The Rogue Startups podcast features two bootstrapped startup founders as they grow their businesses. We feature experts in the fields of sales, marketing, and product development to hear how they're growth hacking their productized services, WordPress plugins, 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, Mixergy, Zero to Scale, Bootstrapped Web, The Startup Chat, and Rhodium Podcast will love checking out our show.
180 Available Episodes (180 Total)Average duration: 00:40:28
Apr 13, 2023
RS279: Processing Brutal Feedback, and Hiring An AE
00:35:06
How do you define helpful feedback? What sort of customer opinions should you brush off? Dave shares his experiences with some brutal feedback and how he is using it to better customer experience with Recapture. What makes a good virtual assistant versus a great virtual assistant? Craig talks about the executive assistant he hired (through ... Read more
Mar 30, 2023
RS278: Switching Cost
00:40:28
Dave talks about the complications that arise behind writing long-form web content. He also gives us updates on Recapture and talks about Patrick Campbell’s latest tweet thread on running a business during a recession. Craig poses a question about the increasing cost of Hubspot and the possibility of switching costs. Is Hubspot worth it? They ... Read more
Mar 16, 2023
RS277: Getting Value From Conferences
00:29:00
Dave and Craig dive into the concept of hiring above and below, creating focus days, and evaluating the value of industry conferences. What kinds of benefits do you get from attending industry conferences? How do you buy back your time? Any tips on how Craig should find his first DnD group? We’d love to hear ... Read more
Mar 09, 2023
RS276: Scaled Outreach, Done Right with Farzad Rashidi
00:38:11
Today, Craig chats with Farzad Rashidi about outreach, marketing, partner recruitment, and what Responda can do for your business. Farzad also talks about how to utilize cold outreach in a productive and effective way. It isn’t always about the tools, but how you use them. Farzad started on his outreach guru journey working as a ... Read more
Feb 24, 2023
RS275: When And How We Delegate
00:37:09
In this episode of Rogue Startups, the focus is on BigSnow takeaways and reflections including prioritizing, delegating, and focusing on important tasks. How do these things differ for small businesses versus big businesses? What is the difference between the EOS role chart versus Dan Sullivan/Dan Martell’s A-B-C task prioritization? Which roles should be outsourced and ... Read more
Feb 02, 2023
RS274: Chat GPT, The Economy, and New Realities
00:35:15
ChatGPT seems to be on the tips of everyone’s tongues these days, so today we’re talking about what it means for social media, web content, and the podcasting industry. Not to mention, Dave just can’t quit Twitter and Craig tries to develop his personal brand. They chat about the current state of the economy, title ... Read more
Jan 12, 2023
RS273: Relentless Focus
00:34:50
It’s a new year which means that businesses all over are going through the OKR process and the annual planning phase for EOS. In this episode, Dave and Craig talk about how the processes are different for them this year. How do you say no to everything except what you need to do? How do ... Read more
Jan 05, 2023
RS272: A Few Year-End Reflections
00:47:41
It’s the beginning of 2023, which means it’s time to reflect on what we learned from last year. Craig shares his hot take on the recession and Gumroad. Dave compares this recession to the previous ones they have lived through. They analyze trends from Q4 and look forward to what 2023 could bring. Not to ... Read more
Dec 08, 2022
RS271: Long time, no podcast
00:44:10
What is going on with these VC companies? How do you weed out the riff-raff when you offer free trials? Are you a SaaS owner and have you done an audit on your expenditures? Has it really been a couple of months since our last update? Dave and Craig are back with company updates and industry ... Read more
Sep 22, 2022
RS270: How ecommerce aggregators are winning the SaaS game
00:33:11
Dave flies solo today, talking with Jim Breese of AppHub.com, an ecommerce app aggregator. Jim discusses the business model of aggregation in the ecommerce space, and together, Dave and Jim riff on some email marketing tactics that are uncommonly effective (and still underused by 95% of all SaaS and ecommerce marketers according to Dave). Do ... Read more
Aug 11, 2022
RS269: Been a while…updates and positioning
00:46:52
Who are you? Who is your company? Who does your company serve? Positioning is important for a number of reasons. It gives you and your company a sense of purpose and direction. But finding your niche isn’t as easy as it may seem. Dave and Craig are back! Today they’re talking about all of the ... Read more
Jun 02, 2022
RS268: Lessons Learned Hiring Standout Developers
00:37:25
What is the difference between a CEO’s mindset and an operator’s mindset? What are lessons you’ve learned about hiring good developers? How do you do a technical evaluation for possible developers? As Dave nears his one-year reunion as a full-time entrepreneur with Recapture, he shares some of the lessons and realizations he had learned in ... Read more
May 19, 2022
RS267: Hazards of Growing a SaaS from Scratch
00:42:40
How do you take your SaaS idea and turn it into a successful business? How do you build a SaaS business from scratch? In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave is chatting with email marketing guru, Chase Dimond. Today, he joins Dave to talk about his new platform, EmailUp. EmailUp is Canva for email. He ... Read more
Apr 28, 2022
RS266: MicroConf 2022 Recap
00:26:28
Did you attend MicroConf 2022? What is it like to go to a convention after the pandemic? On today’s episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig break down their experiences at MicroConf 2022. After a few years of attending the conference, their priorities and perspectives have changed when it comes to what they’re looking for ... Read more
Apr 02, 2022
RS265: The Customer Interview Trap
00:29:12
In this episode, after a hiatus that was waay too long, Craig and Dave talk about Dave’s recent experience with customer interviews. There’s always a balance between taking customers’ input into your product process and having that founder level intuition to drive the product (and business) forward. Craig gives updates on his bigger picture goals ... Read more
Jan 20, 2022
RS264: From Freelancer to Founder: Chase Clymer’s Journey to Successful Shopify Agency Owner
00:31:46
Today Dave chats with Chase Clymer about Chase’s journey from being in a band to running Electric Eye, a successful Shopify strategic consulting agency. In addition to role clarification, Chase discovered a lot about himself when he transitioned from freelancer to the head of his own agency. Chase talks about his struggles, his mistakes, and ... Read more
Jan 13, 2022
RS263: New Years Planning
00:33:36
What do you look for when you’re searching for a developer? Which is more stressful: building a new house or moving to a different country? Are you working on the business or in the business? Dave and Craig are back after a holiday hiatus. Between Dave’s household being bombarded with sickness and Craig moving back ... Read more
Dec 09, 2021
RS262: QA and Moving
00:33:43
Dave and Craig talk about cold calling, AWS outages, steady growth during the winter, and the hiring-process struggle bus. What are your thoughts about living overseas? What are your thoughts on full-time QA people? Do you have any tips on finding gems on Upwork? Do you agree that the half-life of your marketing strategy is ... Read more
Nov 11, 2021
RS261: Optimizing Speed vs. Quality
00:28:11
How does quality control testing work in e-commerce? In the podcasting world and with abandoned cart recovery, it can be a hassle for smaller companies. In this episode of the Rogue Startups podcast, Dave and Craig talk about what they do to overcome the challenge of optimizing quality versus releasing updates and features in a ... Read more
Oct 28, 2021
RS260: 13 Truths about SaaS
00:39:23
How do you define execution? What are you doing differently than your competitors? Do you think growth stacks and compounds? On today’s episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig are going over Asia Orangio’s essay, “13 Brutal truths about growth I wish every SaaS founder knew.” They go over a few highlights that stuck out ... Read more
Oct 21, 2021
RS258: Crafting a better Product Process with Craig Zingerline
00:42:47
How do you play product offense? In the decision-making process, how can you tell the differences between elective decisions and core features? Customer retention. Customer experience. Team priorities. Everything is affected by the product process. Today, host Craig Hewitt is talking with Craig Zingerline about the product process, which is a process both Craigs feel ... Read more
Sep 30, 2021
RS257: Entrepreneurial Endgame
00:37:59
There have been a number of WordPress acquisitions this year. Today’s hot button topic is all about the Sandhills Development acquisition. It’s brought questions to the minds of everyone in the SaaS community. What are the alternatives to selling at certain points? Why not stay and go public? When do you sell your business? What ... Read more
Sep 02, 2021
RS256: Sales onboarding and eCommerce headwinds
00:35:44
Dave and Craig are back behind the mic to talk about refreshing their own personal brands, virtual versus in-person conferences, and goals. Dave goes over the bleak trends and headwinds for eCommerce. In more upbeat news, they also chat about Craig’s newest team members, how customer service and sales affect one another, and OKRs (objectives ... Read more
Aug 19, 2021
RS255: Sales and Busted Funnels
00:33:32
Dave and Craig are behind the mic again. After a brief discussion about vaccines, regulations, and balancing personal and professional issues, they dive deep into sales. Craig talks about new hires and about being at an exciting but nerve-wracking place in his business. Dave shares his marketing woes and a little insight on what it ... Read more
Aug 05, 2021
RS254: Summer vacation and sales updates
00:34:29
What is the ultimate test of your business’ infrastructure? Have you been doing anything to relax and unwind this summer? What is a healthy balance of “weird” and “sustainable” in terms of work schedules? Today is all about summer vacations, schedules, and sales. Dave and Craig talk about soccer camps, recharging their batteries, camping, and ... Read more
Jul 15, 2021
RS253: When Will the World Be Ready for Conferences Again?
00:37:13
In this post-July 4th episode, everything feels a little bittersweet because of the responsibilities of the upcoming school year. But for some good news, Castos has closed funding rounds in order to pursue the private podcasting market. Dave also shares the latest news about Recapture and Jilt. Dave and Craig also talk about sales, affiliate ... Read more
Jul 01, 2021
RS252: Sales and Product Influences
00:42:50
Dave and Craig are back with some interesting updates on their business and in their respective industries. Dave has had a bit of excitement since a competitor shut down. Craig talks about new integrations, new customizations, and making rich features for customers. They also discuss the ideas of cold outreach, sales, the high stickiness of ... Read more
Jun 10, 2021
RS251: After the dust settles
00:34:33
Dave and Craig are back again with updates on working full-time and new developments in Castos. Since his decision to go full-time with Recapture, Dave has seen a number of wonderful changes in his life. He goes over that, as well as the feedback he has received since announcing his big decision, and the power ... Read more
Jun 03, 2021
RS250: A Big Announcement
00:38:06
Dave and Craig are doing fan-freakin-tastic in today’s episode of the Rogue Startups podcast. Craig talks about the newest member of the Castos team. Dave has narrowed down his writer search. He shares his big announcement, which is both big news & good news, and will lead to great things for Dave and Recapture. It ... Read more
May 27, 2021
RS249: Acquisitions
00:37:49
In today’s episode, Dave and Craig talk about everything from the awkward teenage years of podcasting to Castos’ latest acquisitions (3 Clicks and Podient). They also go over shiny object syndrome and updates on Recapture’s content writer applicants. What are the most important aspects of acquisitions and partnerships? How do you stay focused in the ... Read more
May 20, 2021
RS248: Company Structure Questions, and More Content Marketing
00:34:12
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig catch up on the past week: Craig’s trip home, vaccines, and updates with Recapture and Castos. Dave talks about his decision with last week’s pricing problem. Craig talks about the new writer he hired and goes over his hiring process. They also discuss the differences between ... Read more
May 13, 2021
RS247: Pricing and Communicating Change with Customers
00:44:18
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig talk about some personal updates as well as some updates in business. Today it’s all about branding, marketing, and pricing. Dave dives in with a deep topic: pricing. While companies price on a lot of different dimensions, there are three popular dimensions for email/SMS marketing: per ... Read more
May 06, 2021
RS246: Prioritizing Resources and Shifting Mindsets
00:33:41
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig is stateside while his family gets the vaccine and gets a bit of vacation time in. Dave and Craig discuss the chaos that is vaccine distribution in Europe and in other countries as well as “BigSummer”, and working in different time zones and during different times of the ... Read more
Apr 08, 2021
RS245: Content Marketing Hiring and Systems
00:32:37
Where should you hire writers? How much should you pay them? Craig and Dave talk about making content marketing hiring and system mistakes, while looking for the right fit. Dave made progress on Recapture’s SMS launch, but feels like he is falling behind on paid acquisition. He’s not getting as much feedback or tight integration ... Read more
Apr 01, 2021
RS244: Taking A Corner
00:39:01
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig share the latest news in the SaaS world, like the recent changes and trends in the discussion of Easy Digital Downloads versus WooCommerce. On the business side, Dave discusses some freelance adventures. Meanwhile, Craig dives deep into streamlining his hiring process. He talks about taking steps ... Read more
Mar 18, 2021
RS243: Indie.vc shutting down, and what that means for the state of funding
00:32:54
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig talk about skiing, seasonal affective disorder, the evolution of EOS at Castos, Recapture’s content struggles, integration news. They also talk about the big news involving Indie.VC shutting down it’s fund. What does this mean for the industry? Is this the future for other funds? If you ... Indie.vc shutting down, and what that means for the state of funding" class="read-more" href="https://roguestartups.com/rs243-indie-vc-shutting-down-and-what-that-means-for-the-state-of-funding/">Read more
Feb 25, 2021
RS242: Tangents
00:32:08
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig talk about what Q1 has looked like for both Recapture and Castos. In addition to that, they cover a wide array of topics in this episode. As the vaccine rolls out, what is going to happen to office spaces and remote working? What does the growth/outlook ... Read more
Feb 04, 2021
RS241: Marketing Update, and Investing
00:39:09
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig talk about the 2021 BigSnow “conference”, marketing and conversion spreadsheets, an update on Dave’s investment journey, Q1 rocks, and Craig’s horrible internet connection. They also talk about the concept of kaizen (making little changes) in business and for your health. What are your thoughts? Do you ... Read more
Jan 28, 2021
RS240: Life Profitability with Adii Pienaar
00:49:06
Today, Craig is talking with his coach Adii Pienaar about life profitability. Adii is a successful SaaS entrepreneur with three SaaS companies and two successful exits under his belt. In this episode, Craig and Adii talk about what it’s like being and having a coach. What are the benefits of having a coach? What should ... Read more
Jan 21, 2021
RS239: Setting Goals and Priorities
00:32:18
This week’s episode is all about goal setting and making priority lists. Craig starts the podcast off with an app suggestion for people who like to (or need to) work off of to-do lists. Dave talks about updates on Recapture. They also talk about short-term and long-term goals. What do you need to do in ... Read more
Jan 14, 2021
RS238: EOS Update and 2021 Initiatives
00:38:23
Do you use the EOS system? How do you gauge when to give your team a little bit of downtime? What are your 2021 goals and initiatives? What are your online and offline businesses and how do each of those marketing and business skills transfer over? In today’s episode, Dave and Craig are talking about ... Read more
Jan 07, 2021
RS237: Being Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
00:27:40
In this episode, Dave and Craig try to reflect on the good parts of 2020. They’re sharing eggnog stories as well as other holiday drinks and Christmas traditions that 2020 tried to ruin. Today, they tried to stay positive by talking about how the year allowed them to find time to exercise and bond with ... Read more
Dec 31, 2020
RS236: Financial Responsibility
00:34:38
In today’s episode Dave and Craig are talking about surviving Black Friday, busy schedules, churn, and marketing initiatives around the holidays. How and when do you market around the big holiday push? Today’s big topic is all about business finance and their thoughts on how they spend money on their businesses. Craig talks about what ... Read more
Dec 10, 2020
RS235: Black Friday Retro
00:39:30
In this episode, Dave and Craig are talking about what they’ve been up to for the past few weeks. They’re catching everyone up on Recapture and Castos as well as sharing their Black Friday/Cyber Monday stories, including Black Friday deals on Business Directory plug-ins. Craig touches on Giving Tuesday and giving back to the community. ... Read more
Nov 12, 2020
RS234 Election Predictions and Structuring A Black Friday Deal in SaaS
00:31:55
In this episode (recorded on Election Day), Dave and Craig are talking about the big topics: elections in the United States and Black Friday. This 2020 election has been about straddling lines: blue versus red, mail-in ballots versus in-person voting, etc. Craig talks about explaining the electorate voting system to adults and how difficult that ... Read more
Nov 03, 2020
RS233: Implementing EOS As A Single Founder
00:43:34
In this episode Dave and Craig talk through Dave’s recent founder retreat and his realizations about implementing EOS in his business and the changes that need to come about as a result.
Oct 15, 2020
RS232: What It’s Really Like To Live Abroad
00:43:26
In this episode of the Rogue Startups Podcast, Craig is joined by Steve Mcleod from the Bootstrapped podcast. Steve is also the founder of Feature Upvote and the acquirer of Saber Feedback. Bootstrapped has been creating helpful episodes for software bootstrappers since 2013. The formatting of the show consists of episodes which are interviews with ... Read more
Oct 08, 2020
RS231: Maximizing Your Luck Surface Area
00:33:51
Dave and Craig are back behind the mic. This week they’re talking about being pulled in different directions, bookkeepers, and perseverance. How long is too long when it comes to being persistent? They’re also covering updates on Castos and Recapture, along with Dave’s Tweetstorm about luck surface area. We would love to hear stories about ... Read more
Oct 01, 2020
RS230: Do you EOS?
00:29:24
On this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig talk about the newest member to the Castos team, expanding time zones and work hours for customers, integrations and plug in news for Recapture, Black Friday, and unplugged time. After talking with some of the people from Big Snow, Dave ponders over EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System). ... Read more
Sep 17, 2020
RS229: A Developer Hiring Process
00:35:35
In this episode, Craig and Dave are back talking about their current state of affairs. They’re going over everything from kids going back to school, to “Members Only” jackets, to updates with their businesses. Today’s topics include integration, the hiring process, the role of communication in remote roles, developer stories, and affiliate programs. We’d love ... Read more
Sep 03, 2020
RS228: Emotions: Post-Sale & A New Niche In The Market
00:34:21
In this episode, Craig and Dave are back behind the mic talking about work hours, quality time with automations, Dave’s emotions after selling, and the benefits of working with a full plate. They also explore private podcasting with Castos, the limits of not having $10 million in the bank, infrastructure changes with Recapture, as well ... Read more
Aug 25, 2020
RS227: Dave Cashes In
00:34:57
In this episode Dave has some big news to announce. He has sold his two WordPress plugins: Business Directory and AWPCP In this episode Dave and Craig talk through: The process of getting the plugins ready for sale Where and how to list them Working with the right broker for the business you’re selling The ... Read more
Aug 20, 2020
RS226: The Coronavirus Pivot with Alex Theuma
00:38:56
In this episode, Craig sits down with Alex Theuma (Founder and CEO of SaaStock). They go over conferences, the SaaS industry, and how the coronavirus is affecting everything. Alex talks about the perks and pitfalls of online conferences. He summarizes some of the lessons when transitioning from in-person conferences to online conferences. They also chat ... Read more
Aug 13, 2020
RS225: A Castos Acquisition and Big Plugin News
00:32:46
In this episode Dave and Craig talk through a few updates in their businesses. For Craig the big news is that the PodcastMotor brand has officially been merged into the Castos business. Over time both brands will continue to become one but that migration takes some time to complete. Castos also hired Matt Medieros of ... Read more
Aug 06, 2020
RS224: Marketing Attribution and Why Not To Have A Blog with Ruben Gamez
00:53:12
In this episode I sit down with Ruben Gamez, founder of both Bidsketch and Docsketch. Ruben has been running Bidsketch for some time now, and along the way he’s developed quite a savvy approach to marketing and content marketing in some unconventional ways. Now with getting Docsketch off the ground in a competitive market Ruben ... Read more
Jul 30, 2020
RS223: TinySeed Updates and Alternatives To Exiting with Rob Walling
00:41:45
In this episode Craig sits down for a chat with Rob Walling, founder of TinySeed and previously founder at Drip. In this conversation Craig and Rob talk through how things at TinySeed are going here in the second cohort, what things he’s learned along the way in running the accelerator, and what they’re doing differently ... Read more
Jul 13, 2020
RS222: What High Performing Content Marketing Actually Looks Like with Christopher Gimmer from Snappa
00:40:53
In this episode Craig talks with Christopher Gimmer, co-founder of Snappa about how they approach content marketing and SEO as a primary growth engine in their business. With recent developments in competitor companies, Christopher and Craig talk through how news like massive funding rounds or buyouts make them feel about the path that their respective ... Read more
Jul 06, 2020
RS221: Optimizing the Customer Feedback Loop with Ward Sandler from Memberspace
00:43:08
In this episode Craig is joined by Ward Sandler, cofounder of MemberSpace. Here Craig and Ward talk through how the Memberspace team is organized, how the run the business, and what successes they’ve seen in growth in the past few years, especially during the Covid crisis. Ward is a firm believer that EVERY business should ... Read more
Jun 29, 2020
RS220: A few rants, and some business
00:31:38
After a few weeks away to process what is going on in our lives between the Covid-19 pandemic, a crumbling economy, and police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement we’re back to talk through how all of this has affected us. Also in the startup news cycle this week was Basecamp’s “Hey” email client, ... Read more
Jun 17, 2020
RS219: Product Led Growth with Moritz Dausinger
00:38:47
The term Product Led Growth is quickly becoming commonplace in the SaaS marketing and product world, but what does it mean when it comes to implementing this into your business practice? In this episode I sit down with Moritz Dausinger, founder of Refiner.io, to talk through how he is building a suite of tools to ... Read more
Jun 01, 2020
RS218: Running a Hybrid SaaS and Agency Model with Geordie Wardman
00:39:14
In this episode, Craig chats with Geordie Wardman about his experience working with both SaaS and agency models. They go over the pros and cons of an agency model, Geordie’s tips on how to build a great offshore team, the art of dabbling, and what he looks for when he buys businesses. He also covers ... Read more
May 25, 2020
RS217: How World Views Are Shaped
00:39:36
In this episode Craig and Dave talk through a few updates from our businesses. With the Covid-19 crisis beginning to settle down in some areas we’re all experiencing more freedoms and becoming better adjusted to the proverbial “new norm”. Resources Mentioned Twitter thread from David Perrell
May 18, 2020
RS216: Channeling Uncertainty
00:33:42
In this episode Dave and Craig catch up on what’s been going on in their businesses in the past few weeks. We feature the first of our companies from the Help Founders program, Nodewood. Nodewood is a “SaaS application in a box” for developers who want a head start on their next Node.js project.
May 11, 2020
RS215: Managing Platform Risk with Robin Warren
00:45:37
In this episode Craig sits down with Robin Warren of Corrello. They talk through managing the risk of building an extension to an existing platform, doing user testing to release better products the first time, and how Covid-19 is affecting our businesses (and personal lives). Robin’s team has just finished a long (multi-year) development project ... Read more
Apr 22, 2020
RS214: Implementing EOS with Kevin McArdle
00:48:01
Having a plan, even if it’s an imperfect one, is a great starting point for many business owners. Especially when it comes to the meta question of “how to run your business”. In this episode I chat with Kevin McArdle from Sureswift Capital to talk through how he has implemented the EOS, Enrepreneurs Operating System, ... Read more
Apr 15, 2020
RS213: Positioning Your Business For Survival
00:38:23
The Covid-19 crisis may just be getting started. And with it the impact that the economic slowdown, changes in customers’ buying patterns, and our own general social activities are all changing. So how can we adjust or position our business to survive (and maybe even thrive) in these times? In this episode Dave and Craig ... Read more
Apr 08, 2020
RS212: Reflecting On A Life Changing Exit
00:47:24
Welcome back to Rogue Startups. On today’s episode, I sat down with one of my oldest bootstrap web-world friends, Dave Schneider (formerly the co-founder of NinjaOutreach) to talk about SaaS, how our companies are doing, the current trends in the SaaS market, and Dave’s newest business (a digital marketing agency, Shortlist.io). We also cover the ... Read more
Apr 01, 2020
RS211: Coping Best We Can
00:29:03
On today’s episode of Rogue Startups, we talk about how weird it has been lately because of the uncertainty of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). There is uncertainty when it comes to the state of the world and our health, as well as the economy and the future of our businesses. We are both anxious and calm, ... Read more
Mar 25, 2020
RS210: Is This The New Normal?
00:39:09
Covid-19 is changing much of our lives. personally, professionally, and socially. In this episode Craig and Dave talk through changes they’re seeing personally, things they’re facing with their businesses in light of the Coronavirus situation that many of us are grappling with.
Mar 19, 2020
RS209: $0 to $55K MRR in 2 Years, Then an Exit with Arvid Kahl and Danielle Simpson
00:52:00
In this episode Craig is joined by the former founders of FeedbackPanda, Danielle Simpson and Arvid Kahl. Danielle and Arvid are a great story that many of us heard initially at MicroConf Europe 2019 where in their attendee talk they described the journey of building, growing, and exiting their EdTech SaaS app. It’s great to ... Read more
Mar 06, 2020
RS208: How Coronavirus Is Affecting Our Businesses
00:37:54
Coronavirus is the topic of the day, in so many ways. In this episode, Dave and Craig talk through what Covid19 is (or could be) affecting in your business. Whether it is a slowdown or change in buying habits for your customers (and their customers) or a direct impact on you and your team’s ability ... Read more
Feb 26, 2020
RS207: Nature or Nurture
00:32:41
In this episode Dave and Craig talk through what aspects of our childhood affect us as founders. And not just our life now as founders, but what drew us away from the corporate life and into entrepreneurship. Often it is some traumatic or high impact experience from our youth that sends us down an entrepreneurial ... Read more
Feb 20, 2020
RS206: Sales Hiring and Process
00:39:58
In this episode Dave and Craig talk through the sales process that PodcastMotor has adopted since bringing on a dedicated sales team member. Finding, training, and successfully onboarding a sales person for your company is a key step in enabling growth, especially for businesses with a LTV greater than $5k. Resources Mentioned
Feb 13, 2020
RS205: Productized Services At Scale with Jake Jorgovan
00:44:57
On today’s episode of Rogue Startups, Jake Jorgovan shares his thoughts about productized services, sales, and “almost” selling businesses. Jake owns and runs Lead Cookie (a LinkedIn, email, and phone outreach, lead generation, and prospecting service) and Content Allies (content marketing for consultants). Jake also has a website/personal blog, and a podcast where he talks ... Read more
Feb 07, 2020
RS204: Paid Acquisition Experiments and Tiny Confs
00:39:14
After a brief delay Craig and Dave are back. This week talking about some of their recent experiences in paid acquisition. Dave has had some early success in the Shopify app store with paid acquisition of new trials. Craig and his team are continuing to evolve how they approach paid acquisition for Castos, and are ... Read more
Jan 15, 2020
RS203: Letting Go
00:39:08
Today, Dave and Craig go through a few updates: vacations, new developers, input from customers, TinySeed, and funding “paychecks” versus lump sums. We also talk about what it means to add value to your company and when you should let go. The focus topic for the day is all about cofounders and multiple-founder businesses. What ... Read more
Jan 08, 2020
RS202: Better the Second Time
00:38:37
With Dave off this week, Craig spends this episode talking about achievements in 2019 and “doing it better the second time around” with Benedikt Deicke, from Userlist, which is a lifecycle messaging and email for SaaS products. We go over the various lessons we have learned from going through the process once before, then approaching ... Read more
Jan 01, 2020
RS201: What Lessons We’re Taking From 2019
00:30:08
Today on Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig are talking about a timely and time-alicious topic: looking back on 2019 and what they will do for 2020. We talk about luck surface area; tactical vs strategic planning for 2020; increasing our goals and scope; learning from your mistakes/competitors; and praise for Asia Matos, TinySeed, and Obviously ... Read more
Dec 25, 2019
RS200: We’ve All Learned A Lot
00:45:33
Today on Rogue Startups, we take a moment to thank everyone for the past 200 episodes, especially the listeners. We also go over a few things that we’ve learned over the past 200 episodes including: “What tactic are you finding to be uncommonly effective in the recent past?” and “What tactic have you used before ... Read more
Dec 18, 2019
RS199: Doing The Product Dance
00:31:33
In episode 199, we talk about our surprise Christmas plans for episode 200 (a Q&A from some great people in the start-up community, to be released on Christmas Day). Dave talks about how well things are going with Recapture and how the progress has been post-”Black Friday”. He also talks about paid/pricing program, forecasting for ... Read more
Dec 11, 2019
RS198: Marketing 201 with Asia Matos
00:52:41
Today, I am talking with Asia Matos (the CEO and founder of Demand Maven) about marketing. This episode is not for the faint of heart; it’s mainly for people who already know a bit about marketing. If you’re new to marketing, there will still be a lot of great information for you today. Asia and ... Read more
Dec 04, 2019
RS197: Not Losing Your Mind
00:42:38
This week Dave and Craig talk through the challenges of maintaining a level head even in the face of some of the most challenging emotional times as a founder. The particularly difficult times for us include: Navigating times of slow or negative growth Competitors moving faster (or in an interesting direction) than we are Work/Life ... Read more
Nov 27, 2019
RS196: Getting Outside Your Wheelhouse
00:36:42
Today on Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig talk about when and why we should move horizontally in the podcasting world and in eCommerce. They talk about the pros and cons of moving horizontally and branching out, checkbox strategies, and when it can be a boat anchor instead of propelling you and your business forward. Dave ... Read more
Nov 22, 2019
RS195: Mastering Marketing Attribution
00:34:10
In this episode Craig and Dave talk through the challenges of middle and bottom of funnel marketing attribution after a great suggestion from former guest on the show James Kennedy. If you’re not already using UTM parameters to track external links to your site in emails, guest posts, marketplace listings, etc. that’s the easiest and ... Read more
Nov 06, 2019
RS194: MicroConf Europe Recap
00:38:09
Dave and Craig talk are both back and today they’re catching everyone up on some surprise snow, school vacations, and Craig gives Dave a recap of the MicroConf in Croatia. Not only did Craig spend a lot of time with entrepreneurs, but he also got the chance to go kayaking at Blackwater Bay, and go ... Read more
Oct 23, 2019
RS193: A little bit Carnegie, a little bit Tennyson – Adii Pienaar on life and two exits
00:48:11
Today on Rogue Startups, Dave is talking with “one of the ten youngest billionaires in Africa” Adii Pienaar about his entrepreneurial history and Conversio’s acquisition by Campaign Monitor. Adii talks about why he took the exit fro Conversio, the difficulties in e-commerce and e-marketing, the move from customer campaign monitor to the acquisition, the difference ... Read more
Oct 16, 2019
RS192: Do You Need A Mastermind?
00:36:18
Today on Rogue Startups, Craig and Dave talk about masterminds, peer feedback, and a tweetstorm by Briana about Stripe. They go over the benefits of mastermind groups, the different types, and what makes a good one. They share their experiences, what they each need from a group, and how that’s changed as they grow as ... Read more
Oct 09, 2019
RS191: The Baggage That Comes With High Growth
00:38:46
In this episode, Dave and Craig talk through Recapture’s recent growth spurt and the opportunities (and challenges) that it provides to Dave and the team. Resources Mentioned Microconf State of Independent SaaS Companies Survey NetworkThinking SysAdmin/Devops Team
Oct 02, 2019
RS190: Andy Baldacci on being an Effective Founder
00:42:33
Today Craig talks to Andy Baldacci about Andy’s background, his current projects, and what it takes to be an effective founder. Craig and Andy also talk about cofounders and sharing duties, the extra stress that comes with being a founder, “wearing the product hat”, optimizing, mapping out the process, and finding a system that works ... Read more
Sep 24, 2019
RS189: Are Growth Teams Overrated?
00:42:00
Today on Rogue Startups, Craig and Dave catch up on some lifestyle changes: mainly Whole30, the AIP diet, Profitwell emails, the importance of keywords, human versus automated customer support, Black Friday posts, and Craig’s new “Office Hours”. Craig and Dave go over the idea of growth teams based on Lars Lofgren’s article on the topic. ... Read more
Sep 18, 2019
RS188: Recapture Growth and Changing the Trial Flow
00:31:04
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Dave and Craig chat about recent updates with their businesses. After a busy summer, Craig catches everyone up with how Castos is doing. He also talks about the pros and cons of credit card trial processes, micromanaging, and references David Hensel’s great management techniques. Dave talks about the growth ... Read more
Sep 11, 2019
RS187: The Evolving Product Process with Jordan Gal of CartHook
00:55:27
This episode of Rogue Startups, Craig chats with fellow entrepreneur Jordan Gal. Jordan is the founder and CEO of CartHook, which is a software company that provides an e-commerce platform for online businesses and the Bootstrapped Web podcast. Craig and Jordan talk about product development and process; the difference between “hovering” and managing; the role ... Read more
Sep 05, 2019
RS186: Inside TinySeed with Bryan Marble from ClientRock
00:40:31
This week Craig catches up with fellow TinySeed founder Bryan Marble from ClientRock. Bryan is a multi time SaaS founder in the legal tech space and is growing out his second app as part of the innagural TinySeed cohort. Craig and Bryan talk through the ups and downs of being part of a remote accelerator, ... Read more
Aug 21, 2019
RS185: Hiring Senior Level Team Members
00:30:38
This week Dave and Craig are catching up on a few developments in their businesses. Craig has been busy with onboarding and getting a few new team members started. Both in PodcastMotor and in Castos he’s hired some senior level folks in Sales and Marketing roles, respectively. Turns out that hiring senior level talent into ... Read more
Aug 14, 2019
RS184: Founder Mental Health
00:45:54
This week Dave and Craig talk about something that none of us really love chatting about, but it absolutely needs to be addressed. How this path we’ve chosen is tough, full of uncertainty, and can definitely lead to burnout. Dave has been feeling some frustration with consulting clients, and the cumulative weight of it is ... Read more
Aug 07, 2019
RS183: Almost Quitting a Successful Business
00:42:46
In this episode Dave and Craig talk through a few updates and the very compelling article from Alex Turnbull, the founder of Groove on what it’s like to grow a company to $500k/mo MRR and then realize that the house is crumbling down all around you. Resources Mentioned Original Groove article Groove article (part 2)
Jul 24, 2019
RS182: Marketing Attribution, and a Few New Hires
00:38:07
In this episode, we discuss upping Podcast Motor’s marketing game, what’s new at Recapture, and making new hires for the first time ever. Topics: What we did on our summer vacation. The current state of Podcast Motor. Hiring a full-time marketer or sales team. Updates on Recapture. Using Google Analytics to help customers track their ... Read more
Jul 17, 2019
RS181: Better Website Personalization with Shai Schechter of RightMessage
00:48:07
Today, on Rogue Startups, Craig has a conversation with Shai Schechter from RightMessage. Together, they discuss how Shai and his team got started, acquired funding, and then later pivoted their business. Tune in to hear about all of this and more! Topics: How Shai’s team got started with RightMessage Raising capital for RightMessage When and ... Read more
Jul 04, 2019
RS180 – Castos is Hiring, and B2B Facebook Ads teardown
00:31:25
In this episode Dave and Craig catch up after a few weeks of interviews and weeks without updates. From Craig’s side, Castos is hiring a full time, full stack marketer. They’ve got a bunch of really highly qualified candidates, but are still accepting applications through the end of July. If you’re interested check out the ... Read more
Jun 26, 2019
RS179: The Future of WordPress Rant
00:52:20
In honor of Craig’s absence, I am going to rant about WordPress with special guest, Matt. Matt and I go on an extended rant, where we break down all our issues with WordPress, past and present. Topics: The new Guttenberg format The installs required for the new format vs. the classic editor The Pearl community ... Read more
Apr 13 | 00:35:06
RS279: Processing Brutal Feedback, and Hiring An AE
Mar 30 | 00:40:28
RS278: Switching Cost
Mar 16 | 00:29:00
RS277: Getting Value From Conferences
Mar 09 | 00:38:11
RS276: Scaled Outreach, Done Right with Farzad Rashidi
Feb 24 | 00:37:09
RS275: When And How We Delegate
Feb 02 | 00:35:15
RS274: Chat GPT, The Economy, and New Realities
Jan 12 | 00:34:50
RS273: Relentless Focus
Jan 05 | 00:47:41
RS272: A Few Year-End Reflections
Dec 08 | 00:44:10
RS271: Long time, no podcast
Sep 22 | 00:33:11
RS270: How ecommerce aggregators are winning the SaaS game
Aug 11 | 00:46:52
RS269: Been a while…updates and positioning
Jun 02 | 00:37:25
RS268: Lessons Learned Hiring Standout Developers
May 19 | 00:42:40
RS267: Hazards of Growing a SaaS from Scratch
Apr 28 | 00:26:28
RS266: MicroConf 2022 Recap
Apr 02 | 00:29:12
RS265: The Customer Interview Trap
Jan 20 | 00:31:46
RS264: From Freelancer to Founder: Chase Clymer’s Journey to Successful Shopify Agency Owner
Jan 13 | 00:33:36
RS263: New Years Planning
Dec 09 | 00:33:43
RS262: QA and Moving
Nov 11 | 00:28:11
RS261: Optimizing Speed vs. Quality
Oct 28 | 00:39:23
RS260: 13 Truths about SaaS
Oct 21 | 00:42:47
RS258: Crafting a better Product Process with Craig Zingerline
Sep 30 | 00:37:59
RS257: Entrepreneurial Endgame
Sep 02 | 00:35:44
RS256: Sales onboarding and eCommerce headwinds
Aug 19 | 00:33:32
RS255: Sales and Busted Funnels
Aug 05 | 00:34:29
RS254: Summer vacation and sales updates
Jul 15 | 00:37:13
RS253: When Will the World Be Ready for Conferences Again?
Jul 01 | 00:42:50
RS252: Sales and Product Influences
Jun 10 | 00:34:33
RS251: After the dust settles
Jun 03 | 00:38:06
RS250: A Big Announcement
May 27 | 00:37:49
RS249: Acquisitions
May 20 | 00:34:12
RS248: Company Structure Questions, and More Content Marketing
May 13 | 00:44:18
RS247: Pricing and Communicating Change with Customers
May 06 | 00:33:41
RS246: Prioritizing Resources and Shifting Mindsets
Apr 08 | 00:32:37
RS245: Content Marketing Hiring and Systems
Apr 01 | 00:39:01
RS244: Taking A Corner
Mar 18 | 00:32:54
RS243: Indie.vc shutting down, and what that means for the state of funding
Feb 25 | 00:32:08
RS242: Tangents
Feb 04 | 00:39:09
RS241: Marketing Update, and Investing
Jan 28 | 00:49:06
RS240: Life Profitability with Adii Pienaar
Jan 21 | 00:32:18
RS239: Setting Goals and Priorities
Jan 14 | 00:38:23
RS238: EOS Update and 2021 Initiatives
Jan 07 | 00:27:40
RS237: Being Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Dec 31 | 00:34:38
RS236: Financial Responsibility
Dec 10 | 00:39:30
RS235: Black Friday Retro
Nov 12 | 00:31:55
RS234 Election Predictions and Structuring A Black Friday Deal in SaaS
Nov 03 | 00:43:34
RS233: Implementing EOS As A Single Founder
Oct 15 | 00:43:26
RS232: What It’s Really Like To Live Abroad
Oct 08 | 00:33:51
RS231: Maximizing Your Luck Surface Area
Oct 01 | 00:29:24
RS230: Do you EOS?
Sep 17 | 00:35:35
RS229: A Developer Hiring Process
Sep 03 | 00:34:21
RS228: Emotions: Post-Sale & A New Niche In The Market
Aug 25 | 00:34:57
RS227: Dave Cashes In
Aug 20 | 00:38:56
RS226: The Coronavirus Pivot with Alex Theuma
Aug 13 | 00:32:46
RS225: A Castos Acquisition and Big Plugin News
Aug 06 | 00:53:12
RS224: Marketing Attribution and Why Not To Have A Blog with Ruben Gamez
Jul 30 | 00:41:45
RS223: TinySeed Updates and Alternatives To Exiting with Rob Walling
Jul 13 | 00:40:53
RS222: What High Performing Content Marketing Actually Looks Like with Christopher Gimmer from Snappa
Jul 06 | 00:43:08
RS221: Optimizing the Customer Feedback Loop with Ward Sandler from Memberspace
Jun 29 | 00:31:38
RS220: A few rants, and some business
Jun 17 | 00:38:47
RS219: Product Led Growth with Moritz Dausinger
Jun 01 | 00:39:14
RS218: Running a Hybrid SaaS and Agency Model with Geordie Wardman
May 25 | 00:39:36
RS217: How World Views Are Shaped
May 18 | 00:33:42
RS216: Channeling Uncertainty
May 11 | 00:45:37
RS215: Managing Platform Risk with Robin Warren
Apr 22 | 00:48:01
RS214: Implementing EOS with Kevin McArdle
Apr 15 | 00:38:23
RS213: Positioning Your Business For Survival
Apr 08 | 00:47:24
RS212: Reflecting On A Life Changing Exit
Apr 01 | 00:29:03
RS211: Coping Best We Can
Mar 25 | 00:39:09
RS210: Is This The New Normal?
Mar 19 | 00:52:00
RS209: $0 to $55K MRR in 2 Years, Then an Exit with Arvid Kahl and Danielle Simpson
Mar 06 | 00:37:54
RS208: How Coronavirus Is Affecting Our Businesses
Feb 26 | 00:32:41
RS207: Nature or Nurture
Feb 20 | 00:39:58
RS206: Sales Hiring and Process
Feb 13 | 00:44:57
RS205: Productized Services At Scale with Jake Jorgovan
Feb 07 | 00:39:14
RS204: Paid Acquisition Experiments and Tiny Confs
Jan 15 | 00:39:08
RS203: Letting Go
Jan 08 | 00:38:37
RS202: Better the Second Time
Jan 01 | 00:30:08
RS201: What Lessons We’re Taking From 2019
Dec 25 | 00:45:33
RS200: We’ve All Learned A Lot
Dec 18 | 00:31:33
RS199: Doing The Product Dance
Dec 11 | 00:52:41
RS198: Marketing 201 with Asia Matos
Dec 04 | 00:42:38
RS197: Not Losing Your Mind
Nov 27 | 00:36:42
RS196: Getting Outside Your Wheelhouse
Nov 22 | 00:34:10
RS195: Mastering Marketing Attribution
Nov 06 | 00:38:09
RS194: MicroConf Europe Recap
Oct 23 | 00:48:11
RS193: A little bit Carnegie, a little bit Tennyson – Adii Pienaar on life and two exits
Oct 16 | 00:36:18
RS192: Do You Need A Mastermind?
Oct 09 | 00:38:46
RS191: The Baggage That Comes With High Growth
Oct 02 | 00:42:33
RS190: Andy Baldacci on being an Effective Founder
Sep 24 | 00:42:00
RS189: Are Growth Teams Overrated?
Sep 18 | 00:31:04
RS188: Recapture Growth and Changing the Trial Flow
Sep 11 | 00:55:27
RS187: The Evolving Product Process with Jordan Gal of CartHook
Sep 05 | 00:40:31
RS186: Inside TinySeed with Bryan Marble from ClientRock
Aug 21 | 00:30:38
RS185: Hiring Senior Level Team Members
Aug 14 | 00:45:54
RS184: Founder Mental Health
Aug 07 | 00:42:46
RS183: Almost Quitting a Successful Business
Jul 24 | 00:38:07
RS182: Marketing Attribution, and a Few New Hires
Jul 17 | 00:48:07
RS181: Better Website Personalization with Shai Schechter of RightMessage
Jul 04 | 00:31:25
RS180 – Castos is Hiring, and B2B Facebook Ads teardown
Jun 26 | 00:52:20
RS179: The Future of WordPress Rant
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