Startups For the Rest of Us

Episode 776 | How Bootstrapping Led to a Life-Changing $90M SaaS Exit

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What’s it take to bootstrap a niche SaaS to $90M without raising a dime?

In this episode, Kevin Wagstaff joins Rob Walling to share how he and his brother bootstrapped Spectora from a scrappy MVP to a $90M valuation. It’s a masterclass in finding traction in unsexy markets, building with empathy, and making smart bets like embedded payments.

Topics we cover: 
  • (4:39) – The surreal moment Kevin and his brother became multimillionaires
  • (9:14) – Why a mobile-first approach won in an outdated, overlooked niche
  • (17:39) – How adding payments created a second revenue stream and bigger valuation
  • (20:36) – The early hustle: trade shows, 6 AM demos, and Facebook group tactics
    • Links from the Show: 
    • SaaS Launchpad Course
    • MicroConf
    • Kevin Wagstaff | LinkedIn
    • Kevin Wagstaff (@KevinWagstaff3) | X
    • Spectora
    • Kevin’s Built to Sell Radio Episode

      • If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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      Startups For the Rest of UsBy Rob Walling
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