MicroConf On Air: Recent Episodes
Rob Walling
Welcome to the MicroConf Podcast!
Featuring two episodes per week, we take a look back at the archives from MicroConf's past and publish the audio of some of the best talks delivered from the MC stage and host a weekly live streamed conversation with founders and geniuses supporting the non-VC track startup community.
If you aren't careful, it's easy to waste time and energy building an MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, for a SaaS idea that no one is willing to pay for. This video lays out the 5 steps you should take to plan your MVP before you start building. It'll help you define your testable hypotheses, guide you on which metrics to consider as you plan and build, and will help you avoid feature bloat in the early days.
Links from the Pod:
The SaaS Launchpad
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Masterminds
The SaaS Playbook
How To Create An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) - STEP BY STEP
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Which marketing strategies are best for growing your B2B startup? Rob chats with Greg Digneo about the marketing strategies he used to drive growth at Time Doctor to over $10 million in ARR. Greg gives practical examples of how his team used these marketing channels and Rob draws on his own experiences from growing Drip, covered in The SaaS Playbook.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
Join us in MicroConf Connect
The SaaS Playbook
The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
Greg Digneo | LinkedIn
Content Guppy
Time Doctor
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Ben Chestnut, co-founder of Mailchimp joins Rob Walling on the stage at MicroConf US 2024 in Atlanta. They discuss Mailchimp's origin as a side project from a web consulting firm, its accidental yet pivotal adoption of the freemium model, and the company's growth to a $12 billion exit.
Ben shares insights on scaling the business, emphasizing the importance of operational excellence and fostering a creative culture. He also reflects on the challenges of serving small businesses versus enterprise clients and the decision not to develop a customer success team.
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
Join us in MicroConf Connect
Upcoming MicroConf Events
This Is How Apple Rolls
Intuit to Acquire Mailchimp
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
If you're a programmer, your skillset in coding can open the door to entrepreneurship. Whether you dream of building products, teaching others, or starting a SaaS, here are 12 ways that you can start making money. Following the Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping can help you turn your side income into a full-blown business over time.
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
75+ SaaS Marketplaces
The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
TinySeed
Startups For the Rest of Us Episode 688
Programming With Mosh
Theo - t3․gg
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
If you operate a B2B SaaS company, you typically fit into one of two categories: vertical SaaS or horizontal SaaS. But which category is superior? For those in the early stages of a SaaS venture and unfamiliar with these distinctions, this video will help you decide which direction to go with your SaaS business.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect
Watch this video on YouTube
The SaaS Playbook
TinySeed
Start Small, Stay Small
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
I asked SaaS founders on X, "What's your most controversial opinion about building startups?"... Watch as I dig through the responses and respond to the wildest ones. Some are spot on, some are, well.... you'll see ;)
Links from the Pod:
Last Chance to Apply for MicroConf Masterminds!
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Scholarship Program
Controversial Startup Opinions
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
If you're an aspiring founder with a startup idea, learn the precise steps to validate your product effectively and avoid wasting time on the wrong things. By following this proven startup validation framework, you'll ensure that your efforts are focused on building a SaaS product that meets market needs and resonates with your target audience.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Mastermind Program
Watch this video on YouTube
SFTROU Episode 628
SFTROU Episode 589
How To Create An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Step by Step
MicroConf Connect
Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling
Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
You've got a SaaS product idea — what's next? How do you turn that idea into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? This is our step by step roadmap for how to build an MVP, including a unique MVP example that eventually led to a billion-dollar SaaS exit.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Mastermind Program
Watch this video on YouTube
Join Us for MicroConf Remote
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Will these micro SaaS ideas become your next big SaaS project? I just found some unexplored niches and solutions that have a lot of potential so today I’m sharing 5 of my recent favorites with you. Plus find out how you can stay ahead in the SaaS world with the help of monday.com!
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Mastermind Program
Watch this video on YouTube
monday app marketplace
Developer Documentation
Get your FREE Developer Account
Apps Developer Community
App Ideas Directory
Get your copy of the the eBook
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
If you're considering building a no-code solution for your business, you won't want to miss this insightful interview! Join Chad Sakonchick, the visionary founder of Better Legal, as he shares the remarkable journey of achieving over $1,000,000 in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) with a no-code SaaS platform.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect
Watch this video on YouTube
BetterLegal
Join Us for MicroConf Remote
Bubble
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Software as a service (SaaS) stands out as one of the most lucrative business models today. If you're aiming to venture into SaaS and establish your startup, it's crucial to avoid these six common mistakes that can hinder your success.
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
The SaaS Playbook
The Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast
Join Us for MicroConf Remote
TinySeed
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Are you trying to choose a name for your business, startup, brand, or product? Naming your business can be challenging because you want something that will not only stand the test of time, but also that you can legally protect!
In this video, I'm diving into essential best practices for business naming to ensure you get it right on the first try. Whether you're seeking SaaS name ideas, brand, domain and trademark tips, or product naming help, this video covers it all, along with the most common naming mistakes.
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
Apply to TinySeed
TinySeed
The SaaS Playbook
MicroConf
Lean Domain Search
Hello, My Name Is Awesome
How I Nabbed The .Com for My Bootstrapped Startup Without Spending a Million Bucks
Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast
SFTROU Ep. 614
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
SaaS developers know how to build software, but do they know what NOT to build? Join me as I discuss this with Derrick Reimer, a 10X software developer...
Derrick Reimer is a seasoned entrepreneur and software developer with a passion for building SaaS products. With a deep understanding of the industry, he successfully bootstrapped and later exited a SaaS business, showcasing his business acumen and determination.
Derrick is also known for his expertise in product development, which he shares through his podcast and as the co-founder of Level. His story is a testament to the power of persistence and innovative thinking in the tech world.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect
Watch this video on YouTube
Startups For the Rest of Us
SavvyCal
Episode 622 | Making Hard Product Decisions & Growth vs. Profitability with Derrick Reimer
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Need a side hustle before going big on SaaS or do you just want to get some extra cash flow? I've got 6 micro SaaS ideas that might help you earn as much as $5k/month or even more...
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect
Watch this video on YouTube
TinySeed
Stair Step Approach to Bootstrapping
Customer Onboarding For Salesforce
Credit based billing system
Dependency Outage Autoresponder
Analytics for SupaBase
Squarespace Ecommerce Discount Code Manager
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Considering getting a business partner, starting a joint venture, or even just partnering with an investor? Setting up partnerships with your SaaS business can go south fast, so avoid these 6 business partnership mistakes to avoid unnecessary trouble (and lawsuits lol) along the way...
Dr. Sherry Walling is a passionate clinical psychologist, author, and podcast host dedicated to supporting the well-being of individuals and professionals. With expertise in the intersection of psychology and entrepreneurship, she empowers others to navigate challenges, optimize mental health, and thrive in their personal and professional lives.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Last Chance to Get Tickets for MicroConf ATL
Watch this video on YouTube
TinySeed
Dr. Sherry Walling's Channel
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Have you been implementing these SaaS UX without knowing that it's a big turn-off for most users? Tracy Osborn runs through 4 common UX errors that beginners always make when making a SaaS application. If you've done these before or are planning to make a SaaS application, implement these changes now so that you'll retain more users...
Tracy Osborn, the author of "Hello Web Design," is a prominent figure in the world of web development and design. Her passion for accessible web design led her to create "Hello Web Books," a platform dedicated to simplifying complex tech topics. Tracy has a remarkable talent for breaking down intricate concepts into understandable, actionable steps, making web design approachable for beginners.
Links from the Pod:
Last Chance to Get Tickets for MicroConf ATL
Watch this video on YouTube
TinySeed
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Build these SaaS before they go mainstream in 2024... I'd do it myself if I had the time, but I don't, so here are my predictions for which new SaaS apps will absolutely explode this year.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Last Chance to Get Tickets for MicroConf ATL
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Marketplaces
The SaaS Playbook
Client Portals for Wix
Support Ticket System for Clickup
Architecture Plans Commenting/Review Tool
Venue setup planner for customers
Version Control for No Code
Low-setup product analytics
Bonus Idea
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Discover how Matt Wensing built to an 8-figure SaaS exit in under 2 years in our SaaS Exit story series. You'll also hear what he wishes he knew earlier on the way to this successful acquisition.
Matthew Wensing, the entrepreneurial mind behind Riskpulse, achieved remarkable success by leading the company to a prosperous acquisition. As the Founder and CEO at Summit, he continues his entrepreneurial journey, pioneering innovative solutions.
Links from the Pod:
Apply for Director of Marketing and Operations for MicroConf
MicroConf Connect
Watch this video on YouTube
Quiet Light Brokerage
TinySeed
Episode 489 | 15 Years to a SaaS Exit (Plus Why Forecasting is Crucial)
Summit
Everstream Analytics (formerly Riskpulse)
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Struggling to get your side hustle off the ground? Don't make these HUGE beginner mistakes...
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Remote – Early Stage SaaS Strategies
Apply for Director of Marketing and Operations for MicroConf
Watch this video on YouTube
Startups For the Rest of Us
Episode 685 | 7 Things You Should Never Do (A Rob Solo Adventure)
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
In the SaaS business world, understanding platform risk is key for every founder. This BIG risk can bring both opportunities and challenges but it's often the most overlooked part of SaaS success so make sure you watch this video to protect yourself and avoid costly mistakes.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Remote – Early Stage SaaS Strategies
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf US
CartHook
Rally
Jordan Gal
The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Starting a SaaS business or trying to scale one? These will make or break your SaaS success...
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Remote – Early Stage Saas Strategies
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Connect
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together
TinySeed
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
We're unpacking the remarkable journey of Laura Roeder, founder of MeetEdgar. Discover how her SaaS business strategies propelled MeetEdgar to a 7-figure SaaS exit. We'll delve into the strategies behind her success and the innovative approach that set her apart in the competitive tech landscape.
Laura Roeder is the innovative mind behind MeetEdgar, a social media automation platform. As the founder, her visionary leadership propelled the company to success, empowering users to streamline content sharing.
With a passion for entrepreneurship and marketing, Laura's journey began with her expertise in online marketing strategies, later inspiring her to create MeetEdgar. Her dedication continues to revolutionize how businesses manage and optimize their social media presence, making her a trailblazer in the industry.
Links from the Pod:
Apply for Tinyseed Feb 12th through Feb 25th
Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024
Watch this video on YouTube
Quiet Light Brokerage
Quiet Light
MeetEdgar
Paperbell
The Art of Selling Your Business by John Warrillow
Before the Exit by Dan Andrews
Built To Sell
SureSwift Capital
Big Band
Exactly How I Cold Emailed My Way to A Life-Changing Exit (And You Can Too)
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Grow your SaaS faster with this one simple adjustment. This may seem simple, but it works, and I've seen it work time and time again across many industries. Will you try it?
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Apply for TinySeed Spring 2024
Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024
Watch this video on YouTube
Startups For the Rest of Us
Gymdesk
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
If you're looking for SaaS ideas, this one's for you. I share five genius SaaS (Software as a Service) ideas that I would personally build if I had the chance. If you're looking for inspiration or considering a venture into the SaaS industry, don't miss these brilliant ideas...
Links from the Pod:
Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Connect
Nugget
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
This might just be the ultimate SaaS marketing strategy. It sets a whole new standard for the industry. Let's explore this new game-changing marketing strategy because I fully believe this is redefining SaaS success...
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Join us for the the next MicroConf US
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Remote
The SaaS Playbook
TinySeed
Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Are you ready to be inspired by success stories in the world of SaaS? Join us as we dive into the incredible journey of Derrick Reimer, who turned a $128k bootstrap investment into a remarkable SaaS exit. Learn about the strategies, challenges, and key insights that led to his impressive success.
Derrick Reimer is a seasoned entrepreneur and software developer with a passion for building SaaS products. With a deep understanding of the industry, he successfully bootstrapped and later exited a SaaS business, showcasing his business acumen and determination.
Derrick is also known for his expertise in product development, which he shares through his podcast and as the co-founder of Level. His story is a testament to the power of persistence and innovative thinking in the tech world.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Sponsorships
Watch this video on YouTube
Quiet Light Brokerage
Quiet Light
Codetree
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Running a SaaS business can be rewarding, but also difficult. From customer retention to scaling hurdles, this video delves into solutions and strategies to address most SaaS founders common problems...
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect is Open
Call for Pitches
Watch this video on YouTube
MicroConf Connect
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Is your work-life balance feeling completely out of sync? Learn these practical work strategies to regain control, reduce stress, and prioritize your well-being as a founder. Whether you're overwhelmed with work or struggling to find time for yourself, watch this video for simpler answers to these problems...
Links from the Pod:
The State of Indie SaaS Survey
MicroConf Mastermind Program
Watch this video on YouTube
Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast
MicroConf On Air Podcast
MicroConf Connect
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together
Dr. Sherry Walling's YouTube Channel
MicroConf Connect
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Ever wondered how to bootstrap a company to a profitable multimillion dollar exit? Patrick Campbell, founder of ProfitWell, shares his path of building a successful SaaS company without external funding or venture capital - and how he was able to sell it for $200,000,000 in just a few years - in today's special SaaS success case study episode.
Links from the Pod:
Join us for the the next MicroConf US
MicroConf Masterminds
Patrick Campbell | Twitter
ProfitWell
Paddle
Pricing Page Teardown
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Looking to start your own software (SaaS) business? These SaaS ideas are perfect for solo founders. From project management tools to niche industry solutions, I'll discuss these potential SaaS products to help you kickstart your entrepreneurial journey with your first SaaS startup...
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect is Open
The SaaS Playbook
Pat Walls (@thepatwalls) | X
SponsorLeads
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Are you struggling to find a cofounder for your startup? In this video, I'll guide you through the 8 steps to help you find a reliable cofounder for your SaaS startup or business. These practical startup tips and strategies will ensure you find your perfect cofounder match! Make sure you stick around to the end to learn the biggest question you should ask yourself before looking for a co-founder.
Links from the Pod:
eCommerceFuel
Rhodium Weekend
Dynamite Circle
Indie Hackers
CoFoundersLab
StartHawk
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Struggling to decide between bootstrapping or seeking funding like venture capital, investment rounds, seed rounds, or something else to get your startup off the ground? In this video, I discuss the pros & cons of both approaches. Discover the advantages of self-sufficiency with bootstrapping SaaS, and the potential growth opportunities that come with SaaS funding instead.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Register Now for MicroConf US
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Apply to TinySeed
Is the era of remote work coming to an end? In this video, I delve into the reasons why working from home is dying and reveal why it could be a positive turn for entrepreneurs and business owners. I also discuss how SaaS founders stand to benefit from these changes.
Episode Sponsor:
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Connect is Open
TinySeed
Dynamite Jobs
We Work Remotely
Authentic Jobs
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Have you ever messed up in your SaaS business? If you did, would you know how to handle it? We found ourselves in this exact situation this video reveals how we found out, how we fixed things, exactly what we did to improve our data security, and how we used this big mistake as an opportunity to improve all our SaaS sales and systems tenfold.
Links from the PodMicroConf US - Atlanta
MicroConf.com/Sell
Startups for the Rest of Us Podcast
GlitchSecure
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Wondering how to get into AI SaaS? In this video, I explore innovative SaaS ideas that leverage artificial intelligence. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or a startup entrepreneur, this video provides valuable information to kickstart your SaaS business in the realm of AI.
Episode SponsorThis week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the PodCall for Pitches
MicroConf Local | Austin
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Check out these AI blog articles8 AI Nightmares & ChatGPT Cautionary Tales That All Founders Should Know About
What SaaS founders need to know about artificial intelligence
Wondering where to begin with your SaaS startup? Starting a business and diving into entrepreneurship can be exciting and a bit overwhelming. So, make sure to ask yourself this question before you start building SaaS products. Knowing the answer to this question will help keep your vision strong while building and launching a SaaS product.
Links from the Pod:MicroConf Connect
The 4-Hour Workweek
Big Enough by Lee Lefever
ScrapingBee | Twitter
TinySeed Portfolio
MicroConf Upcoming Events
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Want shortcuts for SaaS success? Well, I discovered 4 SaaS cheat codes that will help up level your SaaS business. Don't miss out on what took me 15 years to discover. Build your startup with these now!
Episode SponsorThis week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the PodThe State of Independent SaaS Survey
MicroConf Local | Austin
MicroConf Connect
The SaaS Playbook
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Wondering whether to beta test your SaaS or go straight to market? In this video, I'll share with you the pros & cons of SaaS beta testing and direct market launches for your software products to help you make the right decision.
Links From The PodMicroConf Remote | Early Stage Marketing
MicroConf Connect
The SaaS Playbook
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
How are you going to stay ahead of AI or build it into your SaaS business? In the rapidly evolving era of AI, SaaS founders face unique challenges to ensure the success of their startup. This video explores 7 things SaaS founders should prepare for...
Episode Sponsor:
Lemon Hire
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 “MicroConf” to receive $2000 off your first hire.
Links From The Pod:
MicroConf Remote: Early Stage SaaS Marketing
8 AI Nightmares & ChatGPT Cautionary Tales That All Founders Should Know About
What SaaS founders need to know about artificial intelligence
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
I've started many successful SaaS companies in my career, but now I'm revealing how I raised $108K on Kickstarter in just a couple weeks as part of my latest book release - The SaaS Playbook. Here's how I used Kickstarter to raise over $100k fast...
Episode Sponsor
Lemon.io
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links From The Pod
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
Start Small Stay Small
Order The SaaS Playbook
Kickstarter Landing Page
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Considering building your SaaS business with no code SaaS apps? Make sure you know the risks. Choosing a no code platform for your SaaS startup can be awesome, but it doesn't come without risks. Watch this video for the #1 mistake no code SaaS founder make so you don't fall into the trap!
Links From The Pod
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Bubble Pricing Announcement
Ab Advany | Twitter
MicroConf Connect
SaaS ideas are helpful... but here are 7 new APP ideas for developers that will make whoever builds them very wealthy this year. In this video I'm sharing some of my favorite software ideas inspired by our friends over at Nugget.one.
These SaaS opportunities won't disappoint, but act fast before someone else does...
Links From The Pod
MicroConf US Tickets
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Nugget.one
Worried AI is going to replace your job or put you out of business? Where exactly is artificial intelligence going to take us? There are so many misconceptions about this, so here are 5 things every SaaS founder / app developer should know about AI right now...
LINKS FROM THE PODMicroConf Connect is Open
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
We got hacked and our IPs were blacklisted! These experienced hackers almost cost us millions in revenue because of one cybersecurity loophole, so here are 5 lessons I learned from this scary experience in hopes it helps you avoid the same...
EPISODE SPONSORThis week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
LINKS FROM THE PODStartups For the Rest of Us
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
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/.
If you're a SaaS, tech or app founder - these 12 books are a must read. Which ones would you add to this list?
All 12 Books: 1: Traction
2: Founding Sales
3: The Mom Test
4: Hello Web Design
5: Who
6: The Art of Selling Your Business
7: The 1-Page Marketing Plan
8: Buy Back Your Time
9: Obviously Awesome
10: The SaaS Playbook
11: Deploy Empathy
12: Zero to Sold
LINKS FROM THE POD: The Future of MicroConf
TinySeed Applications
Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
I turned $31k into $1M after flipping this SaaS product. Here's how I did it...
LINKS FROM THE POD:The Future of MicroConf
TinySeed Applications
The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Whether you're a beginner developer or expert developer building SaaS tools and apps, this is a MUST watch video!
You may have built websites and clients projects but SaaS is its own animal. It's challenging and complicated but these 8 "need to know" things will help your building and scaling process go much smoother.
LINKS FROM THE POD: The Future of MicroConf
TinySeed Applications
The SaaS Playbook
Derrick Reimer
Phil Freo
Casey Allen
Gerard Braud
Rob Walling
Jack Ellis
John Ndege
Startups For the Rest of Us | Ep 602
Start Small, Stay Small
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
What is SOC 2? You need this if you're going after enterprise sales! For SaaS startups, SOC2 compliance is essential to establishing trust with customers and investors. Use this SOC 2 compliance checklist to get started.
Episode Sponsor: This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from Pod: Ruben Gamez | Twitter
Signwell
MicroConf SOC2 Checklist
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Were you a part of the tech layoffs and wondering where to go from here? Listen to this episode to explore how you can become more self sustaining so you don't have to rely on big tech companies to pay your salary. If you got fired during big tech layoffs, this is what to do next...
LINKS IN POD: 70 SaaS Marketplaces to Build an Step One Business
Quiet Light Brokerage
Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
These are the most important SaaS sales and marketing metrics that every founder must track! These conversion metrics - like MRR, ARR, CAC, churn rate, ACV and expansion revenue among a few others - will help you take your startup to the next level when tracked properly.
LINKS FROM THE POD Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Want to grow your SaaS this year but unsure how to position your brand for better results? These SaaS positioning strategies will help set your SaaS brand up for massive growth in 2023.
LINKS FROM THE POD: Watch this on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Don't know how to code but have a great idea for a startup? You may have heard of no code SaaS - but is it real or all hype? Watch now to learn the pros and cons of no code SaaS and the ideas no code is great for.
Episode Sponsor
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod The SaaS Playbook
Watch this Video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Looking at starting a SaaS business but not sure where to start? Growing a startup from scratch doesn't have to be so hard that you lose excitement and burn out fast. Here are 8 simplified steps on how to build a SaaS from scratch.
Links from the Pod The SaaS Playbook
Watch this Video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Looking for more SaaS ideas? Here are some to build right now to start generating $10k+ MRR. Finding SaaS opportunities isn't always the easiest. I'm happy to be able to give you some simple SaaS ideas in this video.
Links from the Pod:
The SaaS Playbook
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
Make thousands more in monthly recurring revenue and by using this SaaS cheat code. This is our favorite way to generate more revenue even when you're not bringing in more customers.
Episode Sponsor: This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod: Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
The SaaS Playbook
SaaS Pricing Models Explained in 5 Minutes
In this Q&A session from MicroConf US 2023, a team from Quiet Light Brokerage, including Chuck Mullins, Jon Hainstock, and Chris Guthrie, answer attendee questions about selling, and preparing to sell, a B2B SaaS business.
They also talk about their 4 pillars of business value when it comes to selling a business.
Thanks to our partner Quiet Light for being a MicroConf headline partner!
Links from the Pod: * Quiet Light Brokerage * The EXITPreneur's Playbook
Wondering how to recession proof your SaaS business? Here are 7 things to do right now to protect your cash flow, profit margins, investments and revenue in 2023.
Episode Sponsor: This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Podcast: Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
ChatGPT is an Open AI tool you need to check out! Here are 8 ways you can use ChatGPT in your SaaS or startup operations. These major opportunities can help with speed, copywriting, basic coding, customer support, knowledge bases and more.
Links from the Pod:* MicroConf Europe * Watch this video on YouTube * Subscribe to the MicroConf Youtube Channel
"Should I quit my startup?" Choosing to close a business is never easy but it may be time for a fresh start. Here are 6 signs it's time to move on from a failed startup.
Episode Sponsor:This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:* MicroConf Europe * Watch this video on YouTube * Subscribe to the MicroConf Youtube Channel
Struggling to grow your SaaS? In this talk from MicroConf Europe 2022, Marc Thomas, Head of Growth at Powered By Search, shares hard-earned lessons from scaling his own startup and helping hundreds of other SaaS companies achieve rapid growth.
Marc lays out his Predictable Growth framework, identifying 9 essential levers for success including attracting high-quality leads, building authority, optimizing your sales funnel, engaging website visitors, and boosting conversion rates.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Europe - Tickets are on sale now!
Get the slides here
Watch this talk on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Launching a SaaS business in 2023 and still looking for an idea? Well, here are 7 SaaS ideas to build in 2023! These are new SaaS ideas that I am surprised no one has built yet so much sure to take advantage of these ideas now.
Episode Sponsor:
Lemon.io
This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs at competitive rates. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks working with their engineers. https://lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
The 5 P.M. Idea Validation Framework
Nugget.one
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Plateauing in your business? Break through any SaaS revenue plateau with this simple solution, plus prevent future revenue plateaus with a quick calculation. Troubleshooting and proactively preventing your next plateau will happen you will reduce churn and increase revenue.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
ChatGPT, GPT-4, OpenAI and all the rest... You've no doubt heard of the AI tools rolling out. But is it all good? This real life case study reveals the dangers of AI, how AI tools can either help or hurt your business growth and SaaS apps or services, and what to do moving forward...
Check out this blog post with 7 more AI nightmares:
https://microconf.com/latest/ai-nightmares-and-chatgpt-cautionary-tales
Links from the Pod:
OpenCage Blog Post
OpenCage Twitter
Hacker News Post
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
In this episode, Rob Walling recounts building a multi-million dollar startup with $0 venture capital... Rob walks you through his journey of building Drip, and his step-by-step process for growing a profitable startup, plus how to build it from Day 1 so it actually sells.
Listen to the end to hear his BIGGEST regret!
Links from the Pod:
Back The SaaS Playbook on Kickstarter
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
If you've been laid off from a big tech company, you may be considering starting your own business. But is it the right move for you? In this podcast, we'll explore the reasons to start a business, reasons not to, and four tips to increase your chance of success.
Links from the Pod:
Back The SaaS Playbook on Kickstarter
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
In this podcast, recorded at a MicroConf Local in Austin, Jason Cohen sits down with Rob Walling for a fireside chat at the WP Engine headquarters. The cover a range of topics including:
- Finding Product Market Fit
- Understanding how customers think about pricing and how to get them to pay more
- Identifying the Right Metrics
- Using Excitement as a Reason to Do Something
If you haven't seen Jason's talk, Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business , on our YouTube Channel, you should.
Links from the Pod:
Back The SaaS Playbook on Kickstarter
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
You got your first 100 customers, now what? How do you continue getting customers and keep them long term to reduce churn? Get more SaaS users with these simple strategies for scaling SaaS beyond 1000 customers.
Links from the Pod:
The SaaS Playbook
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Watch this video on YouTube
In this audio from MicroConf Remote 5.0, Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at Sparktoro, discusses the how content marketing trending more and more toward zero-click content.
Amanda gives away 3 methods for creating zero-click content from your existing long form content.
Links from the Pod:Get your ticket for MicroConf Remote 6.0
Amanda Natividad | Twitter
Sparktoro
Get the slides from this talk
The crash of Silicon Valley Bank has a lot of founders on edge, and rightly so!
While the FDIC and the Federal Reserve have announced that they will step in and guarantee all deposits, even those above the FDIC threshold, there's still much to be sorted out in the coming days.
In this audio pulled from a YouTube livestream on Monday, March 13th, Rob Walling and Einar Vollset, co-founders of TinySeed, a startup accelerator, will be going live for about 30 minutes to chat about the impact this news will have on startups, why the guarantee of deposits was necessary, and what steps you might consider to protect your startup going forward.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Remote
MicroConf US
Watch the replay of this livestream on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
Rob Walling | Twitter
Einar Vollset | Twitter
In this audio from MicroConf Remote 5.0, Eran Galperin, founder of GymDesk, chats with Rob Walling about leveraging Capterra to find more customers for your SaaS app.
Links from the Pod:Get your ticket for MicroConf Remote 6.0
Eran Galperin | Twitter
GymDesk
Get the slides from this talk
GymDesk's Capterra Page
In this talk from MicroConf Remote 5.0, Gia Laudi of Forget the Funnel walks through using customer surveys and Jobs to Be Done interviews to discover how your product helps your best customers, so that you can find more of those ideal customers.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Remote 6.0: March 21 + 22, 2023 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM ET
Gia Laudi | Twitter
Forget the Funnel
Get the slide deck
In this talk from MicroConf Growth US 2022, Rob Walling walks through 31 quick tactics for that get outsized results in your business. The tactics are broken up into the following categories:
- Growth
- Product
- Productivity
- Operations
Get the slide deck here:
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf US 2023
Get the slide deck here
Rob Walling I Twitter
If Rob was starting over today, here's 3 steps he'd take to $1M+ revenue.
In this audio from a recent YouTube video, Rob breaks down his stair step approach to bootstrapping a SaaS business. Check out his original article here: The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
Links from Pod:
List of SaaS Marketplaces
Episode 612 of Startups for the Rest of Us
Start Small, Stay Small
Watch the video version on YouTube
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
In this talk from MicroConf US 2022, Dr. Sherry Walling gives a keynote about the hard, less often talked about aspects of exiting a business.
It's important to mentally prepare for an selling your business and she delivers a masterclass on going through the process with grace.
Want to attend the next MicroConf to see talks like this? Head to microconf.com/events
Links from this pod:
Dr. Sherry Walling I Twitter
MicroConf US 2023- Denver, CO April 16-18
Mastermind Matching applications are now open.
Whether you are in the process of validating your SaaS idea and looking for product-market fit to finding a scalable marketing channel, or maybe you are looking for an extra dose of accountability and support as you grow the company, joining a mastermind can help.
With hundreds of successful matches under our belt, we have brought together founders from all walks of life, from over 50 countries across 20 time zones, with a collective $150M+ in ARR.
To do this, we focus on a number of key data points to get a feel for each entrepreneur’s experience level, expectations, work and personality styles, and other key criteria that allow us to make informed matches, including:
- Location
- Time zone
- Language
- Experience Level
- Current Revenue Level
- Goals
- Skill Set
- Industry served
- Whether or not this is your first business
- If you already have 1 or more established businesses (like an agency) and building a SaaS as a 2nd business, etc.
We’ve also made some big updates to the content in our mastermind program, including adding a series of 3 mentor sessions to tackle topics and challenges you are likely to experience based on where you are currently at with your business. These mentor sessions range from how to structure and get the most value out of your mastermind to mastering customer interviews, building a marketing flywheel, and hiring and onboarding your first few employees.
For those of you who sign up for a mastermind and are doing more than $500k in ARR, you’ll be invited to attend three virtual office hours with Rob Walling, Co-Founder of TinySeed + MicroConf & Einar Vollset, Co-Founder of TinySeed.
Links from the Show: MicroConf Masterminds*
Should you build a B2B or B2C business model? What are the main differences between B2B and B2C SaaS?
In this audio pulled from a recent YouTube video, Rob explains how business-to-business and business-to-consumer SaaS models work and which will make you the most profit... Choose wisely.
Links from the pod:
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
In this talk from MicroConf US 2022, Patty Radford Henderson gives an attendee talk about how to integrate marketing into the different phases of building a business.
Want to attend the next MicroConf? Head to microconf.com/events
Links from this pod:
MicroConf US 2023- Denver, CO April 16-18
MicroConf Mastermind Matching
In her talk at MicroConf Growth US last year, Anna Maste walks through how she and her mother used community to grow Boondockers Welcome.
Anna shares the 3 things that fostered amazing growth, even without a big marketing budget.
Links from the pod:Anna Maste I Twitter
MicroConf Growth US 2023: Denver, CO | April 16 - 18, 2023
MicroConf Accountability Challenge
Why do so many startups fail?
In this audio, pulled from a recent YouTube video, Rob chats about the #1 reason he sees startups fail. It’s a relatively simple one to avoid, so don't make this common mistake! Listen until the end to also find out the #2 reason startups fail so you can avoid that too.
Links from the pod:Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
In her talk at MicroConf Growth US this year, April Dunford breaks down how to help your prospects buy your products. She explores how difficult it is for buyers to buy products, especially if they don't purchase your type of product on a regular basis. Your job is to help your customers make sense out of your offering, and to be a guide to help them purchase.
April is the author of Obviously Awesome, a solid book that helps founders nail their positioning.
Links from the pod:April Dunford I Twitter
Obviously Awesome
In this episode, Rob lays out 7 SaaS ideas you can build right now + 1 bonus idea at the end.
This audio was pulled from a video on our YouTube Channel. Subscribe to the channel to catch future ideas as soon as they come out.
Links from the podcastWatch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel
In this talk from MicroConf Growth US 2022, Andrew Amann, CEO of NineTwoThree Studio, shares how he and his team reacted to the news of war starting in Ukraine. Supporting 25 team members based in Ukraine while also keeping up with the client work was no small task.
Links from the pod
Andrew Amann | Twitter
NineTwoThree Studio
MicroConf Growth | Denver, CO | April 16 - 18, 2023
Looking to build a SaaS team full of superstars? Hire right the first time with these 5 secrets to hiring top tier talent.
Hiring for your startup can be a game changer with how far and fast you can grow.
In this pod, we share the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos.
LINKS FROM THE POD: Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
What happens when you've grown and it's clear you've got many market segments? How do you balance them all? Or do you say "screw it" and niche somehow?
In this talk from MicroConf Growth 2022, Asia Orangio of Demand Maven breaks down how you can bring more focus and zen to your GTM efforts — especially if your product has many use cases and verticals.
Links from this pod: Asia Orangio I Twitter
Demand Maven
Stop wasting money! These SaaS startup mistakes can be avoided.
In this pod, we share the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos. Rob outlines the top 11 ways he see startups waste their money in the early stages so you can avoid the same costly mistakes.
Links from the Pod: Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Rob Walling I Twitter
Rob Walling recently caught up with Ben Chestnut, Co-Founder of Mailchimp at our MicroConf Local Atlanta event.
Ben and Rob chat about the founding story of Mailchimp, bootstrapping Mailchimp to $12 billion, and the decision to sell to Intuit.
They discuss everything from areas of focus as a founder, making freemium work, overcoming catastrophic server crashes, and the power of having a great team.
Enjoy this wide ranging talk with Ben Chestnut!
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/microconf
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 listeners of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visitinglemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod: * Ben Chestnut | Twitter * Mailchimp * Rob Walling | Twitter
Distributing startup equity among founders can be tricky. You want to make sure each startup founder is getting compensation for everything they’re doing.
In this pod, we share the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos. Rob talks about how to distribute startup equity fairly for founders.
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/microconf
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 listeners of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visitinglemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod: * Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel * View this video on YouTube * MicroConf Connect * The Slicing Pie Handbook by Mike Moyer * Rob Walling | Twitter
In this talk from MicroConf Growth Europe 2021, Pierre de Wulf of ScrapingBee walks through 6 key mistakes he made on his journey from a failed startup to building a profitable SaaS.
ScrapingBee is now over $1.5 million in ARR.
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/microconf
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 MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/microconf
Links from the pod: ScrapingBee
MicroConf Youtube Channel
MicroConf Europe Tickets- Malta I Nov 15-17, 2022
Pierre de Wulf I Twitter
Churn can make or break your startup. In this pod (pulled from one of our YouTube videos), Rob Walling answers the question "what is churn?" and goes into detail on different ways to reduce it in your startup.
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io
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 listeners of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod: * MicroConf Remote 5.0: Early Stage Marketing Strategies * Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel * View this video on YouTube * Watch the video case study on how Rob reduced churn while building Drip * MicroConf Connect * Rob Walling | Twitter
In this Refresh Episode, Rob Walling chats with Rand Fishkin at our recent MicroConf Local event in Seattle.
They chat about the ups and downs of building (and selling) Moz, building SparkToro, and yes, they even dig into a bit of D&D.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Local: Atlanta October 18, 2022
MicroConf Local: Austin November 30, 2022
Rand Fishkin I Twitter
Lost and Founder
Rob Walling I Twitter
Customer acquisition funnels for SaaS startups work differently than other businesses.
In this pod (pulled from one of our YouTube videos) Rob Walling breaks down everything you need to know about acquiring customers for your SaaS product. From customer acquisition cost (CAC) to customer acquisition strategy, make sure you're doing the right things to get more customers.
Links from the Pod: * MicroConf Local: Atlanta on October 18, 2022 * Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel * View this video on YouTube * MicroConf Connect * Rob Walling | Twitter
Building or scaling a startup? Here are 16 lessons I learned building a million dollar software business.
This is the audio from one of our YouTube videos, in which Rob talk about growing a startup to over $1M in revenue. It isn’t an easy feat, but by learning these lessons faster and avoiding these costly beginner mistakes, growing your SaaS or software business wont be as hard!
Links from the Pod: * MicroConf Local: Atlanta on October 18, 2022 * Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel * View this video on YouTube * State of Independent SaaS Report * MicroConf Connect * Stair Step Approach to Bootstrapping * TinySeed, the MicroConf Fund + Accelerator: Pre-Seed Funding for B2B SaaS Businesses * The Bootstrapper’s Guide to Outside Funding: The Top 5 Funding Options for Bootstrapped SaaS Founders from Pre-Seed to Venture Capital * Rob Walling | Twitter
In this talk from MicroConf Growth Europe 2021, Laura Roeder talks through making hard decisions and restructuring MeetEdgar.
Laura went on to sell MeetEdgar at the end of 2021.
Links from the pod: Watch this talk on YouTube
MicroConf Youtube Channel
MicroConf Europe Tickets- Malta I Nov 15-17, 2022
Laura Roeder I Twitter
You need to be tracking these specific SaaS metrics in your business if you want it to succeed and grow!
This is the audio from one of our YouTube videos that goes over the essential key performance indicators (aka KPIs) that you need to know in order to improve your SaaS product metrics.
From churn rate to LTV to CAC and more, let's go through the SaaS KPIs that matter most.
Links from the Pod: MicroConf Europe Tickets- 15-17 November, 2022 I Malta
Watch the original video here
Rob Walling | Twitter
In this talk from MicroConf Growth Europe 2021, Rob Walling gives a wide ranging talk on all things pricing.
Topics covered include: * Expansion Revenue * ARPC, not LTV * The Impact of Raising Prices * How to Raise Prices
Links from the pod: Watch the video version of this talk
MicroConf Youtube Channel
MicroConf Europe Tickets- Malta I Nov 15-17, 2022
Rob Walling I Twitter
Should you build a micro SaaS product? And will your micro SaaS idea actually be profitable?
This pod is from a recent video on our YouTube Channel in which Rob walks you through everything you need to know about new and emerging micro SaaS business models so you can decide if it's right for you!
Links from the pod:
MicroConf Europe in Malta- November 15-17, 2022
68 B2B SaaS Marketplaces Article from RocketGems.com
MicroConf Youtube Channel
Rob Walling I Twitter
In this talk from MicroConf Growth EU 2021, Sabba Keynejad walks through his journey of building Veed from 0 to $5M ARR in 2 years.
While the growth was quick, Sabba says that this was a "overnight success, ten years in the making".
Listen along to follow his incredible startup story and to hear his 6 tactics to help you grow your own SaaS.
Links from the pod:
MicroConf Youtube Channel
MicroConf Europe Tickets
Sabba Keynejad I Twitter
Veed.io
Starting a SaaS business with no money is hard, but not impossible. In this episode, we are sharing the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos in which Rob outlines what steps you should take if funds are tight but you have a great SaaS product idea.
You may want to consider startup funding options, but that's not always necessary, so in this video I'm going through what you can do to get started today in tech, startups and SaaS business - even with a shoestring budget.
Watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/huyDp-zWpxg
Links from the pod:
Rob's article on the Stair Step Approach to Bootstrapping:
https://robwalling.com/2015/03/26/the-stairstep-approach-to-bootstrapping/
Bootstrapper's Guidebook to Outside Funding
According to our 2021 State of Independent SaaS report, nearly 30% of founders said they were actively considering some form of outside funding. To help understand the options, we have recently released the Bootstrapper's Guidebook to Outside Funding. Check it out at microconf.com/funding-guide
In this episode, we are sharing the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos in which Rob Walling dives into 10 SaaS mistakes to avoid. You'll learn how to shortcut your success with the fundamentals of what's needed for SaaS growth. He'll be going over SaaS marketing tips, bootstrapping, MRR, and more.
Watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/8Jjb7fPV6PQ
Bootstrapper's Guidebook to Outside Funding
According to our 2021 State of Independent SaaS report, nearly 30% of founders said they were actively considering some form of outside funding. To help understand the options, we have recently released the Bootstrapper's Guidebook to Outside Funding. Check it out at microconf.com/funding-guide
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
If you run a SaaS business, you need to know how to get customers. Getting customers for your tech startup can be one of the hardest parts of starting a SaaS company.
In this week's episode, we are sharing the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos in which Rob covers 3 basic things you need to do to get your first 100 customers for your product.
If you'd like to see the original video head over to https://youtu.be/QviDwsMLXb0
According to our 2021 State of Independent SaaS report, nearly 30% of founders said they were actively considering some form of outside funding. To help understand the options, we have recently released the Bootstrapper's Guidebook to Outside Funding. Check it out at microconf.com/funding-guide
In this talk from MicroConf Remote 3.0, Jay Clouse discuss the Tweet100 community and challenge that encourages folks to increase their engagement and voice through Twitter. He built the community, the challenge, and page using no-code tools. You don’t need to build a marketing operation within your stack - no-code can solve most of the challenges you have.
Get the Deck
___________
Upcoming Events:
MicroConf Local: Chicago on June 21, 2022
MicroConf Local: Denver on June 23, 2022
Get more info here
In this episode of On-Air, Jesse Mecham, the founder of You Need A Budget, joins @RobWalling to chat about why core values and culture truly matter. Jesse also gives an update on how YNAB has grown since he gave his talk at MicroConf in 2014.
If you haven't seen the talk, you should check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw8N7YrBM4o
Any SaaS founder can tell you that implementing feature requests can be a major drain on their resources. But they are a great way to nurture your relationship with your users. Jessica will walk you through the build of a feature request (our MicroConf Connect wiki!), how it can be quickly build and deployed, and how you can use the tools to build MVP’s for your most requested features.
- https://microconf.squarespace.com/s/MicroConf-Remote-30-building-internal-tools-with-no-code-1.pdf
Links from this podcast:
- Jessica Malnik
- Get the slide deck
- Tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale
A Rob Q+A Solo Adventure! Rob Walling answered listener questions live from MicroConf Connect (https://microconfconnect.com).
Topics Covered:
- What are three key tips for pre-launch, pre-revenue to make sure that you absolutely must do?
- What has the body of a Unicorn and the head of a Pegasus?
- How was launching Tiny Seed Tales different than Startups for the Rest of Us podcast? What's changed in terms of "podcast launch strategy" since then?
- How to deal with anxiety when launching starting something new?
- Picking Customer Pain for my companies segment, as opposed to Competitor Pain and general observations about SaaS for non-technical customers.
- If Rob was starting over today and trying to find a ".Net invoicing" to acquire and iterate on, where would he look?
- Where should the balance fall between domain knowledge, industry connections and general sales skills when hiring your first sales person?
- What is the best thing to do if revenue has plateaued?
- What advice do you have for staying positive in spite of frequent fires caused by platform risk?
- How to find a good SaaS idea?
Links and books from this episode:
- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
- List of SaaS Marketplaces
- If you are interested in speaking at any MicroConf event, head to microconf.com/call-for-speakers and fill out the form.
- Tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale here: https://microconf.com/local-london
This episode is from MicroConf 3.0: No-Code. Jane Portman (@uibreakfast) shares how every customer success story begins with a streamlined, concise, and conscientious onboarding and nurturing experience.
In this talk, Jane will review a variety of no-code automation recipes you can implement as your users move from leads to trials to customers and beyond.
Links from the podcast:
UserList
Get the Slide Deck
Watch this talk on YouTube
Get your Tickets for MicroConf Remote
Come to MicroConf Local: London
UserList
In this episode, Rob Walling (@robwalling) chats with Tony Chan (@toeknee123) from CloudForecast.io about key takeaways from the recent MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis.
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Links from this pod:
Tickets for MicroConf Remote 4.0:$$$, on May 3-5th are on sale at microconf.com/remote
Also, tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale here: https://microconf.com/local-london
Cold outreach can be a painful, unyielding process that may leave you pulling out your hair. The real magic happens when you find a process that lets you ramp up the volume of your cold outreach campaign, and identify qualified leads to the to the top of that funnel. Andy will cover some of the key automation points in your cold outreach campaign and how no code can take some of the stress out of your sales cycle.
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Links from this pod:
Postaga: https://www.postaga.com/
Watch the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc-nTOiFBaM
See the slide deck: https://microconf.squarespace.com/s/How-to-Build-a-Cold-Outreach-Automation-System-Using-No-Code.pdf
Staying sane as an entrepreneur is not always easy. In this episode, Rob talks with Sherry Walling to chat about the habits of successful entrepreneurs.
This episode is sponsored by our Alternative Financing Partner, Pipe.
Do you need growth capital to scale, ramp up your marketing, and acquire new customers?
Pipe turns your recurring revenue into up-front growth capital within as little as 24 hours of being connected.
Pipe is a two-sided trading platform for recurring revenue that connects you directly to the capital markets. Simply sign up for free, securely connect your billing, banking, and accounting software with a couple of clicks, and Pipe will provide you with a trading limit in as little as 24hrs. Select the amount of capital you need, click trade, and get cash in your bank instantly. No 30 page business plans or founder due diligence - just growth capital based on the health of your business - perfect for time-strapped bootstrappers.
You can use your Piped revenue to grow your sales team, boost ad spend, and scale however you see fit. Pipe is growth on your terms.
And right now, MicroConf listeners get trading fees waived for 12 months which could save you tens of thousands of dollars depending on the size of your business and the volume you trade.
Sign up at http://www.pipe.com/MicroConf to start trading today.
Topics covered:
[3:45] Habit #1: Have a sense of intentionality in how you work
[6:45] Habit #2: Focus- avoid Shiny Object Syndrome
[7:45] Challenge with focus is the shadow side of a great entrepreneurial strength
[10:15] Habit #3: Invest in relationships
[13:45] Habit #4: Have something else to care about
[15:45] Getting better sleep & ‘turning off’ after a day of work
[16:45] Habit #5: Be willing to take risks and make mistakes
[19:45] De-risking the small things
[23:00] Habit #6: Move quickly
Books Mentioned in the Show:
Touching Two Worlds (https://www.touchingtwoworlds.com/) by Sherry Walling
Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together (https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Keeping-Your-Together/dp/0999651803) by Sherry Walling & Rob Walling
Why We Sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Matthew-Walker-audiobook/dp/B0752XRB5F) by Matthew Walker
Science of Sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Science-Sleep-What-Works-Matters/dp/022638716X) by Wallace B. Mendelson
SEO is a numbers game. High value keywords can be identified and pages can be optimized to grow in the ranks, but once you have a gold standard asset set for a keyword, you may be able to take that work you put into that optimization and multiply the effects by using programmatic SEO.
Nico will cover how he has built an SEO machine using no-code, how to hone in on a replicable keyword, and what mechanics you need to rank for as many variations under that keyword to own its multiplying effect. Get the Slides
Join the State of Independent SaaS Live Stream where we present the results of the 2022 report. We'll be broadcast live from MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis on Monday, April 4th at 10:15 AM! Register at stateofindiesaas.com and use the promo code: SOIS2022 to register for free!
If you are looking to start selling to customers and earning money on the internet - building a SaaS is rarely going to be the best way to get started. The Stair step Approach to Bootstrapping (microconf.com/stairstep) is a method that Rob Walling charted out in 2015 and it has helped thousands of entrepreneurs slowly build their chops online, find a way to buy back their time from an employer, and build a business that creates financial independence.
In today’s episode of MicroConf On Air, we’re going to take a look a prime example of the Stairstep Approach in Action by talking to Corey Haines (@CoreyHainesco https://twitter.com/coreyhainesco), who is currently leading Swipefiles (https://www.swipefiles.com/), a community focused on growth marketing strategies.
We’ll chat about Corey’s journey up the stair step method, from his two courses, content marketing as a funnel, community building to find his audience, and finally, his focus on SaaS marketing and increasing his prices to get to a position that has him Default Alive and building on the success of SwipeFiles.
Learn more about the stairstep approach straight from the source.
https://microconf.com/latest/the-stairstep-approach-to-bootstrapping
In this episode, you'll hear the following:
Corey's First Step: (9:20)
What SaaS ideas Cory would avoid (13:00)
How Corey acquired his marketing skills (16:45)
Advice for marketing to customers who aren't that active online (21:50)
Corey's Next Steps (29:05)
Advice for absolute SaaS beginners (40:00)
Leapfrogging early stair steps (41:30)
Advice to consultancy owner on starting the stairsteps (44:40)
Advice on translating websites (49:00)
Book mentioned in the show:
The Ultimate Sales Machine (https://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Sales-Machine-audiobook/dp/B000VRA0ZW/) by Chet Holmes
No-code is the word of the year, but the tools, processes, and ideas behind the movement have been around for years. As SaaS founders, we’ve been using no-code without calling it no-code for years.
In this talk, we’ll cover some of the history of automations and linking tools, how it has evolved into the no code movement it is today, and where we see it going in the years to come.
This recording is from MicroConf Remote 3.0. To see other past events and to get a copy of the slides, visit: https://microconf.com/remote
Want to come to our next MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis? Tickets will sell out soon: https://microconf.com/growth
Don't want to miss the next MicroConf Remote? Sign up for our mailing list: https://microconf.com/events
The Updated Survival Guide for Bootstrapping SaaS
A few years ago, Omar Zenhom shared the story of how it went from being broke with fewer than 300 people on his email list to having 14,000 paying customers and 1 million attendees for WebinarNinja in 5 years.
We recently caught up with him to hear what he's been up to with WebinarNinja since then.
In this podcast, you'll hear about the following:
Setting goals and managing growth projections (6:11)
How WebinarNinja fared in the spring of summer of 2020 (6:57)
The specific adjustments he made to the company structure when the pandemic first started back in 2020 (13:40)
How his team structure has evolved since 2019 (26:55)
Where he sees the webinar landscape heading in the next 3-5 years (33:05)
The most surprising thing he’s learned to date running WebinarNinja (37:16)
Relevant links mentioned in this episode:
https://twitter.com/TheOmarZenhom https://webinarninja.com/
https://100mba.net/ https://microconf.com/upcoming-events
How did Omar Zenhom go from being broke with fewer than 300 people on his email list to 14,000 paying customers and 1 million attendees in 5 years?
Omar speaks about his journey from 0 to 14,000 customers, launching his podcast The $100 MBA, which won several prestigious awards from iTunes, Forbes, and Fast Company) and the journey of bootstrapping WebinarNinja
The not-so-secret to his success was treating relationships as his biggest asset.
In this podcast, you'll hear about the following:
His early background when he had no traffic or audience
Why he pivoted and launched a 2nd podcast, The $100 MBA
How pain points he experienced with The S100 MBA led to the early idea behind WebinarNinja
Creating the initial MVP for WebinarMBA as a first-time SaaS founder who wasn't a professional developer
The compound effect of building and managing relationships at scale
Relevant links mentioned in this episode:
https://twitter.com/TheOmarZenhom
https://webinarninja.com/
https://100mba.net/
https://microconf.com/upcoming-events
https://microconfremote.com
With applications for our next round of companies to join the TinySeed Accelerator program in full swing, we are sitting down with Alex McQuade, Program Manager for TinySeed EMEA to talk about his goals for launching a successful EMEA focused accelerator for bootstrapped startup founders.
Alex McQuade has worked alongside hundreds of bootstrapped businesses, in addition to growing his own. He exited his business in 2020, and prior to that ran operations at the Dynamite Circle
Watch the live stream @ https://bit.ly/on-air-tinyseed-europe
Welcome to MicroConf - Where Independent SaaS Founders Launch, Meet, Learn, and Grow! MicroConf is the world’s most trusted community for bootstrapped SaaS founders.
MicroConf is a community of SaaS founders that brings together bootstrapped and independently-funded B2B SaaS companies who are not looking to chase “unicorn status'' or venture capital.
We provide SaaS training, education and networking opportunities for other founders who are pre-product, focused on scaling their business, and looking for an exit strategy.
MicroConf began almost a decade ago. Since then, we’ve hosted 19 events with nearly 200 speakers, helped thousands of attendees, and impacted tens of thousands more through our videos and online community.
Ready to take your SaaS startup to the next level? Check these out:
In Person Events:
https://microconf.com/upcoming-events
Change is tough. The decision to charge more for your software can be one of the biggest changes you can make - impacting your customers in a pretty meaningful way. This episode dives into the pricing and rebranding that his startup had to go through.
Eran Galperin is the founder of Gymdesk, online management software for gyms. He has been building tech companies since 2003 and has over 20 years of experience in software development and leading product teams.
Episode will cover: - How our value proposition changed over the years - Planning for and rolling out a pricing update - Reasons and considerations for a rebrand - Executing a rebrand and dealing with the fallout
This week, Rob is joined by Jessica Malnik, our MicroConf Community Manager, to talk about the future of MicroConf Connect, the community, and we introduce the MicroConf Accountability Challenge.
Join our January Accountability Challenge and get a head start on your 2022 goals.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This is a quote from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits. (Good read btw!)
The end of December and the beginning of January are a natural time to reflect and set goals.
These goals can provide the necessary vision and direction.
However, setting goals without a detailed plan for how you will hit them is a recipe for failure. The difference between smashing your goal and falling shot often lies in the tiny habits and wins along the way—the 5, 15, or 60 minutes you are spending each day directly focused on one thing that will help you reach your goal.
That’s what inspired the idea behind this community accountability challenge.
For the month of January, we’re going to post an accountability thread in the #hallway-track channel every Monday.
Join MicroConf Connect ➡️ https://microconfconnect.com
All you have to do is share one tiny thing you plan to accomplish this week that will get you one step closer to reaching your goal. :muscle:
Then, on Friday, when you complete that task, post about it in the #tiny-wins channel so we can cheer you on. :tada:
Here is an examples of what this could look like:
Let’s say your big, scary goal for 2022 is to Reduce churn by 10%. Trying to achieve this in a mont
Jordan Gal is the co-founder of Rally and Carthook. During his time building Carthook, he learned some hard lessons about building on an existing platform, challenges to overcome bootstrapping, and how to implement those lessons into your next business.
TinySeed, the MicroConf Startup Accelerator and Fund, announced their Investment Syndicate today.
Join the co-founders of TinySeed, Rob Walling and Einar Vollset, as we discuss what it means to be an investment syndicate, how it can help startup founders more broadly than our accelerator program, and more.
At TinySeed we operate several funds, all with the same underlying thesis: Invest broadly into the earliest stages of B2B SaaS companies worldwide.
Typically, the kinds of companies we back are early stage — usually, $3-15k MRR at the time of application (although the range is much wider) — and those investments join our year-long remote accelerator in batches. The TinySeed Funds do not invest directly into any TinySeed company that decides to raise additional funding (a so-called “follow-on” round), or make any other kinds of investments.
Asia Orangio walks you through some of the key areas you can find your best opportunities for Growth
We're talking with Bet Hannon about the in's and out's of accessible design in a digital landscape.
Rob and Sherry Walling dig into some of the key habits of successful entrepreneurs. MicroConf Remote Tickets are now on sale! Head over to MicroConfRemote.com
TinySeed, MicroConf's venture fund and SaaS accelerator, is launching their Fall 2021 accelerator batch this week.
Should you bootstrap your business or get venture capital? If you're a bootstrapping startup and things get tight, you may consider vc funding for startups instead. But is it the right move? Or maybe you did get venture capital, and now you're wishing you hadn't. In today's video, I'll help you understand both options so you can make the best decision for your SaaS business or startup.
What to Watch Next:
Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped SaaS ➡️ https://bit.ly/ideal-bootstrapped-saas
Building Your First Bootstrapped SaaS: The Ultimate Playlist ➡️https://bit.ly/build-your-first-saas
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E-mail ➡️ support@microconf.com MicroConf 2021
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We need your help! The 2022 State of Independent SaaS Survey is now live and we need as many eligible founders of B2B SaaS businesses to complete the survey. This survey will be used to create our third annual State of Independent SaaS report, offering recommendations, insights, and pitfalls critical to planning for a future in B2B SaaS. Venture funded businesses have a wealth of research and data helping them make decisions about the next steps they should take with their business - our community and niche of indie funded SaaS businesses shouldn't miss out on these best practices. Fill out the 2022 State of Independent SaaS survey today! microconf.com/state-of-indie-saas
Sujan is the founder of Mailshake and knows a few things about outbound sales. Sales shouldn't be scary. He covers 3 different strategies for leading sales as a founder, and offers some tips on how to maximize your conversions without burdening your in house resources.
Fill out the State of Independent SaaS report now at stateofindependentsaas.com and be entered into a drawing for a VIP MicroConf Growth US pack, including a ticket to the conference, up to $750 in airfare, and accommodations during the conference!
Platforms like Quora, Stack Overflow and Clarify.fm let you becoming the wisest, most sage advisor across the land. In this conversation between Mike and Rob, Mike will share how he tapped into authority building platforms to reach their earliest customers by providing insights and solutions to potential customers.
You know that you need product documentation to help your users level up their XP and get the most out of your SaaS. But did you know that you could also evolve your documentation to work harder as a lead magnet? Natalie will take you on an expert mode journey in converting these somewhat boring, mandatory pieces of copy into a content marketing strategy that makes it easier for your customer to find you.
It always helps to have a team behind you as you begin your next mission. Creating a partnership program with likeminded organizations and communities is a great way to get your product in front of potential customers and critical users. Leonardo will focus on his experience working with Start-Up Chile, 500 Startups México and others to help drive most of Lexgo’s early stage revenue.
A conversation between Ruben Gamez and Rob Walling. Learn how Ruben maxed out the benefits of his AppSumo offer, what customizations are needed to improve your posts, and the points to back up these recommendations.
Living at the #2 Spot on ProductHunt for January 2021, Derrick will take you on a look behind the success of his launch with SavvyCal.
An overview on early stage SaaS and software marketing strategies that can help you find your first customers.
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Captioning Made Possible By:
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Coming to you in the last 24 hours to apply for TinySeed!
Learn what joining a remote startup accelerator is like from Tony Chan, co-founder of CloudForecast.io, who was accepted into the Spring 2021 batch of TinySeed, the MicroConf Startup Accelerator and Fund.
https://microconfonair.com
Tony is a member of the MicroConf Connect community from launch and has been building CloudForecast, an AWS cost management tool that helps engineering teams monitor and eliminate wasted spend without spending. He is a 3x applicant to TinySeed, having applied over each of the application rounds.
TinySeed is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2021 batch of companies that we will welcome into our accelerator. If you'd like to apply, head over to https://tinyseed.com/apply
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Featured in this week's episode are two of our Attendee Talks, which were selected by the audience at MicroConf Europe:
How to Survive Building a Business and a Family at the Same Time
Jeppe Liisberg
"I am a father of three. I have a startup that is almost break-even and has been so for years. I have a job to make ends meet. I'm struggling but coping. I'll be talking about creating and maintaining a sustainable work-life balance in this context. You've heard it before: there's an opportunity in every crisis. I've been spending time practising that, building a startup and a family at the same time. I'll be talking about the hard prioritisations you have to make every day. And about adjusting ambition, balancing personal goals and values along the way. I'll be giving tips and tricks to cope with stress, conflict and motivation."
A Frank Talk About Fear and How to Deal With It
Sergey Koltov
"In the beginning of this year I moved to another country; my wife and I are expecting our first baby in a few months; a revenue growth is slower than I expected, and so on, and so on. As an owner of a small self-funded startup, I constantly feel pressure but this year has become the hardest ones. The fear of failure started hindering my abilities to make good decisions. In June I started to fight back. I'm still far from overcoming it, but there is a good progress. In this talk, I will share what I learned in the last few months, why it is important to deal with fear on a regular basis, and what practices I use or experimented with."
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#microconf #microconfeurope2019
MicroConf Europe 2019 - Attendee Talk
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The application for TinySeed’s Fall 2021 SaaS accelerator batch of startups will open for two weeks starting on August 9th, 2021.
Watch the video recording of the Fall 2021 Batch Info Session here: https://youtu.be/6dqTClonO2Y
Interested in applying? Join us for an info session with the TinySeed team to talk about the application process, what to expect as a member of TinySeed, and some of the things we are looking for in companies we welcome into the fold.
https://tinyseed.com
tinyseed
We’ve written a few posts that might be helpful if you’re considering applying:
— Our Fall 2021 application announcement: https://tinyseed.com/latest/tinyseeds-fall-2021-application-announcement
— Preview our Fall 2021 application and requirements in this overview: https://tinyseed.com/latest/2021-application-preview
— Curious about what it's like being a TinySeed founder?
Part 1 - https://tinyseed.com/latest/whats-it-like-being-a-tinyseed-founder
Part 2 - https://tinyseed.com/latest/part-2-tinyseed-founder
Watch the video recording at https://youtu.be/eRbQOuuW-FQ
MicroConf has been around for a decade now and do we have some stories. If you've ever had any questions about what it takes to produce MicroConf, how we pivoted from an in person event to a digital community, or any other random question you have about MicroConf in general, we'll get those answered for you.
https://microconfonair.com
Xander Castro is the Events Director for MicroConf. He joined the team back in 2014 as a freelance coordinator and has been producing MicroConf and MicroConf Europe ever since. In 2019, Xander was hired as a full time producer for the MicroConf and TinySeed team and has lead the charge on the expansion of the MicroConf brand, community, and digital presence ever since.
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In this talk at MicroConf Europe 2019, Rob Walling (TinySeed, previously founder at Drip) covers five specific marketing tactics that are working for SaaS companies today.
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#microconf #microconfeurope2019
Check out Rob’s MicroConf speakers page for more talks: https://microconf.com/speakers/rob-wa... Rob's homepage → https://robwalling.com
MicroConf Connect → http://microconfconnect.com
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E-mail → support@microconf.com
MicroConf 2021 Headline Partners
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Twitter → https://twitter.com/Stripe
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https://hey.com
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Build a SaaS app!" they said... "It'll be great!" they said...it turns out, running an online service Is a big pain in the SaaS. In this talk I will tell you all about designing, building, selling, scaling, maintaining and supporting balsamiq.cloud, the online version of Balsamiq Wireframes. I'll focus on 'the things they don't tell you' and even give you the dirt about a massive data-loss incident from May 2018. Fasten your seatbelts, there will be turbulence!
Giacomo 'Peldi' Guilizzoni is a programmer turned entrepreneur, who founded Balsamiq in 2008 and has been learning how to run and grow the company ever since. He has spoken at Microconf a few times along the way, to share his learnings and, mostly, his mistakes. He still loves to code, when he's allowed to by his team. :)
Check out Peldi’s MicroConf speakers page for more talks → https://microconf.com/speakers/peldi-...
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microconf #microconfeurope2019
MicroConf Europe 2019
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When Sabba Keynejad started VEED, he knew that he wanted to build the company as a bootstrapped business. Founded in 2018, the business has been growing steadily over the past 3 years, and with the boom in video content over the past year and a half, the impact was palpable.
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When you find yourself consulting on number of client projects, as a solo consultant, you might run into bandwidth issues that can slow your growth. Learn how Molly took her experience marketing for Real Estate Agencies and applied a subscription based SaaS model to that framework, allowing her to erase the boundaries and limits time placed on her.
https://microconfonair.com
Molly Wolchansky is the founder of The Agent Nest, a SaaS that provides print and social media marketing content for real estate agents. Before starting her SaaS, she ran a marketing company, published multiple poetry books through her publishing company, wrote plays that were produced around Dallas, created handmade gifts for her Etsy shop, copyedited novels for a publisher, freelanced for Texas magazines, read incoming new scripts at a production company, and even wrote a children's book called The Cactus and the Balloon. The Agent Nest's debut was in 2020, and ever since its opening her company's monthly recurring revenue has continued to climb. At this trajectory, she will become the number one real estate marketing tool in the industry in a year.
8:06 - So your real estate marketing agency was able to serve 10-15 high touch customers - when did you realize that creating a self service tool could increase your bandwidth and revenue opportunities.
11:36 - What tools have you used to build The Agent Nest’s offering?
16:58 - How did you create your content library?
19:24 - Have you had any issues with people pirating your content?
27:23 - How have you kept your templates and tools fresh?
The Agent Nest Twitter Account ➡️ https://twitter.com/theagentnest
The Agent Nest ➡️ https://theagentnest.com
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In this recording, Irina Nica (Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot) goes over how to build buzz and backlinks on a bootstrapped budget. Irina is in charge of the Hubspot's off-site SEO Strategy, including content promotion, influencer outreach, and link building. Prior to joining HubSpot, Irina was the Marketing Manager of SEOmonitor.com – an award-winning SEO tool for agencies.
MicroConf Europe 2019
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Competition online is getting increasingly fierce, how do you stand out from the crowd in a marketplace dominated by industry giants? In this talk we’ll explore the ways to win organic clicks and sales away from the big players in your industry whilst working with budgets a fraction of theirs. Key takeaways include:
• How to develop SEO strategies to outrank the industry giants • Standing out in the organic search results even when you’re not in first place
• Getting your share of the search real estate
• How to conduct competitor research to fuel your SEO campaign
• Discover the foundations for building an SEO campaign that helps you gain a bigger share of the market with a start-up’s budget.
If you are going against huge brands in the search results then you can’t miss this talk.
MicroConf Europe 2019
#microconfeurope2019 #microconf
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Andy Ayim talks about how mental models can help us to make different types of decisions. And how, by using specific frameworks, we can focus on solutions that aren’t immediately obvious.
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2019 MicroConf Europe 2019
Join our exclusive community for SaaS founderss → http://microconfconnect.com
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Bootstrapping V. Venture Capital. This is an ongoing discussion in the SaaS startup community for the last decade . The question is less about the how, and more often about the why and when. MicroConf has always advocated for self-funding and customer centered entrepreneurship, while venture capital can be a chase for profit.
We're chatting this week with Hana Mohan, founder of MagicBell.io (https://magicbell.io) about her experience bootstrapping her last company (SupportBee) to $45K MRR and deciding to accept YC funding in 2021 after her exit.
Hana is the co-founder & CEO of MagicBell. She is a proud transgender woman who is passionate about empowering women & other minorities. She lives in Barcelona with her two cats.
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Entrepreneurship is moving at a breakneck speed to keep ahead of the curve and create without getting overtaken by your nearest competitor. If you aren't learning the market your business serves and the intricacies of it's consumers quickly, then you'll never keep up with their needs.
Anders Thue Pedersen experienced that outpacing while he was building his last business, TimeBlock. Learn how changed his mindset to a constant state of curiosity and how he is applying that framework to his new product, Mælt.co.
Inspiration ➡️ https://twitter.com/andersthue/status...
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We’re fortunate to be continuously amazed by the quality and number of applicants for TinySeed’s annual accelerator program: https://tinyseed.com #tinyseed
In total, we’ve received nearly 2,000 applications across our three accelerator batches. And with each successive batch, the quality of applications has grown alongside the percentage of companies with higher revenue. This round’s batch is also our most international to date, with seven founders based outside the U.S.
We’re proud to welcome these 18 startups to our 2021 accelerator program:
→ Aurelius (https://www.aureliuslab.com) is an all-in-one space for researchers to organize notes, capture insights, analyze data and share outcomes with their team.
→ Breachsense (https://breachsense.io/) enables security teams to reset stolen usernames and passwords before criminals exploit them.
→ CloudForecast (https://www.cloudforecast.io/) eliminates wasted costs in AWS without significant engineering resources. Through easy-to-understand daily email and Slack reports, engineering teams can quickly react to cost anomalies and mistakes that can often sit for weeks.
→ CraftyBase (https://craftybase.com) is an inventory and bookkeeping package for handmade sellers.
→ Harbor Plan (https://www.harborplan.com/) is an out-of-the-box sales tool that enables non-tech savvy users to follow up automatically via email and text message. The software extracts a lead’s contact info as soon as it lands in the user’s inbox, sending a campaign of built-in content until the lead responds or books a consult.
→ Lasso Analytics (https://getlasso.co/) Analytics is the all-in-one affiliate marketing plugin for WordPress. Lasso helps you create beautiful product displays, find new affiliate opportunities, and easily manage all of your important links in one place.
→ Lexgo (https://www.lexgo.cl/) is the first automated legal service for startups in Latin America, enabling founders to complete their legal processes faster and at a fraction of the cost of a lawyer.
→ Localyser (https://www.localyser.com/) is an online reputation management solution that helps businesses manage all of their reviews from across multiple platforms all from one place. Whether you manage one brand or several, one listing or a chain, our easy-to-use dashboard allows you to monitor, respond, analyze, and generate more reviews quickly.
→ Monolith Forensics (https://monolithforensics.com/) is case, evidence, and lab management software for digital forensics labs and teams.
→ MSPCFO (https://www.mspcfo.com/) leverages data in a managed services provider’s systems to identify actionable items that can drive growth and stability to the bottom line.
→ NewsCatcher (https://newscatcherapi.com/) allows users to search through an indexed database of online-published news articles in near real-time.
Finding product market fit is not an overnight process. It's almost impossible to strike that sweet spot at the onset of your product idea - even if you have some degree of validation.
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This episode is sponsored by Rewardful, turning your biggest fans into your best marketers. Get 30% off your first 3 months by heading to getRewardful.com/startups. Offer expires May 31st. According to the State of Independent Saas (https://stateofindiesaas.com) the majority of founders originally validated their idea by building out an MVP or prototype, but the likelihood that they found PMF with just that prototype seems unlikely.
Maren Kate has spent the last 3 years bootstrapping AvraTalent, and has some thoughts on the various markers to watch out for on the journey to Product Market Fit.
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There is power in numbers and developing communities around your brand, your product, and your users can be a great strategy to ensure customer and client satisfaction.
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Rosie Sherry has just started a new role with Orbit.love and has been serving as the Community Manager for Indie Hackers before launching her Community Building hub, community and course, Roiseland.
I want to build a community but I feel there are already so many communities existing out there targeting the same audience ... feels saturated - your view ?
What went into the decision of using Discord? Pros? Cons?
Are you worried about what's going on with Facebook and Section 230? Could it kill the small online communities?
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You should be scripting your sales calls the same way you script a webinar or presentation. Reinventing the wheel every time you get on a call with your customers is less efficient than creating a standardized set of responses and direction for the call. John Ndege has launched a number of profitable businesses, but has taken a turn to teaching solid sales strategies.
Mentorship for SaaS Founders can mean the difference between the slow SaaS ramp of death and making the critical changes to your process that helps get you to consistent growth.
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John Knox is a repeat Angel Investor in some of the most successful mobile and SaaS brands, including Summit, Branch, and 1 Second Everyday. He is a current Mentor for TinySeed, and his insights and network are huge assets to the companies he provides mentorship for.
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Do you follow up on the people you help with a specific problem to see how it went and find further opportunities to help? How do organize this?
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Any recommendations on how to become more coachable?
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Can you talk about what’s in it for the mentor if they're not an investor?
- How formal are the mentorships you're talking about? Is there an equity split, consistent scheduled meetings, or is it more informal?
- I am at the MVP stage and in the process of promoting my SaaS. It’s going slowly due to lack of budget. Any thoughts on how to speed up growth on a budget?
MicroConf Remote (https://microconfremote.com) is on sale! The event is scheduled for March 23 - 25 from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST Daily.
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The hosts of the SaaS Podcast Award nominated Software Social Podcast join Rob to chat about all things SaaS, early stage marketing strategies, and more.
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Michele Hansen @mjwhansen
Co-founder of Geocodio @geocodio, A geocoding SaaS, which she and her husband started in 2014. It started as a side project and she went full time in 2017. She is co-host of Software Social Podcast, which was nominated in several categories for MicroConf's 2020 SaaS Podcast Awards. She also recently launched a free newsletter about customer research for bootstrappers.
Colleen Schnettler @leenyburger
Colleen is a Ruby on Rails consultant. She has spoken at both RailsConf and RubyConf, and loves being part of the developer community.She recently launched her first product - https://www.simplefileupload.com/. You can hear all about her journey launching and monetizing a software product on her podcast - Software Social. She's a mother and a military spouse and loves chatting about all things software and business.
- When did you start your show, and why?
- Have you received any benefit from having a podcast, or is it just for fun?
- How long do you plan to share revenue on the show?
- How much time (and money) do you dedicate to the podcast outside of the time "on air"?
- How do (did) you foster a growth mindset? How did you develop the mindset to ship things without the need for immediate payoff?
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Just as designers benefit from learning a little bit about programming, programmers, marketers, product managers, and salesfolk, can benefit from learning a little bit about design.
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Tracy Osborn is the Program Manager of TinySeed, Founder of WeddingLovely, and an all around genius when it comes to operational efficiency and web design. Her book, Hello Web Design, will be published nationally, and is available for pre-order at https://nostarch.com/hello-web-design.
What elements should you consider when making a choice about fonts for your website?
"Too many cooks spoil the broth": does too many designers spoil the design too?
What factors should founders consider when getting a logo designed? Should they always go bespoke? What's the cost for a custom logo design generally?
I find that most dev-tools screenshots of their features can be a bit busy or boring (sometimes it’s code, numbers, analytics etc.). Any design advice for dev-tool SaaS companies to help visualize these features where screenshots of their product might not work well?
When you're looking at a website, what are 2-3 things you always look at to evaluate how "well" it is designed?
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Comprehensive data about the state for bootstrapped (or mostly) founders and how to use the report to make meaningful change in 2021.
To access the full report, head over to https://stateofindiesaas.com.
For nearly a decade MicroConf has helped startup founders grow faster through access to world-class experts, and the world’s most trusted community of ambitious, bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped founders. MicroConf has become the mothership for founders like yourself looking to learn and share strategies, tactics, advice, and inspiration.
The beauty of creating this 2nd report is our ability to draw comparisons from one year to the next. While the overall structure is very similar to last year, you’ll notice we’ve drawn comparisons wherever the data deviated to a point that it became interesting.
In addition, we’ve mixed up the visuals in many areas from simple bar and pie charts to now include word clouds and micro-infographics. The idea is to optimize the presentation of this information to help you understand it at a deeper level.
This all lines up with our mission to help you be successful, faster.
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The inimitable Steli Efti has been a leader in the startup and SaaS sales landscape for years. Check out this live Q+A focused on sales processes.
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Any tips on how I can use to my advantage the fact that I am a client as well as a co-founder in marketing, sales or during onboarding calls? 2- I have had extensive success in Marketing & Sales in the Sports & leisure industry selling an in-person Service in the B2C world. Any tips on how to translate those skills into the SaaS and B2B world?
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If you were to start a CRM system today from scratch, how would you try to launch and build it up in todays world? From Max Sinclair a big fan and user of Close
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How do you know when to put a fork in a cold outreach campaign?
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Any advice for selling to non-technical industries when your domain expertise is in tech & not their field?
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What are the best sales books?
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We asked our MicroConf Remote speakers to answer the question: "What is one thing I can do today that will make a meaningful impact on by business in the future?"
Bjork uses a simple expense audit and asks 3 questions for each transaction:
Should I cancel this?
Should I change this to a yearly discount plan?
Can I ask for a discount?
Check out the video and get registered for MicroConf Remote!
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Chapter 4: Onto something new…
There is something to be said about bootstrapping your business to millions in revenue, to stick by it and still hold the keys, over 2 decades after launch. It is rare to see the founders of any company stick it out for that long… but there isn’t much that isn’t rare about the founder journey that our next storyteller can share. It begs you to wonder, when the only pre-ordained next step in your roadmap to building your business is “The End”, but you’ve not reached that ending… what is there left to do to fill the next few chapters.
That is how we’re going to end our story. And ending that keeps moving forward but jis yet untold.
With our guest, Jason Fried, Co-Founder of Basecamp and Hey!, we hosted an open ask me anything about what it took to grow Basecamp to the degree of success it reached, how the small bootstrapped team was able to develop a competitor to the likes of Gmail or Yahoo Mail, and their very public spat with the Apple App Store in mid-2020.
Check out the full-length conference video at https://youtu.be/q1WNvRoSays
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
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Let’s face it – there comes a time in a founder’s lifecycle within their company where having them on support emails is a terrible idea. Eventually, you’re going to have the assets to be able to afford a marketing person, and THAT person is now responsible for all of the copyrighting. You cannot be the only person doing demos. In time, if your company has found product market fit and your growing in ways that allow you to bring on more help – its time to create a structure so that you can let them know how to move through a project…. without you.
Nate Grahek, Founder of Sticky Albums, is going to share a few pointers for how he optimizes his internal operations so that his team of much smarter people doing their own thing can get their jobs done without him being the bottleneck.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
Curious about TinySeed, MicroConf's accelerator and fund? The TinySeed accelerator team (Tracy Osborn, Rob Walling, and Einar Vollset) recorded this live webinar to answer questions about their third application round.
Jump to a question:
2:43 - Why is it called TinySeed?
8:52 - What are TinySeed's basic investment terms?
13:55 - Do we invest in non-US countries?
16:03 - Do we invest in B2B companies?
18:34 - Is there a requirement for the application process?
21:43 - What is your policy against repeat investment in the same space?
22:48 - How many months would you estimate the churn rate over for small business?
24:24 - I feel our evaluation now may be above the standard investment terms for TinySeed. Will there be any flexibility in terms?.
25:08 - What industries or companies did you see thriving this year due to COVID?
25:55 - We just started providing annual payments were people can pay in advance for a year — should we advertise those when calculating MRR in our application ?
26:55 - My SaaS isn't launched yet but it's making a $1000 or more in the MRR — am I right for the program?
27:36 - I believe you looking to fund to 20 to 25 companies, which is 2 times more than previous batches. How will you maintain the camaraderie and intimacy the with a bigger batch?
31:46 - We have a B2B SaaS system, we have 15000 active free users and 25 paying customers — 15000 looks better than 25, which one should I use for customers?
32:30 - Is Edu/Research Tech under your domain?
33:05 - Do you have a preferred formula for LTV?
35:04 - Can salary cap be adjusted with inflation overtime, or market changes?
36:16 - Is the investor dividend based on equity?
36:30 - If there are multiple founders, do you require all founders to be full time?
38:00 - What factors do you look at before onboarding a company?
40:25 - Is there an option to buy your shares out?
42:43 - Do you invest in S-Corps?
44:32 - What is the process and timeline after the application has been submitted?
46:19 - How do you approach the application if you had previously had a SaaS?
47:00 - What happens after the accelerator year?
50:18 - When is the next application process and when is the next batch?
51:16 - If you're recently launched, should I apply now (to be on the radar) or later?
52:12 - In your application, you ask the number of team size — is this the number of founders?
55:04 - How do you compute monthly churns, if only yearly churns are counted?
56:07 - Is growth more important than profitability?
57:25 - Apart from investing, what else can we get from TinySeed?
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What are Quick Fixes?
We asked some pretty smart people a pretty hard question: What is 1 thing you can do today that is going to make tomorrow and on easier for you to run your business?
And finally, we have Asia Orangio of Demand Maven who think that paying off your Analytical Debt as early as possible will clear up a lot of question marks later on in your business.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
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Chapter 3: Accelerating to $100K MRR and Beyond
While the first $10K MRR may be one of the tallest hills to climb, sometimes, if you time things right and you’ve put in the work to be a known quantity within the communities, the social media circles, and the leading voices in your target market, you can feel the slow rumble of blastoff that has you moving towards your next milestones faster than you could imagine.
That was the experience of lifelong friends and co-founders of Squadcast.fm , Zach Moreno and Rock Felder. It took them nearly 2 years to go from Launch to $10K MRR. In the last year, they’ve 10x’d that MRR to beyond $100K. In this talk, they’ve cover the three things that they can point to that carried them through this milestone, and the direction that they are currently headed.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
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What are Quick Fixes?
We asked some pretty smart people a pretty hard question: What is 1 thing you can do today that is going to make tomorrow and on easier for you to run your business?
Viola Eva of Flow-SEO has a few quick tips on how to optimize your best performing content for SEO.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
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Join the MicroConf Remote host, Rob Walling, for a conversation with Andy Martin, Founder of BlueRithm and Minneapolis Native who joined us in the MicroConf Remote studio to chat about his experience building BlueRithm on the back of a successful career supporting large scale projects.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
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What are Quick Fixes?
We asked some pretty smart people a pretty hard question: What is 1 thing you can do today that is going to make tomorrow and on easier for you to run your business?
Meryl Johnston, Co-Founder of Bean Ninjas, takes a deep look into things that founders at a few different stages of their journey can be optimizing their finances for the future.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
We are hosting Lars Lofgren, CEO of Quick Sprout, to answer listener questions about SaaS, growth, and more.
What is a good content marketing routine for a solo startup founder?
Considering aspects such as: publish on own site vs guest writing for popular publications in the niche, ratio of educational/promotional flavour, or any other tips that come to mind
- Kasra from FeedbackOnSite.co
How much time does it usually take to start ranking for keywords you target? How do you ensure that eventually happens? - Tony w/ Cloud Forecast
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Automatically Generated Transcript:
We're live. Welcome to today's episode of MicroComp on air as always. I am your host, Rob walling. As every Wednesday at 1:00 PM, Eastern 10:00 AM Pacific, we live stream for about 30 minutes and we cover topics related to building and growing ambitious SAS startups that bring us freedom and purpose and allow us to value and maintain healthy relationships.
We believe that showing up every day and shipping that next feature, next piece of marketing copy or closing your next sale is a way to build a sustainable company. So thanks again for joining me today. It's been a couple of weeks last week was Thanksgiving in the U S. And so we, I gave producer Zander the day off.
And of course, it doesn't make sense for me to get on here and try to do it without the expert to lineage of, of producers, Andrew and his production. So tryptofan attic. I think it's, to crypto fanatic, do we have a typo in my lower third for those listening on the podcast?
Welcome every Thursday morning, we air these episodes on, the MicroComp podcast. You can head to microcuff podcast.com or search for microcuff in any pod catcher. And you can. Here are these here? These, these episodes producers, Andrew says, Tiffin is the chemical in Turkey makes you sleepy. That's right.
So I'm a tryptofan addict because things and all that. thanks. Thanks for that. Producer Zander got a great show too. I'm super excited to bring on a first time guest to MicroComp on air, but not a first time guest to the microcosm world. Mr. Lars Lofgren is a many time MicroComp speaker. He's also a tiny seed mentor and all around good guy.
He is the CEO of QuickSprout, which you can check out@quicksprout.com. He's a former director of growth at, I will teach you to be rich, where he worked with Ramit Sethi, and he ran growth for Kissmetrics and Lara's specialty is, has been content marketing and SEO for years and years. And he's one of the OJI.
Content SEO people that I heard about back in the day, if you recall, Kissmetrics blog was the leading blog. It was the example everyone looked to in our space in terms of a blog that was driving a lot of traffic, a lot of engagement. And just something that we, I think a lot of us tried to model our own content strategies.
That, and Laura's was the, essentially the man behind that, that effort. And so with that, I'm going to welcome mr. Lars Lofgren to the show. How's it going, sir? Hey, Rob, it's good to be here. Yeah, thanks, man. Good to chat with you again, Lars and I have known each other for years. I don't know. What do we think we met 2012, 2013, something like that?
Yeah. One of the really or micro cops in
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Chapter 2: The Road to $10K MRR
From launch, there are a ton of baby steps that are celebrated. Your first paying customer. Your first $100 MRR. $1,000K MRR. Maybe the first time that you can pay yourself! It is full of milestones that propel you forward. But depending on your pricing, it can be a different world entirely between earning your first $1,000 MRR on a $10 monthly subscription or a $100 monthly subscription. Hitting that $10K mark starts to instill that sense of product market fit.
Our next storyteller is Colleen Johnson, the Co-Founder of Scatterspoke. The winding road that her and her husband co-founder have navigated in the last three years as they’ve build up a product that served a specific need within the Agile community has brought them to the door of $10K MRR. Take a step by step walkthrough on the various turns she and the Scatterspoke team took as they slowly made their way to that $10K MRR mark.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
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Startup Founders In Cars Getting Coffee: Founder Origin Stories
Dr. Sherry Walling has spent nearly 300 episodes on her podcast, ZenFounder, talking about the in’s and out’s of the founder psychology. That, along with a doctorate in clinical psychology and years of working with entrepreneurs, has helped her put together a couple of avatars for the variety of founders you see in the startup work.
Join her and Rob as they talk about the origin stories of many founders, and see which one you relate most to.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
As we continue to evolve the MicroConf On Air Podcast, we have decided to move into a more open call for questions from the audience rather than a straightforward interview format.
Host Rob Walling is joined today by Matt Wensing, the founder of Summit (http://usesummit.com) and RiskPulse, which was recently sold.
In this episodes, we cover the following questions:
- When is Matt are you going to start hiring a team for Summit? When does he anticipate he will hit a growth stage within the company?
-My product is a social intranet software sort of like microsoft teams/facebook combined, so we deal with B2B. A lot of my competitors make it very difficult for their customers to sign up, do not give free trials or freemium, you have to fill out a form for a demo or to get signed up. Is there some sort of hidden advantage to being difficult to get started with? Is there an advantage to weeding people out or what exactly is the goal here?
-How do you think non-American startups should forecast currency fluctuations if most customers are in the US paying in dollars?
-What does Summit do? At what stage in my business is it for me?
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It takes a ton of methodical, strategic steps to get any product off the ground. For some, they fear launching before the product is perfect; others may launch way to early, before establishing any degree of product market fit. But in the grand scheme of things, unless your launch has been prefaced with fanfare or critical note, you may decide to launch by simply flipping the on switch and seeing what happens.
Our opener tweeted back in early June that she had inadvertently launched her company. It doesn’t get much earlier stage or right at launch as that. Corinn Pope is the Founder of Speckled, and has been following the stairstep approach to move from an employee to a info-product maker, to now a self-taught technical Founder of Speckled. And her approaching to building the company leaned so far into the concept of “Just Ship It” that she had launched her MVP before she had even realized it was on the market. Check out her story.
If you want to join in on the conversation with over 1400 other founders, join MicroConf Connect, a slack community space where you can meet founders from around the globe working on cool products in a sustainable way. Head over to http://microconfconnect.com for more details.
This video was recorded on September 1, 2020 in Minneapolis MN. All proper social distancing, PPE, and health and safety measures were taken in the production of this show.
Note, this is not a live session, so calls for questions, survey, etc… are all pre-recorded.
The State of Independent SaaS Survey results point to a correlation between more co-founders + faster growth. https://microconfonair.com
Shar Darafsheh is one of the 5 co-founders of Servicebot.io, a fast growing UI toolkit built on top of Stripe Billing. In this episode, we're going to explore the validity of the first State of Independent Report (stateofindependentsaas.com) that points to a direct connection between the number of co-founders working on your SaaS and the rate of growth you're able to achieve.
We also explore the platform risks that are associated with building a business around the infrastructure of another product - what considerations you need to make when deciding to create a business in that structure, and what assumptions you need to make about platform risk in order to overcome those hurdles. The first ever SaaS Podcast Awards are now accepting nominations.
Head over to saaspodcastawards.com and let us know your favorite shows, episodes, host(s) and stories SaaS Focused podcast.
We'll aggregate the top 5 nominees in each category and head to a vote in early December.
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Knowing of which metrics to track, and which to ignore, is an essential part of growing your SaaS business. The ability to filter out good, actionable, data from the ever-present noise that just distracts you is what separates many successful businesses from the ones that never get off the ground. By creating a system of how you can collect, review, and take action on the data in your business you'll be able to take action with confidence that your business is going in the right direction.
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A Solo Rob Adventure!
During this episode, we are answering listener questions live from our MicroConf Connect members.
Rob answers questions about:
- Early Stage Validation
- Competitive Markets
- Youth Entrepreneurship
- Key Insights Around the TinySeed Portfolio
- Retirement Planning
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MicroConf On Air Question and Answer Episode
Rob Walling: [00:00:00] Welcome to today's episode of MicroConf On Air. I'm your host, Rob walling live streaming direct from my bunker library here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So every Wednesday at 1:00 PM Eastern and producers, Andrew and I stream for 30 minutes and we cover topics related to building and growing ambitious SaaS startups that bring us freedom and purpose and allow us to value and maintain healthy relationships.
We believe that showing up every day and shipping that next feature, that next piece of marketing copy closing that next sale is the way to build a sustainable company. Thanks so much for, for joining me today. Today is an all ask Rob episode. We're going to be doing a live Q and a, we have some good questions coming in on Twitter and in the MicroConf on air channel in MicroConf connect.
If you're not part of MicroConf connect already should into Microsoft connect.com. We have more than I believe it's over 1600. Founders of bootstrappers and mostly bootstrapped founders in there hanging out and having conversations like this every day. And what I love is when I get into connect and there's a solid thread where I see a question and I go to, I know the answer to this, or I have a thought on this and I go in and there's already five amazing answers from other experienced founders who have done.
Exactly this and I don't even need to weigh in, because the answers are, are good and they're all, and they're all legit. So I am checking out some questions. So today, yeah, I normally intro my guest here, but you'll know me as the co founder of drip and MicroConf and tiny seed. Startups for the rest of us host and author starts small, stay small.
So I'm going to be answering a bunch of questions today. what are the, Oh, what are those books behind me? Yes. So it is definitely, a, a really nice book case here. I'll just show you a poll one book off the shelf, just so you can see. So here we are with the, this tome of no title, that actually, holds some silver age comic books for those who, are in the now missing Spider-Man number two there from 19, 63.
I think so. Yes. All questions today can be startup related, silver age comic book collecting related, and of course, Dungeons and dragons related. we really do, in all seriousness have some really good questions coming in and, It's nice that we have a producer, Sandra says so smooth. It's nice that we have such a, it's a really good audience.
It's a really great group creators that are here in microcuff connect and participating on Twitter. And just in this MicroConf averse. and I did an interview last week. If you haven't checked this out on indie hackers, Courtland Allen and I had a conversation for, yeah, it was about an hour and 10 minutes, really solid stuff.
Good questions from Port
Learn how to offer your customers amazing support over email and Twitter, create a fanatical user base, and how to avoid the quagmire of 1-star reviews.
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Rob Walling: [00:00:00] this week's MicroConf refresh episode where we play the audio of a past. MicroConf talk. Usually one of the top rated talks of all time. I am your host, Rob Walling, and today's talk is from 2012. We are going back in the archives. The talk is from Sarah Hatter of Co-Support. And it's called Cheap and Easy Customer Support.
She says, learn how to offer your customers amazing support over email and Twitter, create a fanatical user base and how to avoid the quagmire of a one-star reviews. Sarah Hatter is a multi-time Microcom speaker, and she has forgotten more about customer support than most of us will ev
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In a recent blog post (https://allisonseboldt.com/september-2020/), Allison Seboldt, Founder of Fantasy Congress, pondered whether right now was the time to put a pause on her plans for the expansion of the product.
During this conversation, Rob and Allison will chat about some of the elements that go into what that decision means, what steps to take to let things run on autopilot, and what comes next.
Allison is a self taught developer and bootstrapping enthusiast. After working as a web developer for four years, she quit corporate life to pursue her passion project. Fantasy Congress is an online game that puts a fantasy sports spin on politics. Players draft members of Congress for their team and earn points based on legislative actions like votes, sponsoring bills, and debating on the chamber floor.
Fantasy Congress is intended to be a fun way to connect with friends while also helping people stay engaged and informed in the political process.
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Transcript
Hitting the Pause Button On Your SaaS with Allison Seboldt
Rob Walling: [00:00:00] And we're live. Welcome to this week's MicroConf On Air. I'm your host, Rob walling, every Wednesday, 1:00 PM. Eastern 10:00 AM. Pacific. We live stream. For 30 minutes and we covered topics related to building and growing ambitious SaaS startups that bring us freedom and purpose and allow us to value and maintain healthy relationships.
We believe that showing up every day, shipping that next feature, next piece of marketing copy or closing your next sale is a way to build a sustainable company. We don't ask for permission to start companies. We build and ship real products. So the real customers pay us real money. Welcome to MicroConf On Air.
You may be able to hear my dog in the background. This is live streaming in a pandemic. I have a couple of children at home, as well as a Sharpie who is steadfastly guarding the front door. Today. We are talking about hitting the pause button on your SaaS. It's a, an interesting topic. And a new one that I don't think I've covered before, where they're on this, this show or on other podcasts that I've done.
I am pretty excited to dive into this. My guest today is Allison Seboldt. Of Fantasy Congress. She's the founder of Fantasy Congress @ fantasycongress.com. Allison is a self taught developer and a bootstrapping enthusiast. After working as a web developer for four years, she quit corporate life to pursue her passion project, which is Fantasy Congress.
Fantasy Congress is an online game that puts a fantasy sports spin on politics. Players draft members of U.S. Congress. I love this for their team and earn points based on legislative activities, actions like votes, sponsoring bills and debating on the chamber floor. Fantasy Congress is intended to be a fun way to connect with friends while also helping people stay engaged and informed in the political process.
So again, we're going to be talking today a little bit about, building and loans and putting Fantasy Congress on pause for the moment.
We're going to dive in. So All
Everyone wants the formula, the recipe, the framework that says how to make the magic happen. Well here you have it. With The Dinner Party Strategy you can now confidently create an email onboarding strategy for your trial customers.
In less time than it takes a hipster bartender to make your locally sourced craft cocktail, you'll get the simple 6-part framework that builds connection, adds value, and drives revenue for your brand.
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At MicroConf, we have been fortunate to have the support of some incredible sponsors to help us invite guests to our events on a scholarship program. This week, we're going check in on one of those scholarship recipients, Veni Kunche, founder of DiversifyTech.co We ask Veni about her experience at MicroConf, how she decided to build and launch DiversifyTech, and how she has continue to grow and monetize this social good service.
The State of Independent SaaS Survey is now open! Help us develop critical analysis of the current world of Independent SaaS by heading over to http://stateofindiesaas.com.
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Steli Efti (Close) talks at MicroConf 2015 on how to build your own SaaS sales machine if you don't have piles of money from venture capitalists lying around.
In this video, you're going to learn the core principles of selling, how to write emails that get opened, why 90% of success is in the follow-up, and more.
Check out Steli’s MicroConf speakers page for more talks ➡️ https://microconf.com/speakers/steli-...
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Bootstrapping SaaS can be a bit... lonely. Lots of folks are working from home, might only have a couple of colleagues that they can bounce ideas off of.
We're excited to chat with Irma Mesa, the founder of Cafecito (https://meetcafecito.com), as she is actively building a SaaS company that combats that sense of isolation.
The 2021 State of Independent SaaS Survey is now open for responses. Help us pull back the curtain on the how the bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped founders have faired this year.
Complete the survey at http://stateofindiesaas.com
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Think you can't aggressively acquire customers using outbound sales for SaaS? Think it's too expensive, too inefficient, too distracting? Think again. You can do it. Jordan Gal show you how he and his team does it for CartHook.
From list building, to qualification research, to cold email automation, to scheduling demos. Everything from faceless prospect to free trial to paying customer. It's all outsourced, affordable, and scalable. And Jordan will show you how to put the whole thing together.
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Hiring your first team member is a huge milestone in creating a team that can advance the mission and values that are core to your SaaS Business. In this episode, with Natalie Luneva, the SaaS Boss, we're going to talk about when you should make those hires, how to decide which position you should hire first, and the characteristics of a high performing remote team.
Natalie is a growth and team performance coach to SaaS founders. Drawing from 10+ years of marketing and team leadership experience, and being married to a bootstrapped SaaS founder, she helps SaaS companies identify and implement high ROI opportunities, clarify business priorities and scale.
MicroConf Remote Replay is now available at MicroConfRemote.com
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Rob Walling tells the story of launching Drip to $7k in MRR and then struggling to find product/market fit. He walks through the steps he took to get there, and his thought process along the way, including a revenue chart of the substantial growth Drip experienced after product/market fit.
Check out Rob’s MicroConf speakers page for more talks → https://microconf.com/speakers/rob-wa...
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We had some issues with the original recording of this episode, so we've gone ahead and added a new version - hopefully this one works for everyone! Sorry for the inconvenience!
As you are seeking out product market fit, it is important to consider the path you forge into that market. Will you be competing for every customer against a crowded or competitive market because you think you can do it... better? Or will you forge your way into a deeper niche that may leave you to early to be noticed?
We invited Derrick Reimer, who just finished building SavvyCal, an easier way to create schedule appointments, and co-founded Drip with Rob.
When you're staring down the landscape and you see giant competitors like MailChimp or Calendly, what does that decision making process look like, and how do you carve out your own share of that market from those giants.
The MicroConf Remote Replay is available at http://MicroConfRemote.com. Check out the recordings from the first ever digital only MicroConf event, MicroConf Remote.
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Every couple of weeks, we like to feature a founder from the MicroConf Connect community that is brave enough to jump on a call with Rob to talk about what it is they're doing. This week, we're excited to welcome Brendan McAdams, founder of Expertscape. Brendan McAdams is the co-founder of Expertscape.com, a healthcare search resource that identifies and objectively ranks medical expertise by specific topic. With over 30 years of sales and marketing experience across telecom, financial services and healthcare, he is the author of Sales Craft: Proven Tips, Practices and Ideas to Improve Your Sales Success. His second book, specifically focused on sales fundamentals for tech founders, is due out later this year. Brendan is based in Baltimore, MD.
Did you miss MIcroConf Remote? The videos are now on sale at http://microconfremote.com for $20.
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Ben has a theory: Developers who create digital products or SaaS apps tend to screw up in predictable ways. They are particularly likely to under-invest in marketing and sales, and will tend to over-automate. Worst of all, they almost always charge too little. After years of making these mistakes himself, Ben will share some hard-won tips for avoiding them. (Sorry in advance, but the answer is rarely "write more code.")
Access the first video in the Building Your First SaaS Business series, Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business by Jason Cohen, which was featured on the MicroConf Refresh Episode 2: https://microconfpodcast.com/episodes/microconf-refresh-episode-2-designing-the-ideal-bootstrapped-business-jason-cohen-founder-wp-engine
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Keith is the founder of SegMetrics, helping founders understand their true lead value using a data backed approach.
On Air, Keith and Rob discuss why your KPI's might be setting up blinders as your create a marketing strategy for your businesses, how outliers can create a new train of thought in your marketing plan, and how to identifying strategies that can truly move the needle in testing conversions.
Keith Perhac has delivered a few talks at MicroConf, from his first Attendee Talk back in 2015 to his keynote presentation at MicroConf Starter in 2017. You can check out his talks here: https://microconf.com/speakers/keith-perhac
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TRANSCRIPT Rob Walling: [00:00:00] And we are live. Welcome to MicroConf On Air. Every Wednesday we livestream for about 30 minutes and we cover topics related to building and growing ambitious SaaS startups. These are startups that don't need to work 80 hour work weeks, raise millions in venture capital, or drive us to the brink of burnout.
In this show, we seek freedom, purpose, and relationships, and we want to maintain those values while building interesting companies that can have an impact on the world, or maybe just our little corner of it. So thank you so much for joining me again this week, whether you're joining us live and maybe you're in MicroConf Connect, and you're going to be asking some questions of our guest today, or even if you're listening asynchronously on the podcast feed that's microconfpodcast.com or search for MicroConf On Air in any podcatcher that you use.
Today I have the pleasure of, uh, bringing a Keith Perhac on the show. You may know Keith, as the founder of SegMetrics. Yeah. And he is , hailing from the Portland area. So it's a little smoky outside his house right now. But Segmetrics.io If you want to check it out. They're a team of about 10 people in the growth stage. I was talking to him beforehand about how can we give people a sense of, of where the company is? , and he said, "Look, we have product market fit and we're in the growth stages. We're starting to grow quickly. "
If you go to SegMetrics.io, you can see their H1. In essence, SegMetrics is a tool that helps you get 100% clarity on where your leads come from, how they behave and how much your marketing is really worth. It allows you to get a handle on the KPIs that matter most for your marketing funnels is built by marketers for marketers.
And today, Keith and I are going to be talking about how KPIs can be misleading when optimizing your marketing. So Keith Perhac. Welcome to MicroConf On Air.
Keith Perhac, Segmetrics: [00:01:43] Hey, Hey Rob. Thanks for having me.
Rob Walling: [00:01:46] Absolutely, man, um, that sky's look kind of clear from what I can see reflecting in your window as the air quality improved up there.
Keith Perhac, Segmetrics:
MicroConf Growth 2019
Chris Savage, Wistia
Most founders dream of building a product that eventually becomes a household name and sells for a billion dollars, but chasing that goal comes with some downsides. We chose a different path.
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This week, we've invited Sumit Kumar (@TweetsOfSumit), Founder of Geoman.io - a B2C product that allows users to draw and edit geodata with our intuitive and powerful leaflet plugins and Tresor.one, an automated portfolio management tool.
This poses the question - what does it take to build and support two businesses as an indie funded SaaS founder? And what can you expect from working with two very different audiences in a B2B and a B2C space.
MicroConf Remote is on the TV Guide for Tuesday, September 1st. Tickets are on sale at microconfremote.com
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MicroConf Starter 2019
After a year of full-time work, Ben has some new scars, some fresh knowledge, and a deep appreciation for the highs and lows of starting a business.
Check out more MicroConf Talks from Ben
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Jessica Baldwin and Joshua Toenyes, the Co-Founders of Cardsetter, were seeking funding options in early 2020. Then the pandemic hit and their funding options seemed to run dry. As a result, the spent the last 5 months doubling down on growth, more than 5x-ing their customer base.
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MicroConf Starter 2019
Abi is the founder of Pull Reminders. Pull Reminders helps teams knock out code reviews faster on GitHub and is used by over 1,000+ companies like Pivotal, Buffer, and Instacart. Come hear the story of how I went from losing my job to bootstrapping my business to profitability over the course of several months.
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This week, we are joined by Thomas Smale, Co-Founder of FE International and Owner of SaaSMag to talk about how traditional media can be leveraged by startup foudners.
We also capitalize on Thomas' expertise in Mergers and Acquisitions in this episode, talking ahout buying and selling business, available funding strategies for acquiring businesses.
Tickets for MicroConf Remote are now on sale, grab your tickets at http://microconfremote.com.
We had some issues with the recording, so this is a truncated version of this weeks episode.
MicroConf 2016
Claire Lew has run an unconventional business – this is the story of how she created a profitable, bootstrapped software company that has over 10,000+ people using our product, on a their-time pricing model, with just a two-person team. How do we they it? She’ll share our unconventional approach, why they chose it, and the greatest lessons they've learned along the way.
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Meryl Johnston is the co-founder of Bean Ninja's, a productized service built around Xero accounting and bookkeeping software. During this conversation, Rob and Meryl discuss the pro's and con's of productized services, how to build a product that is centered around a service that you don't own, and more.
We also announced MicroConf Remote, our first virtual conference taking place on August 26th, 2020. For tickets, head over to http://microconfremote.com
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I didn't know how to build a website, write sales copy, design, structure my business, close a deal, develop software, or do SEO. But I shipped, doing things I didn't know you weren't supposed to do. A few thousand mistakes later, we grossed $4 million. Here are my most embarrassing moments.
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Today, we're joined by MicroConf Connect members Edwin Williams, Founder of ZenHammer, and Tony Chan, Founder of CloudForecast.
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MicroConf Growth 2017
Rob does a deep-dive into the decision-making framework he used during the acquisition of Drip. He reflects on his journey from 2005 through 2017, looking back at his changing motivation as he stair-stepped his way from tiny early businesses like a beach towel e-commerce site, to a seven-figure SaaS app. And he provides in-depth information about what a life-changing acquisition looks like from the inside.
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During this conversation with Rand Fishkin, the CEO and Co-Founder of SparkToro, we are chatting about high quality web marketing opportunities and how to make the most out of those outlets.
Rand mentions a few resources:
Communities for Marketers:
Coywolf Community
Data Driven U
Check out Rand's Blog Post, "119 Examples of 10X Content (by Rand Fishkin) | SparkToro"
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Or: how to embed marketing development in your business as a repeatable practice. Why it isn’t easy, how you can get started and the single most important thing you can do to improve your growth. Put your hand up if you are convinced of the importance of any of the following for your business: SEO/Adwords A/B testing Conversion optimisation Funnel analytics Onboarding/first-run experience Lifecycle emails/drip marketing Now. Keep your hands up if you think you’ve totally got these sorted. No room for improvement. In which case you won’t need to watch Patrick’s talk, but might still want to consider it: he finishes with a moving personal testimony to the importance of discussing mental health issues in the developer community.
If you work in software the chances are good that you will know someone who will benefit from this discussion. Check out Patio11's MicroConf speakers page for more talk’s ➡️ https://microconf.com/speakers/patric...
We're welcoming co-founder of Snappa, Christopher Gimmer, to talk about SEO, content development, YouTube, and how each of those pieces, done correctly, can create a flywheel for your startup.
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MicroConf 2014 Playing the Long Game: Making Entrepreneurship a Sustainable Life - Dr. Sherry Walling
On this week's episode of MicroConf On Air, we covered a few questions that have come in over the last few months that we haven't been able to address during the livestream.
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Starting a business is hard enough. The last thing you need to do is set up a foundation that works against you. A better approach is to take stock of your natural advantages, disadvantages, goals and needs, and "back in" to what that has to mean about your business model, pricing, market, product, approach, advertising, etc...
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A new segment of MicroConf On Air, we're going to host founders who have joined the MicroConf Connect community to share their stories, their successes and failures, and more. Shownotes:
Today, we are featuring Anthony Eden, Founder of DNSimple.
Anthony Eden is the founder of DNSimple, a 25-year software developer, and a seasoned international speaker. In addition to bootstrapping DNSimple, Anthony has been an early-stage member of numerous small businesses and startups since the late 90s. Anthony has a large portfolio of open source projects that he either created or contributed to, using multiple languages including Java, Python, Ruby, Clojure, Go, Erlang and Elixir. Anthony has spoken at conferences in both the US and Europe on topics such as software development techniques, best practices for systems design, and how to build a sustainable business. When he's not working you can find him surfing, snowboarding, playing board games, and traveling. Anthony currently lives near Melbourne, Florida.
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MicroConf 2015
There are 2 obstacles getting in the way of your visitors clicking your buttons: friction and anxiety. In this short presentation, see how both may be holding your CTR back - and what we've done to reduce friction and neutralize anxiety. (With data from A/B tests we ran in 2013 and 2014 on button copy.) Oh, and find out what the hell we mean by ""lizards thru doorways""... and how that little phrase can make all the difference for your button click-thrus. By Joanna Wiebe of Copy Hackers (copyhackers.com).
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