Startups For the Rest of Us 7w4a

In episode 758, Rob Walling is ed by Derrick Reimer to tackle a variety of listener questions. They discuss strategies for entering a market with established competitors, including how to position your product without directly attacking rivals. They also reflect on the challenges of free trials, weighing the pros and cons of extending trial periods versus incentivizing onboarding. Episode Sponsor: Most marketing agencies promise growth but never move the needle. But Corey Haines and the team at Conversion Factory? They know how to deliver results.  Derrick Reimer said that "Under Corey's marketing leadership, SavvyCal broke into the market with a successful launch and steadily grew to several thousand customers." And Eunice Koo of Less Annoying CRM said that their “first A/B test with Conversion Factory, delivered a 20% increase in visitor to trial conversions within the first two months.” Imagine having a senior copywriter, designer, and web developer at your disposal to turn every marketing idea into a reality. Head to conversionfactory.co and mention this podcast when you book a call for $1,000 off your first month.  Topics we cover:  (1:18) – How to launch a SaaS product in a market with an established competitor (6:21) – Do I call out competitors by name? (14:24) – How do you really identify what moves the needle in your Saas? (19:59) – Breaking down the “one thing” (23:32) – Selling and marketing SaaS before building (30:36) – What is the goal of your free trial? (39:10) – On the fence between B2B, B2C Links from the Show:  TInySeed Applications are open until Feb 23rd Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) | X Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer.com) | Bluesky SavvyCal 757 | TinySeed Tales s4e5: Founder Breakups, Crushing Failures, and the Future TinySeed MicroConf Connect SaaS Institute Start Marketing The Day You Start Coding by Rob Walling Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling chats with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she navigates the complexities of her startup journey.  After a challenging period with her co-founder Aaron, Colleen reflects on their decision to part ways and the emotional toll it has taken on her. She shares her feelings of crushing failure, the uncertainty of moving forward alone, and the realization that their initial product vision may not align with market needs.  Topics we cover:  (0:49) – Colleen and Aaron make a tough decision (4:09) – Voice memo, “Crushing Failure” (7:59) – What if you hadn’t raised money? (11:44)  – Colleen weighs her remaining options Links from the Show:  Applications for TinySeed are Open Through Feb 23rd Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky Hello Query If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 756, Rob Walling interviews Brendan Fortune, Director of Product Management at Customer.io, to explore the skills and frameworks for effective product management. Brendan shares his journey and discusses the importance of understanding customer behavior to drive product decisions. They delve into the concept of the flywheel and how it can be leveraged to enhance success and optimize pricing strategies. Topics we cover:  (2:46) – What does a product manager do? (10:36) – When should a SaaS company designate a full time product manager? (15:33) – Pricing and and creating a flywheel (22:41) – Deciding on your “fair” value metric (30:01) – Pricing experimentation in the early days Links from the Show:  Applications for TinySeed Spring 2025 are Open! Invest in TinySeed Ask a product question on Startups For the Rest of Us Brendan Fortune | LinkedIn Customer.io Product Flywheel + Pricing + Org Strategy (Miro) Your Pricing is WRONG (even Sam Altman Made This Mistake) If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling checks in with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she shares the latest developments in her startup journey.  Colleen shares the insights gained from recent customer interviews that led to a significant pivot in their product strategy. Hello Query is now focused on embedding custom reporting features within other SaaS applications and Colleen reflects on balancing product quality with minimal v1 features. Her excitement is building to get their solution into s' hands. Topics we cover:  (1:32) – Digging into customer interviews (3:54) – Filtering out the noise to achieve confidence (5:31) – Other competitors in the space (8:53) – How Colleen prepares for and sources customer conversations (12:11) – Is the technical implementation coming along? Links from the Show:  Invest in TinySeed Episode 748 | The Ins and Outs of Startup Investing Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky Hello Query If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 754, Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he tackles listener questions on a variety of topics. He discusses strategies for converting free s to paid customers, the implications of AI advancements on the SaaS landscape, and how to navigate platform risks when larger players enter your market. Rob also shares insights on breaking through growth plateaus. Topics we cover:  (3:12) – When in doubt, don’t try freemium (6:44) – Different levers you can pull to make freemium work (8:53) – How will SaaS be affected by the exponential growth of AI? (14:09) – Big players launching features is a form of platform risk (17:24) – Should I spin out a portion of my product into a new product? (20:05) – Thinking through plateaus in your business growth Links from the Show:  MicroConf Connect Applications are open through Feb 5th Ask a Question on Startups For the Rest of Us TinySeed Episode 663 | 5 Insights SaaS Founders Should Know About A.I. (Ignore at Your Peril) Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adventure) MicroConf YouTube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling reconnects with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hammerstone, as she shares the latest developments in their startup journey. Colleen opens up about the emotional challenges of co-founder conflicts with Aaron, highlighting the importance of communication and alignment in their partnership. They also discuss the significant pivot from their initial product offering to the newly rebranded Hello Query, a SaaS solution focused on internal reporting for teams. Topics we cover:  (0:59) – Breaking up with a co-founder (7:39) – How could this conversation have been different? (9:49) – Navigating a major pivot (14:37) – Changing the name (16:56) – Getting closer to finding product-market-fit (19:39) – Competing in a competitive market Links from the Show:  SaaS Institute TinySeed Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky Aaron Francis (@aarondfrancis) | X Aaron Francis (@aaronfrancis.com) | Bluesky MicroConf Recap, Episode 59 – The Hammerstone Podcast Hello Query If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 752, Rob Walling interviews Lars Lofgren to discuss the current state of SEO. Lars shares insights on how SEO has drastically changed, especially with the rise of AI and the volatility brought on by Google’s evolving algorithm. They cover the challenges of ranking for , the impact of AI content, and the rise of "parasite SEO."  Topics we cover:  (2:16) – SEO traffic that generates $7.2M annual revenue (4:54) – Changes in Google’s algorithm (9:46) – How to approach SEO as a bootstrapper (15:45) – SEO has changed considerably (19:48) – AI and SEO (25:54) – The advent of AI Overviews (31:19) – Parasite SEO and the importance of brands Links from the Show:  Get Your Tickets for MicroConf US by Jan 31st Larslofgren.com Lars Lofgren (@LarsLofgren) | X Lars Lofgren at MicroConf TinySeed.com MicroConf YouTube Channel If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling catches up with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hammerstone, about the progress her team has made since their initial check-in.  Colleen describes the tough decision to focus on one product stack, and their recent pivot toward building a reporting MVP. They also discuss Colleen’s shift into a more managerial role. Topics we cover:  (2:10) – Motivations behind building additional functionality (7:07) – Repositioning the reporting dashboard (10:08) – Focusing in on the successful part of the product (14:30) – How shifting focus affects the team dynamic (16:19) – ”Hiring is horrible” (22:20) – What has management been like? (26:11) – Growing as a manager Links from the Show:  Invest with TinySeed Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky Refine by Hammerstone Hello Query Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell  Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, Tahl Raz If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 750, Rob Walling is ed by Laura Roeder, founder of Paperbell, to answer intermediate listener questions. They discuss making your first hire with limited funds, testing pricing models with existing customer bases, and more. Laura also provides some great advice on content marketing, drawing from her past experience at MeetEdgar. Topics we cover:  (3:14) – Building a team before you can afford your first, full time hire (11:11) – Testing pricing with existing customer bases (19:00) – What type of content should you focus on? (25:20) – Growing a pipeline of leads with limited resources (31:00) – Who are your 100 best customers? Links from the Show:  SaaS Institute TinySeed TinySeed Tales is Back: S4E1 Lauraroeder.com Laura Roeder (@lauraroeder.bsky.social) | Bluesky Paperbell Episode 473 | Managing Annual Subscriptions, Low-price vs. High, Being a Non-Developer Founder, and More Listener Questions with Laura Roeder Exactly How I Cold Emailed My Way to A Life-Changing Exit (And You Can Too) by Laura Roeder The SaaS Playbook Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell If I Started SaaS in 2024, Here’s My B2B Content Strategy for $1M ARR The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

Welcome to Season 4 of TinySeed Tales, where we follow the founders of one SaaS startup throughout a few years as they share their struggles, victories, and failures. In the first episode of Season 4, Rob introduces us to Colleen Schnettler, the cofounder of Hammerstone. Colleen is a self-taught Rails developer, and this season will follow how Hammerstone eventually becomes Hello Query – an AI-powered chatbot that runs custom reporting on your data. Colleen is one of 27 startup founders from TinySeed’s Fall 2022 accelerator batch. Topics we cover:  (2:16) – TinySeed Tales Season 4 with Colleen Schnettler (3:57) – Custom reporting in Laravel and Rails (7:05) – Becoming an “atypical founder” (14:11) – Entrepreneurship as a military spouse (16:17) – Motivations for ing TinySeed (19:15) – A recent low point, and high point in the business (25:00) – Big plans and risky moves ahead Links from the Show:  TinySeed Applications open on February 10th Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky Refine by Hammerstone Hello Query Software Social Podcast TinySeed Tales | Season 1 | Castos TinySeed Tales | Season 2 | Gather TinySeed Tales | Season 3 | Cloudforecast If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 748, Rob Walling sits down with Einar Vollset, co-founder of TinySeed, to discuss the ins and outs of startup investing. They explore the differences between VC and angel investing, the importance of deal flow, and the challenges of valuation. Rob and Einar also highlight how TinySeed’s approach differs from traditional VC, including their focus on capital efficiency and why it’s been working for ambitious B2B SaaS companies. Topics we cover:  (2:37) – The stigma of bootstrapper funding is waning (6:44) – What success looks like in venture funding (10:45) – Breaking down the math and deal flow (17:54) – How valuations work (26:21) – Keeping optionality (29:58) – Evaluating markups (35:18) – Raising TinySeed’s next fund Links from the Show:  MicroConf Connect Applications open until January 15th TinySeed Invest with TinySeed Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | X Episode 744 | Bluesky, TinySeed is Raising, YC Backs Competitors, and More Hot Take Tuesday Topics Discretion Capital How To Invest In Startups by Sam Altman If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 747, Rob Walling interviews Jane Portman, co-founder of list, to discuss the evolution of their SaaS customer success strategy. Jane shares the four stages of list’s customer success journey, from the early days of trial and error to implementing done-for-you services. They also discuss the challenges of customer onboarding for complex products. Topics we cover:  (2:20) – How customer success works at list (5:27) – Dealing with upfront onboarding friction  (9:51) – Stage 1, “young and naive” (12:16) – Stage 2, “hire someone” (19:06) – Stage 3, “done for you services” (25:47) – Leveraging the list blog (29:26) – Stage 4, “developing your own frameworks” Links from the Show:  SaaS Institute TinySeed Jane Portman (@uibreakfast) | X Jane Portman (@uibreakfast.com) | Bluesky list Episode 471 | Fighting to Gain Traction in a Crowded Space with Jane Portman of list Episode 742 | Normalizing Hard Things, Facing Your Biggest Threat, and Making it Fast (A Rob Solo Adventure) Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore list Closes a Pre-Seed Round with 21 Angel Investors SaaS Email Marketing Strategy: Everything You Need to Know 20+ “Invite Your Team” Email Examples Atomic Emails: Our Proven Method for Writing Email Campaigns If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 746, Rob Walling looks ahead to 2025 with nine startup predictions, exploring trends in no-code tools, search, autonomous vehicles, AI, and an increase in platform risk for bootstrapped founders. Topics we cover:  (1:52) – Carrying forward predictions from 2024 (3:09) – Search volume for Google organic SEO  (6:34) – Ads in AI interfaces (7:50) – Google’s revenue drops, bootstrapper opportunities (10:07) – “AI” use in  H1’s  (14:01) – Self-driving taxis (19:28) – Platform risk intensifies Links from the Show:  Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret Episode 697 | 7 Predictions for SaaS Bootstrappers in 2024 Episode 725 | SEO in the Age of AI, Freemium, When Brand Becomes Important, and More Advanced Listener Questions (with Ruben Gamez) LINKLO TinySeed Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adventure) If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 745, Rob Walling goes solo to reflect on 2024. He revisits key concepts and frameworks introduced on the podcast, including the 2-20-200 Validation Framework, Orthogonal SaaS, and the eight levels of platform risk. Rob also looks back at his top five favorite episodes and reviews his predictions for the year—some of which came to , and others that didn’t. Topics we cover:  (2:05) – Looking back at concepts and frameworks from past 12 months (8:50) – Rob’s 5 favorite episodes (11:56) – Reflecting on 2024 accomplishments (19:47) – TinySeed Tales Returns in 2025 (21:18) – Evaluating 2024 predictions Links from the Show:  The SaaS Launchpad – Start Free with “The DNA of a Great SaaS Idea” MicroConf YouTube Channel Episode 706 | 2/20/200 Validation, Prior Art, and Deg by Committee (A Rob Solo Adventure) TinySeed Vertical SaaS vs Horizontal SaaS - Which is More Profitable? Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adventure) The SaaS Playbook Episode 728 | Bootstrapping Gymdesk to a More Than $32.5M Exit Episode 706.5 | Rethinking My Most Common Advice Episode 729 | 9 Things I’ve Learned Investing in 170+ SaaS Companies Episode 709 | The 7 Greatest Investments of My Life Episode 694 | 2023 In Review: Amazing Growth & Fighting Burnout How Ben Chestnut Bootstrapped Mailchimp to a $12 Billion Exit MicroConf New Orleans 2025 Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret TinySeed Tales If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 744, Rob Walling is ed by Tracy Osborn and Einar Vollset to give their hot takes on some recent news. They cover the recent rise of Bluesky, kicking off a 4-figure bet between Tracy and Einar. Then they discuss TinySeed’s third fund, YC Combinator backing competitors, dealing with imposter syndrome, and finally government involvement in banning social media. Topics we cover:  (1:49) – Will Bluesky survive and thrive? (9:07) – The bet on Bluesky growth (13:46) – TinySeed is raising a third fund (17:25) – Y Combinator backs duplicates (22:18) – Dealing with Imposter Syndrome (27:46) – Australia's social media ban Links from the Show:  The SaaS Launchpad – Start Free with “The DNA of a Great SaaS Idea” Invest in TinySeed Rob Walling (@robwalling.com) | Bluesky TinySeed (@tinyseed.com) | Bluesky Tracy Osborn (tracymakes) (@tracyosborn.com) | Bluesky Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | X Y Combinator often backs startups that duplicate other YC companies, data shows Procrastination and the Fear of Not Being 'Good Enough' by Swapnil Chauhan Startup Founders, Do THIS to Beat Imposter Syndrome Australia proposes 'world-leading' ban on social media for children under 16 If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 743, Rob Walling and Dr. Sherry Walling read the first chapter of their new book, Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Selling Your Company Without Regret. They discuss the emotional and psychological challenges of selling a business, and why it’s often harder than founders expect. They offer insights on how to prepare for a sale, protect your mental health, and how to best navigate this major life change that few others understand. Back the book on Kickstarter Episode Sponsor: Hiring senior developers can really move the needle in your business, but if you bring on the wrong person, you can quickly burn through your runway. If you need help finding a vetted, senior, results-oriented developer, you should reach out to today’s sponsor, Lemon.io.  For years, they’ve been helping our audience find high quality, global talent at competitive rates, and they can help you too. Longtime listener Chaz Yoon, hired a senior developer from Lemon.io and said his hire ”definitely knew his stuff, provided appropriate and pushback, and had great communication, including very fluent English. He really exceeded my expectations.”  Chaz said he’d definitely use Lemon.io again when he’s looking for a senior level engineer.  To learn more and get a 15% discount on your first four weeks of working with a developer at lemon.io/startups.  Topics we cover:  (1:49) – Exit Strategy Introduction (6:56) – Exits are complicated (11:16) – One of the hardest things you’ll ever do (15:57) – Your business is your baby  (18:35) – Entering the unknown (26:49) – Six factors that shape how you feel about an exit (31:03) – Making it real Links from the Show:  Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret Back the book on Kickstarter MicroConf Connect Applications Close Today, December 10th Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X Dr. Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | X The SaaS Playbook Built to Sell by John Warrillow Touching Two Worlds by Dr. Sherry Walling The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together by Sherry Walling, PhD, Rob Walling If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 742, Rob Walling goes solo to explore normalizing doing hard things and facing your biggest threats. He also discusses a framework for founders looking to scale without cutting corners – making things work, making them right, and then making them fast. Exit Strategy Kickstarter ends on December 12! Topics we cover:  (2:39) – Normalizing doing hard things (6:54) – The “hard things” in your startup (10:27) – Walking into the storm (16:21) – ”Make it work, make it right, make it fast” (22:04) – Building your “Founder Gut” (25:42) – Think in years, not months Links from the Show:  Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret MicroConf Masterminds Applications Close on December 4th Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X Dr. Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | X The Comic Lab Podcast The SaaS Playbook The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping This Took 11 Years to Be An "Overnight Success" - SaaS Exit Strategy If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 741, Rob Walling talks to Wes Bush, CEO and Founder of ProductLed, about the nuances and misconceptions of product-led growth. Wes debunks common myths and explains how companies can leverage their product to drive acquisition, engagement, and growth. They dive into a real-world example and explore how founders can avoid the trap of thinking the product will “sell itself” while contrasting PLG and sales-led strategies. Episode Sponsor: Hiring senior developers can really move the needle in your business, but if you bring on the wrong person, you can quickly burn through your runway. If you need help finding a vetted, senior, results-oriented developer, you should reach out to today’s sponsor, Lemon.io.  For years, they’ve been helping our audience find high quality, global talent at competitive rates, and they can help you too. Longtime listener Chaz Yoon, hired a senior developer from Lemon.io and said his hire ”definitely knew his stuff, provided appropriate and pushback, and had great communication, including very fluent English. He really exceeded my expectations.”  Chaz said he’d definitely use Lemon.io again when he’s looking for a senior level engineer.  To learn more and get a 15% discount on your first four weeks of working with a developer at lemon.io/startups.  Topics we cover:  2:01 – Defining product-led growth 6:07 – Are s able to get value for free?  11:38 – Hybrid: both product-led and sales-led 14:52 – Determining the main outcome of your free model 19:23 – Misuse of the PLG terminology 22:00 – The benefits of PLG over sales-led growth 24:08 – Workshopping SavvyCal’s product-led strategy Links from the Show:  Mastermind Applications are open until December 4th Wes Bush (@wes_bush) | X ProductLed (@productled) | X ProductLed Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself by Wes Bush The Product-Led Playbook: How to Unlock Self-Serve Revenue and Dominate Your Market (With a Tiny Team) by Wes Bush Free Audiobook of The Product-Led Playbook Product-Led Onboarding by Ramli John TinySeed SparkToro SavvyCal If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 740, Rob Walling speaks with Dr. Sherry Walling about their new book, "Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret." They explore the emotional, psychological, and practical aspects of selling a business, emphasizing the universal challenges entrepreneurs face. The book draws on both Rob and Sherry’s unique experiences that they’ve shared with countless founders throughout their careers. Exit Strategy is now live on Kickstarter! Topics we cover:  2:01 – Not just a book for those selling SaaS 8:13 – The Kickstarter for the book is live today 12:16 – Before, during, and after the exit 14:55 – Why exiting is so hard 20:39 – Life after the exit 25:10 – A few traps await founders shortly after exit 26:24 – What do you do with a big pile of money? Links from the Show:  MicroConf Remote Goes Live November 20th! Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X Dr. Sherry Walling (@sherrywalling) | X Zen Founder Zen Founder Podcast The SaaS Playbook The Art of Selling Your Business by John Warrillow Before the Exit by Dan Andrews  Finish Big by Bo Burlingham MicroConf TinySeed Testing Two Worlds by Dr. Sherry Walling If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify

In episode 739, Rob Walling interviews Andy Kim, co-founder of Trotto, about his unique journey into SaaS. Andy shares how “go links” work, and why they are so valuable for internal, enterprise use despite their relative obscurity. They also explore the marketing hurdles and customer adoption challenges in a business like Trotto. Episode Sponsor: Hiring senior developers can really move the needle in your business, but if you bring on the wrong person, you can quickly burn through your runway. If you need help finding a vetted, senior, results-oriented developer, you should reach out to today’s sponsor, Lemon.io.  For years, they’ve been helping our audience find high quality, global talent at competitive rates, and they can help you too. Longtime listener Chaz Yoon, hired a senior developer from Lemon.io and said his hire ”definitely knew his stuff, provided appropriate and pushback, and had great communication, including very fluent English. He really exceeded my expectations.”  Chaz said he’d definitely use Lemon.io again when he’s looking for a senior level engineer.  To learn more and get a 15% discount on your first four weeks of working with a developer at lemon.io/startups.  Topics we cover:  3:13 – Go links, URL shorteners for enterprise 6:14 – History of the problem and core s 9:44 – Customer education and growth opportunities 15:37 – Finding the repeatable marketing funnel 21:07 – Buying into a co-founder role at Trotto 24:42 – What’s the hardest part of running Trotto? Links from the Show:  Exit Strategy: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Your Business Without Regret MicroConf Masterminds - Applications close on December 4th, 2024 Trot.to Trotto go links (@TrottoHQ) | X TinySeed How did go links start and evolve at Google? Quiet Light If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify