Startups For the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes:

Episode 669 | 10 Years to Overnight Success: Bootstrapping to a Multi-Million Dollar Exit Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

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:

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

Episode 668 | 9 Key Takeaways from MicroConf U.S. 2023 in Denver Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

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:

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

Episode 667 | Increase Your Exit Price by Decoupling Yourself from Your Business with John Warrillow Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

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

Episode 666 | Entering a Competitive Market, Books for SaaS Founders, and More Listener Questions with Derrick Reimer Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

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.

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

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

Episode 665 | How to Find More "Best Fit" Customers for Your SaaS Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

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:

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

Episode 664 | The Challenges of Horizontal SaaS, Adding Services to a SaaS, and More Listener Questions Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

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

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.

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:

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

Episode 663 | 5 Insights SaaS Founders Should Know About A.I. (Ignore at Your Peril) May 30, 2023

Show notes

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:

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

Episode 662 | Selling for Five Years of Runway, Profit vs. Revenue Multiples, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo) May 23, 2023

Show notes

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:

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

Episode 661 | Millions in Revenue As a One-Person Software Company May 16, 2023

Show notes

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

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.

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:

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

Episode 660 | Make Ever-Increasing and Manageably-Sized Mistakes (A Rob Solo Adventure) May 09, 2023

Show notes

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

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.

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:

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

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