Bootstrapped

When, if ever, should you, should make changes to your product's code that don't change its external behaviour?How do you weigh up the risks of breaking things against the ease of future development?Steve and Ed get way more technical than usual in this episode.We mention Refactoring, the book by Martin Fowler.We want listener questions! Post your question here and we'll discuss it in a future episode of Bootstrapped.

We revisit the goals we made in January 2020. We consider what progress we've made despite the current massive global uncertainty.Back in January, in episode #124, Ed and Steve stated their goals for 2020. Then COVID-19 happened, changing many of the assumptions we had when we made those goals.We’re open for listener questions! Got a topic or question you’d like us to discuss on the podcast? Let us know on our discussion forum.

I openly report on the challenges and successes I've had in the first three months of owning Saber Feedback. And yes, I do reveal customer numbers, revenue, and traffic volume!

This was a painful episode to record. I had problems getting some customers to pay. How I handled it was a cascade of mistakes. I tell Ed the story, and he gives me advice on what I should have done. Ed tells us about his recent effort to add a once-off pricing plan to his SaaS.We also mentioned Ed's appearance on the Slow and Steady podcast, where he shared 25+ practical tips for running your SaaS. We're open for listener questions! Got a topic or question you'd like us to discuss on the podcast? Let us know on our discussion forum.

Ed chats with Peter Suhm about the challenges and rewards of selling to developers. Peter is the founder of Branch, a deployment tool for WordPress developers.Peter on twitter: https://twitter.com/petersuhmBranch: https://branchci.comWP Pusher, another product by Peter for WordPress developers: https://wppusher.comOut of Beta, Peter's podcast: https://outofbeta.fm (recommended!)Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

We discuss Ed Freyfogle's recent experience creating the OpenCage Reverse Geocoding guide, an example of an "epic guide" approach to content marketing. Useful links:The OpenCage Reverse Geocoding guide: https://opencagedata.com/reverse-geocodingAdam Duvander, who helped Ed create the guide: https://twitter.com/adamdAdam's company: https://everydeveloper.com/Adam's personal site: http://www.adamd.org/Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Derrick's product is a direct competitor to one of my products. So it was extremely generous of him to speak openly about the challenges and successes of running PageProofer.We also discussed:the challenge of having many competitorshaving years of work annihilated by one Steve Jobs announcementthe challenge of separating personal life from work time when you are a solo founder.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Security audits! Bug bounty programs! Frequent unsolicited pen-testing! When you put a website on the Internet, it almost immediately faces non-stop security attacks.Ed and I discuss the ways we handle this within the resources available to us as bootstrappers.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester’s deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Content specialist Hannah Adcock audited Saber Feedback's website. In this episode, she tells us what's good about our site and what needs to change.Hannah runs Contented Strategy. She was on the podcast a few months ago, when she talked about the benefit of a content audit.In this episode Hannah is way more specific. She tears down the Saber Feedback website, section by section. And then she presents a plan for improvement.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester’s deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Frequent guest co-host Ed Freyfogle has questions. Lots of questions. About why I acquired Saber Feedback, what the acquisition process was like, and what plans I have for Saber Feedback in the coming months.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester’s deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Matt Bearman, original founder of Saber Feedback, discusses the experience of creating, growing, and then selling Saber Feedback.Matt's Blog: https://mattbearman.svbtle.com/The Google Ads PPC recommended by Matt: https://www.udemy.com/share/101XkgB0oZcFZUQHg=Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester’s deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

(Looking for Episode 131? For boring, technical reasons, there is no episode 131.)Ed Freyfogle and I discuss how COVID-19 is affecting our lives, our families, and our businesses.We also talk a little about my acquisition of Saber Feedback.Things we mention in the show:Geomob podcastAudience podcastBusiness of Software conferenceSaber FeedbackThanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester’s deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

A short episode where I explain why the podcast is on break for a few weeks.Spoiler alert: the pandemic has left me stranded 16,816 km from home. Until I find a way home, I can't easily record new episodes. Listen for the full story!Hopefully I'll be back with new episodes in a few weeks.

Julian Wilde of Wormly describes how he was able to drive across central Asia - often in countries without easily-available Internet - while running a monitoring SaaS.We also reminisce about running a software company before Stripe, AWS and the Digital Nomad phenomenon.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester's deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Bootstrapping is stressful. I share seven ways I try to manage the stress of being a software bootstrapper.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester's deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

We discuss some of the SaaS products we rely on to run our businesses: what they are and why we use them.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester's deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

When Dave Rodenbaugh wanted to run a software business, he decided to buy an existing one. He tells me why he did this, how he chose the business, and what he did right and wrong along the way.He also shares - painfully - his embarrassing $50K mistake.Dave runs Recapture and is co-host of the Rogue Startups podcast.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find which email newsletter service actually reaches your customers with EmailToolTester's deliverability report.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

I'm joined again by frequent guest co-host Ed Freyfogle.We talk about how we track the spending on our businesses.We mentioned a rewards card for Startups from Cledara.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this episode. Find the best email newsletter service for you with EmailToolTester's calculator.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Steve and Ed discuss what they hope to achieve by the end of 2020 - both professionally and personally.We also discuss the importance of knowing your non-goals, that is, things your explicit decide NOT to do.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Bootstrapped listeners, to try Balsamiq for free, visit balsamiq.com/go/bootstrapped where you will find a promo code giving you an extended trial and a hefty discount.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.Review us on Apple Podcasts! Here's how to do this from your computer:Go to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bootstrapped/id623143926Click on "Listen on Apple Podcasts", which will open the Apple Podcasts app.Click on "Write a Review". It is in the footer area.

Courtenay Farquharson shares how he built up Parserr to more than $10K monthly revenue - and why he sold it.We also talk about:bootstrapping in the Microsoft ecosystembootstrapping in AustraliaCourtenay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtzzCourtenay's next endeavour: sleepapp.com.auThanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Bootstrapped listeners, to try Balsamiq for free, visit balsamiq.com/go/bootstrapped where you will find a promo code giving you an extended trial and a hefty discount.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is HelpNinja, a simple help desk system focussed on bootstrapped businesses.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Steve tells Ed all about the sale of his desktop app. We talked about why I sold off the desktop app I've been running for 12 years, how I found a purchaser, and the emotional ride of negotiating and handing over the app.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Bootstrapped listeners, to try Balsamiq for free, visit balsamiq.com/go/bootstrapped where you will find a promo code giving you an extended trial and a hefty discount.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Versoly. Versoly is the easiest way to build a SaaS website that converts without worrying about coding, design or hosting.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Ed Freyfogle of OpenCage Geocoder and I (founder of Feature Upvote) discuss how we handle customer cancellation requests in our respective SaaS products. We discuss how we might do it differently.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Vivid.fm. Vivid helps podcasters reach more subscribers via social sharing by automatically creating video teasers.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Last week we heard Ed's top 5 habits for small teams. This week, Steve shares the habits he uses to keep his small team productive.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Checkvist, the professional list making tool.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Ed shares his top 5 habits he recommends for small bootstrapping teams, to keep your product as good as it should be.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Mimiran, the CRM for people who hate selling.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Steve and Ed consider whether Freemium is a viable business model for bootstrappers.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is IvyBackup.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.

Ed from OpenCage Geocoder and I talk about the marketing techniques that work - and don't work - when you product is targeted towards developers.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Easy Data Transform.

I’m joined by Ed Freyfogle for the first of several episodes in which he is my cohost. Ed is the co-founder of OpenCage Geocoder, a bootstrapped, profitable SaaS.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcastOur guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Mockless.We discuss:the bootstrapping scene in Barcelona, where both Ed and I livethe advantages of offering your product in multiple currencieswhich currencies to offerdealing with currency fluctuationshow this affects your marketing contenthow Quaderno has helped both of us do best-in-class invoicing.We also rant a little about how some businesses could improve the finer details of billing.

Craig and I are both bootstrapping our businesses while living in foreign countries. In this episode we discuss what that's like for us personally. We also discuss the challenging practicalities of visas, languages, and business while living abroad. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast. We also discuss: Craig's efforts with paid acquisition how Steve refined the sign-up process for Feature Upvote

Craig turns the tables and interviews me about Feature Upvote and about this podcast. We discuss: why Steve launched Feature Upvote when he already had a successful product. doing things differently the second time around. the beauty of "expansion revenue". B2C vs B2B (spoiler alert: B2B has a whole lot of advantages). the Bootstrapped podcast 10 episodes into its new iteration.

We discuss how you can become a speaker at events, and whether this is a viable way to raise awareness of your product and services. Topics include: Why speak at events and conferences Getting started as a speaker What event organisers look for in potential speakers Non-obvious benefits from speaking at events Steve's champagne-spilling behaviour when speaking in public Craig's experience speaking recently at MicroConf Europe TinySeed Tales: https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/tinyseed-tales/castos-1-a-non-technical-saas-founder Traction by Gabriel Weinberg: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369

Craig and I discuss how bootstrappers can use the podcasting ecosystem to promote their products. We discuss three ways to use podcasts - and the pros and cons of each: Start and run your own podcast Do the "podcast circuit" as an interesting guest with riveting insights Sponsor podcasts We 'go meta' and talk about why Steve has launched the new iteration of the Bootstrapped podcast. We also talk about: "credit card required upfront" trials versus "no credit card required" trials. the life-cycle email sequences using activity-based triggers that we've recently added to Feature Upvote. the danger of applying data-based marketing approaches to products when your product doesn't have enough data why Steve doesn't do A/B testing - yet

I'm joined by Craig Hewitt for the first of several episodes in which he is my cohost. TinySeed is a "startup accelerator designed for bootstrappers." Craig was accepted into TinySeed's first cohort. To help me answer the question, "Should I apply for TinySeed?", Craig tells me what it has been like for him. We discuss why he applied, how it has changed his business so far, and what unexpected benefits there are have been. Links: Castos: podcast hosting and analytics platform: https://castos.com/ Rogue Startups podcast: https://roguestartups.com/. I highly recommend this podcast! TinySeed: https://tinyseed.com/ The 5 Phases of the Customer Journey comes from this out-of-print book: https://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Advertising-Eugene-M-Schwartz/dp/0887232981

Robin and I discuss living the Bootstrapper dream - and how the dream changes over time. We also go off topic and discuss surfing up the Bristol Channel. Links: Robin’s company, Corrello: Dashboards for Scrum and Kanban teams using Trello: https://getcorrello.com/ Robin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinwarren Robin's blog post "$0 to $1k MRR in 57 months": https://getcorrello.com/blog/2016/04/13/0-1k-mrr-57-months/ Britstrapped podcast interview with Robin, From 0 MRR to "Living the Dream": http://www.britstrapped.com/280d7224 Surfing up the Bristol channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKA39LQOIck

Andy and I discuss why he's created a new product, even though he already has two successful products. We also discuss: how he manages a portfolio of three desktop apps as a one-person team how to name products choosing a market usability testing choosing to remain a one-person team the benefits of the founder doing customer support why many one-person businesses are actually two-people businesses Links: Easy Data Transform: https://www.easydatatransform.com/ Andy's blog: https://successfulsoftware.net/ Easy Data Transform's demo video: https://successfulsoftware.net/2019/09/11/easy-data-transform-video/ Andy's other products: https://www.perfecttableplan.com/ and https://www.hyperplan.com/ "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-Usability/dp/0321965515 Steve Krug talking about usability at Business of Software: https://businessofsoftware.org/2008/07/steve-krug-to-s/

Hannah and I discuss content strategy for bootstrappers. Hannah's website: https://contentedstrategy.com/ Hannah's book: "Content Strategy for Solopreneurs, Startups, Charities and Growing Businesses": https://contentedstrategy.com/content_strategy_for_startups.html How to do a content audit: https://contentedstrategy.com/blog/2019/05/17/startup-content-audit.html Traction by Gabriel Weinberg: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369

Robert and I discuss how to hire and manage freelancers. We also discuss how having children forces you to change the way you work. Robert's 4 tips for a healthy freelancer relationship: Meet in person from time to time, if possible Pay at the higher end of their expected rate Remember the Golden Rule: Treat them they way you expect to be treated Let them know the positive results of their work Links: Robert Brandl's company: https://www.tooltester.net/ Robert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertBrandl Pat Flynn on "The Baby Effect": https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/the-effect-my-kids-have-had-on-my-business/ Zapier for automating repetitive tasks: https://zapier.com Upwork for hiring and paying Freelancers: https://www.upwork.com/ Domestika: a Spanish site for finding creative freelancers: https://www.domestika.org/en

Sylvestre and I discuss getting those first 10 customers, moving to a new country when your startup earns enough to replace your day job, and the difficulty of supporting customers from a cruise ship. We also discuss: Collecting domain names Leaving consulting to bootstrap a SaaS Bootstrapping with the generosity of the French government The tough months before the first sale - and then the elation after the first sale Using Quora to land the first customers - and to learn the language used by your potential customers Using Zapier for leads The difficulty of opening a Dutch business when you don't speak Dutch Choosing a place to live when you work remotely The challenges and rewards of bootstrapping from Mauritius Translating your website for SEO gains Travelling the world by cargo ship Supporting customers from a cruise ship via satellite Internet Links: Parseur grandvoyageur.fr Find Sylvestre on Twitter at @slybridges

A short and special episode in which I share some news about the podcast.

In this episode we're joined by Natalie Nagele from Wildbit to talk about starting a business vs. consulting, employees with side hustles, how to pick conferences to attend, and yes, GDPR.

In this episode we discuss conferences & traveling, birthday parties for kids, .app domains, and Andrey's new GDPR-related project Consent Monitor.

In this episode we discuss parenting at the park, hiring a plumber, cutting & bulking > marketing, the awesomeness of Peers Conference ⭐, hiring a contractor for Scribbleton, & more.

In this episode we discuss planning for Laracon Online, what's coming up next for Helpspot & Thermostat, and investing in startups.

In this episode we discuss Butov's workout routine, the pros and cons of hiring a part-time employee, and upcoming conference plans.

In a special episode of Bootstrapped, Taylor Otwell (creator of Laravel) joins Ian to talk about 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. WARNING: This podcast contains spoilers for 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. If you haven't seen that movie yet (and seriously, what are you waiting for), wait to listen to this podcast until afterwards!

In this episode we discuss solo parenting, Disney on Ice, future conference plans, and a plan to live stream Ian playing video games.

In this episode we discuss being sick, what happens when you get an influx of clients, and a bunch of updates on everything from Scribbleton to Thermostat to Ian's new project, LaraTalent.

In this episode we discuss the beginnings of Ian's new CRUD app, Scribbleton upgrades, freezing your credit, Las Vegas, and more.

In this episode we discuss hearing trips to and from NYC, nostalgia for high school, the 'New Renaissance Butov', and more.

In this episode we discuss kindergarten, kids destroying tablets, side projects for founders, encryption in Scribbleton, and more.

In this episode we discuss Ian's "mancation", if Seinfeld still has it, an update on Andrey's weight loss and his new app, and more.