Founder Views - SaaS, Business, and Beyond

Kosta Panagoulias
  • 5.0 (4)
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Founder Views is a podcast for SaaS builders who want real conversations, not recycled playbooks. Hosted by Kosta Panagoulias, a 2x SaaS founder, the show features in-the-trenches conversations with SaaS CEOs, operators, and experts. Each episode digs into the decisions, strategies, wins, and struggles that shape real companies - practical insights from people actively building, not theorizing. While the core focus is SaaS growth, leadership, and execution, the podcast also leaves room for broader discussions that help founders think better - whether that’s economics, technology, markets, or other big-picture business topics. If you want raw, easy-to-follow conversations with people who've actually built something, you’ll feel right at home.

  1. 22H AGO

    Luca Micheli: The AI Pivot That Took Customerly From $100K to $1M ARR

    Six years after his first appearance on Founder Views, Luca is back with the real story of how AI forced a full business model and go-to-market shift. Customerly went from a seat-based, product-led support platform for small SaaS teams to an AI-first customer service engine selling into mid-market and enterprise, where volume and ROI are obvious. In this episode we get into: The AI pivot: why they refused to build “old-school chatbots,” and how ChatGPT changed what was possibleQuality metrics that matter: error rate, confidence thresholds, escalation triggers, and why AI CSAT can be higher than humansWhat actually trains a good AI agent: knowledge base structure, what not to upload, and how hallucinations happen in the real worldAutomation outcomes: average ticket closure rates, what drives 80%+ vs 40–50%, and how teams improve over timeEnterprise GTM shift: moving from product-led to sales-led, filtering signups, longer cycles, bigger ACVOutbound reality: why the agency failed, what changed when they built outbound internally, and the tooling stack (Clay, Apollo, Lemlist, Pipedrive)Founder sales lessons: Challenger Sale thinking and why founders still need to own sales earlyThe Arena The Arena is a private Skool community for SaaS founders who are actively building and selling. I share real-time decisions, experiments, and assets as I use them while growing a bootstrapped SaaS. No theory. No polish. Just execution.Learn more at: https://www.skool.com/the-arena/ Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 – Reunion after 6 years and what changed (COVID + AI era)01:27 – Luca intro: what Customersly does today02:30 – From $100K ARR to near $1M and why pricing changed05:08 – “Chatbots are shit”: how they built AI without the bad UX07:10 – Under 1% error rate and reducing hallucinations09:52 – Grounded AI, intents, and automating beyond FAQs11:09 – Closure rate benchmarks and what “good” looks like16:41 – How to pick an AI support tool that actually works18:20 – Training mistakes: transcripts, clutter, and marketing banners causing hallucinations20:46 – Confidence thresholds and escalation as a feedback loop22:48 – How long it takes to move from 45% to 70–80% automation24:34 – Should AI learn from your inbox? Pros, risks, and why they avoid it29:41 – Implementation timelines: small teams vs enterprise rollouts31:38 – Why AI CSAT can beat humans (speed wins)35:46 – Escalation rules: human request, sentiment, low confidence, missing info37:21 – Going enterprise: ARPU jump and sales-led reality41:02 – Outbound experiment: agency failure and building it internally43:32 – LinkedIn ads + Clay targeting + the masterclass lead magnet49:25 – Challenger Sale and shifting the conversation53:20 – Founder lesson: why you can’t outsource what you haven’t done58:54 – Outbound stack: Clay, Apollo, Lemlist, Sales Nav, Pipedrive01:05:12 – 2026 vision and wrap

    1h 8m

  2. DEC 12

    Nadav Boaz: How VoiceDrop Hit $150k MRR in 18 Months (SEO + Cold Email)

    How do you take a niche SaaS product from zero to $150k MRR in under two years — without venture capital? In this episode of Founder Views, Kosta Panagoulias sits down with Nadav Boaz, co-founder of VoiceDrop, to break down exactly how they scaled fast by combining cold email mastery, SEO execution, and ruthless operational discipline. This isn’t theory. Nadav shares what actually worked — and what didn’t — across dozens of past businesses before VoiceDrop finally clicked. We cover: How VoiceDrop reached $150k MRR with a lean, remote teamThe exact 3 growth channels they double down on (and why)How cold email is used strategically — not spammySEO tactics that helped them rank #1 and show up in AI searchWhy pre-authorizing trial users increased conversions from 12% → 50%Managing churn in a high-ticket SaaSWhy “usage” matters more than loginsLessons from running (and failing) dozens of businesses before successIf you’re a SaaS founder focused on execution, leverage, and real growth, this episode delivers. Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 – Why VoiceDrop caught Kosta’s attention02:00 – What VoiceDrop does (ringless voicemail explained)04:00 – Team size, remote setup, and founder roles07:00 – Using past businesses as leverage for new SaaS launches10:20 – The 3 growth pillars: SEO, cold email, Google Ads13:30 – SEO execution: keywords, authority, and SOPs with VAs16:00 – Ranking in AI search (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.)18:10 – Cold email infrastructure that actually works22:00 – Targeting, segmentation, and ARPU strategy26:00 – When SEO overtook outbound as the #1 channel27:00 – Boosting trial-to-paid conversion to 50%30:00 – Pre-authorization: filtering tire-kickers32:00 – Human vs product-led conversions36:00 – Using AI inside the product (voice cloning, scripts)39:00 – AI for outbound replies and internal leverage41:30 – Scaling fast without burning out as a founder45:30 – Customer support, tooling, and cost control50:00 – Managing churn in a high-ticket SaaS53:30 – The single metric Nadav watches daily54:20 – Favorite business book & lifestyle choices56:20 – One billboard lesson for SaaS founders  👉 Hard Knock SaaS is a practical video series for SaaS founders who want real-world playbooks — not theory. Built from my experience bootstrapping, scaling, and exiting SaaS companies, it covers sales, positioning, pricing, and execution. Learn more at: https://hardknocksaas.com

    57 min

  3. 12/08/2023

    El Salvador Unveiled: Bitcoin's Impact on Life and Real Estate with Gladys Jeannette

    Gladys Jeannette is a real estate investor and Broker in El Salvador. I've been wanting to speak to someone on the ground in El Salvador for quite some time, and Gladys is the perfect person to get an insider's look into the changes happening in the country. We dive deep into the life in El Salvador, real estate investing in the country, including which areas to keep an eye out for, how bitcoin is driving change, safety, and the way of life in the country. If you've been keeping an eye on El Salvador, curious about the changes happening in the country, real estate, or bitcoin, this is the perfect episode for you.

    52 min

  4. 08/23/2023

    Adam Niman: Why The ‘Be Your Own Banker’ Concept Is Flawed

    Adam Niman (BSc, CLU) is a seasoned life insurance professional with over a decade of experience in the field. His focus is exclusively on insurance, and he advocates for keeping insurance and investments separate. I first heard Adam on one of my favourite podcasts (see link below), talking about why the infinite banking concept is flawed. He raised some pretty eye-opening concerns and perspectives that stirred up some waves in the infinite banking circles. Since first hearing Adam on that podcast, we've since had several conversations, and wanted to have him on the podcast. I definitely think his insights and message is worth sharing. If you're familiar with infinite banking, have a policy, or thinking about getting setup, this is an episode you definitely want to hear. Download Adam's ebook "Fortune or Fiction" here: https://fortuneorfiction.ca/

    55 min

  5. 05/02/2023

    Matheus Riolfi: Growing a Venture-Backed Startup

    ➡️ The most important lessons from growing and selling a bootstrapped SaaS company, from a non-technical entrepreneur: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/ (use HUSTLE40 for 40% off). Matheus Riolfi is the founder and CEO of tint.ai, a company that provides embeddable insurance to tech platforms and marketplaces. Unlike most founders I speak to that are bootstrapped - Matheus followed a different journey. Launching in 2018, Matheus led his company through YC (Y Combinator), and most recently closed a $25 million Series A round. We cover several topics, including: - Why he chose to get funding, rather than bootstrap- How Tint maintains a positive workplace culture as a fully remote team- How his role as CEO continues to evolve- The most important skills a new founder should possess- Much more Follow Matheus Riolfi on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mriolfi/Check out Tint: https://www.tint.ai/

    52 min

  6. 04/20/2023

    Stefan Smulders: Bootstrapping to $10M with Brilliant Marketing Strategies

    ** The most important lessons from growing and selling a bootstrapped SaaS company, from a non-technical entrepreneur: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/ (use HUSTLE40 for 40% off). Stefan Smulders is one of the best marketers I've spoken to. In 2019, he founded expandio.io, and was able to generate $1 million in run rate in the first six months after launch! Continuing to leverage creative and effective marketing strategies on social media, Stefan is leading Expandi to hit $10 million in revenue by the end of 2023. This was a fascinating conversation, and I encourage any startup founder or anyone in marketing to give it a listen. We touch on several topics, including: - Learning and growing from past business failures- How Expandi hit $1 million run-rate in the first six months- Leveraging your personal brand to grow your business- The psychology of sales- Effective growth channels used to reach $10 million revenue- Much more Follow Stefan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SmuldersStefan Download the e-book "From Zero to SaaS Hero: https://expandi.io/from-zero-to-saas-hero-ebook/

    1h 9m

  7. 04/03/2023

    Chris Naugle: Mastering the Art of Money

    The person I credit to introducing me to the Infinite Banking Concept, is none other than Chris Naugle. After hearing this episode, you'll quickly understand why Chris is considered "America's # 1 Money Mentor". He is truly a master of money. Chris has built and owned 19 companies, with his businesses being featured in Forbes, ABC, House Hunters, and his very own HGTV pilot in 2018. He is currently founder of The Money School™, and Money Mentor for The Money Multiplier. We dive into so many important money and financial topics, including: - The reasons why Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and other banks are collapsing- Financial opportunities that everyone can be taking advantage of today- How to become your own banker (literally) using the Infinite Banking Concept- How Chris is personally leveraging his Infinite Banking Policies to make investments and earn income- Ways to protect yourself from financial collapse- How to be free and independent from a corrupted financial system Follow Chris on YouTube: @TheChrisNaugle Learn more about Chris: https://www.chrisnaugle.com/

    1h 10m

  8. 03/27/2023

    Hoyin Cheung: $4M+ Virtual Reality SaaS Business

    This was a fun conversation. Two bootstrapped entrepreneurs talking shop, growth and business - unfiltered. Hoyin Cheung is the founder and CEO of Remo.co, a company that helps teams build and grow relationships, virtually. I've been eager to learn more about the virtual reality space, and how invested companies actually are in implementing this technology. So when the opportunity arose to speak to Hoyin, I jumped on it. Very impressively, as a solo founder, Hoyin bootstrapped Remo to over $4M+ in revenue, with a team of 25 people. Some of the biggest organizations in the world have used Remo, including Harvard University, IBM and Shopify. We touch on several topics in this episode including: - Connecting with team members working remotely- How companies are leveraging virtual reality- Trends in the VR space- The social behaviour challenge to VR adoption- Tactical ways Remo has been able to scale- Challenges of growing a company during times of high inflation and economic uncertainty- Future of VR Check out Remo: https://remo.co/Follow Hoyin on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoyincheung/ ** Get 40% of my video content series with code HUSTLE40: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/

    50 min
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5
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About

Founder Views is a podcast for SaaS builders who want real conversations, not recycled playbooks. Hosted by Kosta Panagoulias, a 2x SaaS founder, the show features in-the-trenches conversations with SaaS CEOs, operators, and experts. Each episode digs into the decisions, strategies, wins, and struggles that shape real companies - practical insights from people actively building, not theorizing. While the core focus is SaaS growth, leadership, and execution, the podcast also leaves room for broader discussions that help founders think better - whether that’s economics, technology, markets, or other big-picture business topics. If you want raw, easy-to-follow conversations with people who've actually built something, you’ll feel right at home.

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