Startups For the Rest of Us
Startups For the Rest of Us

Startups For the Rest of Us

Rob Walling

Overview
Episodes

Details

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, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you’ll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us.

Recent Episodes


                    Episode 824 | Crowded Markets, Problem Aware, A Stolen Idea, and More Listener Questions (with Jordan Gal)
MAR 17, 2026
Episode 824 | Crowded Markets, Problem Aware, A Stolen Idea, and More Listener Questions (with Jordan Gal)
What do you do when a collaborator takes your idea and builds a competing product? In this episode, Rob Walling is joined by fan favorite Jordan Gal to answer listener questions on some of the trickiest challenges founders face. They cover financing decisions like using debt to bridge cash flow gaps, competing in markets flooded with vibe-coded apps, and what to do when a collaborator takes your idea and runs with it. Want to get your question answered? Submit it here for a future episode. Episode Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Mercury Mercury is the banking solution I use across my businesses, from my personal single-member LLC to MicroConf and TinySeed. Traditional banking forces you to duct-tape tools together and work around slow, clunky processes. Mercury gives me a clean dashboard that shows exactly where each business stands at a glance. The interface is simple enough for daily banking and paying invoices, but powerful enough to handle multi-step approval workflows for large transfers. There's a reason more than 300,000 entrepreneurs have made the switch. It's free to get started with no in-person visits and no minimum balance. Apply online in minutes at mercury.com. Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. Topics we cover: (3:50) – Jordan Gal on Rosie's multichannel launch (8:01) – Investing cash in slow-moving healthcare markets (10:32) – Using debt or credit against signed contracts (16:48) – Competing in crowded markets with vibe-coded apps (24:34) – Should you offer advisory shares to design partners? (30:38) – Selling to problem-aware but not solution-aware audiences (37:35) – When a collaborator steals your startup idea Links from the show: TinySeed SaaS Institute Stripe Capital The Play Bigger Book The SaaS Playbook Rob Walling's Books Rob Walling's Newsletter Rosie AI Jordan Gal (@JordanGal) | 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
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55 MIN

                    Episode 823 | Hot Take Tuesday: Is A.I. Killing B2B SaaS?, ChatGPT Ads, OpenClaw
MAR 10, 2026
Episode 823 | Hot Take Tuesday: Is A.I. Killing B2B SaaS?, ChatGPT Ads, OpenClaw
Is AI really killing B2B SaaS, or is it just subscription software by another name? In this Hot Take Tuesday, Rob Walling, Einar Vollset, and Tracy Osborn dig into the market panic around SaaS stocks, whether AI models are actually getting better, ChatGPT's move into advertising (and Anthropic's spicy response), and the explosion of OpenClaw. They also tackle QSBS and when SaaS acquisitions shift from asset to stock purchases. Episode Sponsors: This episode is brought to you by Mercury Mercury is the banking solution I use across my businesses, from my personal single-member LLC to MicroConf and TinySeed. Traditional banking forces you to duct-tape tools together and work around slow, clunky processes. Mercury gives me a clean dashboard that shows exactly where each business stands at a glance. The interface is simple enough for daily banking and paying invoices, but powerful enough to handle multi-step approval workflows for large transfers. There's a reason more than 300,000 entrepreneurs have made the switch. It's free to get started with no in-person visits and no minimum balance. Apply online in minutes at mercury.com. Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. If you’ve got a strong vision but no technical partner, you need more than a “vibe-coded” MVP, you need a real foundation. That’s where Designli comes in. Their two-week SolutionLab Prototyping Sprint pairs you with a product owner, designer, and developer to turn your idea into a beautiful, clickable prototype you’ll be proud to show investors or early users. Right now, Startups for the Rest of Us listeners get $3,800 off their sprint. Get started at designli.co/fortherestofus Topics we cover: (3:52) – M&A guide for B2B SaaS founders (6:35) – QSBS and asset vs. stock purchase thresholds (9:25) – Is AI killing B2B SaaS? (16:27) – Are AI models noticeably better than a year ago? (17:27) – ChatGPT vs. Claude: real-world experiences (26:17) – ChatGPT ads and Anthropic's Super Bowl response (29:34) – The opportunity for SaaS founders in new ad networks (32:29) – OpenClaw: hype or substance? Links from the show: MicroConf US April 12-14, 2026 · Portland, Oregon Discretion Capital’s M&A Guide TinySeed SaaS Institute AI is Killing B2B SaaS by Namanyay Goel OpenClaw is What Apple Intelligence Should Have Been by Jake Quist Rob Walling @robwalling | X Einar Vollset @einarvollset | X Tracy Osborn (tracymakes) | Blue Sky 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...
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41 MIN

                    Episode 822 | No-code vs. A.I. Coding, SaaS Margins in the A.I. Age, and More Listener Questions (with Derrick Reimer)
MAR 3, 2026
Episode 822 | No-code vs. A.I. Coding, SaaS Margins in the A.I. Age, and More Listener Questions (with Derrick Reimer)
Should you build your SaaS with no-code tools, or is AI coding the better path forward? In this episode, Rob is joined by fan favorite Derrick Reimer to tackle listener questions on no-code vs. AI vibe coding, when to take small funding early vs. pure bootstrapping, whether SaaS margins will compress as AI makes building cheaper, and how to get truly useful feedback from your customers. Want to get your question answered? Submit it here for a future episode. Episode Sponsor: Hiring engineers right now is kinda broken. AI resumes, fake profiles, people who look senior on paper but can't ship anything real. G2i cuts through all of that. They've pre-vetted over 8,000 engineers- not "we glanced at their GitHub" vetted, actually tested with live technical interviews. Contract or full-time- just tell them what you need and within days you're reviewing real candidates. And you get a risk-free trial. If it's not a fit, they'll replace the dev in 24 hours. G2i is trusted by companies like Meta, 1Password, and countless bootstrapped founders who need to move fast without making expensive mistakes. Get a 7-day free trial and $1,500 off when you mention Startups for the Rest of Us at https://www.g2i.co/rob  ️ Want to attend their AI Miami in April? Use promo code Rob50Off Topics we cover: (2:18) – No-code vs. AI vibe coding for SaaS (7:55) – What Rob would do as a non-developer today (11:10) – Will you have to rewrite AI or no-code apps later? (17:08) – Taking small funding early vs. bootstrapping (21:29) – De-risking before taking funding (27:42) – Will AI compress SaaS margins? (31:32) – Why brand and positioning still win (37:38) – Expanding your value chain with AI (39:47) – Getting actionable feedback from customers Links from the show: MicroConf Europe 2026 – Join us in Reykjavík, Iceland (Sept 21–23)  Discretion Capital - M&A Advisory for B2B SaaS with $2-25m ARR SavvyCal SavvyCal Appointments TinySeed Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) | 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
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51 MIN

                    Episode 821 | How to Do Founder-Led Marketing (with Jay Clouse)
FEB 24, 2026
Episode 821 | How to Do Founder-Led Marketing (with Jay Clouse)
Is founder-led marketing right for your SaaS, or just a distraction? In this episode, Rob Walling sits down with Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science, to explore founder-led marketing. They dig into how Jay overcame his own limiting beliefs about creativity, why most SaaS founders probably shouldn't pursue content creation, and how to evaluate whether building an audience makes sense for your specific business. This is part one of a two-part conversation. Head to the Creator Science podcast to hear Jay interview Rob about SaaS, being a creator, and how he prioritizes his time. Episode Sponsors: This episode is brought to you by Mercury Mercury is the banking solution I use across my businesses, from my personal single-member LLC to MicroConf and TinySeed. Traditional banking forces you to duct-tape tools together and work around slow, clunky processes. Mercury gives me a clean dashboard that shows exactly where each business stands at a glance. The interface is simple enough for daily banking and paying invoices, but powerful enough to handle multi-step approval workflows for large transfers. There's a reason more than 300,000 entrepreneurs have made the switch. It's free to get started with no in-person visits and no minimum balance. Apply online in minutes at mercury.com. Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. Need to ship faster without expanding your team? Gearheart is an AI-powered product studio that helps startups build B2B SaaS apps and AI agents, fast. Their team ships at twice the speed of traditional dev shops and understands how to work within startup constraints. Whether you need a fractional CTO or experienced engineers to accelerate development, Gearheart plugs directly into your workflow and delivers. They’ve built 70+ products, including SmartSuite, which raised $38M and is used by companies like Capital One. As a listener, you get the first 20 hours of development free when you mention the podcast. gearheart.io Topics we cover:  (3:17) – What is Creator Science and who it serves (6:49) – “I’m not creative”: Jay’s mindset shift + advice for founders (11:38) – Examples of ultra-niche creator businesses  (13:54) – Why founders should create content for customers (not other founders) (19:02) – Discovery vs. relationship channels: where attention actually comes from (20:10) – Who Should Pursue Founder-Led Marketing?  (24:17) – Picking platforms based on where your customers already are (31:43) – Founder-involved vs. founder-led marketing Links from the Show:  MicroConf Europe┃Reykjavik, Iceland · Sept 21-23 Creator Science Creator Science Podcast (Part two of this conversation) Jay Clouse┃LinkedIn
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33 MIN

                    Episode 820 | When to Quit Your Day Job, A.I. Feasibility Risk, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
FEB 17, 2026
Episode 820 | When to Quit Your Day Job, A.I. Feasibility Risk, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
When do you finally quit your day job and go all-in on your startup? In this solo episode, Rob Walling answers listener questions about when it’s worth taking funding to speed up your path to full-time, how to think about equity when a co-founder joins late, and whether A.I. is shifting startup risk from market risk to feasibility risk. He also breaks down how to treat a low-priced, high-churn plan as “cheapium,” when to kill it, and how to test freemium without making a decision you can’t undo. Want to get your question answered? Drop it here. Episode Sponsor: Hiring engineers shouldn’t feel like sorting through AI-polished resumes. G2i cuts through all of that. They’ve pre-vetted over 8,000 engineers, all with 5+ years of real experience, and they run live, human-led technical interviews to verify actual skills. No time wasters. No guesswork. Just solid developers who can deliver. G2i is trusted by companies like Meta, Microsoft, and countless bootstrapped founders who need to move fast without making expensive mistakes. Get a 7-day free trial and $1,500 off when you mention Startups for the Rest of Us at https://www.g2i.co/rob  Topics we cover:  (2:48) – When is it time to quit your day job, and should you raise funding to do it faster? (4:35) – The “emotional runway” problem (and why bootstrappers burn out) (10:06) – Equity splits: when to talk about it, and what actually matters (13:57) – Late co-founder vs. business partner: how traction changes the % (18:34) – Is A.I. increasing feasibility risk (aka tech risk) for startups? (25:01) – Should a cheap, high-churn plan be treated like a marketing channel? (26:19) – “Cheapium” pricing: when to keep it, kill it, or test freemium Links from the Show:  Apply to TinySeed - Applications are until Feb 17th, 2026 The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling MicroConf  - Community for SaaS Founders Slicing Pie by Mike Moyer Die With Zero by Bill Perkins Dharmesh Shah 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
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32 MIN