How to hire the best talent by NOT using AI with Jonnathan Koch (Founder of ClipDrop.io, TalentGenie)

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

Recent Episodes from The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator Podcast

Bootstrapping 6 startups and stress-free entrepreneurship with Alane Boyd, founder of Arvo

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Alane Boyd, founder of Arvo, shares her entrepreneurial journey with us. She talks about how listening to customers helped her grow Arvo. She also discusses the importance of the work environment and what she’s doing to create a stress-free environment at Arvo.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ Why listening to customers is the best way to grow your tech startup?

~ How to be more productive and stress-free as a founder?

~ What’s the best way to bootstrap a tech startup?

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:29) - Alane's entrepreneurial journey.
(02:54) - What is Arvo?
(04:18) - How Alane decided to pivot her original product?
(05:37) - What was the biggest blocker in pivoting?
(07:25) - How big is Arvo right now?
(08:14) - How does Alane keep Arvo bootstrapped by providing services?
(09:35) - What is the team structure for Arvo?
(11:03) - How Alane allocates time between services and product as a founder?
(12:59) - How does Alane decide which tasks to work on as a founder?
(14:02) - What things Alane does differently now than her previous ventures?
(15:58) - Alane talks about the work environment and her previous company's stressful experience.
(18:03) - How Alane's actively trying to grow Arvo?
(23:00) - What are the things Alane's struggling with?
(24:45) - Where can you find Alane & Arvo?
(24:58) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Alane Boyd:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaneboyd/

Mentioned In The Episode

Arvo - Build SOPs and Process Docs with ease.

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

enJanuary 19, 2024

$500M of businesses sold, startup scaling advice, & acquisitions with Justin Cooke, founder Empire Flippers

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Justin Cooke talks about building a marketplace for founders to sell their online businesses, Empire Flippers. He also talks about the difficulties for bootstrap entrepreneurs, business transparency, and chasing new ideas.

Tune in to learn more on:

~ When is the right time to start your next venture?

~ How to know if you’re scaling too slow or too quickly?

~ Acquiring the right businesses to grow your company.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:11) - Who is Justin Cooke & What is Empire Flippers?
(01:52) - How big is Empire Flippers?
(02:52) - When should you chase new ideas?
(05:25) - When did Justin know is the right time to start WebStreet?
(09:00) - How to run a dual-side marketplace?
(11:05) - What Empire Flippers is doing differently now compared to ten years ago?
(13:14) - How Justin manages profitability vs growth?
(15:32) - How much runway do you need for a company like Empire Flippers?
(17:27) - What should companies look for when acquiring other businesses?
(20:55) - What's the average ARR multiple you can expect when buying a business in 2023?
(23:55) - When is the right time to buy another business?
(27:01) - What would Justin do differently if he could start over?
(29:36) - Being transparent as a business.
(34:07) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Justin:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwcooke/

On X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/EmpireFlippers

Mentioned In The Episode

Empire Flippers - A marketplace for founders to sell their businesses.

WebStreet - A platform for investors to buy stakes in online businesses.

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups.

Nikolas Chapoupis

On X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/nikolas_chap

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/EarlyNode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

enDecember 18, 2023

saas

logistics

empire flippers

How this Founder Started and Grew Two Multi-Million Dollar SaaS Startups in Parallel

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Michael Kamleitner shares his journey from founding a software agency to spinning out two successful products, Swat.io (surpassing $5M ARR) and Walls.io (surpassing $2M ARR). He shares insights into the challenges and decisions that shaped his entrepreneurial path, including the transition from agency work to building scalable products.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ The organic development of product ideas based on customer feedback and needs

~ The complexities of running two companies in parallel and the eventual separation into distinct entities

~ The role of outbound sales in their growth strategy and key learnings from implementing outbound campaigns

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:28) - Origin Stories and Company Spin-off
(01:49) - Formation of Die Socialisten
(03:28) - Size of Die Socialisten
(04:40) - Running Two Companies in Parallel
(06:16) - Sequential vs. Parallel Approach
(08:16) - Leadership Team for Swat.io
(09:25) - Revenue and Growth of Swat.io
(13:12) - Size and Future Growth Plans for Walls.io
(14:09) - Problem Walls.io Solve for its Users
(15:09) - What does a Typical Client for Walls.io look like
(16:50) - Team Structure and Roles in Walls.io
(20:17) - Revenue Split Between PLG and Enterprise Sales
(22:05) - Biggest Learnings about Outbound
(27:01) - Plans for Scaling Walls.io to Match the Other Product
(28:51) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Michael Kamleitner

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkamleitner

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/_subnet

Mentioned In The Episode

Walls.io - A social media aggregator for businesses

Swat.io - A social media management tool for professionals

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

enSeptember 22, 2023

startup

scale-up

bootstrapped saas

How this Founder Took On 5 Tech Giants at Once With His Project Coordination Tool

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Vasile Tiplea talks about Heycollab, an all-in-one tool that helps B2B teams coordinate their projects more efficiently.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ Evolving internal tools into full SaaS products.

~ Analyzing data to build features that solve customer challenges.

~ Pricing your product for your ideal customer in a competitive market.

Timestamp

(00:00) - Intro
(00:26) - What problem does Heycollab solve?
(00:46) - What is a typical job-to-be-done for Heycollab?
(02:09) - How did Vasile discover the opportunity?
(04:00) - How Creative27’s internal tool evolved into a SaaS platform.
(07:37) - How does Vasile run the day-to-day of HeyCollab?
(08:54) - Who are Heycollab’s typical customers?
(10:55) - How Vasile settled on Heycollab’s pricing
(12:47) - Vasile’s plans for Heycollab one year from now.
(15:20) - What is Vasile’s strategy for acquiring new customers?
(16:52) - Will Vasile continue to run Creative27 and Heycollab simultaneously?
(20:14) - Vasile’s big vision for Creative 27 Labs.
(21:12) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Vasile Tiplea

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasiledesign/

Mentioned In The Episode

Creative27 - Vasile’s Holding Company

Heycollab.com - Vasile’s 2nd Startup

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

enSeptember 19, 2023

Simplifying Asset Management for Ultra High Networth Individuals, with Jonathan Fishbeck (founder of EstateSpace)

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Jonathan Fishbeck talks about helping super high net-worth individuals manage all kinds of property efficiently with EstateSpace, a SaaS asset management platform. EstateSpace manages over $1 billion in non-financial assets.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ Creating a customer-centered user experience.

~ Pivoting from a services business to a SaaS model.

~ The value of building a strong relationship with your customers.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro
(00:29) - What problem does EstateSpace solve?
(00:50) - How did Jonathan discover the problem?
(02:11) - How did Jonathan pivot from a service-based company to SaaS?
(03:28) - Is EstateSpace target B2C only or B2B as well?
(04:27) - What data informed the decision to focus on B2B?
(06:58) - How does EstateSpace mainly acquire customers?
(11:09) - What is EstateSpace’s pricing model?
(13:09) - Jonathan’s big vision for EstateSpace.
(16:04) - What is one war story from Jonathan’s startup journey?
(17:23) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Jonathan Fishbeck

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fishbeck/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JB_Fishbeck

Mentioned In The Episode

EstateSpace - Jonathan’s Startup

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

enSeptember 15, 2023

Riding Solo: Breaking through as a Solopreneur with Tim Leland (Founder of T.ly)

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, solopreneur Tim Leland discusses the realities of solopreneurship and breaking through in a highly competitive space with T.ly, a link-shortening tool that currently has over 450k users and counting.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ Juggling your time as a solopreneur.

~ Gaining traction within a highly competitive space.

~ Making the decision to go into full-time entrepreneurship.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro
(00:36) - Why Tim chose to enter the competitive link shortener space
(02:40) - How long did it take Tim to build t.ly’s first version?
(03:25) - How did t.ly gain early traction?
(05:00) - How Tim drove users to t.ly with his other products
(07:23) - Tim’s monetization strategy for t.ly
(09:01) - Who are the ideal customers for t.ly?
(10:53) - Why Tim decided to focus full-time on t.ly.
(13:54) - How Tim splits his time managing t.ly as a solopreneur.
(15:40) - Tim’s current marketing strategies
(17:44) - Tim’s big vision for t.ly.
(19:41) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Tim Leland

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timleland/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimLeland

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timleland/

More on his journey: https://timleland.com/embracing-failure-the-journey-of-a-builder-and-maker/

Mentioned In The Episode

T.ly - Tim’s Startup

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

enAugust 23, 2023

saas

solopreneur

link shortener

Finding the right sales prospects with Alexandre Abu-Jamra (Founder of Klooks.com.br)

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Alexandre Abu-Jamra joins us to talk about how he prospects customers for Klooks.com.br, a financial spreading automation software. Klooks turns corporate financial statements into standardized data.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ Managing a hybrid SaaS and DaaS product.

~ Tips for finding the right prospects efficiently.

~ An uncommon way to build your email list for inbound.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro
(01:21) - The typical use case for Klooks
(02:54) - How did Alexandre stumble into the problem Klooks solves?
(04:57) - How Klooks offers both DaaS and financial spreading automation services
(05:58) - Spotting the opportunity to build Klook’s SaaS offering.
(10:47) - How does the sales process work at Klooks?
(12:40) - Does Klooks use a sales team or founder-led sales approach?
(13:19) - Tips for having an efficient prospecting process
(16:48) - How Alex drove Klook’s inbound strategy via email.
(18:45) - What is one major challenge Alexandre faced as a founder?
(25:07) - Alexandre’s big vision for Klooks.
(26:22) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Alexandre Abu-Jamra

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aabujamra/

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eusouoabu/

Mentioned In The Episode

Klooks.com.br - Alexandre’s Startup

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

Hunter.io - Email hunting tool

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

enAugust 21, 2023

Turning leads into leases with Dave Freund (Founder of LeaseLeads.co)

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, we’ve got Dave Freund talking about how he transitioned from a service agency to founding LeaseLeads.co, an apartment leasing AI software, in 2022. LeaseLeads.co currently has over 200 customers and doing $1 million in ARR.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ Working with freelancers vs hiring in-house.

~ Growing sales successfully with a discount strategy.

~ Transitioning from a service-based agency to a full SaaS business.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro
(00:27) - What problem does LeaseLeads solve?
(01:27) - Who's the typical customer of LeaseLeads?
(02:15) - The founding story of LeaseLeads
(04:18) - How Dave managed the transition from agency to SaaS
(05:49) - How Dave bootstrapped LeaseLeads in its beginning
(06:41) - Which growth stage is LeaseLeads at presently?
(08:11) - Working with freelancers vs hiring in-house
(09:17) - How LeaseLeads reached $1 million ARR
(10:46) - LeaseLeads’ discount strategy
(13:03) - LeaseLeads’ marketing channels
(16:04) - Measuring the impact of trade shows
(19:19) - Dave’s biggest challenge while running LeaseLeads
(24:33) - Dave’s big vision for LeaseLeads
(25:58) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Dave Freund

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-freund

Mentioned In The Episode

LeaseLeads.co - Dave’s Startup

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis

enAugust 14, 2023

How to bootstrap a SaaS startup as a content creator with Brennan Dunn (Founder of RightMessage)

In this episode of The Bootstrapped SaaS Operator, Brennan Dunn, founder of RightMessage, joins us with his exciting journey from an agency owner to a prolific content creator and then to a SaaS founder.

Tune in to learn more about:

~ What “creator habits” helped Brennan in his founder journey?
~ How to approach marketing if you have multiple ICPs?

~ The best way to bootstrap a SaaS company in 2023.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro
(00:08) - What problem does RightMessage solve?
(00:31) - RightMessage's Best ICP.
(01:04) - How Brennan navigates with multiple ICPs?
(02:53) - Why RightMessage is going up market?
(04:17) - How much traffic does a website need for RightMessage to work?
(06:13) - How did Brennan initially start RightMessage?
(09:02) - What mistakes Brennan and team made in the start?
(11:30) - Why Brennan bought his partner out?
(13:25) - How does Brennan handle pressure?
(16:14) - What would Brennan do differently if he could start over?
(19:47) - How's he planning to get to his goal for RightMessage?
(24:14) - What does RightMessage users' journey look like?
(27:45) - What creator habits helped Brennan in his founder journey?
(30:24) - Outro

The SaaS Operator Newsletter

Get actionable insights from SaaS veterans to grow your MRR.

Join hundreds of PLG founders at: EarlyNode.com/Subscribe

Follow Brennan Dunn

On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrennanDunn/

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennandunn/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/brennandunn

Mentioned In The Episode

RightMessage - Brennan’s Current Startup

TinySeed - Bootstrappers-focused funding platform

ReactSquad.io - React.js Agency for Startups

EarlyNode

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earlynode

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlynode_crew/

Nikolas Chapoupis

On LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-chapoupis