Welcome to the MicroConf Podcast! Every week, we feature the stories and strategies you need to level up your SaaS business. From the visionaries and makers who fuel sustainable, profitable software companies that don’t need to seek venture capital to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
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MicroConf Podcasts
Chris and Christian build some software businesses.
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On Rogue Startups we share the journey of startup founders as they're growing their businesses. We feature experts in the fields of sales, marketing, and product development to hear how they're growth hacking their productized services and SaaS products. If you're on the journey of an entrepreneur then tune and hear how we're tackling some of the same obstacles you may be facing, and how we're winning in the game of business. Listeners of Startups for the Rest of Us, My First Million, Mixerg ...
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Two Brits talking about bootstrapping their businesses and the challenges they face along the way. Occasionally drinking tea but never wearing bowler hats! Tune in and hear about a wide range of topics from software development, validating a software product, and marketing, to when is Nick going to start training for the London marathon ;o). There’ll be thrills and spills along the way. Don’t miss out, subscribe to the podcast feed so you can laugh and cry along with (or at!) us.
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MicroConf Tactics: AI Agents vs SaaS - Who Wins the Future of Software?
10:14
10:14
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10:14Are AI Agents going to kill SaaS? In this video I explain why SaaS businesses are so resilient, even through times of great disruption. In fact, there are a few ways you can take advantage of the latest AI trends to grow your business stronger. Links in the episode: Watch this episode on YouTube MicroConf Connect MicroConf’s Mastermind Matching Pro…
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- LLMs.txt article: https://www.quoleady.com/llm-txt-files/ - Craig's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@thecraighewittBy RogueStartups
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RS344: 12 Years to Overnight Success with Amar Ghose
47:27
47:27
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47:27What does it really take to lead a company for over a decade—and still be growing? In this episode, Craig chats with Amar Ghose, founder and longtime CEO of ZenMaid, about the challenges, lessons, and evolution that come from running a SaaS company for 12 years. From market leadership and internal conflict to personal growth and productivity, Amar …
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MicroConf Tactics: The Dark Side of Venture Capital (Too Much Money is Bad???)
11:45
11:45
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11:45Venture Capital can be a great tool for explosive growth, but it's not a fit for all startups. In this video I explain the downsides of VC, and share how most companies should approach their growth and funding. Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uc85Kg70_Ng Links in the video: MicroConf Europe Tickets are on Sale: https://microconf.com/e…
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Hello, remember me? Sorry that it's been 6 weeks, but I'm back. In this episode I talk through what I've been up to recently, what's going on with Castos, with myself personally, and things I'm learning growing the business. Towards the end, I share the lessons I learned from a recent 2-day Scaling Workshop with Alex and Leila Hormozi. The event wa…
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MicroConf Tactics: LOW COST Marketing Strategies That Actually Work (from 3x SaaS Founder)
13:49
13:49
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13:49You need to be systematic and focused to find growth channels that actually move the needle as a bootstrapper. In this video, I'll cover some of the best, low cost SaaS marketing strategies that have worked in my businesses, and in the businesses I've invested in. Links in this episode: SaaS Launchpad: https://saaslaunchpad.co/ TinySeed Application…
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MicroConf Tactics: Your Pricing is WRONG (even Sam Altman Made This Mistake)
11:57
11:57
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11:57Incorrectly pricing your SaaS product is the easiest way to accidentally kill your business. I'll tell you how to fix your pricing, how founders fall into the trap of charging too little, and why charging more can catapult your business's growth. Links in the episode: MicroConf Remote | May 21: https://microconf.com/remote Announcing a change in pr…
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MicroConf Tactics: The Future of SaaS | 2025 Trends You NEED to Know
9:44
9:44
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9:44Rob Walling shares 5 predictions for the SaaS and broader startup market in 2025. Some of these represent great opportunity, and others will be big hurdles. Let us know what big disruptions that you see coming that he might have missed! Links from the Pod: MicroConf Remote MicroConf Growth Retreat Watch this video on YouTube TinySeed Portfolio Star…
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RS342: SaaS Survival Mode - AI, Niches & Navigating Chaos
45:12
45:12
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45:12In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig chats with Jesse Hanley, marketer, self-taught developer, and founder of Bento, a powerful email marketing platform for modern teams. With today’s economy in flux and global events adding more pressure, Craig and Jesse dive into what it really means to run and grow a SaaS business in 2025. They explore how e…
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MicroConf Tactics: 6 SaaS Ideas To Build in 2025 (Before Someone Else Does)...
17:16
17:16
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17:16In this video, Rob reviews six SaaS ideas sourced from Reddit threads. These ideas are unlikely to be worth billions of dollars, but they could grow into your next profitable SaaS business and let you walk away from your day job. Links from the Pod: MicroConf Connect Applications are closing Today April 9th MicroConf Growth Retreat Watch this video…
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Craig recaps his biggest takeaways from MicroConf 2025, reflecting on lessons in positioning, lead generation, conference ROI, and the power of going all in on what’s working. From tactical marketing insights to personal reflections, this episode delivers both strategic clarity and founder fuel.By RogueStartups
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MicroConf Tactics: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Hiring Guide for SaaS Founders
32:16
32:16
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32:16Rob Walling speaks from the stage at MicroConf US 2023 to share how to hire your SaaS team. He covers job titles & incentives, hiring paths, and how to fire yourself - all with a focus on bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped companies. Episode Sponsor: As a founder, it’s easy to get caught up in the fun of building flashy new features. But failing …
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RS340: Is AI Killing SaaS w/ Tim Schumacher
43:00
43:00
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43:00In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig sits down with founder and entrepreneur Tim Schumacher to discuss his insights on AI, the future of SaaS, and what makes a company successful. In 2001, Tim co-founded Sedo.com, the world's largest domain marketplace. Since selling the company, he’s been active as an Entrepreneur and/or Investor in various st…
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MicroConf Tactics: Your Pricing is WRONG (even Sam Altman Made This Mistake)
12:27
12:27
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12:27Incorrectly pricing your SaaS product is the easiest way to accidentally kill your business. I'll tell you how to fix your pricing, how founders fall into the trap of charging too little, and why charging more can catapult your business's growth. Links from the Pod: Apply to MicroConf's Mastermind Matching Program before March 31st Invest in TinySe…
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Chris gets a new little toy. Christian gives a job search update. Then we talk about what Christian is really interested in right now: AI Agents and MCP. 0:00 Intro 3:11 Dust blowers 5:12 Allergy testing 10:55 Drawing SVGs with LLMs Kaggle competition 18:42 Christian's job path forward 26:30 Consulting updates 28:28 Another SaaS 30:14 Autonomy, mas…
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In today’s episode, Craig chats with Anthony Eden from DNSimple about how they use AI in their businesses and their personal lives. As early skeptics of AI, they do a deep dive into what made them change their minds, what AI does for them, and how it might actually be holding people back. Like the internet, AI is a powerful tool people can use to m…
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Find PROFITABLE Micro SaaS Ideas in 2025
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20:14In this video, Rob interviews Snir Alayof about his stair-step approach to building a portfolio of Micro SaaS apps for the monday.com marketplace. Snir reveals how he explored users' needs and validated potential solutions. He then details how his team launched, refined, and supported these apps to go from $0k to $30k+ MRR in less than a year. Link…
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RS338: Balancing Your Use of AI with Aaron Francis
52:12
52:12
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52:12Ever wonder what's happening behind the scenes when your dev team says they're "leveraging AI"? As a non-technical founder, you don't need to understand every line of code, but knowing how AI is actually being used in your business is becoming essential. Today I'm sitting down with Aaron Francis, who pulls back the curtain on AI in development work…
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MicroConf Tactics: 9 Signs It’s Time to SELL Your Business
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10:06
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10:06When do you know it's time to sell your company? After speaking with hundreds of founders, Rob and Dr. Sherry Walling identified 9 signs that it may be time for an exit. If you've dreamed of selling your business, pay attention to these signs, and strategize your exit. Links from the Pod: TinySeed Applications are Open until Feb 23rd Watch this vid…
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Chris finished his CS masters! Christian tries to figure out if he wants a "real" job, and what that might look like. 0:00 Intro 2:10 Chris finished his masters 4:50 Santa Kaggle competition 9:30 NVIDIA Blackwell 15:45 Smart vs dumb light bulbs 19:30 Christian had a rough month 21:20 How to better manage consulting projects 39:42 No longer a co-fou…
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RS337: Building AI Native SaaS w/ Jordan Gal
48:06
48:06
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48:06Today, Craig chats with Jordan Gal from Rosie about starting a business centered solely on AI. While many of us use AI to help with our work tasks and streamline certain jobs, Jordan’s whole business is AI. They discuss how you and your customers can use AI, what it’s like to start a company right now, and what AI is doing to SaaS. Rosie creates a …
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RS336: Claude Project Deep Dive with Alison French
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47:43
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47:43On today’s episode of Rogue Startups, Craig continues his AI series with founder, marketer, and Claude-user Alison French. They discuss the hesitation creators feel when working alongside AI and what Alison did to overcome that hurdle. Since then, she’s taught herself how to use Claude.ai in her creative and professional work. AI is a tool that eve…
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MicroConf Tactics: Startup Founders, Do THIS to Beat Imposter Syndrome
10:32
10:32
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10:32Many founders struggle with Imposter Syndrome and wonder how to get past it. It often shows up in different forms at the various stages in their founder journeys. Rob shares some of the forms that imposter syndrome takes and offers actionable advice if you are feeling like a fraud. Episode Sponsor: As a founder, it’s easy to get caught up in the fu…
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RS335: Evaluating AI Model Performance with Stuart Grey
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47:06
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47:06In today’s episode of Rogue Startups, Craig sits down with AI expert Dr. Stuart Grey to discuss how AI is transforming both his personal and professional life. Dr. Grey also shares how he educates his students and clients on AI applications. He believes AI will play a pivotal role in all of our futures, and while there may be hesitations, AI can be…
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MicroConf Tactics: STOP Building Your Audience (Do THIS Instead)
15:35
15:35
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15:35If you want to build an amazing SaaS product, building an audience is almost never the best use of your time. Rob shares what to do instead, giving practical tips on how to build a network and the benefits that it can provide your business. Links from the Pod: MicroConf Connect Applications are open until the end of today, Jan 15th Watch this video…
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Today, I’m kicking off a series on AI—how I’m using it personally and professionally to grow my business, make life easier, and operate at a higher level. Over the next few episodes, I’ll be chatting with folks about the real ways they’re using AI in their businesses. If you’re interested in joining the conversation, hit me up (details below). But …
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In this New Year's Eve 2024 episode, we dive into a framework for evaluating SaaS businesses across eight crucial criteria. Instead of doing a typical year-in-review or making predictions, we explore how to assess the fundamental strength and potential of your business. Episode Highlights Craig grades Castos (podcast hosting platform) across eight …
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MicroConf Tactics: If I Started SaaS in 2024, Here’s My B2B Content Strategy for $1M ARR
30:07
30:07
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30:07Rob Walling takes the stage at MicroConf US 2024 in Atlanta to share his framework for B2B SaaS content marketing. After wasting thousands of dollars taking the wrong approach in marketing Drip in the early days, Rob shares how he would apply the 5 stages of customer awareness to B2B SaaS. Links from the Pod: Watch this video on YouTube Register fo…
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RS332: Competing with Stripe and Hubspot (ft. Geoff Roberts)
39:14
39:14
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39:14Hey everyone! Just had an awesome chat with Geoff Roberts from Outseta (outseta.com). They're doing something pretty wild - basically smashing together Stripe and HubSpot into one platform for subscription businesses. How cool is that? Quick Hits: - Outseta is an all-in-one platform handling payments, auth, CRM, email, and help desk - They've got t…
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Make SaaS Enterprise Sales (5 SIMPLE Steps)
11:18
11:18
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11:18One of the biggest growth levers in your SaaS business is to embrace enterprise sales. Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos, shares how to drive sales so that you're not leaving revenue on the table. Links from the Pod: The SaaS Launchpad – Start Free with “The DNA of a Great SaaS Idea” Watch this video on YouTube The SaaS Launchpad The SaaS Playbook Cr…
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After a 2+ month hiatus, we're back! Watch on YouTube Sorry for the pause in episodes, but thank you for tuning in this week. In this episode I talk through why the forever long break in the podcast, what I've learned in that time, and where things are with me and the business. But most of all, I want to hear from you...what do you want out of this…
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128 Catch up 2024: AI, Ruby on Rails, Bluesky, and Puppies
2:03:32
2:03:32
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2:03:32Chris got a puppy and is almost done with his masters. Christian switches back to Ruby on Rails, and tries to convince Chris to use more AI to write code. 0:00 Intro 1:24 Chris got a puppy 5:20 Why do people like pets? 11:59 Are AI coding assistants worth it? 42:07 How Chris' job is going 47:14 Finishing up a CS masters 54:20 Fatherhood 1:03:07 Con…
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MicroConf Tactics: This Pricing Strategy is DISASTROUS (unless...)
10:47
10:47
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10:47Choosing the right pricing strategy for your bootstrapped SaaS is critical. Freemium can be alluring, but it's not a pricing strategy – it's actually a marketing strategy. In this video, I'll explain why freemium is so tricky, and why you should almost always avoid it. Links from the Pod: MicroConf Masterminds Applications Close on December 4th We …
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MicroConf Tactics: 6 Lessons From My MOST SUCCESSFUL Investments in B2B SaaS
11:29
11:29
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11:29In this video, I look at my investments across TinySeed to distill six lessons that you can use to inform decisions in your own B2B SaaS. If it sounds like I'm describing your company and you're looking for the right amount of funding and mentorship, apply for TinySeed's Fall 2024 batch. Episode Sponsor: This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.i…
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MicroConf Tactics: 7 CRUCIAL Things Every SaaS Landing Page Should Have (with examples)
20:34
20:34
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20:34A great landing page is a tool that you will use to convert your website visitors into paying customers. Tracy shares several key ingredients that you need on your landing page, why they are effective, and show many examples of each. Episode Sponsor: This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with vetted devs …
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MicroConf Tactics: How to Find Your FIRST 10 SaaS Customers (6 PROVEN Strategies)
12:35
12:35
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12:35It's easy to get caught in the trap of building your product before marketing it. I'll show you a repeatable, predictable approach to marketing your SaaS before you even start coding. Following this approach will increase your chances of finding success without relying on luck. Episode Sponsor: Techstack Struggling with tech decisions? Techstack, w…
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MicroConf Tactics: 7 Surprising SaaS Trends Every Founder Must Know in 2024
26:02
26:02
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26:02Wish you could look at the metrics of your competitors? This year MicroConf surveyed 700 startups to see what is making them grow fastest, and what's slowing them down. Rob is joined by Asia Orangio to analyze the results of the 2024 State of Independent SaaS Report. Links from the Pod: Watch this video on YouTube The SaaS Launchpad TinySeed Applic…
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RS330: Product-Led Playbook with Wes Bush
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47:52
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47:52Wes Bush is a leading authority on product-led growth (PLG) and is here to guide Craig through the playbook for implementing product-led strategies in your business. This episode is invaluable for entrepreneurs eager to understand how product-led growth works, as well as those skeptical about its effectiveness. Listeners will gain insights into the…
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MicroConf Tactics: 5 Small Changes To Improve Your SaaS Product FOREVER
12:10
12:10
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12:10Do you already have a validated SaaS idea, with some semblance of Product-Market Fit? In this video, Rob shares 5 tactical ways you can take your SaaS to the next level. Refining your pricing, adjusting your signup flow, and improving your onboarding are all powerful levers you can pull to unlock new growth for your SaaS business! Episode Sponsor: …
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In this episode of Rogue Startups, I dug into several pressing questions from the community. From knowing when to pull the plug on a marketing channel to the debate around hiring for support versus sales, we covered ground that matters deeply to founders and entrepreneurs. Here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways that can help you level up your star…
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RS328: Are you Productive or Effective as a founder?
14:27
14:27
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14:27Running a business is both incredibly rewarding and exhausting. Over the years, I’ve experienced highs of motivation and productivity, but I’ve also hit those low points, battling burnout and loneliness. In this post, I want to share some of the habits, strategies, and mindset shifts that have helped me stay in the game and maintain the discipline …
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Launch a PROFITABLE SaaS - The SaaS Launchpad is Live!
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4:01
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4:01Get all the details at https://www.saaslaunchpad.co Building a startup is hard! What if you could avoid the pitfalls, mistakes, and setbacks that will derail your progress and motivation? I've put everything I know about starting a profitable SaaS into one place. Avoid the mistakes I've seen too many first time founders make. Get access today to th…
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RS327: 3 Traits Of Successful Founders w/ Rob Walling
44:07
44:07
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44:07Craig has TinySeed’s Rob Walling in the hot seat today. They’re chatting about defining, attaining, and maintaining success. What does success mean to you? How do focus, clarity, and execution fit into it? Rob, a leading founder and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the SaaS industry, shares his expert advice and insights on achieving suc…
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RS326: 5 Things Most Founders Struggle With
19:12
19:12
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19:12Today’s a solo episode with Craig where he’s talking through the 5 common topics and themes that he helps most of his coaching clients through. Whether it’s through his 1:1 coaching with private clients or in serving as Advisor In Residence at TinySeed, where he’s advised over 50 SaaS founders, a few common patterns have emerged. These topics inclu…
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RS325: Stuck? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions
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10:00
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10:00Are you a SaaS founder feeling stuck, unmotivated, or unsure about your next move? In this video, I dive into three powerful questions that can help you break through mental barriers and gain clarity on your business’s direction. These thought-provoking questions will challenge you to confront hard truths, think like an outsider, and tap into your …
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MicroConf Tactics: 8 Niche Problems To Solve with Your Next SaaS Idea
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10:00
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10:00Your next SaaS idea starts with solving a problem. Here are 8 new, niche problems that we've discovered with some explanations for each. If they seem like a good fit for you, check out Rob's 5 PM Pre-Validation framework, and get down to work... Episode Sponsor: This week’s podcast was sponsored by Lemon.io. Cut down on hiring time by working with …
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RS324: $100 Million Bootstrapped SaaS with Adam Robinson
41:34
41:34
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41:34In this episode of the Rogue Startups podcast, Craig sits down with Adam Robinson to explore key topics such as founder psychology, overcoming self-limiting beliefs, and avoiding self-sabotage. They delve into how to identify and break free from the plateau and gradual decline that can occur when you believe you have achieved product-market fit but…
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MicroConf Tactics: How To Plan Your MVP (Minimum Viable Product) in 5 Simple Steps
11:17
11:17
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11:17If 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 bu…
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RS323: Breaking Through Plateaus with Josh Ho
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51:33
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51:33Today on the Rogue Startups Podcast, Craig chats with Josh Ho from Referral Rock about the peaks and valleys of being a founder. When is the right time to sell? Is there ever a right time? How do you break through a plateau in your business growth? How do you switch from wearing your visionary hat to your marketing and sales hat? They also do a dee…
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In this episode Craig descirbes his current SaaS marketing approach. Balancing Active and Passive marketing, he’s got his marketing time down to just a few hours a week. Using a video-first, AI-assisted workflow he’s reaching his target market, educating his prospective customers, and building goodwill in the community.…
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