Bootstrapped

#143: When should you refactor your product's code?

02 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When, if ever, should you, should make changes to your product's code that don't change its external behaviour?How do you weigh up the risks of breaki...

#142: Revisiting our pre-pandemic yearly goals

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We revisit the goals we made in January 2020. We consider what progress we've made despite the current massive global uncertainty.Back in January, in ...

#141: A Saber Feedback update three months after acquisition

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I openly report on the challenges and successes I've had in the first three months of owning Saber Feedback. And yes, I do reveal customer numbers, re...

#140: How NOT to handle customer payment problems

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This was a painful episode to record. I had problems getting some customers to pay. How I handled it was a cascade of mistakes. I tell Ed the story, a...

#139: Selling to Developers with Peter Suhm of Branch CI

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ed chats with Peter Suhm about the challenges and rewards of selling to developers. Peter is the founder of Branch, a deployment tool for WordPress de...

#138: "Epic Guide" Marketing

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss Ed Freyfogle's recent experience creating the OpenCage Reverse Geocoding guide, an example of an "epic guide" approach to content marketing...

#137: Derrick Grigg - Founder of PageProofer

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Derrick's product is a direct competitor to one of my products. So it was extremely generous of him to speak openly about the challenges and successes...

#136: Website security for bootstrappers

30 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Security audits! Bug bounty programs! Frequent unsolicited pen-testing! When you put a website on the Internet, it almost immediately faces non-stop s...

#135: How to improve Saber Feedback's website content, with Hannah Adcock of Contented Strategy

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Content specialist Hannah Adcock audited Saber Feedback's website. In this episode, she tells us what's good about our site and what needs to change.H...

#134: Why I chose to acquire Saber Feedback

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Frequent guest co-host Ed Freyfogle has questions. Lots of questions. About why I acquired Saber Feedback, what the acquisition process was like, and ...

#133: Why Matt Bearman chose to sell his bootstrapped product, Saber Feedback

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Bearman, original founder of Saber Feedback, discusses the experience of creating, growing, and then selling Saber Feedback.Matt's Blog: https://...

#132: COVID-19 and our businesses

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

(Looking for Episode 131? For boring, technical reasons, there is no episode 131.)Ed Freyfogle and I discuss how COVID-19 is affecting our lives, our ...

#130: A brief hiatus

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A short episode where I explain why the podcast is on break for a few weeks.Spoiler alert: the pandemic has left me stranded 16,816 km from home. Unti...

#129: Driving to Mongolia while running a mission-critical SaaS

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Wilde of Wormly describes how he was able to drive across central Asia - often in countries without easily-available Internet - while running a...

#128: Dealing with bootstrapper stress

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bootstrapping is stressful. I share seven ways I try to manage the stress of being a software bootstrapper.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored thi...

#127: SaaS products we use to run our businesses

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss some of the SaaS products we rely on to run our businesses: what they are and why we use them.Thanks to EmailToolTester who sponsored this ...

#126: Why Dave Rodenbaugh acquired an existing business instead of starting from scratch

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Dave Rodenbaugh wanted to run a software business, he decided to buy an existing one. He tells me why he did this, how he chose the business, and...

#125: Tracking what you spend on your business

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I'm joined again by frequent guest co-host Ed Freyfogle.We talk about how we track the spending on our businesses.We mentioned a rewards card for Star...

#124: Goals for 2020

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Ed discuss what they hope to achieve by the end of 2020 - both professionally and personally.We also discuss the importance of knowing your ...

#123: "Why I sold my SaaS" - with Courtenay Farquharson, founder of Parserr

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Courtenay Farquharson shares how he built up Parserr to more than $10K monthly revenue - and why he sold it.We also talk about:bootstrapping in the Mi...

#122: My desktop app got acquired!

18 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 pur...

#121: Handling cancellations in a subscription product

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Freyfogle of OpenCage Geocoder and I (founder of Feature Upvote) discuss how we handle customer cancellation requests in our respective SaaS produc...

#120: Small team habits part 2: Steve's turn

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

#119: Small team habits part 1

13 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

#118: Should your product go Freemium?

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Steve and Ed consider whether Freemium is a viable business model for bootstrappers.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thank...

#117: Selling to Developers

01 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ed from OpenCage Geocoder and I talk about the marketing techniques that work - and don't work - when you product is targeted towards developers.Thank...

#116: Pricing your product in multiple currencies, with Ed Freyfogle from OpenCage

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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, pr...

#115: Living Abroad While Bootstrapping, with Craig Hewitt

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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...

#114: "The Tables are Turned", with Craig Hewitt

10 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Craig turns the tables and interviews me about Feature Upvote and about this podcast. We discuss: why Steve launched Feature Upvote when he already h...

#113: "The idea of public speaking fills me with unspeakable terror", featuring Craig Hewitt

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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: ...

#112: Three ways to use podcasts for marketing. Featuring Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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...

#111: "Should I apply for TinySeed?" with Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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."...

#110: "Living the Bootstrapper dream" with Robin Warren, founder of Corrello

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 Chann...

#109: Andy Brice - Founder of EasyDataTransform

04 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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...

#108: Hannah Adcock - Owner of Contented Strategy

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah and I discuss content strategy for bootstrappers. Hannah's website: https://contentedstrategy.com/ Hannah's book: "Content Strategy for Solopre...

#107: Robert Brandl - Founder of WebsiteToolTester

20 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 fo...

#106: Sylvestre Dupont - Co-founder of Parseur

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 diff...

#105 - A new iteration of Bootstrapped

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A short and special episode in which I share some news about the podcast.

#104 - I Don't Want To Talk About GDPR The Whole Time w/ Natalie Nagele from Wildbit

31 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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...

#103 - There's No Scarcity On Piñatas

22 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss conferences & traveling, birthday parties for kids, .app domains, and Andrey's new GDPR-related project Consent Monitor...

#102 - I'm Running On Fumes

15 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss parenting at the park, hiring a plumber, cutting & bulking > marketing, the awesomeness of Peers Conference ⭐, hir...

#101 - All About Landsman

05 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss planning for Laracon Online, what's coming up next for Helpspot & Thermostat, and investing in startups.

#100 - All About Butov

29 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss Butov's workout routine, the pros and cons of hiring a part-time employee, and upcoming conference plans.

#99 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi w/ Taylor Otwell (SPOILERS!)

16 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a special episode of Bootstrapped, Taylor Otwell (creator of Laravel) joins Ian to talk about 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'. WARNING: This podcast con...

#98 - The Landsman Game Challenge

04 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss solo parenting, Disney on Ice, future conference plans, and a plan to live stream Ian playing video games.

#97 - ButovOrBust.com

23 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 Thermo...

#96 - It's All Possibility.....And Work

09 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss the beginnings of Ian's new CRUD app, Scribbleton upgrades, freezing your credit, Las Vegas, and more.

#95 - I Started Fresh, and It's Glorious

02 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss hearing trips to and from NYC, nostalgia for high school, the 'New Renaissance Butov', and more.

#94 - Franchise Friends

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss kindergarten, kids destroying tablets, side projects for founders, encryption in Scribbleton, and more.

#93 - Thinner, Leaner, Meaner

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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.

#92 - Elevator Algorithms

21 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we continue our follow-up on Laracon, talk about all things hotels, plus poker, Thermostat.io, watching games on Twitch, & more.

#91 - I'd Wear A Full Face Mask

14 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss Laracon, getting healthy, how millennials go to the gym, and more.

#90 - Butov Plus Plus

09 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we discuss Butov's new addition to the family, experimenting with frameworks & languages, family vacations, old phones, & more...

#89 - It's The Open Desert That Got Me

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we talk about Ian & NPS, Butov's attempts to hire millennials, and paying people to watch video games.

#88 - Charles Perry (Part 2) - Founder of Metakite

06 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of Andrey & Ian's conversation with Charles Perry (founder of Metakite) about what it's like to start a new subscription-based mobile app...

#87 - Charles Perry (Part 1) - Founder of Metakite

30 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of Andrey & Ian's conversation with Charles Perry (founder of Metakite) about what it's like to start a new subscription-based mobile app...

#86: Garrett Dimon (Part 2) - Founder of Sifter, Currently at Wildbit

23 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of Andrey and Ian's conversation with Garret Dimon.

#85: Garrett Dimon (Part 1) - Founder of Sifter, Currently at Wildbit

17 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of Andrey and Ian's conversation with Garret Dimon.

#84: You’re on an Air, Butov - an Air!

09 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Butov needs a laptop upgrade, Ian wants simpler basketball video games, and they both talk about virtual reality.

#83: Brian Casel (Part 2) - Founder of Audience Ops

02 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of our talk with Brian Casel about Audience Ops, the new Audience Ops Calendar, and more. Links: Audience Ops Audience Ops Calendar Brian Ca...

#82: Brian Casel (Part 1) - Founder of Audience Ops

26 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of our talk with Brian Casel about Audience Ops, the new Audience Ops Calendar, and more. Links: Audience Ops Audience Ops Calendar Brian Ca...

#81: Brandon Kelly (Part 2) - Founder and CEO of Craft CMS

19 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of our talk with Brandon Kelly about Craft CMS, pricing, support, and Pixel and Tonic.

#80: Brandon Kelly (Part 1) - Founder and CEO of Craft CMS

12 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of our talk with Brandon Kelly about Craft CMS, politics, domains, and Pixel and Tonic.

#79: (Part 2) Patrick Pohler on Starting an API Based Real Estate SaaS

06 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

#79: (Part 2) Patrick Pohler on Starting an API Based Real Estate SaaS

#78: Patrick Pohler (Part 1) on Starting an API Based Real Estate SaaS

29 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

#78: Patrick Pohler (Part 1) on Starting an API Based Real Estate SaaS

#77: "... is somebody being bombed?"

21 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest in this episode is JD Graffam, owner of two agencies, Clear Function and Simple Focus, and several SaaS products, including Sifter, Pulse, a...

#76: "Cleo"

06 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the passing of Andrey's dog Cleo, moving company business models, standing desks, where you can find real news, founder vacation time needs...

#75: "Don't you worry about Dave. You worry about Butov!"

09 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we talk about Ian's trip to Laracon, politics, working on multiple projects simultaneously, working on web apps vs other types of prod...

#74: "Nobody ever got fired for hiring Vector Media Group" with special guest Matt Weinberg

15 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We're joined by our friend Matt Weinberg to chat about growing a large consultancy, software, hiring, and more. A lot of great insights in this one, d...

#73: ”If you can find an agreeable parrot, ...”

20 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Ian and Andrey talk about going to the gym, living on Long Island, Andrey's car buying adventures, Richard Stallman's speaking...

#72: "It's all going to $0, but in the meantime, we can make some money"

08 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss naps and meditation, new HelpSpot pricing, business ideas, is Andrey and introvert?, BaconBiz conf, Butov goes to Buffalo, new product work...

#71: "Jane Portman from UI Breakfast"

09 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ian and Andrey talk to Jane Portman about her company, UI Breakfast, her new book for SaaS founders, building a business, and UI/UX f...

#70: "I made a lot of money off Twitter"

18 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

#69: "You always pay for sticking to your principles."

28 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hating snow blowers, BaconBiz, going to the gym, driving to places you should be flying to, Rocket League, Quintu, Scribbleton, profit-generating comp...

#68: "Butov's Brooklyn"

29 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Andrey has never seen Breaking Bad, SaaStr review, Butov does PR and advertising, adventures in email, Ian drops an idea for a product you should stea...

#67: Stuff

08 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we talk about Mr. Rogers, releasing How Are Sales Today, writing desktop apps in C++, Parse closing and Uberdeck, Scribbleton, Usersc...

#66: I'm Done Doing

03 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

#65: Star Wars is the 'Dora the Explorer' of science fiction.

30 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we talk about Star Wars, how much Ian loves it and how much Andrey hates it, synchronizing hardware between home and office, code sig...

#64: A Carl Sagan Joint

03 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week Andrey doesn't tell me I'm on the wrong mic until half way through and we also cover acronyms, Jessica Jones, babysitter acquisition strateg...

#63: How Are Sales Today?

19 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we talk about the new app from Quantic Insights, opening up a business bank account, meditation, mellowing out with age, new Userscap...

#62: I have the flu

05 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

#61

22 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ian and Andrey talk about new hardware, Star Wars, HelpSpot Cloud, back-end systems, Quantic Insights, virtual insurance for virtual ...

#60: Pump the hotness

13 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss how we don’t hold to our topic, home contractors, physical servers, internet secure, desktop software development, rewriting software fro...

#59

07 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we talk about photography, Userscape’s new employee, health insurance, Finsumi, building everything yourself, outsourcing, Quantic ...

#58

30 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss Andrey’s PhillyPopecation, Release Notes Conference, how we do sales at UserScape, why you should never offer unlimited/...

#57

18 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss returning for another season, first day of school, finishing up consulting work and returning to product work, co-founding...

#56: Rated R

29 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Andrey swears a lot, we talk about nearly everything except bootstrapping! Stay until the end to hear us discuss Star Wars, 2001, Contact, Guardians ...

#55: It’s all part of the game

16 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss Snappy shutting down, selling Snappy, resurrecting a failed product, Andrey’s trip to PAX, Peers conference, client work...

#54: This is worse than Seinfeld

02 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Some product updates, yada yada yada, this is embarrassing. HelpSpot Help Desk Software 4 Release Notes Conference Peers Conf Bacon Biz Conf Hyperpla...

#53: $1000 join

18 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode, in which Ian and Andrey discuss names, getting punished for good deeds, fast-food burgers, Authorize.NET, HelpSpot mobile apps...

#52: Dead Man’s Switch

07 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode where we discuss Ian’s health update, how Scribbbleton handles synchronization, moving, coworking and working from home, real ...

#51: Special Guest: Matt Stauffer

20 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode, in which we’re joined by special guest, Matt Stauffer, to talk about bootstrapping a SaaS while running a consultancy full-ti...

#50: 50

14 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode. This week we fail to discuss that it’s our 50th episode, family impact on development, Andrey might be hiring a helper so con...

#49: A new product from scratch

12 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode, in which Ian and Andrey talk about antisocial haircuts, Joan Rivers, consulting, Scribbleton on Lifehacker, relaxing, doing a p...

#48: Gabriel Weinberg of DuckDuckGo

25 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We chat with special guest Gabriel Weinberg of DuckDuckGo. We cover the full gamut from bootstrapping, VC, competing against Google, Perl, privacy, ad...

#47: Anchor Celebrities

18 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode, in which Ian and Andrey discuss anchor celebrities, parenting, Larajobs, fake snow, product hunt, donationware, Uberdeck, consu...

#46: Jeffrey Way of Laracasts

28 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have special guest Jeffrey Way. We talk about how he’s bootstrapped Laracasts, how he got started in Laravel, the philosophy behind Lar...

#45: Adventures in Hacker News

21 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Download this episode, in which Ian and Andrey discuss taking a vacation while bootstrapping,  the craziness of Hacker News, LaraJobs, Scribbleton, i...

#44: I’m Recording Now

14 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ian’s (non-life threatening) health issues, delaying the Bootstrapped Conference, quarters as a service, app translation, LaraJobs, what we’d do i...

#43: The Userscape Developers

01 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we sit down with the developers of Userscape; Eric Barnes, Chris Fidao, and Taylor Otwell, to talk about weird dreams, Eric’s, Chri...