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If you run a SaaS business, you need to know how to get customers. Getting customers for your tech startup can be one of the hardest parts of starting a SaaS company.

In this week's episode, we are sharing the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos in which Rob covers 3 basic things you need to do to get your first 100 customers for your product.

If you'd like to see the original video head over to https://youtu.be/QviDwsMLXb0

According to our 2021 State of Independent SaaS report, nearly 30% of founders said they were actively considering some form of outside funding. To help understand the options, we have recently released the Bootstrapper's Guidebook to Outside Funding. Check it out at microconf.com/funding-guide

In this talk from MicroConf Remote 3.0, Jay Clouse discuss the Tweet100 community and challenge that encourages folks to increase their engagement and voice through Twitter. He built the community, the challenge, and page using no-code tools. You don’t need to build a marketing operation within your stack - no-code can solve most of the challenges you have.

Get the Deck

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Upcoming Events:

MicroConf Local: Chicago on June 21, 2022

MicroConf Local: Denver on June 23, 2022

Get more info here

In this episode of On-Air, Jesse Mecham, the founder of You Need A Budget, joins @RobWalling to chat about why core values and culture truly matter. Jesse also gives an update on how YNAB has grown since he gave his talk at MicroConf in 2014.

If you haven't seen the talk, you should check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw8N7YrBM4o

Any SaaS founder can tell you that implementing feature requests can be a major drain on their resources. But they are a great way to nurture your relationship with your users. Jessica will walk you through the build of a feature request (our MicroConf Connect wiki!), how it can be quickly build and deployed, and how you can use the tools to build MVP’s for your most requested features.

- https://microconf.squarespace.com/s/MicroConf-Remote-30-building-internal-tools-with-no-code-1.pdf

Links from this podcast:

A Rob Q+A Solo Adventure! Rob Walling answered listener questions live from MicroConf Connect (https://microconfconnect.com).

Topics Covered:

What are three key tips for pre-launch, pre-revenue to make sure that you absolutely must do?

What has the body of a Unicorn and the head of a Pegasus?

How was launching Tiny Seed Tales different than Startups for the Rest of Us podcast? What's changed in terms of "podcast launch strategy" since then?

How to deal with anxiety when launching starting something new?

Picking Customer Pain for my companies segment, as opposed to Competitor Pain and general observations about SaaS for non-technical customers.

If Rob was starting over today and trying to find a ".Net invoicing" to acquire and iterate on, where would he look?

Where should the balance fall between domain knowledge, industry connections and general sales skills when hiring your first sales person?

What is the best thing to do if revenue has plateaued?

What advice do you have for staying positive in spite of frequent fires caused by platform risk?

How to find a good SaaS idea?

Links and books from this episode:

The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

List of SaaS Marketplaces

If you are interested in speaking at any MicroConf event, head to microconf.com/call-for-speakers and fill out the form.

Tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale here: https://microconf.com/local-london 

This episode is from MicroConf 3.0: No-Code. Jane Portman (@uibreakfast) shares how every customer success story begins with a streamlined, concise, and conscientious onboarding and nurturing experience.

In this talk, Jane will review a variety of no-code automation recipes you can implement as your users move from leads to trials to customers and beyond.

Links from the podcast:

UserList

Get the Slide Deck

Watch this talk on YouTube

Get your Tickets for MicroConf Remote

Come to MicroConf Local: London

UserList

In this episode, Rob Walling (@robwalling) chats with Tony Chan (@toeknee123) from CloudForecast.io about key takeaways from the recent MicroConf Growth in Minneapolis. 

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Links from this pod:

Tickets for MicroConf Remote 4.0:$$$, on May 3-5th are on sale at microconf.com/remote

Also, tickets for our next MicroConf Local:London on May 18 are on sale here: https://microconf.com/local-london  

Cold outreach can be a painful, unyielding process that may leave you pulling out your hair. The real magic happens when you find a process that lets you ramp up the volume of your cold outreach campaign, and identify qualified leads to the to the top of that funnel. Andy will cover some of the key automation points in your cold outreach campaign and how no code can take some of the stress out of your sales cycle.

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Links from this pod:

Postaga: https://www.postaga.com/

Watch the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc-nTOiFBaM

See the slide deck: https://microconf.squarespace.com/s/How-to-Build-a-Cold-Outreach-Automation-System-Using-No-Code.pdf

Staying sane as an entrepreneur is not always easy. In this episode, Rob talks with Sherry Walling to chat about the habits of successful entrepreneurs.

This episode is sponsored by our Alternative Financing Partner, Pipe.

Do you need growth capital to scale, ramp up your marketing, and acquire new customers?

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Pipe is a two-sided trading platform for recurring revenue that connects you directly to the capital markets. Simply sign up for free, securely connect your billing, banking, and accounting software with a couple of clicks, and Pipe will provide you with a trading limit in as little as 24hrs. Select the amount of capital you need, click trade, and get cash in your bank instantly. No 30 page business plans or founder due diligence - just growth capital based on the health of your business - perfect for time-strapped bootstrappers.

You can use your Piped revenue to grow your sales team, boost ad spend, and scale however you see fit. Pipe is growth on your terms.

And right now, MicroConf listeners get trading fees waived for 12 months which could save you tens of thousands of dollars depending on the size of your business and the volume you trade.

Sign up at http://www.pipe.com/MicroConf to start trading today.

Topics covered:

[3:45] Habit #1: Have a sense of intentionality in how you work

[6:45] Habit #2: Focus- avoid Shiny Object Syndrome

[7:45] Challenge with focus is the shadow side of a great entrepreneurial strength

[10:15] Habit #3: Invest in relationships

[13:45] Habit #4: Have something else to care about

[15:45] Getting better sleep & ‘turning off’ after a day of work

[16:45] Habit #5: Be willing to take risks and make mistakes

[19:45] De-risking the small things

[23:00] Habit #6: Move quickly

Books Mentioned in the Show:

Touching Two Worlds (https://www.touchingtwoworlds.com/) by Sherry Walling

Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together (https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Keeping-Your-Together/dp/0999651803) by Sherry Walling & Rob Walling

Why We Sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Matthew-Walker-audiobook/dp/B0752XRB5F) by Matthew Walker

Science of Sleep (https://www.amazon.com/Science-Sleep-What-Works-Matters/dp/022638716X) by Wallace B. Mendelson