MicroConf On Air

In this talk from MicroConf Remote 3.0, Jay Clouse discuss the Tweet100 community and challenge that encourages folks to increase their engagement and voice through Twitter. He built the community, the challenge, and page using no-code tools. You don’t need to build a marketing operation within your stack - no-code can solve most of the challenges you have. Get the Deck ___________ Upcoming Events: MicroConf Local: Chicago on June 21, 2022 MicroConf Local: Denver on June 23, 2022 Get more info here

In this episode of On-Air, Jesse Mecham, the founder of You Need A Budget, joins @RobWalling to chat about why core values and culture truly matter. Jesse also gives an update on how YNAB has grown since he gave his talk at MicroConf in 2014. If you haven't seen the talk, you should check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw8N7YrBM4o

Any SaaS founder can tell you that implementing feature requests can be a major drain on their resources. But they are a great way to nurture your relationship with your users. Jessica will walk you through the build of a feature request (our MicroConf Connect wiki!), how it can be quickly build and deployed, and how you can use the tools to build MVP’s for your most requested features. - https://microconf.squarespace.com/s/MicroConf-Remote-30-building-internal-tools-with-no-code-1.pdf Links from this podcast: Jessica Malnik Get the slide deck Tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale

A Rob Q+A Solo Adventure! Rob Walling answered listener questions live from MicroConf Connect (https://microconfconnect.com). Topics Covered: What are three key tips for pre-launch, pre-revenue to make sure that you absolutely must do? What has the body of a Unicorn and the head of a Pegasus? How was launching Tiny Seed Tales different than Startups for the Rest of Us podcast? What's changed in terms of "podcast launch strategy" since then? How to deal with anxiety when launching starting something new? Picking Customer Pain for my companies segment, as opposed to Competitor Pain and general observations about SaaS for non-technical customers. If Rob was starting over today and trying to find a ".Net invoicing" to acquire and iterate on, where would he look? Where should the balance fall between domain knowledge, industry connections and general sales skills when hiring your first sales person? What is the best thing to do if revenue has plateaued? What advice do you have for staying positive in spite of frequent fires caused by platform risk? How to find a good SaaS idea? Links and books from this episode: The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick List of SaaS Marketplaces If you are interested in speaking at any MicroConf event, head to microconf.com/call-for-speakers and fill out the form. Tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale here: https://microconf.com/local-london

This episode is from MicroConf 3.0: No-Code. Jane Portman (@uibreakfast) shares how every customer success story begins with a streamlined, concise, and conscientious onboarding and nurturing experience. In this talk, Jane will review a variety of no-code automation recipes you can implement as your users move from leads to trials to customers and beyond. Links from the podcast: UserList Get the Slide Deck Watch this talk on YouTube Get your Tickets for MicroConf Remote Come to MicroConf Local: London UserList

In this episode, Rob Walling (@robwalling) chats with Tony Chan (@toeknee123) from CloudForecast.io about key takeaways from the recent MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis. _______________________ Links from this pod: Tickets for MicroConf Remote 4.0:$$$, on May 3-5th are on sale at microconf.com/remote Also, tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale here: https://microconf.com/local-london

Cold outreach can be a painful, unyielding process that may leave you pulling out your hair. The real magic happens when you find a process that lets you ramp up the volume of your cold outreach campaign, and identify qualified leads to the to the top of that funnel. Andy will cover some of the key automation points in your cold outreach campaign and how no code can take some of the stress out of your sales cycle. _______________________ Links from this pod: Postaga: https://www.postaga.com/ Watch the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc-nTOiFBaM See the slide deck: https://microconf.squarespace.com/s/How-to-Build-a-Cold-Outreach-Automation-System-Using-No-Code.pdf

Staying sane as an entrepreneur is not always easy. In this episode, Rob talks with Sherry Walling to chat about the habits of successful entrepreneurs. This episode is sponsored by our Alternative Financing Partner, Pipe. Do you need growth capital to scale, ramp up your marketing, and acquire new customers? Pipe turns your recurring revenue into up-front growth capital within as little as 24 hours of being connected. Pipe is a two-sided trading platform for recurring revenue that connects you directly to the capital markets. Simply sign up for free, securely connect your billing, banking, and accounting software with a couple of clicks, and Pipe will provide you with a trading limit in as little as 24hrs. Select the amount of capital you need, click trade, and get cash in your bank instantly. No 30 page business plans or founder due diligence - just growth capital based on the health of your business - perfect for time-strapped bootstrappers. You can use your Piped revenue to grow your sales team, boost ad spend, and scale however you see fit. Pipe is growth on your terms. And right now, MicroConf listeners get trading fees waived for 12 months which could save you tens of thousands of dollars depending on the size of your business and the volume you trade. Sign up at http://www.pipe.com/MicroConf to start trading today. Topics covered: [3:45] Habit #1: Have a sense of intentionality in how you work [6:45] Habit #2: Focus- avoid Shiny Object Syndrome [7:45] Challenge with focus is the shadow side of a great entrepreneurial strength [10:15] Habit #3: Invest in relationships [13:45] Habit #4: Have something else to care about [15:45] Getting better sleep & ‘turning off’ after a day of work [16:45] Habit #5: Be willing to take risks and make mistakes [19:45] De-risking the small things [23:00] Habit #6: Move quickly Books Mentioned in the Show: Touching Two Worlds (https://www.touchingtwoworlds.com/) by Sherry Walling Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together (https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Keeping-Your-Together/dp/0999651803) by Sherry Walling & Rob Walling Why We Sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Matthew-Walker-audiobook/dp/B0752XRB5F) by Matthew Walker Science of Sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Science-Sleep-What-Works-Matters/dp/022638716X) by Wallace B. Mendelson

SEO is a numbers game. High value keywords can be identified and pages can be optimized to grow in the ranks, but once you have a gold standard asset set for a keyword, you may be able to take that work you put into that optimization and multiply the effects by using programmatic SEO. Nico will cover how he has built an SEO machine using no-code, how to hone in on a replicable keyword, and what mechanics you need to rank for as many variations under that keyword to own its multiplying effect. Get the Slides Join the State of Independent SaaS Live Stream where we present the results of the 2022 report. We'll be broadcast live from MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis on Monday, April 4th at 10:15 AM! Register at stateofindiesaas.com and use the promo code: SOIS2022 to register for free!

If you are looking to start selling to customers and earning money on the internet - building a SaaS is rarely going to be the best way to get started. The Stair step Approach to Bootstrapping (microconf.com/stairstep) is a method that Rob Walling charted out in 2015 and it has helped thousands of entrepreneurs slowly build their chops online, find a way to buy back their time from an employer, and build a business that creates financial independence. In today’s episode of MicroConf On Air, we’re going to take a look a prime example of the Stairstep Approach in Action by talking to Corey Haines (@CoreyHainesco https://twitter.com/coreyhainesco), who is currently leading Swipefiles (https://www.swipefiles.com/), a community focused on growth marketing strategies. We’ll chat about Corey’s journey up the stair step method, from his two courses, content marketing as a funnel, community building to find his audience, and finally, his focus on SaaS marketing and increasing his prices to get to a position that has him Default Alive and building on the success of SwipeFiles. Learn more about the stairstep approach straight from the source. https://microconf.com/latest/the-stairstep-approach-to-bootstrapping In this episode, you'll hear the following: Corey's First Step: (9:20) What SaaS ideas Cory would avoid (13:00) How Corey acquired his marketing skills (16:45) Advice for marketing to customers who aren't that active online (21:50) Corey's Next Steps (29:05) Advice for absolute SaaS beginners (40:00) Leapfrogging early stair steps (41:30) Advice to consultancy owner on starting the stairsteps (44:40) Advice on translating websites (49:00) Book mentioned in the show: The Ultimate Sales Machine (https://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Sales-Machine-audiobook/dp/B000VRA0ZW/) by Chet Holmes

No-code is the word of the year, but the tools, processes, and ideas behind the movement have been around for years. As SaaS founders, we’ve been using no-code without calling it no-code for years. In this talk, we’ll cover some of the history of automations and linking tools, how it has evolved into the no code movement it is today, and where we see it going in the years to come. This recording is from MicroConf Remote 3.0. To see other past events and to get a copy of the slides, visit: https://microconf.com/remote Want to come to our next MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis? Tickets will sell out soon: https://microconf.com/growth Don't want to miss the next MicroConf Remote? Sign up for our mailing list: https://microconf.com/events

The Updated Survival Guide for Bootstrapping SaaS A few years ago, Omar Zenhom shared the story of how it went from being broke with fewer than 300 people on his email list to having 14,000 paying customers and 1 million attendees for WebinarNinja in 5 years. We recently caught up with him to hear what he's been up to with WebinarNinja since then. In this podcast, you'll hear about the following: Setting goals and managing growth projections (6:11) How WebinarNinja fared in the spring of summer of 2020 (6:57) The specific adjustments he made to the company structure when the pandemic first started back in 2020 (13:40) How his team structure has evolved since 2019 (26:55) Where he sees the webinar landscape heading in the next 3-5 years (33:05) The most surprising thing he’s learned to date running WebinarNinja (37:16) Relevant links mentioned in this episode: https://twitter.com/TheOmarZenhom https://webinarninja.com/ https://100mba.net/ https://microconf.com/upcoming-events https://microconfremote.com https://microconfconnect.com/ https://microconf.com/ https://facebook.com/microconf

How did Omar Zenhom go from being broke with fewer than 300 people on his email list to 14,000 paying customers and 1 million attendees in 5 years? Omar speaks about his journey from 0 to 14,000 customers, launching his podcast The $100 MBA, which won several prestigious awards from iTunes, Forbes, and Fast Company) and the journey of bootstrapping WebinarNinja The not-so-secret to his success was treating relationships as his biggest asset. In this podcast, you'll hear about the following: His early background when he had no traffic or audience Why he pivoted and launched a 2nd podcast, The $100 MBA How pain points he experienced with The S100 MBA led to the early idea behind WebinarNinja Creating the initial MVP for WebinarMBA as a first-time SaaS founder who wasn't a professional developer The compound effect of building and managing relationships at scale Relevant links mentioned in this episode: https://twitter.com/TheOmarZenhom https://webinarninja.com/ https://100mba.net/ https://microconf.com/upcoming-events https://microconfremote.com https://microconfconnect.com/ https://microconf.com/ https://facebook.com/microconf

With applications for our next round of companies to join the TinySeed Accelerator program in full swing, we are sitting down with Alex McQuade, Program Manager for TinySeed EMEA to talk about his goals for launching a successful EMEA focused accelerator for bootstrapped startup founders. Alex McQuade has worked alongside hundreds of bootstrapped businesses, in addition to growing his own. He exited his business in 2020, and prior to that ran operations at the Dynamite Circle Watch the live stream @ https://bit.ly/on-air-tinyseed-europe Welcome to MicroConf - Where Independent SaaS Founders Launch, Meet, Learn, and Grow! MicroConf is the world’s most trusted community for bootstrapped SaaS founders. MicroConf is a community of SaaS founders that brings together bootstrapped and independently-funded B2B SaaS companies who are not looking to chase “unicorn status'' or venture capital. We provide SaaS training, education and networking opportunities for other founders who are pre-product, focused on scaling their business, and looking for an exit strategy. MicroConf began almost a decade ago. Since then, we’ve hosted 19 events with nearly 200 speakers, helped thousands of attendees, and impacted tens of thousands more through our videos and online community. Ready to take your SaaS startup to the next level? Check these out: In Person Events: https://microconf.com/upcoming-events Digital Events: https://microconfremote.com MicroConf Connect: https://microconfconnect.com/ Let’s Connect...

Change is tough. The decision to charge more for your software can be one of the biggest changes you can make - impacting your customers in a pretty meaningful way. This episode dives into the pricing and rebranding that his startup had to go through. Eran Galperin is the founder of Gymdesk, online management software for gyms. He has been building tech companies since 2003 and has over 20 years of experience in software development and leading product teams. Episode will cover: - How our value proposition changed over the years - Planning for and rolling out a pricing update - Reasons and considerations for a rebrand - Executing a rebrand and dealing with the fallout

This week, Rob is joined by Jessica Malnik, our MicroConf Community Manager, to talk about the future of MicroConf Connect, the community, and we introduce the MicroConf Accountability Challenge. Join our January Accountability Challenge and get a head start on your 2022 goals. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This is a quote from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits. (Good read btw!) The end of December and the beginning of January are a natural time to reflect and set goals. These goals can provide the necessary vision and direction. However, setting goals without a detailed plan for how you will hit them is a recipe for failure. The difference between smashing your goal and falling shot often lies in the tiny habits and wins along the way—the 5, 15, or 60 minutes you are spending each day directly focused on one thing that will help you reach your goal. That’s what inspired the idea behind this community accountability challenge. For the month of January, we’re going to post an accountability thread in the #hallway-track channel every Monday. Join MicroConf Connect ➡️ https://microconfconnect.com All you have to do is share one tiny thing you plan to accomplish this week that will get you one step closer to reaching your goal. :muscle: Then, on Friday, when you complete that task, post about it in the #tiny-wins channel so we can cheer you on. :tada: Here is an examples of what this could look like: Let’s say your big, scary goal for 2022 is to Reduce churn by 10%. Trying to achieve this in a month, a quarter, or even 6 months is hard. However, you can break this goal into 50+ tiny tasks that need to happen and will get you closer to this goal. The key is that each task shouldn’t take more than a week to finish (ideally far less time than that!) Here are some examples of tiny tasks that can get you closer to your goal: Week 1 task - Send a NPS survey to your...

Jordan Gal is the co-founder of Rally and Carthook. During his time building Carthook, he learned some hard lessons about building on an existing platform, challenges to overcome bootstrapping, and how to implement those lessons into your next business.

TinySeed, the MicroConf Startup Accelerator and Fund, announced their Investment Syndicate today. Join the co-founders of TinySeed, Rob Walling and Einar Vollset, as we discuss what it means to be an investment syndicate, how it can help startup founders more broadly than our accelerator program, and more. At TinySeed we operate several funds, all with the same underlying thesis: Invest broadly into the earliest stages of B2B SaaS companies worldwide. Typically, the kinds of companies we back are early stage — usually, $3-15k MRR at the time of application (although the range is much wider) — and those investments join our year-long remote accelerator in batches. The TinySeed Funds do not invest directly into any TinySeed company that decides to raise additional funding (a so-called “follow-on” round), or make any other kinds of investments.

Asia Orangio walks you through some of the key areas you can find your best opportunities for Growth

We're talking with Bet Hannon about the in's and out's of accessible design in a digital landscape.

Rob and Sherry Walling dig into some of the key habits of successful entrepreneurs. MicroConf Remote Tickets are now on sale! Head over to MicroConfRemote.com

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

Should you bootstrap your business or get venture capital? If you're a bootstrapping startup and things get tight, you may consider vc funding for startups instead. But is it the right move? Or maybe you did get venture capital, and now you're wishing you hadn't. In today's video, I'll help you understand both options so you can make the best decision for your SaaS business or startup. What to Watch Next: Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped SaaS ➡️ https://bit.ly/ideal-bootstrapped-saas Building Your First Bootstrapped SaaS: The Ultimate Playlist ➡️https://bit.ly/build-your-first-saas https://microconfonair.com MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

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

Sujan is the founder of Mailshake and knows a few things about outbound sales. Sales shouldn't be scary. He covers 3 different strategies for leading sales as a founder, and offers some tips on how to maximize your conversions without burdening your in house resources. Fill out the State of Independent SaaS report now at stateofindependentsaas.com and be entered into a drawing for a VIP MicroConf Growth US pack, including a ticket to the conference, up to $750 in airfare, and accommodations during the conference!

Platforms like Quora, Stack Overflow and Clarify.fm let you becoming the wisest, most sage advisor across the land. In this conversation between Mike and Rob, Mike will share how he tapped into authority building platforms to reach their earliest customers by providing insights and solutions to potential customers.

You know that you need product documentation to help your users level up their XP and get the most out of your SaaS. But did you know that you could also evolve your documentation to work harder as a lead magnet? Natalie will take you on an expert mode journey in converting these somewhat boring, mandatory pieces of copy into a content marketing strategy that makes it easier for your customer to find you.

It always helps to have a team behind you as you begin your next mission. Creating a partnership program with likeminded organizations and communities is a great way to get your product in front of potential customers and critical users. Leonardo will focus on his experience working with Start-Up Chile, 500 Startups México and others to help drive most of Lexgo’s early stage revenue.

A conversation between Ruben Gamez and Rob Walling. Learn how Ruben maxed out the benefits of his AppSumo offer, what customizations are needed to improve your posts, and the points to back up these recommendations.

Living at the #2 Spot on ProductHunt for January 2021, Derrick will take you on a look behind the success of his launch with SavvyCal.

An overview on early stage SaaS and software marketing strategies that can help you find your first customers. https://microconfremote.com MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf Remote 2.0 Technology Sponsor Quietlight Brokerage https://quietlight.com/ Captioning Made Possible By: Balsamiq https://balsamiq.com MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

Coming to you in the last 24 hours to apply for TinySeed! Learn what joining a remote startup accelerator is like from Tony Chan, co-founder of CloudForecast.io, who was accepted into the Spring 2021 batch of TinySeed, the MicroConf Startup Accelerator and Fund. https://microconfonair.com Tony is a member of the MicroConf Connect community from launch and has been building CloudForecast, an AWS cost management tool that helps engineering teams monitor and eliminate wasted spend without spending. He is a 3x applicant to TinySeed, having applied over each of the application rounds. TinySeed is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2021 batch of companies that we will welcome into our accelerator. If you'd like to apply, head over to https://tinyseed.com/apply YouTube Video Vault MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

Featured in this week's episode are two of our Attendee Talks, which were selected by the audience at MicroConf Europe: How to Survive Building a Business and a Family at the Same Time Jeppe Liisberg "I am a father of three. I have a startup that is almost break-even and has been so for years. I have a job to make ends meet. I'm struggling but coping. I'll be talking about creating and maintaining a sustainable work-life balance in this context. You've heard it before: there's an opportunity in every crisis. I've been spending time practising that, building a startup and a family at the same time. I'll be talking about the hard prioritisations you have to make every day. And about adjusting ambition, balancing personal goals and values along the way. I'll be giving tips and tricks to cope with stress, conflict and motivation." A Frank Talk About Fear and How to Deal With It Sergey Koltov "In the beginning of this year I moved to another country; my wife and I are expecting our first baby in a few months; a revenue growth is slower than I expected, and so on, and so on. As an owner of a small self-funded startup, I constantly feel pressure but this year has become the hardest ones. The fear of failure started hindering my abilities to make good decisions. In June I started to fight back. I'm still far from overcoming it, but there is a good progress. In this talk, I will share what I learned in the last few months, why it is important to deal with fear on a regular basis, and what practices I use or experimented with." http://microconf.com #microconf #microconfeurope2019 MicroConf Europe 2019 - Attendee Talk MicroConf Connect → http://microconfconnect.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail → [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners ► Stripe

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

Watch the video recording at https://youtu.be/eRbQOuuW-FQ MicroConf has been around for a decade now and do we have some stories. If you've ever had any questions about what it takes to produce MicroConf, how we pivoted from an in person event to a digital community, or any other random question you have about MicroConf in general, we'll get those answered for you. https://microconfonair.com Xander Castro is the Events Director for MicroConf. He joined the team back in 2014 as a freelance coordinator and has been producing MicroConf and MicroConf Europe ever since. In 2019, Xander was hired as a full time producer for the MicroConf and TinySeed team and has lead the charge on the expansion of the MicroConf brand, community, and digital presence ever since. MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

In this talk at MicroConf Europe 2019, Rob Walling (TinySeed, previously founder at Drip) covers five specific marketing tactics that are working for SaaS companies today. https://microconf.com #microconf #microconfeurope2019 Check out Rob’s MicroConf speakers page for more talks: https://microconf.com/speakers/rob-wa... Rob's homepage → https://robwalling.com MicroConf Connect → http://microconfconnect.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail → [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners ► Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/Stripe ► Hey https://hey.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/heyhey

Build a SaaS app!" they said... "It'll be great!" they said...it turns out, running an online service Is a big pain in the SaaS. In this talk I will tell you all about designing, building, selling, scaling, maintaining and supporting balsamiq.cloud, the online version of Balsamiq Wireframes. I'll focus on 'the things they don't tell you' and even give you the dirt about a massive data-loss incident from May 2018. Fasten your seatbelts, there will be turbulence! --- Giacomo 'Peldi' Guilizzoni is a programmer turned entrepreneur, who founded Balsamiq in 2008 and has been learning how to run and grow the company ever since. He has spoken at Microconf a few times along the way, to share his learnings and, mostly, his mistakes. He still loves to code, when he's allowed to by his team. :) Check out Peldi’s MicroConf speakers page for more talks → https://microconf.com/speakers/peldi-... https://microconf.com #microconf #microconfeurope2019 MicroConf Europe 2019 MicroConf Connect → http://microconfconnect.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail → [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners ► Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/Stripe ► Basecamp https://basecamp.com

When Sabba Keynejad started VEED, he knew that he wanted to build the company as a bootstrapped business. Founded in 2018, the business has been growing steadily over the past 3 years, and with the boom in video content over the past year and a half, the impact was palpable. https://microconfonair.com MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

When you find yourself consulting on number of client projects, as a solo consultant, you might run into bandwidth issues that can slow your growth. Learn how Molly took her experience marketing for Real Estate Agencies and applied a subscription based SaaS model to that framework, allowing her to erase the boundaries and limits time placed on her. https://microconfonair.com Molly Wolchansky is the founder of The Agent Nest, a SaaS that provides print and social media marketing content for real estate agents. Before starting her SaaS, she ran a marketing company, published multiple poetry books through her publishing company, wrote plays that were produced around Dallas, created handmade gifts for her Etsy shop, copyedited novels for a publisher, freelanced for Texas magazines, read incoming new scripts at a production company, and even wrote a children's book called The Cactus and the Balloon. The Agent Nest's debut was in 2020, and ever since its opening her company's monthly recurring revenue has continued to climb. At this trajectory, she will become the number one real estate marketing tool in the industry in a year. 8:06 - So your real estate marketing agency was able to serve 10-15 high touch customers - when did you realize that creating a self service tool could increase your bandwidth and revenue opportunities. 11:36 - What tools have you used to build The Agent Nest’s offering? 16:58 - How did you create your content library? 19:24 - Have you had any issues with people pirating your content? 27:23 - How have you kept your templates and tools fresh? The Agent Nest Twitter Account ➡️ https://twitter.com/theagentnest The Agent Nest ➡️ https://theagentnest.com MicroConf Connect, join the conversation ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

In this recording, Irina Nica (Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot) goes over how to build buzz and backlinks on a bootstrapped budget. Irina is in charge of the Hubspot's off-site SEO Strategy, including content promotion, influencer outreach, and link building. Prior to joining HubSpot, Irina was the Marketing Manager of SEOmonitor.com – an award-winning SEO tool for agencies. MicroConf Europe 2019 #microconf #microconfeurope2019 https://microconf.com MicroConf Connect → http://microconfconnect.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail → [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners ► Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/Stripe ► Hey https://hey.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/heyhey

Competition online is getting increasingly fierce, how do you stand out from the crowd in a marketplace dominated by industry giants? In this talk we’ll explore the ways to win organic clicks and sales away from the big players in your industry whilst working with budgets a fraction of theirs. Key takeaways include: • How to develop SEO strategies to outrank the industry giants • Standing out in the organic search results even when you’re not in first place • Getting your share of the search real estate • How to conduct competitor research to fuel your SEO campaign • Discover the foundations for building an SEO campaign that helps you gain a bigger share of the market with a start-up’s budget. If you are going against huge brands in the search results then you can’t miss this talk. MicroConf Europe 2019 #microconfeurope2019 #microconf https://microconf.com MicroConf Connect → http://microconfconnect.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail → [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners ► Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/Stripe ► Hey https://hey.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/heyhey

Andy Ayim talks about how mental models can help us to make different types of decisions. And how, by using specific frameworks, we can focus on solutions that aren’t immediately obvious. https://microconf.com #microconf #microconfeurope 2019 MicroConf Europe 2019 Join our exclusive community for SaaS founderss → http://microconfconnect.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail → [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners ► Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/Stripe ► Hey https://hey.com Twitter → https://twitter.com/heyhey

Bootstrapping V. Venture Capital. This is an ongoing discussion in the SaaS startup community for the last decade . The question is less about the how, and more often about the why and when. MicroConf has always advocated for self-funding and customer centered entrepreneurship, while venture capital can be a chase for profit. We're chatting this week with Hana Mohan, founder of MagicBell.io (https://magicbell.io) about her experience bootstrapping her last company (SupportBee) to $45K MRR and deciding to accept YC funding in 2021 after her exit. Hana is the co-founder & CEO of MagicBell. She is a proud transgender woman who is passionate about empowering women & other minorities. She lives in Barcelona with her two cats. MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConfE-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripehttps://stripe.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Heyhttps://hey.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

Entrepreneurship is moving at a breakneck speed to keep ahead of the curve and create without getting overtaken by your nearest competitor. If you aren't learning the market your business serves and the intricacies of it's consumers quickly, then you'll never keep up with their needs. Anders Thue Pedersen experienced that outpacing while he was building his last business, TimeBlock. Learn how changed his mindset to a constant state of curiosity and how he is applying that framework to his new product, Mælt.co. Inspiration ➡️ https://twitter.com/andersthue/status...​ MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com​ Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf​ E-mail ➡️ [email protected] This episode is sponsored by Rewardful, turning your biggest fans into your best marketers. Get 30% off your first 3 months by heading to https://getrewardful.com/startups​ Offer expires May 31st. MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com​ Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe​ Hey...

We’re fortunate to be continuously amazed by the quality and number of applicants for TinySeed’s annual accelerator program: https://tinyseed.com #tinyseed In total, we’ve received nearly 2,000 applications across our three accelerator batches. And with each successive batch, the quality of applications has grown alongside the percentage of companies with higher revenue. This round’s batch is also our most international to date, with seven founders based outside the U.S. We’re proud to welcome these 18 startups to our 2021 accelerator program: → Aurelius (https://www.aureliuslab.com) is an all-in-one space for researchers to organize notes, capture insights, analyze data and share outcomes with their team. → Breachsense (https://breachsense.io/) enables security teams to reset stolen usernames and passwords before criminals exploit them. → CloudForecast (https://www.cloudforecast.io/) eliminates wasted costs in AWS without significant engineering resources. Through easy-to-understand daily email and Slack reports, engineering teams can quickly react to cost anomalies and mistakes that can often sit for weeks. → CraftyBase (https://craftybase.com) is an inventory and bookkeeping package for handmade sellers. → Harbor Plan (https://www.harborplan.com/) is an out-of-the-box sales tool that enables non-tech savvy users to follow up automatically via email and text message. The software extracts a lead’s contact info as soon as it lands in the user’s inbox, sending a campaign of built-in content until the lead responds or books a consult. → Lasso Analytics (https://getlasso.co/) Analytics is the all-in-one affiliate marketing plugin for WordPress. Lasso helps you create beautiful product displays, find new affiliate opportunities, and easily manage all of your important links in one place. → Lexgo (https://www.lexgo.cl/) is the first automated legal service for startups in Latin America, enabling founders to complete their legal processes faster and at a fraction of the cost of a lawyer. → Localyser (https://www.localyser.com/) is an online reputation management solution that helps businesses manage all of their reviews from across multiple platforms all from one place. Whether you manage one brand or several, one listing or a chain, our easy-to-use dashboard allows you to monitor, respond, analyze, and generate more reviews quickly. → Monolith Forensics (https://monolithforensics.com/) is case, evidence, and lab management software for digital forensics labs and teams. → MSPCFO (https://www.mspcfo.com/) leverages data in a managed services provider’s systems to identify actionable items that can drive growth and stability to the bottom line. → NewsCatcher (https://newscatcherapi.com/) allows users to search through an indexed database of online-published news articles in near real-time. → Planifi (http://www.planifi.net) provides project and resource planning for arch...

Finding product market fit is not an overnight process. It's almost impossible to strike that sweet spot at the onset of your product idea - even if you have some degree of validation. https://microconfonair.com 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. According to the State of Independent Saas (https://stateofindiesaas.com) the majority of founders originally validated their idea by building out an MVP or prototype, but the likelihood that they found PMF with just that prototype seems unlikely. Maren Kate has spent the last 3 years bootstrapping AvraTalent, and has some thoughts on the various markers to watch out for on the journey to Product Market Fit. MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

There is power in numbers and developing communities around your brand, your product, and your users can be a great strategy to ensure customer and client satisfaction. https://microconfonair.com Rosie Sherry has just started a new role with Orbit.love and has been serving as the Community Manager for Indie Hackers before launching her Community Building hub, community and course, Roiseland. I want to build a community but I feel there are already so many communities existing out there targeting the same audience ... feels saturated - your view ? What went into the decision of using Discord? Pros? Cons? Are you worried about what's going on with Facebook and Section 230? Could it kill the small online communities? Did you miss MicroConf Remote? You can still purchase the recorded videos at https://microconfremote.com MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConfE-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripehttps://stripe.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Heyhttps://hey.com@heyhey

You should be scripting your sales calls the same way you script a webinar or presentation. Reinventing the wheel every time you get on a call with your customers is less efficient than creating a standardized set of responses and direction for the call. John Ndege has launched a number of profitable businesses, but has taken a turn to teaching solid sales strategies.

Mentorship for SaaS Founders can mean the difference between the slow SaaS ramp of death and making the critical changes to your process that helps get you to consistent growth. https://microconfonair.com John Knox is a repeat Angel Investor in some of the most successful mobile and SaaS brands, including Summit, Branch, and 1 Second Everyday. He is a current Mentor for TinySeed, and his insights and network are huge assets to the companies he provides mentorship for. - Do you follow up on the people you help with a specific problem to see how it went and find further opportunities to help? How do organize this? - Any recommendations on how to become more coachable? - Can you talk about what’s in it for the mentor if they're not an investor? ​- How formal are the mentorships you're talking about? Is there an equity split, consistent scheduled meetings, or is it more informal? - I am at the MVP stage and in the process of promoting my SaaS. It’s going slowly due to lack of budget. Any thoughts on how to speed up growth on a budget? MicroConf Remote (https://microconfremote.com) is on sale! The event is scheduled for March 23 - 25 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST Daily. MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConfE-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripehttps://stripe.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Heyhttps://hey.comTwitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/heyhey

The hosts of the SaaS Podcast Award nominated Software Social Podcast join Rob to chat about all things SaaS, early stage marketing strategies, and more. https://microconfonair.com Michele Hansen @mjwhansen Co-founder of Geocodio @geocodio, A geocoding SaaS, which she and her husband started in 2014. It started as a side project and she went full time in 2017. She is co-host of Software Social Podcast, which was nominated in several categories for MicroConf's 2020 SaaS Podcast Awards. She also recently launched a free newsletter about customer research for bootstrappers. Colleen Schnettler @leenyburger Colleen is a Ruby on Rails consultant. She has spoken at both RailsConf and RubyConf, and loves being part of the developer community.She recently launched her first product - https://www.simplefileupload.com/. You can hear all about her journey launching and monetizing a software product on her podcast - Software Social. She's a mother and a military spouse and loves chatting about all things software and business. When did you start your show, and why? Have you received any benefit from having a podcast, or is it just for fun? How long do you plan to share revenue on the show? How much time (and money) do you dedicate to the podcast outside of the time "on air"? How do (did) you foster a growth mindset? How did you develop the mindset to ship things without the need for immediate payoff? MicroConf Connect ➡️ http://microconfconnect.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/MicroConf E-mail ➡️ [email protected] MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners Stripe https://stripe.com Twitter ➡️ https://twitter.com/Stripe Hey https://hey.com @heyhey