How do you achieve both success and longevity in SaaS?

In episode 766, Rob chats with Steli Efti about growing Close.com to over $40 million in ARR. Steli shares insights into the importance of maintaining strong co-founder relationships over 12 years, navigating crises, and the importance of emotional resilience in entrepreneurship. They also dive into Close's recent pricing shift to introduce a lower entry-level plan.

• (2:08) – Reflecting on 12 years of SaaS at Close
• (3:50) – Strong co-founder relationships
• (11:24) – Longevity and consistently showing up
• (20:23) – Surviving moments of crisis
• (29:27) – Launching a more affordable pricing tier
• (34:40) – Getting back into the content game

• Exit Strategy by Sherry Walling, PhD & Rob Walling
• Close
• Close Sales Guides
• Episode 498 | Selling During a Pandemic with Steli Efti
• The 0 to $30 Million Blueprint
• Steli Efti (@Steli) | X
• Steli Efti | 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!

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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!

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Are public deadlines a double-edged sword for startup founders?

In episode 762, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure where he covers several topics. Rob breaks down Paul Graham's essay, "Doing Great Work" and focuses on how the steps apply to building real businesses for real customers. He also discusses the hierarchy of skills necessary for success in the SaaS space, sharing his thoughts on the critical roles of marketing, product development, engineering, and effective team management.

• (2:07) Doing great work
• (5:20) Identify the gaps
• (11:51) The SaaS skillset hierarchy
• (18:28) Publicly committing to a feature release
• (23:05) Maintaining enough rigor to hit deadlines

• MicroConf Connect Applications are open now through March 5th
• How to Do Great Work by Paul Graham
• Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling
• Episode 756 | Why Great Product Management Is Critical for Your Startup

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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In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling checks in with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she discusses finding customer pain points.

Colleen, now solo, navigates the challenge of refining her product vision. After a period of introspection, Colleen shares her decision to pivot from targeting engineering managers to focusing on marketing data analysts. She discusses the insights gained from hiring a marketing coach and the excitement of landing her first paying customer, despite some critical feedback on her product's UI.

• (1:50) – Early product excitement fizzles out
• (5:14) – When is it time to move on from an idea?
• (8:57) – Helping marketers build better reports
• (13:03) – Setting early pricing
• (14:02) – Determining how much to polish an MVP
• (17:36) – Predicting what’s ahead

• SaaS Institute
• 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!

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In episode 760, join Rob Walling as he takes on some listener questions in another solo adventure. He offers insights on balancing custom-built solutions versus white-labeled components, and the impact white labeling has on company valuation and growth. He also discusses strategic hiring, founder mindsets, and tools for tracking your SaaS success.

• (2:30) – Considerations when white-labeling within your SaaS
• (9:03) – Does relying on other SaaS affect our valuation?
• (10:10) – Tools for tracking SaaS metrics to enable scaling
• (17:03) – Do founder mindsets change at MRR milestones?
• (21:34) – Mistakes founders make in their mindset
• (25:27) – Forcing an onboarding step
• (27:29) – Determining team composition

• The SaaS Launchpad
• The SaaS Playbook
• Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adventure)
• Invest in TinySeed
• Episode 685 | 7 Things You Should Never Do (A Rob Solo Adventure)
• Episode 722 | Bootstrapping a Vertical SaaS to 7-Figures in 18 Months

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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In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling speaks with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she shares her latest startup journey pivot.

After reigniting her “shipping muscle” while briefly dabbling in an AI-based project, Colleen refocuses on her newest pivot of Hello Query. She shares the challenges of determining the market viability of an AI-assisted SQL report builder. She stands at a crossroads, torn between catering to internal BI teams or exploring marketing analytics.

• (1:25) – Reflecting on the co-founder breakup
• (2:42) – Trying a scratch-your-own-itch project
• (6:27) – Unfair advantages inform another pivot
• (15:07) – Respecting the “emotional runway”
• (19:23) – Marketing insights vs. an internal BI tool
• (23:01) – The curse of the audience

• Applications for TinySeed are Open Through Feb 23rd
• 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