Bootstrapped

If you've ever thought of selling your business, or acquiring one, you'll enjoy this episode. Matt Zeunert, founder of DebugBear, was curious about the details of my acquisition of Saber Feedback. So we switch roles for this episode, and the guest became the interviewer. Matt asks the questions, and I answer!

Mark Littlewood runs the Business of Software, a series of annual conferences to help us run our software companies better. Mark very openly shares how COVID-19 has hit his business, and his need to adapt almost overnight.We talk about the upcoming Business of Software online conference, 27 - 29 September 2021, and how Mark's team make online events work.Business of Software websiteUse this code when buying a ticket for BoS Conf: Fall, 2021 for 20% discount: BootstrappedFM

In this solo episode, I talk about successful yet quiet SaaS business all around us. I also tell the full story of why our forum has been closed and put permanently into archive mode.Bootstrapped websiteSteve on TwitterRecommended alternative communities to our now-closed community:Indie Hackers - if you are just getting started and want to chat with others just getting startedFounder Summit (paid) - if your business is viable and you like to run a calm companyMicroConf Connect - “a space for founders and their teams of independently funded startups to connect with like minded individuals.”MegaMaker (paid) - A community for bootstrappersFind 10 or so people at a similar stage in your businesses and make a private Slack account.

Peldi, founder of Balsamiq, drops by. We discuss two unrelated topics. First, resellers - why they exist and how to accommodate them. Second, the challenges and benefits of having a podcast for your product.

Ed and Steve go in deep on some enterprise sales work they've both been doing lately for their bootstrapped, mostly self-service SaaS products.

Craig Hewitt runs Castos, a podcast hosting and analytics company. He returns to the show to talk about why he recently sold a chunk of his bootstrapped company to a round of investors.Links:Castos: https://castos.com/TinySeed: https://tinyseed.com/Craig on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCraigHewitt

It's 15 months since I acquired Saber Feedback. I talk about the challenges I've faced so far, the bottleneck I'm currently facing, and where things are headed.Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveofmcleodBootstrapped on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bootstrapped_fm

While Steve enjoys a summer break, Ed Freyfogle steps in this week to interview Adam DuVander. Adam helps companies like yours market to developers.Ed chats with Adam DuVander about his book "Developer Marketing Does Not Exist"Adam on TwitterAdam's siteLearn more about Developer Marketing Does Not Exist

Moritz Dausinger, three-time bootstrapper, tells me why he recently sold a small stake of Refiner.io to Earnest Capital.Between recording and publishing this episode, Earnest Capital renamed as the Calm Company Fund.Links:Refiner.ioCalm Company Fund (was Earnest Capital)Moritz on TwitterSAFE agreement

Ed and Steve discuss what it is like when a core team member quits, how to reduce the chance of it happening, and how to make our businesses resilient enough to handle it.Watch this episode on YouTube.

Peldi concludes this mini-season with an open and honest discussion with Ed Freyfogle about a problem every business owner eventually encounters. How do you keep at it when you are feeling bored? Are we stuck in our businesses?You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Peldi Guilizzoni continues this mini-season as he chats with Trine Falbe, UX strategist & designer, on responsible product design.Gamification, dark patterns, artificial "roadblocks", notifications frameworks that exist only to hook you into the product - why bootstrappers shouldn't mindlessly copy these techniques.Show notes:Trine's websiteTrine's ethical design scorecard is available for download on https://ethicaldesignhandbook.com/ Typeform’s terms of serviceYou can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Peldi Guilizzoni continues this mini-season as he chats with Asia Orangio of DemandMaven on how founders can - and should - conduct customer interviews, and how to deal with the discomfort us bootstrappers often feel with this type of work.Topics includesthe discomfort for some of us of talking to customers - but why you should do it anywayhow to find the right customers to talk towhy delegating customer interviews might actually be a good idea.how to actually conduct a customer interviewwhat not to say, and how not to ask questionsAsia's company, DemandMaven.Asia on Twitter.You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Peldi Guilizzoni continues this mini-season as he chats with married couple Geraldine DeRuiter (author) and Rand Fishkin (software founder) on how their fields differ - and how they are more similar than you'd think. Peldi, Geraldine, and Rand discuss:How the software industry is less special that we thinkDealing with the loneliness and isolation of being a founder or authorManaging your own psychologyHow a supportive partner shares your mental ups and downs The value of having a peer group (aka friends) for mutual supportThe challenge to ignore the VC hype machineGeraldine's blog: The Everywhereist. Rand's company SparkToro.

Peldi Guilizzoni steps in as host this week, and chats with GDPR expert Aleth Gueguen about how the GDPR is shaping and affecting our SaaS businesses.Topics include:Is the GDPR being enforced?How has it changed our businesses?How can we shape new businesses to ensure we meet data protection requirements?Does the GDPR give larger businesses an unfair advantage? GDPR4SaaSPeldi on TwitterYou can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Both Ed and Steve are feeling a little bit stressed, perhaps at the beginning of burnout. We discuss why this might be, and what we are doing about it.We also reveal our who guest host will be, stepping in for the next few weeks while I take a break.This episode is also on YouTube.

Nick Swan was about to launch paid plans for his SaaS when a sudden terrible life event changed everything for Nick and his family."The doctor said, 'You have to go the main hospital now. Drive straight up there. Don't even pack a bag.' He didn't say what it was, but he said it was serious."We discuss how this affected his life, his family and his mentality as a bootstrapper.Nick's SaaS, SEOTesting

Aidan Doyle is a science fiction writer. Amongst his work are two self-published books, including The Writer's Book of Doubt. I'm planning to produce a book later this year as a marketing endeavour for Feature Upvote. So I chatted with Aidan to get tips on how to do this well.Aidan's websiteAidan on TwitterThe Writer's Book of DoubtDiscuss this episode with the Bootstrapper community.

Ed and Steve discuss the return of Microconf Europe as an in-person eventworking out if a new feature is worth the effortweighing the risk of becoming a customer of someone’s side projectDiscuss this episode and more with our community.This episode is also on YouTube.

My guest in this episode is Corey Haines, founder of Swipe Files. Swipe Files is a membership site that provides content, community, and courses to help you master marketing.Learn more about Swipe Files.Corey's podcast: Everything is Marketing.Discuss this episode on our community.This episode is also on YouTube.

Ed Freyfogle is back! We talk about Ed's systematic attempt to reduce his support workload.Discuss this episode on our community.This episode is also on YouTube.

Alex Yumashev, founder of JitBit, returns to the show. We discuss: why Alex ditched Google Analytics from his websitehow he keeps his work interesting after so many years running the same businesswhy differentiation is often not possiblefinding freelancersthe good and bad of being a bootstrapping entrepreneur Alex's company: https://www.jitbit.com/ Also mentioned: Plausible Analytics (https://plausible.io/)https://f5bot.com/ This episode is also on YouTube.Discuss this episode on our community.

Nick Franklin and I talked about what it is like to go down the venture capital route instead of bootstrapping. For me this was a glimpse into another way of doing things.Nick and I discussed:why he used outside investment to create ChartMogulChartMogul's focus on creating good contentfinding a steady stream of interesting things to write aboutthe difficulty of knowing how customers are acquiredgetting pricing rightNick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nick_Franklin ChartMogul: https://chartmogul.com/This episode is also on YouTube.Discuss this episode on our community.

Peldi Guilizzoni is the founder of low-fidelity wireframing tool Balsamiq. Peldi and Steve discuss: why Peldi tracks almost nothing except revenue and profitstalking to customers instead of using analyticson being "so good they can't ignore you"how to apply a coder's approach to marketinghow Balsamiq is run like a "cozy restaurant on the web"not getting to code much when running a software companythe painful experience of rewriting Balsamiq Wireframes from scratch that took five years(!)choosing technology carefully for your companyThis episode is also on YouTube.Discuss this episode on our community.

We argue for and against having a monthly email newsletter for your product. Ed is firmly in the "No way" corner. Steve represents the "You gotta have a newsletter" side. Let the debate begin!Also mentioned:Do Open - How a simple email newsletter can transform your business (and it can), by David Hieatt

Ed and I cover a lot of ground this week:podcasting nervesgeotrivia as marketing a brief foray into geopoliticsusing Twitter for marketingthe frustrating unpredictability of what marketing efforts will bear fruitthe pleasure of working from homedealing with zombie customersThe Bootstrapped podcast now has its own Twitter account - follow to receive daily tips for bootstrappers.

Ed and Steve talk about the mental stress of having real-time business metrics, how to find a business mentor, and Steve's attempt to get started with enterprise sales.And we talk about the blog that posts very infrequently.Discuss this topic and more with the Bootstrapped community.

Allan Jardine is the creator of DataTables, a popular jQuery plugin. We discuss his challenges and successes as he learned how to make a viable business from creating Open Source software.We also discuss Allan's new SaaS product, CloudTables.Discuss this topic and more with the Bootstrapped community.

In this episode I answer some listener questions about freelancers. I discuss how to find, hire, and communicate with freelancers.Discuss this topic and more with the Bootstrapped community.

Ed grills me on my progress with Saber Feedback, my B2B SaaS, nine months after I acquired it. We talk about SEO, competitors, getting backlinks, finding a niche, and resisting the temptation to write code instead of doing marketing.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Ed and I discuss what we want to achieve in 2021. Last year, unexpected world events turned our "goals for 2020" upside-down. Having learnt no lesson whatsoever from this, we fearlessly enter 2021 with plans!We mentioned Ed's personal blog in this episode.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Steve and Ed look back at the goals they set for 2020 at the beginning of the year. What goals did we hit? What goals eluded us? What did we learn along the way?Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

This is a talk I recently gave at Barcelona's ESIC business school. Ostensibly, I spoke on working with intangibles as products. But actually, I told the story of how I started as a bootstrapper - and revealed how clueless I was at the beginning.So, if you are curious about how I got started creating and selling software products, then you'll enjoy this episode.

Liz is an expert in onboarding email sequences. Over the course of this episode, Liz helps me design a great email sequence for Saber Feedback.On the way, there are plenty of practical tips for better emails that you can apply to your product's emails.Want to see the results of my conversation with Liz? Sign up for Saber Feedback, and experience the new onboarding sequence first-hand.Liz's agency: Comma Comma CopywritingContact Liz: [email protected] recommends Userlist as a segmenting and emailing tool.Discuss this episode and other topics on our forum for bootstrappers.

Ed and Steve talk about recent challenges and successes in their bootstrapped SaaS businesses. Ed tells of the agony of doing enterprise sales. Steve admits to self-doubt when waiting for SEO results.Some things we discussed:2020 SaaS Podcast AwardsOur forum thread on dealing with endless business administrationFathom Analytics

Moritz Dausinger, founder of refiner.io, chats about his success as a serial founder of bootstrapped SaaS products. He founded and sold two B2B SaaS apps, and now he's doing it a third time.Moritz shares some real-world practical, proven tips based on his repeat successes.Moritz's current SaaS app: refiner.ioMoritz's previous SaaS apps: Docparser and Mailparser.Moritz on Indie Hackers podcastMoritz on Twitter.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Ed and Steve discuss the endless burden of busy-work that comes with running a business - and how we try to minimise it.We also mention Ed's new marketing-related hire, Feature Upvote's dashboard design overhaul, and using a content agency to write blog posts for Saber Feedback.The invoice handling service we mentioned is GetMyInvoices.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Discounts, discounts, discounts! Ed and I discuss how we respond to customers asking for discounts, whether we should offer Cyber Monday offers, and how offering discounts can hurt future sales.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Alex runs a successful help desk software company with only 3 employees, competing in a crowded market.We discuss:the importance of industry knowledge,the customer awareness funnel,advanced SEO techniques,bringing on a co-founder after you've already got traction.Links:JitbitAlex on TwitterGail Goodman's talk ‘The Long, Slow, SaaS Ramp of Death’The Awareness Funnel aka the Buyer's JourneyDiscuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Robin Warren of Corrello tells me how he finds and recruits freelance developers for his bootstrapped software company.We also talk about:Robin's business creating Trello Power-upsUsing Product Hunt to hone your marketing messageJuggling multiple productsLinks:Robin on TwitterCorrelloBlue Cat ReportsBurndown Charts by CorrelloRobin's previous interview on the Bootstrapped podcast

I seek Ed's advice on some Saber Feedback stuff. We talk about pricing, free plans, legacy framework woes, and database hosting.We also chat about:running Geomob as an online conference instead as a COVID alternative to an in-person conferenceautomating away common customer support enquiriesDiscuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.Other links:SureSwift Capital's Start-up founder customer service tips.

Ed and I discuss knowledge sharing for bootstrappers, and even for one-person teams. How do you make sure the important knowledge for your business gets remembered, shared, and used?Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

I answer several questions from a loyal listener who wants advice on building a B2B SaaS similar in scope and style to my product, Feature Upvote.

Robert Brandl of ToolTester Network built his company by developing excellent SEO skills. In this episode he turns his skills to Saber Feedback, and gives me awesome advice on how to solve my SEO problems.We also talk about his recent acquisition of https://howtogetonline.com/Other links:Robert on Twitter: @robertbrandlSaber Feedback's guide to feedback buttons

Ed Freyfogle is back again. This week he interviews Steve on his progress with Saber Feedback, six months after acquisition.Ed marvels at how many words we were able to write about feedback buttons.We also talk a bit about co-working in the age of Covid.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Ed Freyfogle steps in for me this week and interviews Hrishi Mittal, founder of online learning platform Learnetto.Hrishi shares his struggle to progress past a point of having limited success without finding real traction. He also talks about his desire to bring on a cofounder.Hrishi on TwitterLearnettoLearnetto on Twitter"The Complete React on Rails Course" on LearnettoDiscuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Laura Roeder talks about why she doesn't do demo calls unlike most other SaaS founders - and how bootstrapping frees you up to run your business the way that works for you.Laura is the founder of MeetEdgar, a social media scheduling tool, and cofounder of Paperbell, coaching software.LinksLaura on Startups for the Rest of UsLaura's talk at Business of Software Europe 2018: Bootstrapping A Business In The Face Of Well-Funded CompetitionRemember, as Laura says, "You get to do this however works for you"

Kevin McArdle of SureSwift Capital has acquired almost 40 online businesses, most of them B2B SaaS products.We talk about the process of getting acquired, as the seller and founder of an online business.Kevin tells me the options for getting acquired at 4 different revenue levels:$1,000 to $4,000 monthly revenue$10K to $20K monthly revenue$20K to $50K monthly revenue$100K+ monthly revenueLinksKevin's interview on Escape Velocity with Dan MartellSureSwift CapitalKevin on TwitterKevin's email: [email protected] conversation with Matt Bearman on the acquisition of Saber FeedbackDiscuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Ed reintroduces himself, Steve shares his experience of making it to the front page of Hacker News, and we discuss Quaderno's 5-hour work day and Wildbit's 4-day work week.Links:Ed's home on the web.Quaderno's job page.Wildbit's 4-day work week.Discuss these topics and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.

Patrick Hathaway is the cofounder of Sitebulb, a website auditing tool for SEO consultants and agencies. Patrick tells us why he made a desktop app when his competitors offer cloud apps.We also talk about how Patrick uses awesome release notes as a marketing tool. We finish up with a discussion the pros and cons of using Paddle as a payment processor.Sitebulb: https://sitebulb.com/Sitebulb's release notes: https://sitebulb.com/release-notes/