Is it time to shut down for good?

In this season finale of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling sits down with Colleen Schnettler, founder of Hello Query, to reflect on her journey over the past few years.

Colleen candidly shares the challenges she faced while trying to grow her SaaS business, including the difficult decision to shut it down after struggling to find traction. Moving past a painful part in her founder journey, Colleen is excited about her new venture where she’s already seeing early success. Join us for this honest look into the final days of Hello Query and to hear Colleen's resilience in the startup world.

• (1:07) – Difficulty in finding and onboarding customers
• (5:32) – Why didn’t it work?
• (9:29) – How did the co-founder split affect the business?
• (13:11) – Founder regrets
• (18:49) – Reflecting on the decision
• (22:38) – Anything that you would have done differently?
• (25:21) – Moving forward to founder coaching and marketing

• Join the TinySeed Mailing List
• Apply for TinySeed
• SaaS Marketing Gym
• Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X
• Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky
• Hello Query
• The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh

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!

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How do you build an MVP for an AI-enabled SaaS?

In episode 764, Rob Walling interviews Jordan Gal, co-founder of Rosie, to learn about how he pivoted from Rally to build an AI-driven product for small business owners. Jordan shares insights into the challenges of finding product-market fit, the importance of trial and error, and the rapid growth Rosie has experienced since its launch. They delve into the significance of effective onboarding, and how building an MVP changes in the face of AI.

• (2:38) – From CartHook to Rally to Rosie
• (6:28) – Deciding to pivot and feeling product-market fit
• (12:55) – Coming up with a feature set
• (16:50) – Building an MVP quickly
• (19:29) – Competition when developing with AI
• (24:52) – Removing features and flexibility in software
• (29:59) – Incredibly fast onboarding
• (33:22) – Balancing a “better business” with a “faster business”

• Applications for MicroConf Mastermind Matching are Open through March 31st
• SaaS Institute
• Rosie
• Jordan Gal (@JordanGal) | X
• Rosie (@heyrosieai) | X
• Episode 549 | Hiring vs. Outsourcing, E-commerce SaaS, and More Listener Questions with Jordan Gal

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!

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Is it time to set a deadline for when to quit your startup?

In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling reconnects with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she tries to achieve product-market fit on a deadline.

Colleen reveals the struggles of cold outreach and the overwhelming data landscape while testing a potential solution. With a clearer vision and two paying customers, she reflects on the importance of defining her value proposition, and the critical timeline she has set for herself to gain traction before her runway ends.

• (1:43) – Debating becoming a data aggregator
• (6:30) – Finding a new direction
• (8:21) – Running out of runway
• (10:39) – When is it time to quit?

• The SaaS Launchpad
• Quit by Annie Duke
• TinySeed
• Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X
• Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky
• Hello Query

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