:19] High points from last week We did have to literally within five minutes of each other team annual signups. Both of them were from our cold email outreach and they had both had demos and that felt really good We had an existing customer that's requested pricing for 20 teammates, so we provided a custom quote for them. But if they do decide to go ahead and sign on that, that will become our single largest customer, both in number of users in revenue as well. Links from the show Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter

We're joined in this episode by the founding team of Scatterspoke, John Samuelson and Colleen Johnson. What started as a lark to learn new technology has now turned into a successful business with more than $12k MRR. In this episode, we learn how they turned a side project into a successful fulltime business. The topics we cover [02:09] The launch story behind Scatterspoke [10:02] Shifting to enterprise customers [16:17] The toll of working fulltime while trying to bootstrap Scatterspoke [18:01] Hiring out for development [26:00] Free plan and raising prices Links from the show Scatterspoke&nbsp;| Twitter Scatterspoke | Website Colleen Johnson&nbsp;| Twitter

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. Today we're going to dive into the stress that comes with entrepreneurship and how it shows up in their personal lives. Moving up from one customer segment to another is hard. Each customer segment is like an Island with a body of water between them. They're crossing that body of water from servicing one and two-person teams to serving larger architecture firms with 20 person teams. We hear how they are managing this difficult and stressful moment both as co-founders and as married partners. The topics we cover [01:40] Leveraging testimonials when moving upmarket It's an approach you should explore as early as possible when trying to move into a new segment of the market One of the reasons why trials are kind of a little bit lower this month is because some of the traffic that we've been getting is probably more geared towards the residential side and they're seeing this new messaging. You have two islands and a body of water in between them and its messaging and sales process and pricing and positioning and all that around going after one person, two-person teams versus a 10 person team and those are the two different islands. [06:09] Cold email experiments to attract larger teams Averaging 12-15 demos per week (initial goal was to get to 10) Finding one repeatable channel at this stage is huge Cold email has been the channel that has worked the best for Brian &amp; Scottie Most businesses that start B2C end up transitioning to B2B and end up raising prices. Means less churn, fewer flakes for demos, better conversion.' Demo to trial isn't as high as they'd like it to be. One reason for this could be due to the longer sales process [11:27] Cashflow management We had a really good month last month -- the best month we've ever had. The biggest stress is just around the channels that we're investing in and wondering if they are going to perform like we want them to. These are challenges with going upmarket. First, you have to figure out if you have product-market fit with teams. Then you have to find a channel or two that work. If the channel works, do the people stick around and can you find enough people who sign up and stick around? Can you find them fast enough with the channels you have such that you don't run out of cash At the current burn rate we have about 6 months cash in the bank If pushed, would consider debt-equity or debt financing as a fallback option Founders do all sorts of things to maintain their runway, including credit card debt, personal loans, raising funding, even borrowing from their 401k. But with each of these, you have to weigh the risks to the business, as well as your personal financial situation. [18:09] Dealing with stress as entrepreneurs and a married couple The situation causes us to feel a little bit on edge and we have no one else to take it out on. Now we're being much more conscious of our personal spending ad so I think that has also manifested itself just a little bit in some additional stress because we're really tracking all of our expenses really tightly and we're making sure that we don't spend foolishly. No silver bullet for stress, but certainly meditation, exercise, and being aware that you are stressed. Even though there is this sort of stress and there's sort of some existential risks to this experiment that we're running, it also feels aligned with where we want to go as a family and as an exit plan from work life at some point.

Matt Wensing returns for his third appearance on the podcast. He is the founder of Summit and was in TinySeed Batch 1. We dive into Matt's decision-making process for re-writing the entire codebase. We talk about choosing the right features to build, talking to your customers, starting with a blank slate vs templates, and much more. The topics we cover [06:48] How to handle customers that are not engaging [11:35] Figuring out the right features to build [19:24] Making the decision to re-write the codebase [31:27] The value of forecasting [33:18] Designing a sparse SaaS homepage Links from the show Out of Beta Things You Should Never Do, Part I Episode 450 | Founder Hotseat: Matt Wensing of SimSaaS on Making Consistent, Needle-Moving Progress Episode 491 | Hard Lessons Learned, Reaching High-Touch Prospects, Finding Advisors, and More Listener Questions Episode 489 | 15 Years to a SaaS Exit (Plus Why Forecasting is Crucial) Summit | Twitter Summit | Website Matt Wensing | Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. Today, Rob chats with Brian &amp; Scottie about their new hires, setting ambitious revenue goals, and managing stress and anxiety as entrepreneurs. The topics we cover [01:01] Update on hiring, new sales, and more Hired a VA Hired an industry expert to help with marketing/copywriting Scottie &amp; Brian now focused on documenting the processes Had their first "team plan" subscription One thing you'll notice as an entrepreneur is that when you start to expand your team beyond just the founders, new hires, propel you to get more organized, creating standard operating procedures like Brian &amp; Scottie are now doing is a big step towards cementing the continuity and value of the business. [03:18] Attending the TinySeed retreat and setting ambitious revenue goals Brian and Scottie attended their first in-person retreat for their TinySeed batch Setting batch goals are less of a punitive thing and more of a "let's do this together and let's be ambitious together" Once we started talking about specific numbers, it forces you to reevaluate how you are thinking about pricing There are a number of levers that we have at our discretion to pull. That number gave us, like, it allowed me to think about the numbers that mattered the most and the ones that would provide the most leverage. [13:13] Anxiety, stress, and entrepreneurs We had a pretty high churn month Because we are now starting to carve that path to that new type of customer, our features are no longer speaking to the other subset of customers The fear is that this (churn) happens every month Whether you're going upmarket, whether you're changing from one vertical to another, whether you're expanding into other verticals going from vertical to horizontal, there are all these changes you can make that are really scary while you're doing them. It's important to look a few months ahead and imagine what it will look like if it succeeds Links from the show Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Season 1 of TinySeed Tales where we follow the Saas journey with Craig Hewitt of Castos.

Rob is joined by Anthony Eden from DNSimple as they answer your listener questions. They cover topics ranging from tax liabilities with contractors, getting feedback on a prototype, and finding a technical cofounder. If you have questions about starting or scaling a SaaS that you’d like for us to cover, please&nbsp;submit your question&nbsp;for the next episode. We’d love to hear from you! The topics we cover [01:26] Tax liabilities and managing international contractors [10:45] Starting when stair stepping isn't feasible [16:38] Getting better at sales as a solo founder [24:00] Finding a sales/marketing cofounder [30:28] Getting feedback on a prototype, finding the right developer co-founder, and protecting your startup idea [40:11] Considering a technical cofounder vs hiring a developer Links from the show Episode 509 | Revisiting the Six Stages of SaaS Growth with DNSimple Intellectual Property Agreement W-8BEN Episode 498 | Selling During a Pandemic with Steli Efti The Startup Chat with Steli &amp; Hiten Episode 507 | Making Cold Email Work in B2B SaaS Indie Hackers Activity Messenger Jobs to be Done DNSimple | Twitter DNSimple | Website Anthony Eden | Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott are the husband &amp; wife co-founders of Gather, an interior design project management app. On this episode, Rob chats with Brian &amp; Scottie about taking their product upmarket, focusing on customer success, hiring consultants and contractors, and more! The topics we cover [01:43] Check in on how this week has been going Setting things in motion with some new hires MRR now growing off the chain but feeling good about accomplishments Shifting focus from growing while also building out process MRR growth is not everything [04:50] Scottie talks about hiring Looking at three potential hires right now: lead gen, VA, and an industry expert Consultant vs contractor. A contract shows up and performs a task, a consultant is an expert in the industry Moving from task-based hires to project-based hires With Tinyseed funding now have the opportunity to do more hiring [08:59] New business processes Scottie was initially doing customer support Now realizing needing to focus on customer success to help make sure the customer is successful [10:21] Challenging sales cycles and losing an enterprise deal Had a potential enterprise deal (40-50 seats) but the contract was pulled last minute based on the price The contract eventually went to 0 and the client ghosted Scottie &amp; Brian Losing contracts is disappointing, but they'll continue to reach out until they get a "no". Going to dig into the "why" to understand if it was pricing, or something else. Founders need to decide between learning or hiring for specific skill sets Important to have a sales process in place before handing off to an outsider Lots of institutional knowledge within a business and sales process that needs to be documented [17:57] Technical setbacks from the week They had a complicated new feature about to ship when one of their developers raised an issue that ended up setting them back nearly a week. Links from the show TinySeed Tales Season 2 Episode 1 Gather | Website Brian Elliott | Twitter Thanks for listening to another episode of TinySeed Tales. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Season 1 of TinySeed Tales where we follow the SaaS journey with Craig Hewitt of Castos.

Producer Xander Castro has been working on MicroConf since 2014 and is a long-time listener of the show, but this is his first time on the podcast. On this episode, we take an inside look at MicroConf Remote from a few weeks ago and discuss what worked well, what we'll do differently next time and the difficulties of translating events from in-person to remote. The topics we cover [03:26] Turning to virtual events [07:38] Stats &amp; production technicalities for MicroConf Remote [17:12] What worked well: pricing, timezones, and programming [30:27] Things we learned from our first MicroConf Remote Links from the show MicroConf Remote Xander Castro | Twitter If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Welcome to Season 2 of TinySeed Tales, where we follow the founders of one SaaS startup week by week through their struggles, victories, and failures. On the first episode of this series, Rob introduces us to Brian &amp; Scottie Elliott from Gather, an interior design project management app. Show Notes 1:30 Meet the Co-Founders of Gather, Brian Elliott, and Scottie Elliott Brian and Scottie have been working on Gather since late 2014 Scottie has 20+ years in the interior design industry Brian was looking for software to build and continued to hear Scottie's frustrations with current software in the interior design industry 6:02 Gather's current Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and why Brian &amp; Scottie decided to join TinySeed MRR is $5,600 with 8% growth They were compelled by the three components of TinySeed (funding, mentorship, community) As opposed to mastermind groups, everyone in TinySeed is serious about their business They hadn't considered angel funding -- never felt like the right move. They wanted to continue to have control over their lifestyle. Meeting with venture capitalists tends to make you want to raise venture capital Bootstrapping doesn't have to be binary: either lifestyle or a moonshot startup. There is a third option between bootstrapping and moonshots, but the third option doesn't preclude taking funding. 13:36 Do Brian &amp; Scottie still feel like they are bootstrappers after taking funding? All decisions are prioritized and based on being cost-effective They're still protecting the downside risk Going to continue to geo-arbitrage, and hire developers from developing countries 15:44 Biggest win of the week Last week nearly doubled prices and had 2-3 new signups at that level. Good validation. Raising prices is always a scary thing because you don't know what it's going to break When they raised their prices, they grandfathered existing customers. They want to reward their first customers for being early adopters Churn can often, over time, take care of grandfathered customers They over-index on relationships with users 19:54 Setback from the week A majority of the trial signups would disappear without much activity on the product Considering picking up the phone to call users to see why they didn't do anything on the product, but they also want to be respectful of the user's time. Improve the quality of leads at top of the funnel to possibly help with trial signup engagement with the product Often times, under the water for most startups, founders are kicking like a duck. Brian is the optimist &amp; Scottie balances things out. So far, they've learned so much from building Gather that they will be happy with the outcome.

On today's episode of Startups For The Rest of Us, Rob Walling (@robwalling) talks with David Newell (@davidsnewell), a Senior Advisor at Quiet Light Brokerage, about the dos and dont's of SaaS valuations. The topics we cover 4:12 Running your business as if it were a sellable asset 5:15 Quiet Light deal count and other stats 8:53 SaaS valuations today and how SDE valuations work 17:50 How revenue valuations work 21:19 David Newell shares stories of dos and donts of valuations 29:52 What do the best buyers do? Links from the show ProfitWell ChartMogul Baremetrics Quiet Light Summit Resources for Buying and Selling Online Businesses How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Join us for a Rob Solo Adventure version of Startups for The Rest of Us as Rob Walling talks about the power of optionality.&nbsp;&nbsp;He explores the importance of having different paths and avoiding backing yourself into a corner and being constrained when making important life decisions. The topics we cover 1:27 The story of Gary Gygax and Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) 6:56 The Entrepreneurmobile 13:00 How to keep your options open 17:33 DotNetInvoice and fake reduction of options Links from the show Tactical Studies Rules Gary Gygax Factoring The Entrepreneurmobile Episode 510 | The Story of Startups.com Episode 496 | The Press Covers Exceptions, Don’t Compare Yourself to Slack or Zoom How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Show Notes On today's episode, Rob chats with Mike Ritchie about how they got their first paying customer in 30 days of launch, listening to your customers, and doing a massive pricing revamp. SeekWell is looking for a freelance SEO marketer to help grow the top of their funnel. If you have experience in analytics and B2B SaaS marketing, please email Mike at mike@seekwell.io The topics we cover 2:35 How Mike Ritchie and his co-founder, Thabo Fisher of Seekwell discovered the need for their product 5:57 Deciding to not go down the venture capital path 8:08 Seekwell's typical customer profile 10:01 Getting the first paying customer within 30 days 14:26 Rewriting Seekwell's codebase and doubling down on what customer's love. 16:40 Applying for TinySeed 20:03 Raising prices and adjusting Seekwell's value metric 25:53 Examples of creative use cases for Seekwell 29:02 Since Seekwell launched, have there been any low points? Links from the show Seekwell Seekwell on Twitter Mike Ritchie on Twitter How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

On today's episode, Rob chats Wil Schroter about the story behind Startups.com, the importance of output vs. hours, being specific about the kind of things you don't want to do in life, choosing venture capital, and much more. The topics we cover 2:43 How soon after first acquisition did Wil Schroter, CEO and founder of Startups.com, want to start the next thing? 5:42 Wil on building an incubator in the early days 8:55 History behind swapalease.com 11:22 On choosing if and when to take on venture funding and the origins for Startups.com 14:19 What is Startups.com and how much revenue does it generate? 19:41 Why Wil manages so many aspects of the business 23:41 The hardest part of building Startups.com 29:58 Wil's thought process on acquiring companies Links from the show Startups.com The Shocking Collapse of Zirtual and Maren Kate’s Next Act (plus How to Hire Well) | Episode 486 Swapalease.com Virtucon Ventures Clarity.FM Launchrock.com Zirtual.com How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Show Notes Today, we have a conversation between Rob and Anthony Eden from DNSimple as they revisit the six stages of SaaS growth starting with pre-launch and pre product-market fit to scaling and company building. Be sure to listen in until the end of the podcast as they talk about what lies beyond company building, the sixth stage of SaaS growth. The topics we cover 5:10 Stage 1 - Prelaunch 10:08 Stage 2: Pre Product-Market Fit 13:40 Stage 3: Product Market Fit 16:38 Stage 4: Escape Velocity 21:08 Stage 5: Scale 33:48 Stage 6: Company Building (and Beyond) 38:13 DNSimple and Acquisition Offers Links from the show MicroConf Remote MicroConf On Air: Connect Founder Spotlight with Anthony Eden Episode 35: When Co-Founders Fall Apart | Zen Founder Episode 499 | The (First) Six Stages of SaaS Growth – Part 1 | Startups for the Rest of Us Episode 499.5 | The (First) Six Stages of SaaS Growth – Part 2 | Startups for the Rest of Us How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Show Notes On today's episode, Rob is joined by Asia Orangio as they answer listener questions ranging from how to find the right marketing channel, how to build a brand for your business, as well as how to decide whether to start or join a startup. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for the next episode. We'd love to hear from you! The questions we cover 3:13 Mike Lollar - How to find the right marketing channel 10:47 Cole Hooey - Feedback on freemium pricing model for an HR app 16:18 Robert Brandl - Should I invest in branding? 26:25 Etan Efrati - Decision framework for choosing whether to start or join a startup Links from the show Asia Orangio | Twitter DemandMaven.io In Demand | Podcast How to Acquire Your First 100 Customers - Asia Matos | MicroConf Talk MicroConf On Air: How to Earn Your First 100 Customers | MicroCon On Air Moz Ahref WebsiteToolTester.com Regret Minimization Framework | Jeff Bezos Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work | Book How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Show Notes On today's episode, Rob chats with Damian Thompson, co-founder of LeadFuze. He's also the founder of VPSales. They talk about if and when to hire a sales team, the kinds of cold email outreach campaigns that are working well today, the sales stack, and much more. The topics we cover 5:43 Should a bootstrapper hire a Sales Development Rep (SDR)? 9:16 Assuming you understand your market, what kind of cold emails work today? 12:56 The formula to use for B2B cold email 14:37 Risks of bootstrappers hiring sales reps too quickly 17:19 Rule of thumb for hiring sales reps in 2020 21:29 Defining SDR (Sales Development Rep) and BDR (Business Development Rep) 24:47 What's the bare minimum for a sales stack 36:42 The real challenge with outbound sales Links from the show Leadfuze VPSales Five Whys Aircall Hubspot Pipedrive Prospect.io Mailshake Gong Chorus.ai How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

On today's episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob catches up with guest Derrick Reimer as they discuss shutting down a slack competitor while building and preparing to launch a new calendar SaaS. They discuss topics like user research, defining and validating an idea, choosing a big market, viral loops, and more. The topics we cover with Derrick Reimer 2:49 Shutting down a Slack competitor 6:32 Building StaticKit to get something in the market 13:16 Developing the next idea 17:03 Validating the Mighty Cal idea 19:07 Potential dangers of going into a big competitive space 23:38 Choosing the specific customer/s to target for Mighty Cal 25:45 Built-in Viral loops Links from the show @derrickreimer | Twitter The Value vs. Stress of Twitter, Pros and Cons of Remote Work, and Digital Minimalism – A Discussion Show with Derrick Reimer | Episode 482 How Derrick Reimer is Validating His Ambitious Third SaaS Application | Episode 399 The Art of Product with Guests Derrick Reimer and Ben Orenstein | Episode 354 What It’s Like Selling a $128k Side Project (With Guest Derrick Reimer) | Episode 311 How to Mentally &amp; Technically Prepare For Your Launch (With Guest Derrick Reimer) | Episode 274 StaticKit Drip Mighty Cal Codetree The Mom Test | Book How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Show Notes You've probably heard a lot about the #NoCode movement but may not know what it means, exactly. Today, we have the great pleasure of talking with someone who is knee-deep in the #NoCode movement. Helen Ryles has launched 42 projects over 10+ years and on this episode, she shares with us why she builds so many products, her process for choosing what to work on, and how she determines a good time to sell a #NoCode product. The topics we cover with Helen Ryles 6:11 Ryles on why she chose to launch so many products 9:04 The snowball effect for learning new skills 14:10 Advice for reluctant marketers 16:05 Keeping side-projects small on purpose 18:27 Deciding when to sell a business 21:41 A primer on the #NoCode movement Links from the show Helen Ryles | Twitter Side Project Review - 2020 - @HelenRyles | Google Sheets TinyHello NamesAce FeedbackFridays.com NoCodeo.com NoCodeo.com SideProjectors Borderline.biz Podwords NocodeExchange.com IndieMaker.co Carrd How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

This week we chat with Tracy Osborn (@tracymakes) as we discuss 15 of the top tools we use to run our businesses. As a followup to a previous, popular tweet, we thought we'd give an update on what tools we continue to use today, as well as share some of the new tools we have started to use. While tools are necessary for founders, it's important to find a good balance between good-enough and perfect when it comes to evaluating which tools to use. As Tracy says in the show, "It's a good lesson for founders because they often want to build something the 'right way' from the start. Many times there are tradeoffs and sometimes you have to use the tool that has constraints so that you can work faster. It might not be perfect, but it gets the job done." Are you using any of the tools we mention in the show or have a tool you think we should use? Let us know in the comments! The top 15 tools we cover 6:04 #1 Calendly vs YouCanBook.me 7:45 #2 Slack: how and why we use it 12:20 #3 How we use Notion for permanent documentation 16:21 #4 Google Drive vs Dropbox for Business 18:42 #5 LastPass for Business 20:05 #6 Dasharoo 21:57 #7 Squadcast.fm &amp; Castos.fm to run this podcast 23.57 #8 Drip &amp; RightMessage for email marketing 25:15 #9 Trello for personal business (vs other task management tools) 26:57 #10 Squarespace for websites 30:35 #11 Voxer push to talk audio vs text messaging 32:52 #12 Keynote for conference talks and eBook PDFs 36:02 #13 Tweetbot vs Twitter.com 38:08 #14 Buffer 39:29 #15 Submittable and Pipedrive 42:20 BONUS: FrontApp for email collaboration Links from the show Tracy Osborn | tracyosborn.com Tracy Osborn on Twitter Rob's tweet on tools used | Twitter Calendly YouCanBook.me Discord Discourse Basecamp Notion Dasharoo Lastpass Sunrise KPI Trello Establishing a High-Performance Productivity Stack with Tracy Osborn | MicroConf on Air Squarespace Voxer Guides: 18 Things SaaS Founders Should Know | Startups For the Rest of Us Zencaster Squadcast Casto

This week Rob answers some great listener questions. We discuss the best way to validate a product idea, how to expand a product with traction internationally, advice on launching a restaurant product during COVID-19, and whether to start an affiliate program. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like us to cover, please submit your question for the next episode. We'd love to hear from you! The listener questions we cover 1:39 [Arturo Ceballos] What's the best way to validate an idea and pre-launch without an audience? 13:33 [Ger Apeldoorn] When a product has product-market fit and existing customers, how would you grow internationally? 20:31 [Davis] Do you have any experience running an affiliate program. I'm worried about people that sign up for affiliate would be people that would signup anyways? 26:40 [Jacob Warren] Should I launch a startup in the service/hospitality industry during COVID-19? 28:21 [Casey Collins] Following the Stairstep approach, what's the best marketplace to use? Links from the show Vetting a startup (or two): The systematic birth of @WPEngine | Jason Cohen Idea Validation &amp; Risk Avoidance | Episode 324 The Stairstep Approach to Bootstrapping | Rob Walling Clay Collins on Leadpages and how they used affiliate marketing | Podcast How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by clicking the link and sharing what you learned. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for the next episode. We'd love to hear from you! Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In his second appearance on the show (he first appeared on Episode 367), we chat with Benedikt Deicke from Userlist. Along with his co-founder, Jane Portman, they are building an easy to use customer messaging tool catered specifically towards SaaS companies. In this show, we talk about some of the challenges in building a product while working full-time, finding the ideal SaaS pricing model, their underwhelming Product Hunt launch, as well as their recent purchase of the Userlist.com domain name. Jane &amp; Benedikt are also part of Tinyseed batch #2, and we explore Benedikt's experience so far in the program, and the lessons he's learned. What we discuss with Benedikt Deicke 1:37 The story &amp; motivation behind helpfounders.com 4:30 Userlist and slow growth in the early days 5:30 Challenges with building a SaaS while not full-time 7:50 What has helped with recent Userlist growth 9:00 Navigating SaaS pricing 12:30 An underwhelming Product Hunt launch 15:30 Acquiring the userlist.com domain name 17:30 The most challenging moments thus far in building Userlist 20:48 Why did Jane &amp; Benedikt apply to Tinyseed Links from the show: HelpFounders Benedikt Deicke | Twitter Jane Portman | Twitter Slow &amp; Steady | Podcast Userlist Fighting to Gain Traction in a Crowded Space with Jane Portman of Userlist | Episode 471 Userlist on Product Hunt Tinyseed How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode with Benedikt Deicke, let him know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter: Click here to thank Benedikt Deicke on Twitter. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

In the first episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us since our 500th milestone, Rob checks in with Mike Taber about his progress with Bluetick. It's been nearly 7 weeks since Rob last checked in (Episode 494) and a lot has happened in the world since then. They talk about business trajectory amidst COVID-19, the health of the sales pipeline and unique partnership opportunities, as well as technical debt and making decisions about code optimization. What we discuss with Mike Taber 6:38 Rob and Mike reflect on what made the podcast successful 12:05 Has Bluetick seen an uptick in interest since COVID-19? 16:58 Is Mike an optimist, or a pessimist (and what would Mike's wife say)? 18:55 The highs and lows from the past few weeks 20:41 Mike on driving new prospects for Bluetick 22:38 Bluetick and unique partnership opportunities 30:47 Managing technical debt and making decisions on optimizing your code Links from the show: Mythical Man-Month | Book Mike Taber on Twitter BlueTick How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode with Mike Taber, let him know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter: Click here to thank Mike Taber on Twitter. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

This is a big milestone episode for Startups for the Rest of Us. Episode 500. Since the very first episode nearly a decade ago we've had more than 10 million downloads, answered more than 1,500 listener questions, and shared more than 292 hours of startup content. Over the years, this podcast has developed a particular lens through which we view building and growing startups. We've focused on: Maintaining freedom, purpose, and relationships throughout the journey Diving deep into topics relating to building and growing startups, using an ambitious yet sane approach. Thinking in years, not months Not talking about the typical Silicon Valley startups (where fundraising is a goal in and of itself) Building real companies with real customers who pay us real money Not sacrificing our health or our relationships As we look to 1,000 episodes and beyond, we decided to highlight the stories from the community as they share how the past 500 episodes have made an impact on their path to starting and growing successful (and sane) startups. The cache of stories, lessons, real heartfelt moments are what really keep me coming back to Startups for the Rest of Us and why I recommend it to so many people. It's not just one particular episode or one particular lesson, it's the complete story arc of Rob, Mike, the team, and what they've built. It's an exciting time to be a small part of this journey. &mdash; Matt Medeiros Building a self-funded startup on the internet doesn't have to be complicated. We're making a thing, we're solving a problem. We're selling our solution to customers. Rinse and repeat. The more attempts at doing that, the more that we're going to learn and the more mistakes that we'll make, the more wins that we'll have. &mdash; Brian Casel What we discuss 2:26 - Launching MicroConf from the podcast 4:11 - The many types of episodes we've tried 7:18 - Why we think the show has worked 9:49 - How you can support the show 11:22 - Ian and Dan (Tropical MBA podcast) on the importance of the stairstep approach 13:33 - Ben Orenstein (Art of Product podcast) on the value of consistency 14:13 - Matt Medeiros (Matt Report podcast) says this podcast is the startup single source of truth 16:42 - Brian and Benedikt (Slow &amp; Steady podcast) on small continuous progress over time 19:50 - Adrian Rosebrock (Listener) 20:16 - Jordan Gal (Bootstrapped Web podcast) speaks to the importance of perseverance 21:57 - Andy Baldacci (Effective Founder podcast) shares his experience with the stairstep approach 26:48 - Brian Casel (Bootstrapped Web podcast) on knowing there are "others just like me" 28:52 - Matt &amp; Peter (Out of Beta podcast) on how they feel connected to the community 32:58 - Alvin (listener) loves the actionable, specific, and realistic feedback 34:58 - Shawn DeWolfe (Shawn DeWolfe Consulting) on how entrepreneurship feels attainable because of the podcast Links from the show: What is a Micropreneur | Episode 1 MicroConf The Stairstep Approach to Bootstrapping | <a href=

This episode is part two in a two-part conversation. If you haven't already, listen to Part 1 first. This week is the second part of a conversation between Rob and Jordan Gal, the founder of CartHook. In the episode, Rob and Jordan dig into the 4th, 5th and 6th stages of SaaS growth and compare their journeys 1:1 between growing Drip and growing CartHook. They come across several parallels between their journeys, as well as some differences. This episode is part two in a two-part conversation. Jordan started CartHook as cart abandonment software and later pivoted into a checkout replacement solution for Shopify. He has been on the podcast several times answering listener questions and has spoken at a handful of MicroConfs. He is also the co-host of the Bootstrapped Web podcast. Every time we come up against the hill and then climb it and get to the top, when we look outward, we see so much more. So, the opportunity just keeps getting bigger the further we go. We're not even close. We're just barely getting started. - Jordan Gal What we discuss with Jordan Gal 1:10 Rob's experience with Stage 4: Escape Velocity 4:35 Jordan Gal's experience with Stage 4: Escape Velocity 9:06 Parallels between Drip &amp; CartHook's journeys 9:50 Jordon on hitting limitations and looking beyond money 15:27 A fast-growing business isn't profitable 17:26 Rob's experience with Stage 5: Scale 21:54 Jordan's experience with Stage 5: Scale 25:10 Stage 6: Company Building 27:39 The range of skills founders need when building a startup 30:18 Jordan Gal on the future of CartHook Links from the show: CartHook Bootstrapped Web Jordan Gal | Twitter [Watch] Two Years in the SaaS Trenches - Jordan Gal | MicroConf Starter 2017 [Listen] “We Went from Hundreds of Free Trials to a Few Dozen…On Purpose” with Jordan Gal | Episode 476 How can I support the podcast? If you enjoyed this episode with Jordal Gal, let him know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter: Click here to thank Jordan Gal on Twitter. Click here to share your number one takeaway from the episode. Subscribe &amp; Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

This week is a conversation between Rob and Jordan Gal, the founder of Cart Hook. We dig into the six stages of SaaS growth. We compare our journeys 1:1 between growing Drip and growing CartHook. It's shocking how well the journeys line up with each other. Some of the differences in the journey are also quite striking. This episode is part one, and part two will go live later this week. Jordan started CartHook as cart abandonment software and became a checkout replacement solution for Shopify. He has been on the podcast a few times answering questions, and he has spoken at MicroConf a few times. He is also the co-host of the Bootstrapped Web podcast. The finer points of the episode: 6:00 - Stage 1: Prelaunch 8:33 - How to create your own luck when your SaaS app is in the prelaunch phase 13:37 - Stage 2: Post Launch 14:25 - The journey to finding product-market fit 22:25 - The most challenging parts of the journey for Rob and Jordan 23:29 - Stage 3: Product Market Fit Items mentioned in this episode: CartHook Bootstrapped Web Find Jordan on Twitter

This week Rob talks with Steli Efti about selling during a pandemic. They also talk about how to set yourself up for success as a founder during a possible recession and how to adjust your sales process. You don't want to shy away from sales, but you also don't want to be tone-deaf to the current state of the world. Steli is one of the world's experts in startup sales and B2B sales. He runs a successful app called Close.com. He has written a number of ebooks on the topic of sales, and he has been a recognized expert for over a decade. The finer points of the episode: 4:15 - Two big sales trends that Steli has noticed during the COVID-19 crisis 9:09 - The main thing you can do for your business right now 13:55 - How to approach a sales conversation while being sensitive to the current circumstances 16:33 - How Close.com managed to increase their revenue and grow through 2020 25:00 - How Steli sees his sales process looking after COVID-19 30:25 - Best practices for sending cold emails during the pandemic Items mentioned in this episode: BaseCamp Close.com The Startup Chat Email Steli for the crisis toolkit Follow Steli on Twitter

This week Rob answers listener questions with TinySeed co-founder Einar Vollset. Einar has been on the selling side of many SaaS acquisitions. He is also a developer with a Ph.D. in computer science, so he has a well-rounded experience, and it makes him the perfect person to answer these listener questions. There are some interesting questions from listeners who are growing SaaS apps. The finer points of the episode: 2:38 - What metrics you should be documenting on your SaaS app 9:04 - The things buyers checked on when we were selling Drip 13:00 - How to navigate creating the terms for a business partnership 18:43 - Should you be sending unsolicited marketing emails? 24:18 - Best strategies to make sales 27:32 - Potential opportunities to make sales during the COVID-19 crisis Items mentioned in this episode: tinyseed.com/invest Find Einar on Twitter

This interview was recorded several months ago, but is still relevant despite the pandemic. Colin Nederkoorn, the co-founder of customer.io has taken a unique approach to building their company. Customer.io does marketing automation for the entire customer lifecycle. They have raised funding, but not traditional venture money, and they've run it more like a self-funded SaaS. Colin and his cofounder John left their jobs with no savings, and they set out to build an analytics tool. Their story is powerful because of their unconventional approach and ability to persevere through hard times. The finer points of the episode: 4:05 - The customer.io founder journey 5:23 - Their approach to selecting investors 7:01 - Reflecting on how Colin and John bootstrapped a SaaS app after leaving their jobs with no savings 8:02 - Why they pivoted from an analytics company to selling marketing solutions 13:15 - Finding the balance between innovation vs following the best practices 18:37 - How customer.io became a remote company, and the advantages/disadvantages of building a remote team 22:05 - What customer.io is doing to support the bootstrapping startup community (and why they care about bootstrappers) 24:30 - Marketing approaches that customer.io used in the earlier days 31:55 - The highs and lows of building customer.io Items mentioned in this episode: customer.io helpfounders.com hugo.team customer.io/bootstrapper Connect with Colin on Twitter

Today, Rob flies solo to talk about 7 different things that he has learned in his 20 years of entrepreneurship. He also offers some feedback about what he is seeing in the startup communities today, advice on how to deal with competition, marketing tips, and how to build a team of developers. The finer points of the episode: 2:35 - Be careful about over-generalizing from one win 3:33 - The three things you need in order to succeed in building a startup 8:10 - How to handle feedback you get on your product 12:48 - Rob's personal experience and opinion on dealing with competition in the startup space 15:35 - Why word-of-mouth is not the right answer for where your leads are coming from 18:40 - The real reason why some startups are "transparent" 21:05 - Advice on how to build a team of developers Items mentioned in this episode: Start Small Stay Small

This week we catch up with Mike Taber, he comes on the show every once in a while to share his progress as he grows his SaaS App, Bluetick. We haven't checked in with Mike since before the quarantine, and the last time we spoke to him, he had more than doubled his revenue in the past 4-5 months. We will talk about how the COVID-19 crisis has affected Bluetick and other SaaS apps, some new insights that Mike has been learning about his customer base, and decisions he has made about the positioning and marketing of Bluetick. It is difficult to try and land new customers when we are facing a global pandemic and a possible recession. If you are working on a startup, you might find it helpful to know how someone else is handling this crisis in their business. The finer points of the episode: 5:00 - How Bluetick and other SAS apps have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis 8:35 - Mike's biggest success and biggest defeat in the past 7 weeks 11:32 - Where Mike's customers are finding him? 12:53 - What makes Bluetick different from its competitors 15:27 - An update on Mike's email campaign to canceled customers 19:08 - Mike's plans to change the positioning and copy on his website now that he understands how people are using Bluetick 25:28 - An update on Mike's podcast tour 29:36 - What Mike is looking forward to over the next month Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Video Vault Basecamp Bluetick

This is a round table discussion with Craig Hewitt (founder of Castos), Einar Vollset (cofounder of TinySeed), and myself. We are in three different cities on two different continents, so we have plenty of different perspectives on the COVID-19 crisis. We are talking about our own businesses and the advice we give to other founders. We also talk about the payroll program, and whether we think it's going to be helpful to small businesses and startups. We share our tips and experiences working from home, for founders who may be just now transitioning to a remote team, and we discuss Stewart Butterfield's Twitter feed, talking about the human side of experiencing this pandemic. Listen to get some insight, hope, and fresh ideas on being a startup during COVID-19. The finer points of the episode: 8:09 - Advice we all have for startups during the COVID-19 crisis 12:51 - Common mistakes we see businesses make working from home 14:42 - The main things that change when your team goes remote 17:37 - The payroll protection program in the USA and what this could mean for your business 28:04 - Stewart Butterfield's real-time experience of COVID-19 and how it resonated with each of us as founders 36:46 - Some reasons to feel hopeful about business right now &nbsp; Items mentioned in this episode: RougueStartups Castos TinySeed How Apple Is Working From Home Bosses Panic-Buy Spy Software to Keep Tabs on Remote Workers MicroConf article on COVID-19 business relief Stewart Butterfield's Twitter feed Craig Hewitt's Twitter Account Einar Vollset's Twitter Account

This bonus episode of Startup For The Rest Of Us is from a MicroConf On Air live stream in which Rob interviews Courtland Allen, founder of Indie Hackers, about interviewing 155 startup founders and what he learned from building a community from scratch. It was such a great conversation, I wanted to put it in this podcast feed, so more people can benefit from Courtland’s insight.  &nbsp; The finer points of the episode: 6:28 - Why B2C businesses are more attractive, but B2B may be more lucrative  11:30 - Competitive advantages that can’t be surmounted by the competition.  17:50 - How Courtland jumpstarted the Indie Hackers online community  22:46 - Why you can’t just rely on internal motivation to get your startup off the ground  25:36 - The common thread Courtland has seen in successful founders  30:00 - The truth about how hard you have to work when building a business  31:57 - Overcoming imposter syndrome when entering a new industry  &nbsp; Items mentioned in the episode:  Indie Hackers Podcast Join the MicroConf Slack Community MicroConf On Air Podcast  Base Camp Stripe

In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob interviews Danielle Simpson and Arvid Kahl, co-founders of FeedbackPanda, a SaaS business they bootstrapped to $55k MRR with no outside funding and no employees. They sold directly to teachers, a price-sensitive market, and they used referral programs and word of mouth to create rapid growth. You will hear about the struggles, victories, highs, and lows of their startup journey. Arvid and Danielle give honest, powerful insight into what it was really like to manage their company just the two of them, and what ultimately led to their decision to sell their company for a life-changing amount of money.&nbsp; &nbsp;* We are in a slightly different headspace in this episode, because we recorded this before the COVID-19 crisis. But we still wanted to share this episode, because we want you to benefit from this powerful conversation.&nbsp; The finer points of the episode: 2:12 - What it was like to sell FeedbackPanda for a lifechanging sum of money&nbsp; 6:40 - Why they ultimately made the decision to sell their business&nbsp; 12:40 - How the perfect combination of luck and skill led to their business’ huge success&nbsp; 14:38 - What it was like selling to teachers, a price-sensitive market&nbsp; 18:44 - Using referral programs and word-of-mouth to generate extremely rapid growth&nbsp; 24:20 - Can their approach to growth be replicated in other industries?&nbsp; 29:11 - More about their decision not to hire anyone&nbsp; 33:49 - The biggest low point of their startup journey and how they overcame them&nbsp; 38:25 - When did they start thinking about selling their company?&nbsp; 40:34 - What is next for Arvid and Danielle? Items mentioned in this episode: The Bootstrapped Founder Danielle Simpson Danielle's Twitter Arvid's Twitter

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob along with guest Matt Wensing, answer a number of&nbsp; listener questions on topics including reaching high-touch prospects, finding advisors and more. Items mentioned in this episode: RiskPulse Olive Crewbooks Out of Beta Podcast Patrick Campbell's MicroConf Talk

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob along with guest Einar Vollset, talk about the current crisis and as a founder what your mindset should be and what to do to be prepared. #1: Don't panic, clear heads will prevail #2: No business is recession proof #3: Be cautious #4: Heavily scrutinize all marketing and sales efforts #5: Take care of yourself and those around you #6: At times like these, cash is king #7: We're going to make it through this &nbsp; Items mentioned in this episode: ZenFounder Bidsketch MicroConf MicroConf On Air

Show Notes 10 years to the day....Startups For The Rest Of Us was born. In this episode Rob reflects back on he and Mike Taber starting the podcast all those years ago and the journey its been. This episode includes a 5 minute play of the very first episode of the podcast. Items mentioned in this episode: Startups For The Rest Of Us Episode:1 Product Hunt SFTROU Post

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Matt Wensing about his exit from his company Riskpulse, dealing with multiple investors, his new company Summt, and why forecasting is crucial. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed MicroConf On-Air Castos Summit Out of Beta Podcast

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob checks in with Mike Taber about his progress with Bluetick. They talk about new growth, where that growth is coming from, theories on why customers are choosing Bluetick over competitors, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Connect Bluetick.io

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob is joined by Jordan Gal and Tracy Osborn for a roundtable discussion. Some of the topics in this episode including Basecamp reinventing email with Hey.com, Leadpages being acquired by Redbrick, the growing popularity of subscription based pricing and how many active subscriptions a person or business has nowadays. Items mentioned in this episode: Bootstrapped Web Podcast CartHook Hey.com Leadpages acquired by Redbrick How a 2 person startup already uses 28 other tools Tracy Osborn

Show Notes In this episode Startups For The Rest Of Us Rob interviews Maren Kate of Avra Talent about her entrepreneurial journey.&nbsp; She talks about her first company that raised 5.5 million in funding, hit $1mil in MRR, had over 400 employees, but ultimately failed.&nbsp; She talks about how she recovered both mentally and professionally, and gives her system of hiring/vetting people for your company. Items mentioned in this episode: Avra Talent TinySeed

In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, the tables have turned as Rob is interviewed by Dr. Sherry Walling. They talk MicroConf, the podcast, state of independent SaaS report and TinySeed but also explore bigger themes like what Rob wants to accomplish with all of his businesses and a unifying theme he's established across the board. Items mentioned in this episode: SherryWalling.com ZenFounder TinySeed MicroConf MicroConf Connect State of Indie SaaS

In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob along with guest Ruben Gamez answer a number of listener questions on topics including current marketing tactics, scaling from 5 to 10 employees, SaaS longevity and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Docsketch Bidsketch MicroConf Connect Peldi’ s article about profit sharing Quiet Light Brokerage FE International Empire Flippers

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob interviews growth marketer Andy Baldacci about how he got his start, his early days at Hubstaff, marketing for Groove, and he gives some practical tips/advice for the listeners. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Connect SaberSim The Effective Founder Podcast

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob does a discussion show format with guest Derrick Reimer. They discuss multiple topics including the pros/cons of remote work, value vs. stress of Twitter, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: The Art of Product Podcast Derrickreimer.com StaticKit Baremetrics Blog Post: "I almost sold Baremetrics for $5M" Baremetrics Blog Post: "5 things I learned failing to sell Baremetrics for $5M"

In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob checks in with Mike Taber's progress with Bluetick. They talk about his big new customer, traction on the podcast tour, Mike's outreach to his LinkedIn connections, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick.io

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Christopher Gimmer of Snappa, about his journey to making SaaS his full-time income. He details how he stair-stepped his way from small apps and products to 7 figure SaaS. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Baremetrics

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob along with Tracy Osborn , answer a number of listener questions on topics including founder hotseats, forgotten subscriptions, two-sided market places and more. Items mentioned in this episode: State of Indie SaaS Report Metcalfe's Law Stack Overflow GrowthHackers Tracy Osborn

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob reflects back on his goals of 2019 and shares some lessons that are broadly applicable to founders/entrepreneurs. He also shares how he &#8220;unplugged&#8221; from the internet/devices while on a recent vacation with his family and the benefits he experienced. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf TinySeed The State of Independent SaaS Report

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Brian Casel of Audience Ops, answer a number of listener questions on topics including assessing product market fit, finding a mastermind and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Bootstrapped Web Podcast The TMBA Podcast Dynamite Circle Productize Course MastermindJam

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Jordan Gal of CartHook about his big move to stop his free trials, move to demos, and increase his prices. Items mentioned in this episode: CartHook Bootstrapped Web Podcast CartHook Pricing Change Blog Post Lincoln Murphy blog post about Qualification

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob checks in with Mike Taber on his continued progress with Bluetick.&nbsp; The final conclusion to the Google audit is revealed, and they check in with the .Net component problem, the podcast tour, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick

Show Notes In this half episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob makes the biggest announcement in MicroConf history and talks about the future of the conference. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf

Show Notes On this final episode following Craig Hewitt of Castos, Rob checks in to get the results of the &#8220;no credit trial&#8221; decision, and to see whether or not the move increased conversions.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Brian Casel of Audience Ops, about recovering from a 40% decline in MRR.&nbsp; They start the story back in 2016 and work through the decline, audience ops rebound, the start of Ops Calendar, and Brian's decision to learn how to code. Items mentioned in this episode: Bootstrapped Web MicroConf ProcessKit Codementor.io

Show Notes This week Craig Hewitt of Castos, feels the pains of a growing team and talks about how his role as a founder must evolve as the team continues to grow.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Laura Roeder joins the podcast to answer a number of listener questions on topics including managing annual subscriptions, being a non-developer founder, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MeetEdgar MicroConf Stripe

Show Notes In this week&#8217;s episode Craig Hewitt &#8220;turns the business on it&#8217;s head&#8221; by implementing a no credit card trial.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Shai Schechter of RightMessage, about his amazing launch and then finding himself near bankruptcy and how he was able to right the ship. Items mentioned in this episode: RightMessage RightMessage.baremetrics Shai.io MicroConf Europe

Show Notes Rob is back with Craig Hewitt of Castos. They talk about learning to delegate more of his responsibilities as a new growth marketer joins the team.

In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Jane Portman of Userlist. They discuss the struggles of growing slowly, gaining traction in the crowded space, and some of the lessons learned from her first SaaS app. Items mentioned in this episode: Userlist UI Breakfast Podcast User Onboarding: The Ultimate Guide for SaaS Founders

Show Notes Rob does another follow up with Crag Hewitt of Castos, they talk about his new hire (growth marketer) and news of a major break-through.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob checks in with Mike Taber on his progress with Bluetick. They talk about the finale of the Google audit, a new integration. and trying to find differentiation in the market. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed Zapier

Show Notes Rob follows up with Craig Hewitt of Castos, as he shares some big news on the podcast

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike walk you through some of the talks and key takeways from MicroConf Europe 2019. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf MicroConf Europe Balsamiq HubSpot picture of an evening reception at MicroConf Europe 2019 at Vala Beach

Show Notes Rob continues his conversation with Craig Hewitt of Castos in this week&#8217;s episode of &#8220;TinySeed Tales&#8221;.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, the tables have turned as Tracy Osborn interviews Rob about his past year. They talk life after Drip, focusing on the backstory of TinySeed and the ups and downs that have come along since its launch. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed TracyOsborn

Show Notes Rob starts his new podcast series &#8220;TinySeed Tales,&#8221; with an interview with Craig Hewitt of Castos.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Adii Pienaar of Conversio, about his life changing exit, when and why he decided to sell, and what the whole process was like. Items mentioned in this episode: Conversio TinySeed Adii.me Discretion Capital

Show Notes Rob introduces &#8220;TinySeed Tales&#8221;, a show that follows one SaaS founder week by week through their struggles, failures, and victories.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Craig Hewitt returns to the show to answer a number of listener questions on topics including productized services, podcasting, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Bean Ninjas Podcast Motor LeadFuze Castos TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob checks in with Mike Taber on his progress with Bluetick. They talk about Mike's motivation, specifically over the long term , the continuing Google security audit, differentiating from competitors and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf State of Independent SaaS Survey Bluetick.io

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Steli Efti of Close.com, about his highs and lows of the past year as well as a in depth dive into starting your first sales process. Items mentioned in this episode: Close.com MicroConf Europe The Startup Chat Zapier CartHook LeadFuze

Show Notes In this half episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob announces the inaugural state of independent SaaS survey. A survey that looks at SaaS benchmarks for non-venture backed companies and how you can participate. Items mentioned in this episode: State of Independent SaaS Survey Rob&#8217;s Video setup

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob does a Founder Hotseat with David Heller of Reimbi, about dealing with his specific issues with enterprise sales. Items mentioned in this episode: Reimbi TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob along with co-host Jeff Epstein, answer a number of listener questions on topics including competing against a giant company, splitting from a co-founder, having enough features and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob checks in with Mike Taber's progress on Bluetick. They revisit some topics that were brought up from their last episode together including motivation, personal retreat, accountability, the Google audit and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick TinySeed Airmail Zapier

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and co-host Tracy Osborn answer a number of listener questions on topics including funded competition, growing an email newsletter audience, white-labeling and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe MicroConf APSE.io Build Blockchain Tech UpCounsel Tracy Osborn

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob interviews Craig Hewitt of Castos, about the unique set of challenges to starting and growing a SaaS product as a non-technical founder. Items mentioned in this episode: RogueStartups TinySeed Podcast Motor Seriously Simple Podcasting

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Mike returns to the podcast to give updates on the fate of Bluetick as well as progress updates on his motivation and health. Items mentioned in this episode: BlueTick Seriously Simple Podcasting FounderCafe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob answers a number of listener questions on topics including starting a marketplace, marketing channels, resellers and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Kiwi for Gmail TaskTrain RobWalling.com

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob interviews Ruben Gamez of Bidsketch, about his 10 plus years of bootstrapping, lessons learned, improved decision making, and his new product. Items mentioned in this episode: Docsketch FounderCafe ZenFounder AppSumo

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Tracy Osborn about things she would of done differently during the 9 years she ran WeddingLovely. Items mentioned in this episode: TracyOsborn.com TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob does a throwback episode. Almost 9 years to the day Rob and Mike published episode 14 about overcoming fear and taking risks which is a message that is still applicable today.

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob interviews Jeff Epstein, Founder of Ambassador, about building and selling his multi-million dollar startup as a non-technical founder. They dive deep into the details of the acquisition and the toll it took on him. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed Ambassador

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Jordan Gal answer a number of listener questions on topics including LinkedIn outreach, building features versus fixing bugs and more. Items mentioned in this episode: CartHook UpCounsel Baremetrics Balsamiq Bootstrapped Web

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of US, Rob interview Laura Roeder, Founder and CEO of MeetEdgar. They talk about her fast success with growing MeetEdgar, dealing with platform risks, and the humbling experience with her second venture. Items mentioned in this episode: Laura Roeder.com Customer.io TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of US, Rob does a Founder Hotseat interview with Matt Wensing of SimSaaS. They talk about how to develop a strong cadence of work as a one person company. Items mentioned in this episode: Riskpulse TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob along with co-host Tracy Osborn answer a number of listener questions on topics including two side marketplaces, automated testing, building like-minded relationships and more. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed Tracy Osborn

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the current status of Bluetick. They discuss the Google approval process, external/internal motivations, current roadblocks, and Mike's future with Bluetick. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick Mailbird Referral Rock MastermindJam

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including pricing and customer development. They also continue to discuss Mike's verification journey with Google. Items mentioned in this episode: Churn Buster CartHook Derrick Reimer

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about how to build more successful integrations. They discuss how to approach the different areas of risk including work estimates, API integration, co-marketing opportunities and more. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed Bluetick Baremetrics Stripe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about some of the pitfalls of absolute thinking. Things are rarely black and white, they are more nuanced and on a spectrum. The guys explore the advantages to this approach. Items mentioned in this episode: Gusto Secret Stache Big Snow Tiny Conf Teamwork Desk Help Scout VidHug

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including what are their biggest regrets, how to deal with the loneliness of building a startup, and task management. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe Mailbird Mailplane ZenFounder

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including which signals matter, staying on task without external motivation, and how they manage their time. Items mentioned in this episode: HR.com Bidsketch MastermindJam ZenFounder Podcast

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Einar Vollset talk through the different kinds of corporate entities, how they differ, and how they can impact you in the future. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed LegalZoom

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike revisit their 2019 goals. The guys check in to see if they are on pace with their 2019 goals as well as discuss some other topics including why remote companies grow slower. Items mentioned in this episode: FE International Fearless Salary Negotiation Position Health

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the process of putting together a case study and reasons why you would do it. They also share some additional thoughts on this years MicroConf and its future. Items mentioned in this episode: FE International Gumroad Episode Sources neilpatel.com articulatemarketing.com coschedule.com hubspot.com

Show Note In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about their 9 key takeaways from MicroConf 2019. They give a brief synopsis of some of the talks from both starter and growth edition. Items mentioned in this episode: CartHook Leadfuze MicroConf Recap Art of Product Podcast Punchline Copy MicroConf Europe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike have a casual conversation about what's going on with each other recently. Some of the topics they touch on include Dungeons &amp; Dragons, personal computer setups, new ideas for MicroConf, and Bluetick/TinySeed updates. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Bluetick TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of US, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including monetizing B2C, selling a small SaaS,and insurance. They also get a update from a past listener's question. Items mentioned in this episode: FE International MicroConf Robwalling.com/london VidHug Flowlog

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about how to respond to customer suggestions. The topic was inspired by a Tweet by Ken Wallace, the guys give six approaches they use to tackle this issue as well as some additional thoughts. Items mentioned in this episode: Mike's HR.com Webcast Robwalling.com/London SFTROU Ep.119 MastermindJam

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including the value of startup accelerators, onboarding, liability insurance and more. Items mentioned in this episode: AppSumo MicroConf Clocr.com Founder Shield Sports Tracker App

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about what KPI's to look at when launching, key metrics you should track, and what they should be. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed HR.com Sunrise KPI Cyfe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including managing emotions, cost of an MVP, taking a business idea and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf 2019 Starter Edition Scholarship Application VidHug OneOneMeeting

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about how to indirectly overcome sales objections. Solving the problem of having to answer some of the same questions numerous times, the guys come up with some ways to combat sale objections when you're not in a direct conversation with the potential customer. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Starter Edition Scholarship Application TinySeed HubSpot Leadpages Kissmetrics

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including converting free users to paid, vesting, business ethics and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick.io

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about what to look for in a co-founder. They touch on different aspects of evaluating someone for the role including, honesty/integrity, skill-set vs. future skill-set, fixed mindset vs. growth and more. Items mentioned in this episode: AppSumo MicroConf Giveaway MicroConf Starter Edition Scholarship Application MicroConf Growth Edition MicroConf Starter Edition Big Snow Tiny Conf TinySeed CartHook

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Derrick Reimer about his new product Level. They go through the development timeline as Derrick gives insights on the early access phase, alpha testing, taking pre-orders, and going live with the MVP. Items mentioned in this episode: AppSumo MicroConf Giveaway MicroConf Growth Edition MicroConf Starter Edition Level.app The Art of Product

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including building relationships with agency partners, selling across different currencies, determining equity splits, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: AppSumo MicroConf Giveaway Contest MicroConf Growth Edition MicroConf Starter Edition OpenCage Geocoder FE International Quiet Light Brokerage

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions, the topics include scaling a software product, raising prices, and when to use a CRM. Items mentioned in this episode: AppSumo-MicroConf Giveaway MicroConf Growth Edition MicroConf Starter Edition AppSumo Segment Stripe Zendesk

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about getting started with event tracking. They share some tips and tricks, 3 Core Lifecycle Events, and the purpose/importance for tracking each event. Items mentioned in this episode: Segment Blog Segment Google Doc Spreadsheet ZenFounder 193-"Rob’s Favorite Productivity Hacks"

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about how to launch a product into a mature market. They give a definition of what a mature market is, list some examples of established players in different markets, discuss how to tell if you should enter a particular market and how to execute on it. Items mentioned in this episode: Salesforce HubSpot Stripe Level Gusto Drip Superhuman

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike make their predictions for 2019. They also look back at their 2018 predictions and rate how they did. Items mentioned in this episode: Start Small, Stay Small(Audio Book) StartupBook.net TinySeed

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike set their goals for 2019 as well check in and rate how they did for their 2018 goals. Items mentioned in this episode: Hacker News Rob's Hacker Noon Interview TinySeed MicroConf FounderCafe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including the impact of GDPR, pruning e-mail lists, TinySeed and more. Items mentioned in this epiosode: TinySeed Drip Workflow Re-Engagement

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us inspired by a Patrick McKenzie tweet, Rob and Mike talk about the science of why charging more works. Items mentioned in this episode: Patrick McKenzie Tweet MicroConf FounderCafe TinySeed Joel Spolsky " Camels and Rubber Duckies" Joel Spolsky " Price as Signal"

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Einar Vollset talk about their alternative form of startup funding, Tiny Seed. They talk about why they started an accelerator, and some of the key&nbsp;differentiators that separates them from typical accelerators. Items mentioned in this episode: Einar Vollset Twitter MicroConf Indie.VC SparkToro ZenFounder Baremetrics

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including VC prospecting emails, building features vs. integration, buying software businesses and more. Items mentioned in this episode: RobWalling.com TinySeed ZenFounder Ep.193-"Productivity Hacks" Flippa All Side Projects 1Kprojects.com FE International QuietLight Brokerage Empire Flippers

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about creators versus fans. They discuss some cautionary tales of building products on someone else's platform and the potential risks. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed BlueTick D&amp;D Beyond Resources The Power Struggle for Dungeons &amp; Dragons’ Soul Wizards.com

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including how to market a podcast, what to do with business profits, building features vs. integrating and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf ZoomAdmin Big Snow Tiny Conf Business of Software Conference FemtoConf Brian Casel "Tiny Conferences"

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike recap MicroConf Europe 2018. The guys go through the list of&nbsp; speakers of the two day event and highlight some of their key takeaways from each presentation. Picture of Rob in the Iron Throne Picture of Mike in the Iron Throne Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe 2018 Walls of Dubrovnik TinySeed FE International SureSwift Capital

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including trials versus money back guarantees, product founder fit, the stair-step approach, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe The Complete Developer Podcast ZenFounder The Single Founder Handbook

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about content promotion tactics. Breaking the tactics down in three categories (Social Media, SEO, and E-mail Marketing), the guys share thoughts and expand based on some previously written articles on the topic. Items mentioned in this episode: TinySeed ZenFounder SaaS Mag Episode Resources Orbit Media NeilPatel.com

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about how Lucidchart grew to 13 million users with freemium.&nbsp; They point out effective ways to use freemium, viral loops, horizontal markets, and how you could incorporate some of these things in your bootstrapped startup. Items mentioned in this episode: Freshworks Article Fog Creek Stack Overflow Stripe AnyDice

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the pitfalls of commonly recommended marketing tactics. This topic was inspired by a tweet from Scott Watermasysk from KickoffLabs. Some of the tactics discussed include split testing, affiliate programs, content marketing, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: KickoffLabs Teamwork Product Hunt Hacker News Indie Hackers MicroConf Europe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about bootstrapping versus funding. It is a common question new entrepreneurs ask themselves and based on an article on the subject, the guys comment and elaborate on some of these questions. Items mentioned in this episode: Four Color of Money Article Gumroad

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about customer development. Based on a Sujan Patel article, the guys walk through 5 tips for doing customer development the right way. Items mentioned in this episode: TaskTrain Product Habits Five Second Test UserTesting Board Gaming Table Kickstarter

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions. The topics include defining product market fit, using cheap developers, when to quit, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: The Quiet Light Podcast w/ Rob Walling FounderCafe Closer Sharing Sean Ellis: 40% “very disappointed”

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer the questions, should you take on a co-founder? The guys discuss the difference between hiring and being a partner, how to begin a partnership, and how to do if you're a good fit. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe Tickets CartHook

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us , Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including SaaS pricing, subdomains, and building affordable MVP's. Items mentioned in this episode: AllTheGuides WP Engine AppsEvents EventsFrame Balsamiq

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer the question of should bootstrappers raise money? The guys distinguish the difference between venture capital and angel investing and how raising an angel round may be a good fit for some types of entrepreneurs. Items mentioned in this episode: Indie Hackers Transistor.fm Indie.vc Churn Buster LeadFuze CartHook RobWalling.com

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions on topics including Mike's thoughts on moving on from AuditShark, minimum viable security, and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Indie Hackers Podcast with Mike Taber Release Notes Podcast with Mike Taber Segment Zapier Nomad List Comics 'N' Coffee Medium.com Post&nbsp; Medium.com Post #2 Safestack.io Post (Security) SaaS Security Checklist

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about how to dissect your business competitors.&nbsp; Gaining insight can help with validating an ideas and understanding the landscape. The guys give you 8 ways to better understand your competitors. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe FounderCafe Rank2Traffic

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike ask the question: should you love what you're working on? The guys talk about this topic in the idea of balancing interests and opportunity. They also ask themselves the question and how it pertains to their lives and businesses. Items mentioned in this episode: Enneagram Institute FounderCafe

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about some tactics for minimizing disruptions to your vacation. Sometimes, it's really tough to feel like you can unplug as an entrepreneur, especially if you're running a SaaS. The guys breakdown some things you should do for your next vacation. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe FounderCafe Uptime.com Ropig Pingdom

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about why you shouldn't listen to your customers. Not all requests are created equal. The guys breakdown customer feature requests into three categories and give tips on how to get the most out of them. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick Zapier Segment Startup Stories Podcast

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the importance of consistency.&nbsp; They reminisce about how the podcast has evolved over the years and the benefits of putting an episode out week after week. Items mentioned in this episode: FounderCafe BoardGame Tables MicroConf Inc.com Article Uexpress.com Article differenceconsulting.com Article

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob talks with Derrick Reimer, co-founder of Drip, about his new SaaS application Level. They talk about what inspired the idea as well as ways Derrick went about trying to validate it. Items mentioned in this episode: Level DerrickReimer.com The Art of Product

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about SaaS marketing lessons you'll wish you'd learned sooner. Based on an article on karolakarlson.com they break the list down to 9 key lessons including growth plans, mission statements, tracking metrics and more. Items mentioned in this episode: Karolakarlson Article Robwalling.com Firstround.com Article

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about customer acquisition strategies. Based on a themarketingstudent.com article, they break down the difference between strategies versus tactics and how to think about your acquisition strategy. Items mentioned in this article: Zoom YouCanBook.Me MicroConf Europe Equipment Wallet

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike check in with their 2018 goals, and answer listener questions on topics including raising funding and marketing at events. Items mentioned in this episode: ZenFounder Swaaap.com EconTalk RogueStartups Bitesize Irish Gaelic

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the 20 podcasts they listen to. They separate the podcasts into three categories, bootstrapping, startups/business, and off topic/entertainment. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Europe CartHook Big Snow Tiny Conf Transistor.fm Podcast Motor Recapture.io Baremetrics Podcasts mentioned: The Art of Product Build Your SaaS Bootstrapped Web Founder's Journey Hooked on Product RogueStartups The Tropical MBA Indie Hackers ZenFounder This Week in Startups Startup Akimbo Stacking Benjamins Money For The Rest Of Us Planet Money Reply All Daily Tech Headlines Current Geek 99% Invisible System Mastery

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about soft skills for entrepreneurs. They define what soft skills are and list 5 of them that you need to develop as an entrepreneur. Items mentioned in this episode: The Art of Product Podcast Inflection Software By Rob Bluetick.io

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer marketing and growth questions as well as give advice on starting a new venture. Items mentioned in this episode: Hooked on Products Build Your SaaS The Art of Product Zencastr MicroConf Recap

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about their 10 key takeaways from MicroConf 2018. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Videos On-Demand MicroConf Recap Stripe Teachable BoardGameTables

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the 5 stages of your sales funnel and tools you can use at each stage. This episode is based off of a Ignite Visibility article, the guys give their takes on the points made in the article as well as add additional tool options. Items mentioned in this episode: Unbounce CrazyEgg Hotjar Salesforce Clicky Mixpanel Kissmetrics Amplitude

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions. The topics in this episode include GDPR, SaaS pricing, sponsoring events as a marketing strategy and subscription box companies. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf ZenFounder RobWalling.com FounderCafe Cloudforecast.io Crated with Love Bigfoot Capital Solutions Angel List

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike share tips for attending conferences. They discuss things to do before, during, and after a conference in order to get the most out of the event. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Justin Jackson's Post

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike continue their discussion on GDPR and get additional insight from a listener. They also talk about why to strive for higher price points. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Userlist.io Derrick Reimer Blog Post MyTurtleBook.com Teamwork

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Mike interviews Mojca Mars, a Facebook Ads expert, about what things you need to do before you even begin running Facebook ads. Some of the topics discussed include lead magnets, custom audiences, email sequences and more. Items mentioned in this episode: MicroConf Super Spicy Media The Facebook Ads Academy Mojca Twitter

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions. The topics include balancing development and marketing, overcoming hesitations about partnering, and the costs of technical debt. Items mentioned in this episode: Drip MicroConf Business of Software

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about GDPR, preparing to be acquired, and technical debt.&nbsp; With the regulations of GDPR coming into effect, the guys discuss how it will affect small businesses and what you should do. Also an in depth discussion on things to have in order before you get acquired. Items mentioned in this episode: Mike's Indie Hackers Article Mike's Interview on Product People Sherry Walling Interview on Mixergy FemtoConf Recap

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike talk about the Bluetick marketing plan. Mike breaks down his plan in three categories, one-time, ongoing, and long-term. The two go back and forth on the most effective strategies for each category. Items mentioned in this episode: Bluetick FemtoConf Price Intelligently Product Hunt CSS Gallery List LeadFuze Whitetail Software Zapier

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob flies solo and answers a number of listener questions. The topics include monetizing SaaS with ads, should a WP plugin company consider SaaS and more. Items mentioned in this episode: ZenFounder Startup Blueprint: 7 Skills For Founders, Builders &amp; Leaders Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup

Show Notes In this episode of Startups For The Rest Of Us, Rob and Mike answer a number of listener questions, topics include fixing onboarding, marketing a low LTV product, and the legality of cold email. Items mentioned in this episode: FemtoConf Bluetick MicroConf Indie Hackers Gary Con uTheory