Steve tells Ed all about the sale of his desktop app. We talked about why I sold off the desktop app I've been running for 12 years, how I found a purchaser, and the emotional ride of negotiating and handing over the app. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Bootstrapped listeners, to try Balsamiq for free, visit balsamiq.com/go/bootstrapped where you will find a promo code giving you an extended trial and a hefty discount. Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Versoly . Versoly ...
Jan 18, 2020•31 min•Ep. 123
Ed Freyfogle of OpenCage Geocoder and I (founder of Feature Upvote) discuss how we handle customer cancellation requests in our respective SaaS products. We discuss how we might do it differently. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast . Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Vivid.fm . Vivid helps podcasters reach more subscribers via social sharing by automatically creating video t...
Jan 10, 2020•34 min•Ep. 122
Last week we heard Ed's top 5 habits for small teams. This week, Steve shares the habits he uses to keep his small team productive. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast . Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Checkvist , the professional list making tool. Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers ....
Dec 20, 2019•31 min•Ep. 121
Ed shares his top 5 habits he recommends for small bootstrapping teams, to keep your product as good as it should be. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast . Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Mimiran , the CRM for people who hate selling. Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers ....
Dec 13, 2019•30 min•Ep. 120
Steve and Ed consider whether Freemium is a viable business model for bootstrappers. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast . Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is IvyBackup . Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers ....
Dec 06, 2019•35 min•Ep. 119
Ed from OpenCage Geocoder and I talk about the marketing techniques that work - and don't work - when you product is targeted towards developers. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast . Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Easy Data Transform ....
Dec 01, 2019•34 min•Ep. 118
I’m joined by Ed Freyfogle for the first of several episodes in which he is my cohost. Ed is the co-founder of OpenCage Geocoder , a bootstrapped, profitable SaaS. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode . Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Mockless . We discuss: the bootstrapping scene in Barcelona, where both Ed and I live the advantages of offering your product in multiple curre...
Nov 22, 2019•37 min•Ep. 117
Craig and I are both bootstrapping our businesses while living in foreign countries. In this episode we discuss what that's like for us personally. We also discuss the challenging practicalities of visas, languages, and business while living abroad. Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode . Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast . We also discuss: Craig's efforts with paid acquisition how Steve refined the sign-up process for Fe...
Nov 15, 2019•34 min•Ep. 116
Craig turns the tables and interviews me about Feature Upvote and about this podcast. We discuss: why Steve launched Feature Upvote when he already had a successful product. doing things differently the second time around. the beauty of "expansion revenue". B2C vs B2B (spoiler alert: B2B has a whole lot of advantages). the Bootstrapped podcast 10 episodes into its new iteration.
Nov 10, 2019•29 min•Ep. 115
We discuss how you can become a speaker at events, and whether this is a viable way to raise awareness of your product and services. Topics include: Why speak at events and conferences Getting started as a speaker What event organisers look for in potential speakers Non-obvious benefits from speaking at events Steve's champagne-spilling behaviour when speaking in public Craig's experience speaking recently at MicroConf Europe TinySeed Tales: https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/tinyseed-tales/...
Nov 01, 2019•29 min•Ep. 114
Craig and I discuss how bootstrappers can use the podcasting ecosystem to promote their products. We discuss three ways to use podcasts - and the pros and cons of each: Start and run your own podcast Do the "podcast circuit" as an interesting guest with riveting insights Sponsor podcasts We 'go meta' and talk about why Steve has launched the new iteration of the Bootstrapped podcast. We also talk about: "credit card required upfront" trials versus "no credit card required" trials. the life-cycle...
Oct 25, 2019•29 min•Ep. 113
I'm joined by Craig Hewitt for the first of several episodes in which he is my cohost. TinySeed is a "startup accelerator designed for bootstrappers." Craig was accepted into TinySeed's first cohort. To help me answer the question, "Should I apply for TinySeed?", Craig tells me what it has been like for him. We discuss why he applied, how it has changed his business so far, and what unexpected benefits there are have been. Links: Castos: podcast hosting and analytics platform: https://castos.com...
Oct 18, 2019•33 min•Ep. 112
Robin and I discuss living the Bootstrapper dream - and how the dream changes over time. We also go off topic and discuss surfing up the Bristol Channel. Links: Robin’s company, Corrello: Dashboards for Scrum and Kanban teams using Trello: https://getcorrello.com/ Robin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinwarren Robin's blog post "$0 to $1k MRR in 57 months": https://getcorrello.com/blog/2016/04/13/0-1k-mrr-57-months/ Britstrapped podcast interview with Robin, From 0 MRR to "Living the Dream": ...
Oct 11, 2019•35 min•Ep. 111
Andy and I discuss why he's created a new product, even though he already has two successful products. We also discuss: how he manages a portfolio of three desktop apps as a one-person team how to name products choosing a market usability testing choosing to remain a one-person team the benefits of the founder doing customer support why many one-person businesses are actually two-people businesses Links: Easy Data Transform: https://www.easydatatransform.com/ Andy's blog: https://successfulsoftw...
Oct 04, 2019•42 min•Ep. 110
Hannah and I discuss content strategy for bootstrappers. Hannah's website: https://contentedstrategy.com/ Hannah's book: "Content Strategy for Solopreneurs, Startups, Charities and Growing Businesses": https://contentedstrategy.com/content_strategy_for_startups.html How to do a content audit: https://contentedstrategy.com/blog/2019/05/17/startup-content-audit.html Traction by Gabriel Weinberg: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369...
Sep 27, 2019•29 min•Ep. 109
Robert and I discuss how to hire and manage freelancers. We also discuss how having children forces you to change the way you work. Robert's 4 tips for a healthy freelancer relationship: Meet in person from time to time, if possible Pay at the higher end of their expected rate Remember the Golden Rule: Treat them they way you expect to be treated Let them know the positive results of their work Links: Robert Brandl's company: https://www.tooltester.net/ Robert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rob...
Sep 20, 2019•37 min•Ep. 108
Sylvestre and I discuss getting those first 10 customers, moving to a new country when your startup earns enough to replace your day job, and the difficulty of supporting customers from a cruise ship. We also discuss: Collecting domain names Leaving consulting to bootstrap a SaaS Bootstrapping with the generosity of the French government The tough months before the first sale - and then the elation after the first sale Using Quora to land the first customers - and to learn the language used by y...
Sep 13, 2019•45 min•Ep. 107
A short and special episode in which I share some news about the podcast.
Sep 13, 2019•2 min•Ep. 106
In this episode we're joined by Natalie Nagele from Wildbit to talk about starting a business vs. consulting, employees with side hustles, how to pick conferences to attend, and yes, GDPR.
May 31, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 105
In this episode we discuss conferences & traveling, birthday parties for kids, .app domains, and Andrey's new GDPR-related project Consent Monitor.
May 22, 2018•55 min•Ep. 104
In this episode we discuss parenting at the park, hiring a plumber, cutting & bulking > marketing, the awesomeness of Peers Conference ⭐, hiring a contractor for Scribbleton, & more.
Apr 15, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 103
In this episode we discuss planning for Laracon Online, what's coming up next for Helpspot & Thermostat, and investing in startups.
Feb 05, 2018•34 min•Ep. 102
In this episode we discuss Butov's workout routine, the pros and cons of hiring a part-time employee, and upcoming conference plans.
Jan 29, 2018•28 min•Ep. 101
In a special episode of Bootstrapped, Taylor Otwell (creator of Laravel) joins Ian to talk about 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. WARNING: This podcast contains spoilers for 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. If you haven't seen that movie yet (and seriously, what are you waiting for), wait to listen to this podcast until afterwards!
Dec 16, 2017•56 min•Ep. 100
In this episode we discuss solo parenting, Disney on Ice, future conference plans, and a plan to live stream Ian playing video games.
Dec 04, 2017•30 min•Ep. 99
In this episode we discuss being sick, what happens when you get an influx of clients, and a bunch of updates on everything from Scribbleton to Thermostat to Ian's new project, LaraTalent.
Nov 23, 2017•33 min•Ep. 98
In this episode we discuss the beginnings of Ian's new CRUD app, Scribbleton upgrades, freezing your credit, Las Vegas, and more.
Oct 09, 2017•38 min•Ep. 97
In this episode we discuss hearing trips to and from NYC, nostalgia for high school, the 'New Renaissance Butov', and more.
Oct 02, 2017•36 min•Ep. 96
In this episode we discuss kindergarten, kids destroying tablets, side projects for founders, encryption in Scribbleton, and more.
Sep 12, 2017•50 min•Ep. 95
In this episode we discuss Ian's "mancation", if Seinfeld still has it, an update on Andrey's weight loss and his new app, and more.
Sep 05, 2017•39 min•Ep. 94
