279: SaaS Revolution: An Inside Look at Starting A Software Company

Thinking about starting a software company? This week’s guest is giving you a behind-the-scenes look at exactly what to expect. Michael Facchin is the ultimate bootstrapper. His digital marketing career started in freelance, then he built an agency, Search Scientists, but soon came to a daunting realization: His business wasn’t future proof. With the rise of AI and Facebook Ads becoming more intuitive, he knew manually pulling the levers for his clients’ ad spend wasn’t going to last forever. Thus, Ad Badger - a software tool designed to optimize Amazon PPC - was born.  It’s been over two years since Michael was last on the show and I’m so excited to have him back. Not only is Michael one of my closest friends, but he’s an expert at PPC and in today’s episode he’s sharing the ins and outs of starting a software company, the pros & cons of bootstrapping vs joining an accelerator, having VC funding, and a few key insights he’s learned on his entrepreneurial journey. If you’ve ever considered starting a software company, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Episode Highlights 5:38 Mike’s journey from biology teacher to ads agency owner 8:03 Growing a business as a result of the rise of AI 12:11 Why Amazon has the best ad platform for direct response marketing 15:12 A bootstrappers mentality vs the accelerator mentality  18:45 How to determine if an accelerator is a good idea for you 21:05 The metrics Michael focuses on most to move his business forward 23:23 Mike’s unique perspective on retirement 26:19 How Michael is evolving his workhorse mentality and detangling himself from entrepreneurship 31:27 The motivation behind diving into entrepreneurship 34:55 The hardest part about starting a software company 41:01 How Michael and his team use the scrum methodology and why they are moving away from Slack 46:27 What Michael wishes he could tell his younger self 48:28 The number 1 thing every entrepreneur should have on their entrepreneurial journey 50:54 Michael's favorite book on entrepreneurship that changed his leadership style for the better 53:14 Is Ad Badger right for you? Links and Resources: Michael Facchin on LinkedIn Ad Badger Search Scientists PPC Den Podcast Ad Badger on YouTube Reboot by Jerry Colonna TechCrunch Crunchbase  Podcast 115: How Retargeting Will Improve Your Business’ Results @a_brawn on Twitter Brand Growth Experts Review or subscribe on iTunes