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Artwork for Startups For the Rest of Us

Startups For the Rest of Us

Rob Walling
Saas
Entrepreneurship
Microconf
B2B Saas
Tinyseed
Product Market Fit
Marketing
Bootstrapping
Startups
Outboundsync
Hello Query
Savvycal
SEO
Product-Market Fit
Saas Companies
Freemium Model
Pricing Strategy
Tiny Seed
Saas Customer Success
Paul Graham

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes329Founded16 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BusinessMarketingEntrepreneurship

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Artwork for Startups For the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes

What do Nobel Prize winners and successful bootstrappers have in common?

In this solo episode, Rob Walling shares the story of how a TinySeed company went from near-zero revenue to $10,000-$20,000 a month almost overnight, breaks down Claude Shannon... more

YouTube

How do you leave a $400K salary to go all in on your business?

In this solo episode, Rob Walling cranks through a backlog of listener questions on reducing risk with your startup to go full-time, when to register as a business, how to price a SaaS w... more

YouTube

Should your first customer pay you, or get your product for free?

In this episode, Rob Walling answers listener questions on charging customer zero, what metrics to track for a seasonal transaction fee-based SaaS, what it really means to sell into a... more

YouTube

What were the highlights and takeaways from MicroConf?

In this episode, Rob Walling and Derrick Reimer recap MicroConf US 2026 in Portland, Oregon. They break down the best talks from the event, including Jason Cohen on breaking through growth plate... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Adam Wathan
Co-founder of Tailwind CSS
Tailwind Labs
Episode: Episode 825 | Talking Tailwind CSS and Founder Fitness (with Adam Wathan)
Tracy Osborn
Head of Product of TinySeed and of MicroConf
TinySeed, MicroConf
Episode: Episode 823 | Hot Take Tuesday: Is A.I. Killing B2B SaaS?, ChatGPT Ads, OpenClaw
Einar Vollset
Co-founder at TinySeed and Managing Partner at Discretion Capital
TinySeed, Discretion Capital
Episode: Episode 823 | Hot Take Tuesday: Is A.I. Killing B2B SaaS?, ChatGPT Ads, OpenClaw
Jay Clouse
Founder of Creator Science, an educational media company helping content creators improve
Creator Science
Episode: Episode 821 | How to Do Founder-Led Marketing (with Jay Clouse)
Jason Cohen
Founder of WP Engine and SmartBear
SmartBear
Episode: Episode 817 | Bootstrapping in the Age of AI with Jason Cohen
Philippe Lehoux
Co-founder of Missive and expert in email collaboration solutions
Missive
Episode: Episode 806 | Bootstrapping Missive to $8M ARR Over 10 Years
Laura Sprinkle
Founder of Rootabl, specializing in affiliate management
Rootabl
Episode: Episode 803 | 8 Key Takeaways from MicroConf Europe 2025
Colin Bartlett
Co-founder of StatusGator
StatusGator
Episode: Episode 798 | Lessons From 10 Years of SaaS Growth Without a Hockey Stick
Zamir Khan
Founder of VidHug, a video compilation service
VidHug
Episode: Episode 794 | From Struggling Side Project to Life-Changing SaaS Exit

Host

Rob Walling
Host of Startups For the Rest of Us; prominent figure in bootstrapped SaaS and founder community.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 1.6k ratings
  • Good early entrepreneur podcast

    I love Rob’s insights about starting a business, what matters, and how to navigate common and critical decisions. His regular guests are great.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bobarewski
    United States10 days ago
  • My favorite tech / startup podcast

    Been listening for a couple years. It’s really great. Rob is unassuming, low ego, and a good interviewer. I like the mix of solo episodes and interesting guests. Most other podcasts in this space just seem like one long ad for something.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Murphycj
    United States4 months ago
  • Great content

    I am a solopreneur with a small business and Rob’s podcast is so helpful and inspiring and empathic. 5 stars.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MicXXCCC
    Italy7 months ago
  • I don’t want to give it 5 stars

    I rather gate keep this and keep all this info goodness to myself, only reason i am giving it 5 stars and writing this review is because i feel i need to repay them for all the no bs down to earth realistic info on how to build a SaaS. Even in the age of AI this podcast is very valuable. Keep it up! I look forward to every episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sashogs
    Australia8 months ago
  • Rob's podcast is THE manual for bootstrapping a startup

    I've been a listener for several years now. Rob Walling produces an amazingly informative and brilliant podcast discussing startups, bootstrapping a startup, and the journey of others who have bootstrapped their companies. He and guests are transparent about mistakes they made and will discuss options in realtime to weigh pros and cons. Listener question episodes and "Rob solo adventure" episodes are an excellent. I can't believe this doesn't have hundreds of 5 star reviews tbh. Highly recommend... more

    Audible
    5
    Anonymous
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some feedback notes concern about perceived self-promotion from time to time, but the overall sentiment centers on usefulness and realism.
Listeners value consistent, actionable content and real founder stories.
Audiences appreciate the practical, down-to-earth guidance and the focus on bootstrapped SaaS.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 832 | Going Full-time, When to Pivot, Building With Young Kids, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Q: When is it worth auditing design or scaling elements as a startup grows?
Audits should be triggered by actual friction: if design causes confusion or customer frustration, or if the product roadmap shows scaling risks, consider a targeted redesign rather than waiting for a revenue milestone; sometimes mid-range revenue (e.g., around tens of thousands per month) is a good time to reassess.
Episode 832 | Going Full-time, When to Pivot, Building With Young Kids, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Q: How should one approach TAM calculation for a step-one business in a marketplace like Shopify?
TAM is often less important than the ability to rank and capture real demand. Focus on term ranking, market visibility, and practical signals like traffic and early customer interest rather than chasing an exact TAM number.
Episode 832 | Going Full-time, When to Pivot, Building With Young Kids, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Q: What is the best approach to reduce risk when deciding to go full-time with a startup?
The advice centers on building financial optionality, reducing lifestyle inflation, saving aggressively, and creating a runway (e.g., enough to cover multiple years) so you can transition without risking your financial stability; if the business proves traction, you can then commit fully.
Episode 828 | Am I Building a SaaS?, Serving Both B2C and B2B, Pricing, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Q: Leanna asks about pricing a B2B and B2C hybrid tool (job search management) to balance mission with sustainability.
Rob recommends a blended strategy that may include a free or low-cost option with an honor-system or need-based tier alongside a paid B2B tier. He emphasizes sustainability, the potential for a higher-priced B2B tier, and the importance of ultimately aligning pricing with the value delivered and the ability to fund ongoing development.
Episode 828 | Am I Building a SaaS?, Serving Both B2C and B2B, Pricing, and More Listener Questions (Rob Solo)
Q: Hi there, my name is Helen from England. I just want to find out exactly what I would be classified as, if indeed I am a SaaS business or not.
Rob explains that if the product is subscription software and delivers most of the value through software, it can be considered SaaS, even with hardware or API components, as long as the software provides the bulk of the value and is delivered on a recurring basis.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Startups For the Rest of Us

What is Startups For the Rest of Us about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A pragmatic, founder-focused show that concentrates on bootstrapped and indie SaaS businesses. Episodes frequently cover how to build, market, and scale software products without heavy VC funding, including founder-led marketing, product strategy, and practical growth tactics. Listeners tend to value realistic, down-to-earth guidance, actionable frameworks, and long-form conversations with practitioners who are actively running and growing SaaS companies. A notable strength is its consistency and emphasis on sustainable bootstrapping, community, and practical experimentation, making it useful for current and aspiring solo founders and small teams seeking proven approaches over hype.

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Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Startups For the Rest of Us. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Startups For the Rest of Us and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Startups For the Rest of Us get?

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How many subscribers and views does Startups For the Rest of Us have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Startups For the Rest of Us?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Startups For the Rest of Us:

1. The SaaS Podcast - Growing Profitable AI SaaS & AI Agents
2. The Startup Ideas Podcast
3. My First Million
4. Y Combinator Startup Podcast
5. Moneywise

How many episodes of Startups For the Rest of Us are there?

Startups For the Rest of Us launched 16 years ago and published 329 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Startups For the Rest of Us?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Startups For the Rest of Us?

Recent guests on Startups For the Rest of Us include:

1. Adam Wathan
2. Tracy Osborn
3. Einar Vollset
4. Jay Clouse
5. Jason Cohen
6. Philippe Lehoux
7. Laura Sprinkle
8. Colin Bartlett

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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