Startups For the Rest of Us

By Rob WallingBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing Management

Startups For the Rest of Us episodes

October 27Episode 856 | Key Learnings from MicroConf Europe 2026
What did you miss at our biggest MicroConf Europe ever?
In this episode, Rob Walling and Derrick Reimer recap MicroConf Europe 2026 in Reykjavik, Iceland. They break down the talks on ranking in ChatGPT and AI SEO, Rob's eight moats that still work in the age of AI, and Corey Haines on marketing skills for Claude. Plus, the hallway track, a stunning venue, and a hike to a geothermal river at the top of an Icelandic mountain.
Topics we cover:
(2:11) – Traveling to Iceland and Rob's road trips
(5:12) – Biggest MicroConf Europe ever, by the numbers
(8:04) – The Harpa venue and the hallway track
(13:30) – George Chasiotis and Aleyda Solis on AI SEO
(19:44) – Jacob Wright on UX as a moat
(21:26) – Agnese Jaunošāne on riding the AI wave
(23:25) – Rob's talk: eight moats in the AI age
(34:00) – Will AI stop writing human-readable code?
(38:14) – Corey Haines on marketing skills for Claude
(41:01) – Excursions and a geothermal river hike
Links from the show:
Idea to Traction | Pre-order before November 10th and claim the complete pre-order bundle
MicroConf Events | Use promo code ROB50 for $50 off your ticket
MicroConf US | Austin, Texas on April 18 - 20, 2027
MicroConf Europe | Dubrovnik, Croatia · Oct 3–5, 2027
TinySeed SaaS Institute
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
The SaaS Playbook
George Chasiotis
Minuttia
Aleyda Solis | LinkedIn
Dabble Writer
Agnese Jaunošāne | LinkedIn
Ajelix
Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | X
Anthony Eden | LinkedIn
DNSimple
Campfire by ONCE
Corey Haines | LinkedIn
Marketing Skills for AI Agents by Corey Haines
Conversion Factory
Ep. 830 | Breaking Through Plateaus, Zero-Click Marketing, and More from MicroConf 2026 (with Derrick Reimer)
SavvyCal (Derrick Reimer)
Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) | X
Derrick Reimer | LinkedIn
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
46 min
October 20Episode 855 | The Eight SaaS Moats that Still Work in the Age of AI
Which SaaS moats are left in 2026?
In this episode, Rob Walling and Einar Vollset walk through the 10 ways AI is attacking SaaS companies, from customers vibe coding the app to per-seat revenue disappearing entirely. They then dig into the 8 moats they believe still work in the age of AI, with real examples like Stripe, Gusto, SignWell, and Gymdesk.
They finish with how founders can go on offense, including why the biggest opportunity may be to stop selling the tool and start doing the work.
Topics we cover:
(06:02) – The SaaSpocalypse and conflicting market signals
(07:24) – How Einar researched durable SaaS moats
(11:48) – Which SaaS businesses AI will flatten
(14:20) – Attacks 1 and 2: Customers vibe code, competitors catch up
(16:52) – Attack 3: Open source gets good enough
(17:23) – Attack 4: Platforms ship your feature free
(18:06) – Attack 5: Custom software at SaaS-ish prices
(19:11) – Attack 6: AI models absorb your product
(19:57) – Attack 7: Your customers stop existing
(21:48) – Attack 8: Per-seat revenue disappears
(22:45) – Attack 9: The roles you serve vanish
(23:25) – Attack 10: Your workflow step becomes obsolete
(24:09) – Old moats that no longer protect you
(25:56) – Eight moats that still work today
(26:30) – Moat 1: Buyers know and trust you
(28:28) – Moat 2: You're the system of record
(30:10) – Moat 3: You're allowed to act
(31:28) – Moat 4: Customers don't check your work
(32:51) – Moat 5: Someone official already said yes
(36:08) – Moat 6: Everyone's already in it
(38:03) – Moat 7: Every customer makes you smarter
(40:47) – Moat 8: It's hard to keep running
(44:14) – How do we not get sideswiped by AI?
(54:46) – Why learning loops are the strongest moat
Links from the show:
Moats Slides, Summary, and Live Q&A
TinySeed
MicroConf
Discretion Capital
SignWell
Gymdesk
Reimbi
Sidekick Learning
Ep. 851 | The Messy Middle of a SaaS Pivot
Stripe Radar
Gusto
ScrapingBee
Pieter Levels X post
10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Ep. 842 | What is the Future of SaaS in an AI World? (Rob Solo)
Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X
Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | X
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
1 hr 1 min
October 13Episode 854 | How to Find Startup Ideas (Sneak Peek Chapter from My New Book)
Where do the best SaaS ideas actually come from?
In this episode, Rob reads a chapter from his new book, Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI. He walks through the five places problems tend to show up, eight strategic approaches for finding and shaping a product idea (with real examples), and when it makes sense to replicate an existing idea.
Pre-order the hardback before November 10th to get bonus PDFs, a seat in a live Q&A to ask your early stage questions, and a free copy of the ebook or audiobook ideatotractionbook.com.
Topics we cover:
(1:41) – Why Rob wrote Idea to Traction
(3:29) – What the new book covers
(6:03) – Pre-order bonuses and live Q&A
(7:32) – Chapter three: how to find startup ideas
(9:09) – Solve a problem, not a moonshot
(10:34) – Five places problems come from
(12:52) – Approach 1: Translate an idea to a new niche
(13:50) – Approach 2: Find a hated competitor
(14:57) – Approach 3: Build on your audience
(16:04) – Approach 4: Build on your network
(16:50) – Approach 5: Undercut a clunky enterprise competitor
(17:49) – Approach 6: Enter a fast-growing ecosystem
(19:15) – Approach 7: Build on an existing product
(20:13) – Approach 8: Audit your day job spending
(21:20) – Can you replicate an existing idea?
Links from the show:
Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI
Start Small, Stay Small
The SaaS Playbook
MicroConf
State of Independent SaaS Report
TinySeed
The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping
Derek Sivers
Jason Cohen
Basecamp
WP Engine
Builder Prime
Bidsketch
SignWell
SparkToro
ScrapingBee
ScatterSpoke
Clarity.fm
DealForma
ScoutDNS
Baremetrics
StaticKit
SavvyCal
Seriously Simple Podcasting / Castos
CartHook
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
24 min
October 06Episode 853 | How to Become the SaaS That AI Recommends
How do you get LLMs to actually recommend your SaaS?
In this episode, Rob Walling talks with Ross Hudgens, founder of Siege Media and author of the new book Generative Engine Optimization, about how SaaS companies get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, and the AI tools customers now use to shop. They cover why "best X" roundups and versus articles outperform, how much Reddit actually matters, and what a bootstrapped founder should do first to start showing up in AI search.
Topics we cover:
(1:28) – SEO's evolution into GEO
(3:01) – Why Ross wrote his new AI SEO book
(3:58) – An S&P 100 client's SEO team gets laid off
(5:29) – Is GEO separate from traditional SEO?
(6:33) – Why publish "best category" roundup articles
(11:06) – Versus articles: an underrated GEO tactic
(14:14) – Handling competitor pushback on comparison pages
(16:57) – Recruiting YouTubers and using affiliate listings
(21:47) – Reddit's real influence on AI search
(25:38) – First GEO steps and how to measure visibility
Links from the show:
MicroConf US | April 18–20, 2027 · Austin, TX | Promocode: ROB50
TinySeed
Siege Media
Generative Engine Optimization: The Definitive Guide to AI SEO
Peec AI
G2
Capterra
PartnerStack
SelectSoftwareReviews
Technology Advice
SelectSoftware Reviews
Limelight
Passionfroot
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
32 min
September 29Episode 852 | Getting Big Name Customer Case Studies and More Listener Questions (with Ruben Gamez)
Should you be worried that another founder will steal your idea if you ask them for advice?
In this episode, Rob is joined by Ruben Gamez to answer four listener questions: whether reaching out to more advanced founders puts your idea at risk, how to convince big name customers to agree to a case study, what to do when a platform ecosystem (like Shopify's app store) turns hostile, and how to sell a B2G SaaS product when your sales cycle only runs during the hours you're already at a day job.
Want to get your question answered? Submit your question for an upcoming episode.
Topics we cover:
(1:59) – Fear that outreach could get an idea stolen
(3:50) – Why no one actually steals ideas
(9:12) – Getting copied is inevitable once you're public
(13:45) – How to land big brand case studies
(15:39) – Using discounts to secure case studies
(18:11) – Shopify's fake review extortion
(20:21) – Should you move to a standalone SaaS
(25:06) – B2G SaaS around a day job
(28:29) – Why GovTech rarely attracts angel investment
Links from the show:
Tiny Summit | December 5–7, 2026 · Cancun, Mexico
TinySeed SaaS Institute
MicroConf
SignWell
Ruben Gamez (@earthlingworks) | X
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
33 min
September 22Episode 851 | The Messy Middle of a SaaS Pivot
How do you pivot your SaaS when things aren’t working?
This week Rob talks with Nathan Tyler, founder of BlinkMetrics, about the messy, uncertain process of finding product market fit in real time. Nathan walks through why his original EOS scorecard idea didn't work, how hundreds of coffee chats led to a done for you reporting business, and why he just launched a second product, BlinkPages, right in the middle of it all.
Topics we cover:
(2:43) – The Staging Pilot exit to Pantheon
(4:44) – BlinkMetrics origin story
(5:59) – 104 coffee chats, real revenue
(8:09) – Why not launch 12 products in 12 weeks
(9:39) – Launching a second product: BlinkPages
(13:09) – Squarespace to BlinkPages migration
(17:03) – Why static sites beat WordPress now
(21:02) – Knowing when to pivot
(25:26) – Market pull vs. shiny object
(32:10) – Pricing migrations, hosting, and AI costs
Links from the show:
Get your Ticket for MicroConf US - Austin, Texas on April 18 - 20, 2027 | Use promo code ROB50
BlinkMetrics
BlinkPages
The SaaS Playbook
Exit Strategy Book
Nathan Tyler | LinkedIn
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
44 min
September 15Episode 850 | How Not to Screw Up When Hiring Your first Developer and More Listener Questions (with Derrick Reimer)
How do you onboard a hire onto a codebase you built alone?
In this episode, Derrick Reimer joins Rob to tackle four listener questions. They cover hiring and onboarding your first developer as a bootstrapped founder, then move into the temptation to build features just because AI makes them cheap to ship, getting past social anxiety as a founder, and whether it's worth trademarking your product name.
Topics we cover:
(3:59) – How do you hire your first developer?
(5:14) – Qualities to look for in a first developer hire
(13:37) – Onboarding a new hire into your codebase with AI
(16:49) – Reducing hiring risk: pairing, reliability, recruiters
(22:50) – The temptation to build features just because AI makes it cheap
(30:43) – Getting over social anxiety as a founder
(35:25) – Is trademarking your product name worth it?
Links from the show:
TinySummit | December 5–7, 2026 · JW Marriott, Cancun
MicroConf US | April 18–20, 2027 · Austin, TX
Partnerships: [email protected]
Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants (book wait list)
Rob Walling Newsletter
Remote First Recruiting
SavvyCal
Derrick Reimer | LinkedIn
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
52 min
September 08Episode 849 | Legal Threats, AI as Platform Risk, Building Confidence, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Ever gotten a vague cease and desist from a competitor and wondered if you actually did something wrong?
This week I tackle four listener questions: how seriously to take competitor terms of service threats, whether AI is really a platform risk (or just a feature risk), how to build confidence and get past the fear of reaching out to prospects, and when a non-founder employee should walk away from a company that's missing founder activation energy.
Want to get your question answered? Submit your question for an upcoming episode.
Episode Sponsor:
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Go from spending to compounding: designli.co/Growth
Topics we cover:
(01:05) – Are terms of service threats legitimate?
(04:25) – No attorney-client privilege with LLMs
(06:39) – AI as platform risk explained
(08:21) – Will AI subsume your features?
(10:55) – Will AI costs drop over time?
(14:22) – Mitigating LLM downtime risk
(16:06) – Structuring an enterprise pilot program
(17:56) – Building confidence despite social anxiety
(23:05) – When to quit as a non-founder
Links from the show:
Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants (book wait list)
Rob Walling Newsletter
TinySeed Portfolio
TinySeed Accelerator
Rob Walling YouTube Channel
MicroConf
The SaaS Playbook
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
30 min
September 01Episode 848 | What Liquid Death Can Teach Us About B2B SaaS (Rob Solo)
Does validation still matter when AI has made building software almost free?
In this solo episode, Rob breaks down the origin story of Liquid Death, the canned water company now valued at over a billion dollars, and pulls out the mental models that apply directly to B2B SaaS. He covers why ideas come from being in the arena, how founder Mike Cessario validated the concept with a fake product before manufacturing anything, and why "I just want to build" is usually an excuse worth dropping.
Topics we cover:
(1:05) – Where the Liquid Death idea came from
(4:12) – Mike Cessario's punk and advertising background
(5:22) – The backstage Monster tour water insight
(7:18) – Ideas come from being in the arena
(8:02) – Why "give me 10 ideas" doesn't work
(9:35) – Putting in the reps to build skills
(11:23) – Why validation still matters with AI
(12:11) – How Cessario validated with a fake product
(15:46) – The repeatable framework behind it all
(18:07) – Learning from outliers and the bootstrapper's gift
Links from the show:
MicroConf US | April 18–20, 2027 · Austin, TX
Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants (book wait list)
Michael Girdley YouTube Channel
Liquid Death
Mike Cessario | LinkedIn
The SaaS Playbook
TinySeed
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
23 min
August 25Episode 847 | What Second Time Founders Do Differently, Pricing AI Agents, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Would you spend a year on distribution for a product that doesn't exist yet?
In this solo episode, Rob answers listener questions about how second and third-time founders think differently, from filtering a dozen good ideas down to one, to why distribution and validation matter more the second time around. He also digs into how to sell and price AI agents, and whether a long enterprise sales cycle is worth the wait for a bootstrapper.
Want to get your question answered? Submit your question for an upcoming episode.
Topics we cover:
(2:54) – Selecting an idea after an exit
(5:26) – Using spreadsheets and advisors to filter
(8:52) – Founder retreats for big decisions
(10:01) – How to sell an AI agent
(12:32) – Pricing agents on value replaced
(17:13) – What later-stage founders care about
(18:59) – Distribution and validation for repeat founders
(23:12) – Long enterprise sales cycles
(26:33) – Optimizing for learning speed
Links from the show:
MicroConf Europe┃Reykjavik, Iceland · Sept 21–23, 2026
TinySeed Accelerator | Join our email list - Applications open in September 2026
Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants (book wait list)
The SaaS Playbook
Rob Walling Newsletter
Zen Founder Guide to Founder Retreats by Dr. Sherry Walling
Episode 681 | Why Launching a Second Product is Usually a Bad Idea
SignWell (Ruben Gamez)
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!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
29 min

About Startups For the Rest of Us

From the publisher's feed

The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle,…