Startups For the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes:

Episode 659 | Indie Hackers' Newfound Independence + The SaaS Playbook with Courtland and Channing May 02, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 658 | As a SaaS Founder, When Should You Care About Sales Tax? Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 657 | Concierge Onboarding, Building a Great Brand, and More Listener Questions Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 656 | Taste vs. Shipping + Being First vs. Being the Best (A Rob Solo Adventure) Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

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:

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

Startups For The Rest Of Us Podcast Trailer Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

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

Episode 655 | Seat-Based Pricing, Can Churn Be Too Low? and More Listener Questions (A Rob Solo Adventure) Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 654 | Shipping Every Day for 10 Years with Tom Merritt Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 653 | Armageddon Beer, Developing Taste, and What if I Succeed? (A Rob Solo Adventure) Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 652 | Mixing No-code with Code, Developer Superpowers, $5k Angel Check, and More Listener Questions Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

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:

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 651 | From Side Hustle to Full-time & Profitable (with Mike Taber) Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

In episode 651, Rob Walling catches up with fan favorite Mike Taber, who co-hosted the first 448 episodes of Startups For the Rest of Us. The last time he was on the podcast, Bluetick was still a side hustle. Now, 15 months later, he shares that the app is now profitable, supporting him full-time, and gives an update on some key parts of his entrepreneurial journey.

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:

1:34 - An update on Bluetick
6:26 - Is Bluetick a profitable business?
8:59 - Why Mike decided to pivot his company to supporting agencies
13:34 - Setting up Bluetick to scale from 1x to 500x volume
15:33 - Is Mike doing much marketing these days?
19:12 - Mike’s celebration moment in the past 15 months
20:40 - When Mike realized he had product-market fit
23:54 - How Mike thinks about implementing new features
24:55 - Mike’s low point in the past 15 months
26:27 - What changed that allowed Mike’s business to grow so dramatically over the past year?
32:50 - Is Mike planning to update his marketing to position the product to agencies?

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