Rob Walling

It turns out I'm pretty good at building audiences and at coming up with educational frameworks, the stair-step method, and being an entrepreneur is making hard decisions but then complete information, and writing books. I have this other thing that I've found in myself of almost like, I don't know, it's marketing, it's copywriting, it's whatever, brand building and stuff.

It turns out I'm pretty good at building audiences and at coming up with educational frameworks, the stair-step method, and being an entrepreneur is making hard decisions but then complete information, and writing books. I have this other thing that I've found in myself of almost like, I don't know, it's marketing, it's copywriting, it's whatever, brand building and stuff.

So all that said, there are really only six areas of a SaaS company. There's product, which is deciding what do we build next and how do we build it, how does it work? There's design, which is obviously the visual aspect of that. There's engineering, which is building, writing the code, keeping things going. There's marketing, there's sales, there's support, and there's success.

So all that said, there are really only six areas of a SaaS company. There's product, which is deciding what do we build next and how do we build it, how does it work? There's design, which is obviously the visual aspect of that. There's engineering, which is building, writing the code, keeping things going. There's marketing, there's sales, there's support, and there's success.

And then there's HR, legal, and finance, but you should delegate all that. I mean, you have to do it. Look, on day one, you have to do all those. If you're a single founder, if there's two of you, you have to split up those, you know, six, seven things I just named. But what you said is exactly right, which is if you're going to hire, you need to hire someone who's better at it than you.

And then there's HR, legal, and finance, but you should delegate all that. I mean, you have to do it. Look, on day one, you have to do all those. If you're a single founder, if there's two of you, you have to split up those, you know, six, seven things I just named. But what you said is exactly right, which is if you're going to hire, you need to hire someone who's better at it than you.

And that's something that I really didn't realize until in the last 10 years.

And that's something that I really didn't realize until in the last 10 years.

It is. And you can learn from them. When we were acquired, I was stressing to everyone about, oh my gosh, I have to go work for somebody. I have to go work for this company for a bit of time. And Ruben actually asked me, he said, what can you learn? How can you make this the best it can be? What can you learn?

It is. And you can learn from them. When we were acquired, I was stressing to everyone about, oh my gosh, I have to go work for somebody. I have to go work for this company for a bit of time. And Ruben actually asked me, he said, what can you learn? How can you make this the best it can be? What can you learn?

And we got in there and it's like, I had been running marketing for Drip, working with Zach, who was our junior marketing hire. And I was like, yeah, I'm pretty good. Like, drip's growing, obviously, so I must be good at it. Hey, I'm really hard, aren't I? Good marketer, look at me. And we get in there and I'm like, oh, I don't know sh**.

And we got in there and it's like, I had been running marketing for Drip, working with Zach, who was our junior marketing hire. And I was like, yeah, I'm pretty good. Like, drip's growing, obviously, so I must be good at it. Hey, I'm really hard, aren't I? Good marketer, look at me. And we get in there and I'm like, oh, I don't know sh**.

Like I, we figured it out, but like I was not actually, I was fine. I was middle of the road by the time we got in there, just people who knew how to execute and like you said, build systems and just be better at it. So I was a perfectionist with every word, every word that was on that website I had written, right? I wrote all the copy up till that point.

Like I, we figured it out, but like I was not actually, I was fine. I was middle of the road by the time we got in there, just people who knew how to execute and like you said, build systems and just be better at it. So I was a perfectionist with every word, every word that was on that website I had written, right? I wrote all the copy up till that point.

And I did want to let it go because I was just tired of having to, for me to write all the copy when I was trying to run this company. But what I realized was people came in and rewrote it. And at first I was like, ooh, that's not mine. And then I was like, huh, that's actually a lot better. So that's the tough part.

And I did want to let it go because I was just tired of having to, for me to write all the copy when I was trying to run this company. But what I realized was people came in and rewrote it. And at first I was like, ooh, that's not mine. And then I was like, huh, that's actually a lot better. So that's the tough part.

But it's tough, you know, when you're bootstrapping and you're at 5K MRR, it's like, can you hire someone who's way better at you than in these things? You know, maybe not. And that becomes the struggle of, I do start looking in cheaper locales. I say overseas, being in the US, but really it could be South America, Central America, to find someone who is senior and who's better at me than...

But it's tough, you know, when you're bootstrapping and you're at 5K MRR, it's like, can you hire someone who's way better at you than in these things? You know, maybe not. And that becomes the struggle of, I do start looking in cheaper locales. I say overseas, being in the US, but really it could be South America, Central America, to find someone who is senior and who's better at me than...

than I am at that thing. And to maybe not give away my zone of genius, like I wouldn't hire someone to host the podcast and be high level strategy for MicroConf and TinySeed and to be the face of the brand, you know what I mean? Like those things, those are kind of the things I need to keep doing.

than I am at that thing. And to maybe not give away my zone of genius, like I wouldn't hire someone to host the podcast and be high level strategy for MicroConf and TinySeed and to be the face of the brand, you know what I mean? Like those things, those are kind of the things I need to keep doing.