329 episodes
Startups For the Rest of Us Rob Walling
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- Business
The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you’ll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us.
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Episode 718 | When to Give Up, Open Source Competition, Painful Features, and More (with Derrick Reimer)
In episode 718, Rob Walling and Derrick Reimer tackle listener questions about giving up on ideas, competing in crowded markets, and developing painful features. They also chat about SavvyCal’s recent design refresh, finding founder-market fit, and whether Derrick has retired from podcasting.
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:
3:59 – Which feature felt harder and took longer than imagined?
9:14 – When is time to give up on a SaaS idea and move on?
17:51 – Finding customers in crowded markets with large incumbents
23:32 – Has Derrick officially retired from podcasting?
25:57 – Handling competitors that are copying differentiating product features
28:48 – Evaluating SavvyCal’s refreshed design
31:10 – Considering vertical vs. horizontal SaaS for SavvyCal
34:05 – Why did Derrick decide to pursue the idea for SavvyCal?
40:19 – Finding “founder-fit”
Links from the Show:
The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling
TinySeed
Derrick Remier (@derrickreimer) | X
SavvyCal
Group scheduling mode
The Build In Public Podcast
The Art of Product Podcast
8 B2B Marketing Strategies That Got My Startup to $10 Million (and 1 that FAILED)
Finding My Next Bootstrapped Business Idea
If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cove -
Episode 717 | Bootstrapping to $1.3M ARR and 300,000 Free Users
In episode 717, Rob Walling interviews Marie Martin, co-founder of Tally. They discuss the company’s journey to $1.3M ARR and the unusual pricing strategy that got them there. Marie details how they keep their support volume low, how they differentiate Tally from other form builders, and how they grew to over 300,000 free users.
Episode Sponsor:
We have been partnering with Lemon.io for several years, and they’ve proven to be a great choice when it comes to hiring for a highly skilled developer to work on your project.
Here are five reasons why you should consider working with Lemon.io.
The time from your request to getting a candidate is just 48 hours.
Developers have previously worked with tech giants such as Apple, Google, Netflix, Airbnb, Intel, and LEGO.
They only provide senior devs, with an average of 7 years' experience.
Their talent pool covers more than 300 dev languages & frameworks.
Your hire comes with a zero-risk, replacement guarantee.
Customers of Lemon.io typically stick around for at least a year, proving they know how to gain your trust by delivering consistent results.
Quit wasting time searching for a solid developer at a great price. Get in touch with Lemon.io.
As a bonus for our podcast listeners, you’ll get a 15% discount on your first four weeks of working with a developer at lemon.io/startups. That’s lemon.io/startups
Topics we cover:
2:22 – Where Tally is today
3:53 – Keeping customer support volume low
7:12 – Differentiating Tally from other form builders
10:55 – The ingredients needed to make “free” work
18:31 – ”Shrinking a Market”
24:27 – Growing to 300,000+ free users
26:47 – Dealing with bad actors
29:37 – Applying the learnings from Tally’s success
Links from the Show:
Tickets for MicroConf Europe | Oct 6 - 8, 2024, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Apply for MicroConf Masterminds before June 12th 2024
Marie Martens (@MarieMartens) | X
Tally
No-Code France
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 | G -
Episode 716 | Positioning Against Incumbents, Changing Your H1, How Tech Stack Affects Valuation, and More Listener Questions
In episode 716, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He shares how he would position against incumbents, when to change an H1, and how choosing a tech stack affects your business valuation. Rob also weighs whether to skip a “Step 1” or “Step 2” business and start directly with a standalone SaaS in the Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping.
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:
4:07 – How directly should I position my product against incumbents?
8:25 – Making and testing changes to your H1
12:22 – Identifying and qualifying niches based on traffic
18:07 – Should I skip a “Step 1” or “Step 2” business to start a SaaS?
20:16 – How a tech stack affects valuations
27:29 – Differentiating between B2B and B2C
Links from the Show:
Apply for MicroConf Masterminds before June 12th 2024
Ask a Question on SFTROU
Episode 673 | Lifetime Plans vs Subscriptions, Testing an Idea With a Landing Page, and More Listener Questions
Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling
The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling
The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
Similarweb
Vertical SaaS vs Horizontal SaaS - Which is More Profitable?
If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please -
Episode 715 | Best Uses of the Internet, a Book about Selling Your Company, and a Circus Show
In episode 715, Rob Walling is joined by Dr. Sherry Walling to discuss a variety of topics. They chat about two recent and meaningful interactions made possible by the Internet, the motivations behind organizing and performing a circus show, and they chat about upcoming launches on the horizon – new books and courses for SaaS founders.
Episode Sponsor:
We have been partnering with Lemon.io for several years, and they’ve proven to be a great choice when it comes to hiring for a highly skilled developer to work on your project.
Here are five reasons why you should consider working with Lemon.io.
The time from your request to getting a candidate is just 48 hours.
Developers have previously worked with tech giants such as Apple, Google, Netflix, Airbnb, Intel, and LEGO.
They only provide senior devs, with an average of 7 years' experience.
Their talent pool covers more than 300 dev languages & frameworks.
Your hire comes with a zero-risk, replacement guarantee.
Customers of Lemon.io typically stick around for at least a year, proving they know how to gain your trust by delivering consistent results.
Quit wasting time searching for a solid developer at a great price. Get in touch with Lemon.io.
As a bonus for our podcast listeners, you’ll get a 15% discount on your first four weeks of working with a developer at lemon.io/startups. That’s lemon.io/startups
Topics we cover:
4:00 – Examples of thoughtful, nuanced Internet interactions
8:12 – Impacting people you otherwise couldn’t online
15:12 – Dr. Sherry Walling’s circus show motivation
21:53 – The psychology of business exits
25:27 – Commonalities across founders considering exits
31:11 – Speaking to the whole lifecycle of a SaaS business
Links from the Show:
Apply for MicroConf Masterminds before June 12th 2024
Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | X
Sherry Walling (@dr.sherrywalling) | Instagram
TinySeed
Discretion Capital
Before The Exit by Dan Andrews
Episode 532 | The Art of Selling Your Business with John Warrillow
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together by Sherry Walling, PhD and Rob Walling
Enter your email at Robwalling.com
Sign up for the Zen Founder newsletter
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Episode 714 | TRM not TAM, Acquiring a Competitor, and Finding a Developer Co-founder (A Rob Solo Adventure)
In episode 714, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure where he answers listener questions. He talks about what to expect when acquiring a competitor and how he might integrate their business. Rob also covers navigating HIPAA compliance as a bootstrapper, how to find a developer co-founder, and he explores the concept of Total Reachable Market (TRM).
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:
3:45 – How to navigate acquiring a competitor
6:34 – How to transition the newly acquired customers into your product
9:58 – HIPAA compliance for a bootstrapped MVP
13:07 – Total Addressable Market (TAM) vs. Total Reachable Market (TRM)
19:01 – How do I find a developer co-founder?
28:03 – Can I find data on SaaS app store spending?
Links from the Show:
MicroConf Mastermind Program
TinySeed
MicroConf Connect
The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling
Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling
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 713 | Our Top 5 Takeaways from MicroConf US 2024 (with Arvid Kahl)
In episode 713, Rob Walling is joined by Arvid Kahl to share their experience from MicroConf US 2024 in Atlanta. They each discuss their top 5 moments, ranging from Dr. Sherry Walling’s talk on motivation to Ben Chestnut’s chat with Rob onstage. They agree that there’s nothing quite like being in the room with everyone and soaking in all the interactions outside of the official talks.
If you missed the event and had some MicroConf FOMO, make sure to sign up for our email list to be notified when the tickets for our next event go on sale.!
Click here to watch Rob’s Fireside Chat with Ben Chestnut!
Episode Sponsor:
We have been partnering with Lemon.io for several years, and they’ve proven to be a great choice when it comes to hiring for a highly skilled developer to work on your project.
Here are five reasons why you should consider working with Lemon.io.
The time from your request to getting a candidate is just 48 hours.
Developers have previously worked with tech giants such as Apple, Google, Netflix, Airbnb, Intel, and LEGO.
They only provide senior devs, with an average of 7 years' experience.
Their talent pool covers more than 300 dev languages & frameworks.
Your hire comes with a zero-risk, replacement guarantee.
Customers of Lemon.io typically stick around for at least a year, proving they know how to gain your trust by delivering consistent results.
Quit wasting time searching for a solid developer at a great price. Get in touch with Lemon.io.
As a bonus for our podcast listeners, you’ll get a 15% discount on your first four weeks of working with a developer at lemon.io/startups. That’s lemon.io/startups
Topics we cover:
1:05 – Key takeaways from MicroConf 2024
3:45 – Dr. Sherry Walling’s talk on motivation
7:02 – Stephen Steer’s sales scripts talk
9:25 – Live valuation of a business by Quiet Light Brokerage
12:23 – Micro excursions that allow founders to connect with one another
14:09 – The hallway track outside of the venue
15:53 – ”Nothing beats being in a room”
19:22 – Lack of hierarchy among founders
22:38 – Lianna Patch’s copywriting swipe file
23:50 – Ben Chestnut is just like one of us
29:50 – Don’t get stuck with MicroConf FOMO
Links from the Show:
MicroConf Europe | Dubrovnik - October 6 - 8, 2024
MicroConf US 2025 Waiting List
Arvid Kahl (@arvidkahl) | X
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together by Sherry Walling, PhD and Rob Walling
Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | X