Startups For the Rest of Us

If AI can build anything, how do you decide what to build? In this episode, Rob Walling celebrates the launch of his sixth book, Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI. He shares why he wrote it, how it started as part of The SaaS Playbook, and why he rewrote it three times. Plus, why every second- and third-time founder still validates before they build, and why AI can speed up building but not learning. Topics we cover: (0:41) – Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI is available (2:32) – Why Rob wrote another book (4:56) – How the book began inside The SaaS Playbook (6:33) – Rewriting the book three times (8:57) – Why validation still matters with AI (10:50) – Grinding until the work finally clicks (12:22) – Endorsements from Jason Cohen and Derek Sivers (15:28) – Who Idea to Traction is for (16:25) – What the book covers, from ideas to traction (18:26) – SaaS isn't dead, and moats keep changing Links from the show: Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI by Rob Walling | Out Today! Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling The SaaS Playbook SaaS Launchpad MicroConf TinySeed Ruben Gamez | LinkedIn Jordan Gal | LinkedIn Bryan Shankman | LinkedIn LeadTruffle Jason Cohen (@asmartbear) | X Smart Bear Live Derek Sivers The Dip by Seth Godin Ep. 834 | Eric Ries Revisits The Lean Startup and Discusses How to Become Incorruptible Ep. 855 | The Eight SaaS Moats that Still Work in the Age of AI The Only SaaS Moats Left in 2026 | MicroConf Rob’s talk Rob Walling | YouTube 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

What if raising your prices could actually bring in more customers? In this episode, Rob Walling welcomes back Jason Cohen, founder of WP Engine and SmartBear, to dig into his book, Hidden Multipliers. They talk about finding your profit whales, why raising prices can actually increase sales, and how pitching more value instead of savings can 8x what you charge. Jason also shares the free AI skills he built to grill founders like a rude journalist, and why the best strategy starts with building a company in the shape of you. Episode Sponsors: You're about to close a massive deal, and then your customer's legal team asks what happens if you get hacked. That's the nightmare YSecurity solves. They're 40 security engineers who've worked at Apple, Uber, Microsoft, Robinhood, Brex, and more. You don't hire them, you rent them by the hour, no massive salary, no expensive consultants. Just real experts helping you get SOC 2, ISO, and more. Set a monthly cap, know exactly what you're spending, and close the deal. Head to ysecurity.io/startups to book your free strategy call. Your first 8 hours are completely free. Topics we cover: (3:23) – Why Jason finally wrote his first book (5:38) – What makes a multiplier "hidden" (8:06) – Profit whales and your unprofitable customers (14:40) – Raising prices from $35 to $1,300 a seat (18:44) – Why WP Engine lowered its entry price (23:08) – Selling more value instead of savings (28:35) – Charging for implementation and price testing on calls (31:32) – Free AI skills and finding your Carol (38:37) – Inside the Smart Bear Live podcast (41:41) – Building a company in the shape of you Links from the show: MicroConf US 2027┃Austin, April 18–20, 2027 | Promo Code: ROB50 for $50 off TinySeed SaaS Institute Hidden Multipliers by Jason Cohen Skills from A Smart Bear Smart Bear Live A Smart Bear Blog How repositioning a product allows you to 8x its price Rude Q&A: The constructive devil’s advocate WP Engine SmartBear SpareFoot Capital Factory Gallup CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder) Jason Cohen | LinkedIn Jason Cohen (@asmartbear) | 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: i...

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!...

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 upco...

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: