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Artwork for Startups For the Rest of Us

Startups For the Rest of Us

Rob Walling
Saas
Microconf
Product-Market Fit
Boot.dev
Remote Team Engagement
Bootstrapping
Backend Development
UX Design
Sales and Marketing
Saas Playbook
Company Culture
Asynchronous Communication
Customer Feedback
Email Marketing
Homeowners Associations
Property Management
Competition
Idea Validation
Software Development
Freemium Model

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
EntrepreneurshipBusinessMarketing

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Artwork for Startups For the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes

What would it mean for you to leave 60 or 70% of your company's value on the table when you sell?

In this episode, Rob sits down with Einar Vollset, co-founder of TinySeed and founder of Discretion Capital, to talk about his new book, The Definitive... more

YouTube

How do you find someone who thinks like an owner, not just a task-doer?

In this episode, Rob digs into a batch of listener questions about task level, project level, and owner level thinkers. He covers how to identify them, what they cost, where to ... more

YouTube

What happens when AI starts competing with your open source business?

In this episode, Rob Walling sits down with Adam Wathan, co-founder of Tailwind CSS, for a candid conversation about the dramatic revenue decline that forced Tailwind Labs to lay ... more

YouTube

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... 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
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
Derrick Reimer
Established SaaS founder and fan favorite
SavvyCal
Episode: Episode 801 | Competing Against Incumbents, Technical Co-Founders, Trademarks, and More Listener Questions with Derrick Reimer
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
  • 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 States2 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
    Italy6 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
    Australia7 months ago
  • 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 States8 months ago
  • Lol. You got me.

    But! In fact, it is an excellent exercise to argue and go deep on the opposite of anything you're working on. I think lawyers do this when they're preparing for a trial. It really helps hone your original vision and strategies

    Podcast Addict
    5
    M4int
    a year 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 825 | Talking Tailwind CSS and Founder Fitness (with Adam Wathan)
Q: What controversial design decision did Tailwind embrace that early critics objected to?
The adoption of utility-first classes and heavy use of presentational classes in HTML markup, rather than semantic CSS with separate files, was criticized as messy and less maintainable, though it enabled rapid, consistent UI development.
Episode 825 | Talking Tailwind CSS and Founder Fitness (with Adam Wathan)
Q: What directive is used inside a CSS file to inject base styles, components and utilities?
The directive is @tailwind base, @tailwind components, and @tailwind utilities, though in newer versions the specifics can differ with the Just-In-Time engine and updated tooling.
Episode 825 | Talking Tailwind CSS and Founder Fitness (with Adam Wathan)
Q: What would an enterprise-tier product look like for Tailwind, and would that have reduced churn?
An enterprise tier (e.g., higher-priced, longer-term contracts with added support and governance) could have reduced churn by locking in larger teams, but it would involve complex sales cycles and procurement. The guests also discuss the potential of a partner program to scale enterprise-like engagements without heavy sales friction.
Episode 825 | Talking Tailwind CSS and Founder Fitness (with Adam Wathan)
Q: Would you have done subscriptions for team licenses from day one?
Yes, doing subscriptions for team licenses could have created more stable revenue and better ongoing value capture, especially as teams evolve and need continued access. However, there were concerns about churn and the nature of product usage versus a true SaaS model.
Episode 825 | Talking Tailwind CSS and Founder Fitness (with Adam Wathan)
Q: It's not recurring, but it is one-time purchases, right?
Tailwind was successful with a one-time purchase model in the early days and they considered, but debated, moving to subscriptions. Adam suggests that a team-license subscription from day one could have provided steadier cash flow, though the higher churn risk and the value proposition would have required different packaging and incentives.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
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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 Startup Ideas Podcast
2. My First Million
3. Y Combinator Startup Podcast
4. Moneywise
5. REWORK

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. Jay Clouse
4. Jason Cohen
5. Philippe Lehoux
6. Laura Sprinkle
7. Derrick Reimer
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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