Rob Walling

And that does allow you to segment your users and segment that process. And then maybe schools get a demo. And if they're a one-call close and they pay you enough, it's worth it. And maybe consumers and small businesses don't. There can be some benefit to it. Now, the flip side of that is, well, don't you want to focus on a single ICP? There's arguments on both sides.

I have had businesses where there's one, and I've had businesses where there were three or four. Drip actually launched with four different ICPs, and we actually narrowed over time. So I can see it both ways.

I have had businesses where there's one, and I've had businesses where there were three or four. Drip actually launched with four different ICPs, and we actually narrowed over time. So I can see it both ways.

And again, in your shoes, I would ask myself, am I interested in potentially making more money and learning more about how to deal with other audiences and other ICPs, potentially growing this business, making it a better business, because certainly consumers are not gonna pay as much as schools and small businesses. I'd ask myself, do I wanna do that? Do I wanna learn it?

And again, in your shoes, I would ask myself, am I interested in potentially making more money and learning more about how to deal with other audiences and other ICPs, potentially growing this business, making it a better business, because certainly consumers are not gonna pay as much as schools and small businesses. I'd ask myself, do I wanna do that? Do I wanna learn it?

And my answer, of course, would be yes, because I like trying new things. I'm a maximizer and I'm someone who likes to learn things. So that's my take, Benjamin. Hope it was helpful. And with that, this episode will come to a close. Thanks so much for joining me this week and every week. It's always great to be on the mic with you.

And my answer, of course, would be yes, because I like trying new things. I'm a maximizer and I'm someone who likes to learn things. So that's my take, Benjamin. Hope it was helpful. And with that, this episode will come to a close. Thanks so much for joining me this week and every week. It's always great to be on the mic with you.

If we're not connected on ex-Twitter, which is where I asked for these later stage questions, let's connect. I'm at Rob Walling. And of course, if you have later stage questions, feel free to ping me on Twitter or send them to questions at startupsfortherestofus.com. If you have early stage questions, feel free to send them there as well.

If we're not connected on ex-Twitter, which is where I asked for these later stage questions, let's connect. I'm at Rob Walling. And of course, if you have later stage questions, feel free to ping me on Twitter or send them to questions at startupsfortherestofus.com. If you have early stage questions, feel free to send them there as well.

I have a decent backlog of those and someday I will get back to them. Thanks for joining me again this week. This is Rob Walling signing off from episode 736.

I have a decent backlog of those and someday I will get back to them. Thanks for joining me again this week. This is Rob Walling signing off from episode 736.

Welcome back to another episode of Startups for the Rest of Us. I am your host, Rob Walling. In this episode, I'm going to talk about the eight levels of platform risk, as well as the three factors that contribute to platform risk. And I'm not just going to talk about the traditional, I have a Shopify app, or heaven forbid, you're WordPress web host this week.

Welcome back to another episode of Startups for the Rest of Us. I am your host, Rob Walling. In this episode, I'm going to talk about the eight levels of platform risk, as well as the three factors that contribute to platform risk. And I'm not just going to talk about the traditional, I have a Shopify app, or heaven forbid, you're WordPress web host this week.

But I'm going to look at platform risk from a sense of any type of reliance on an external platform. So if you use SendGrid to send email, how does that factor in? If you use AWS for your hosting or you use an open source package like WordPress. And honestly, this is a framework I came up with a few months ago and I jotted it down in a Trello board I keep for podcast episode topics.

But I'm going to look at platform risk from a sense of any type of reliance on an external platform. So if you use SendGrid to send email, how does that factor in? If you use AWS for your hosting or you use an open source package like WordPress. And honestly, this is a framework I came up with a few months ago and I jotted it down in a Trello board I keep for podcast episode topics.

And I was just going to pull it out at some point, probably put it in a book, I'm sure talk about it on the podcast. And then the WordPress WP Engine kerfuffle flared up. By now that's, you know, a couple weeks old. But it did remind me that I had this and had never really done a full refinement on it.

And I was just going to pull it out at some point, probably put it in a book, I'm sure talk about it on the podcast. And then the WordPress WP Engine kerfuffle flared up. By now that's, you know, a couple weeks old. But it did remind me that I had this and had never really done a full refinement on it.

And so this podcast episode is a way for me to kind of bring that out and talk through my thoughts of platform risk as I see it. Especially it's... Probably any startup, but realistically, there's a little bit of a B2B SaaS bent to it, right? Because that's the 191 investments I've made. And so I've seen different forms of platform risk blindside companies in different ways.

And so this podcast episode is a way for me to kind of bring that out and talk through my thoughts of platform risk as I see it. Especially it's... Probably any startup, but realistically, there's a little bit of a B2B SaaS bent to it, right? Because that's the 191 investments I've made. And so I've seen different forms of platform risk blindside companies in different ways.

And that is the basis for today's episode. Before I dive into that, tickets for MicroConf New Orleans. And of course, I will be there in New Orleans. And if you want to get together with about 250 speakers, of your favorite bootstrapped founder friends, head to microconf.com slash US. The tickets right now are the least expensive they will ever be.