Startups For the Rest of Us

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:

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

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

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