Startups For the Rest of Us

In episode 699, Rob Walling chats with fan favorite Derrick Reimer, the founder of SavvyCal, about scaling products tastefully. Derrick offers his perspective on maintaining a tidy UX and deciding which features to implement. They also cover best practices for maintaining knowledge bases, changelogs, and documentation. As a bonus, Rob and Derrick offer podcasting advice to their past selves. 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: 2:35 – Establish design systems and language as you scale your product 8:36 – Building out a front-end directory to maintain consistency 10:17 – Truly understand how customers are moving through your product 16:28 – Naming convention dilemmas, industry norms vs. accuracy 19:22 – Hiding product features with feature flags 23:04 – Scaling new products that serve different verticals 31:12 – Best practices for maintaining a product knowledge base 37:11 – Bonus: What advice would you give to your prior self starting a podcast? Links from the Show: Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024 The SaaS Playbook Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) I X SavvyCal Allen D King (@allendking) | X FunJoin FullStory Episode 681 | Why Launching a Second Product is Usually a Bad Idea Help Scout Knowledge Base Headway Changelog ...

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 your question for an upcoming episode. We...

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 to cover,...

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. 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. 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. Topics we cover: 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 – Doing the things that “give me life”, sustainably Links from the Show: 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! Subscribe & Revie...

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: 2:04 – Postpone starts off as part of a New Year’s resolution 4:13 – Validating and building the MVP to schedule content for Reddit 6:44 – Launching lean to slow growth in the beginning 9:10 – Doing things that don’t scale 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: 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 & 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: 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: 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 & Review:

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 against big incumbents, and whether to sell using high-touch vs. low-touch strategies. Rob also recommends books for introverts looking for sales advice. 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: 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: 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

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. 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. 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. Topics we cover: 2:59 – Emailing users about other projects you are working on 9:26 – Avoid sending spam-like emails 12:55 – Building a service vs. selling it as an affiliate 17:34 – SaaS evaluation after business partner falling out 21:25 – The best ways to collect customer feedback 25:36 – Determining which group of buyers to sell to, HOA’s or property managers Links from the Show: 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 submit your question for an upcoming epis...

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: 2:01 – SessionLab, for creating workshops 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 – Managing synchronous working overlap across time zones Links from the Show: Are you considering selling your SaaS business? The Psychology of Exiting Your Company 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 starting or scaling a software...

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: 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: 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 & 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: 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: 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 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 & 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. Topics we cover: 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: 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 The SaaS Playbook This Took 11 Years to Be An "Overnight Success" - SaaS Exit Strategy Once 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 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 & 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. Topics we cover: 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 – 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: 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 & 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, & 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: 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 Links from the Show: 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 & 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: 2:44 – How Alex bootstrapped SaaStock in the early stages 4:32 – 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: Microconf Mastermind Matching SaaStock SaaStock (@SaaStock) | X SaaStock | 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 & Review:

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: 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: 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 & 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: 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: 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 & Review: iTunes | Spotify | Google

In episode 679.5, Rob shares seven announcements about the future of MicroConf in the upcoming year. 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: 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: 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 & 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: 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 – Consulting for junior and mid-level engineers Links from the Show: 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 & 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: 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 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: 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

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. Topics we cover: 3:29 – TinySeed applications for Fall 2023 are open 5:00 – Leon’s passion for wireframing 8:32 – Designing in low fidelity wireframes 11:03 – Wireframing, ideation, and iteration 16:21 – 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: 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 & 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: 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: 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 & Review: iTunes | Spotify |

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: 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: Stephen Steers | LinkedIn Steers Sales Consulting Superpower Storytelling by Stephen Steers Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling Made to Stick by Chip Heath & 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 & Review:

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: 2:49 – Twitter is now X 5:53 – Does the rebranding make sense? 12:15 – Instagram launches Threads 19:18 – SparkToro pays back investors 26:04 – Planning ahead for the payback 28:53 – “Don’t take VC funding” 35:11 – “We Raised a Bunch of Money” Links from the Show: 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 & 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: 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: 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

In episode 672, Rob Walling speaks with Jon Hainstock, M&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: 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: 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 & 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. 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: 1:56 – 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: 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 & 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: 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: 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 & 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: 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: 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 & 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: 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 – 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 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: 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 & Review: iTunes | Spotify |

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: 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 & 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 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: 1:05 – 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 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

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 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 & 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 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: 2:07 - Positioning a new SaaS business 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 Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer’s Guide To Launching a Startup 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 & 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 & 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 & Secret Hacks For Exiting on Top Deploy Empathy: A Practical Guide to Interviewing Customers The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers & Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying To You Episode 628 I The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework 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 & 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 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: 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 & 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 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: 1:57 - 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 & 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 & 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 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 & 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 Links from the Show: Fascinate, Revised and Updated: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist TinySeed 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 & 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 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 The SaaS Playbook TinySeed 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 & 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: 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 Validate Your SaaS Idea Fast State of Independent SaaS Report The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping Episode 628 I The 5 PM Pre-Validation Framework 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 & 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 & 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: 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 ElevenLabs 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 & 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 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: 1:41 - 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 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 & 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: 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 SavvyCal Episode 642 I The Pros and Cons of Building a No-Code MVP MicroConf Remote 6.0 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 & Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher