Build Your SaaS

Bootstrapping a business is like getting a plane to lift off the ground. But what do you do once the plane is in the air? Dave Giunta and Justin Jackson recorded a recent phone call about maintaining motivation after the initial startup phase. How does founder energy shift once you've achieved your early goals? Dave prods Justin to find new sources of motivation – whether through mentoring junior team members, connecting with customers in fresh ways, or knowing when it's time to explore new horizons. They also discuss why Dave left Home Chef (after 8 years) and what he's doing next. Links: Follow Dave on BlueskyConnect with Dave on LinkedInFollow Justin on BlueskyHave feedback on this episode? ​Leave a voicemail here​Reply on BlueskyTimestamps: Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How do founders of small bootstrapped companies hire new employees? Adam Wathan got over 1600 people who applied for two new roles at Tailwind Labs (a small team of six people). They ended up hiring two people, but neither of them actually applied. This wasn't how Adam expected (or hoped) this process would go. There were lots of surprising takeaways and lessons learned from the whole experience. "If you figure we spend 5 minutes on every single application, that was like 133 hours straight reading applications. Processing these job applications was basically my full time job for 2 months." – Adam WathanLinks: Hackers Inc podcastTailwind job opening announcementDesign Engineer job postingStaff Software Engineer job posting11 months of job searching visualizedHave feedback on this episode? ​Leave a voicemail here​Reply on TwitterTimestamps: Thanks to our monthly supporters Want to start a podcast on Transistor? Justin has a special coupon for you: get 15% off your first year of hosting: transistor.fm/justin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

A panel discussion on 37signals' first ONCE product, the launch of Campfire ("pay for it once, install it, and run it on your own server"). Ian Landsman, Tyler Tringas, and Justin Jackson share what they expected to happen before the launch, what did happen, and what it means for indie hackers and bootstrappers who want to launch SaaS companies. Is this the end of SaaS? Links: Once landing pageCampfire sales pageDHH's tweet:Tyler Tringas's videoI want to hear your thoughts: If you listen to the episode, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts: ​Statamic CMS​👉 ​Leave a voicemail here​ 🐦 Reply on Twitter Timestamps: Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Fast Company called Acquired "the #1 tech podcast sensation." I've been a huge fan of the show for years. So, I was surprised when they contacted me and wanted to switch to Transistor for podcast hosting! Since switching, they've had a breakout year. Their clips started showing up everywhere on my social media feed; they had chart-topping episodes on Nintendo, Nike, and Costco, and they interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger. And this was the year that Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (the co-hosts) both went full-time on the podcast. Podcasting is now their job. With all of that activity, I thought Build your SaaS listeners would be interested in hearing my interview with David about their entire story: This interview has so much that podcasters, creators, and indie entrepreneurs will find super helpful and inspirational. 🔥 Key moments: Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The whole team is on the show! Jon, Helen, Jason, Josh, and Justin are on the mics to discuss our recent team retreat to Nashville, Tennessee. If you're wondering what a retreat looks like for a remote team, you'll get a lot out of this episode. We also reveal some of our exploits in Music City: "Going to a Tiki Bar is usually a mistake."Highlights "For 51 weeks, our small team works efficiently. Our team retreat week is a culmination of celebrations, milestones, birthdays, and holidays we might have missed. It's special to condense these moments into one week and see everyone in person to celebrate our achievements from the previous year." – HelenLinks: Photos from our trip to NashvillePhotoWalk NashvilleSurfOffice Location FinderHow to plan a team retreatTakeaways: Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Justin catches up with his old internet friend Paul Jarvis. Today, Paul co-founded Fathom Analytics with Jack Ellis: a simple alternative to Google Analytics. Paul is also the author of the book "Company of One," which has influenced a whole generation of indie entrepreneurs (and has been reviewed by Cal Newport, Chris Guillebeau, Ben Chestnut, Tiago Forte, and more). Previously, Justin and Paul did a weekly mastermind, where they supported and encouraged each other around our indie businesses. They decided to do a catch-up call and recorded it so you could listen in. 👍 Highlights: 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! Links:Fathom AnalyticsCompany of OneHow to Start a MastermindMint AnalyticsWhy we moved from courses to SaaSSelf-Publishing Hangout Thanks to our monthly supporters ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Tim reached out after the Aaron Francis episode: "I wanted to pitch you on the idea of coming on the podcast and sharing my journey of building side projects for the last decade while raising a family. I can also share the guardrails I put in place before finally going full-time on T.LY." Highlights: Links:Tim's startup: T.LYTim's TwitterTim's blog: tools for marketers Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week Jon and Justin are joined by Marcella Chamorro. Previously, she worked in startup marketing but has recently transitioned to coaching founders and teams. We discussed how startup founders and their team members can realize their full potential. Here are some highlights: Quote:"I think people who choose to do coaching want to be really good at what they do and they want to have a really good life. They are looking to optimize their time on planet Earth." – Marcella Links: Subscribe to Marcella's newsletterMarcella’s coaching websiteCheck out Marcella's articlesMarcella on LinkedInMarcella on Twitter Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this podcast episode, Michele Hansen (Geocodio) gives us an update on Section 174 and provides her take on "bootstrapping with kids." Michele explains you can be a part of the Small Software Business Alliance, and fight Section 174. If you're in the USA, please contact Congress! In the second half of the episode, Justin and Michele talk about the challenges of balancing starting a business while you have young kids. For more on this topic, check out the last episode with Aaron Francis. For more context on Section 174, check out our previous episode with Michele. Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, Justin speaks with Aaron Francis about being a new parent and trying to bootstrap a startup. Aaron argued the other side of Justin's tweet thread: "Wait until your kids are older to start a company." Aaron is well-positioned to talk about this because he has twins and is also bootstrapping Hammerstone with his co-founder Colleen. The whole conversation is a nuanced take on the topic and full of important insights, especially on: Highlights from this episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin welcome Joshua Anderton to the Transistor team! Josh is an amazingly talented full-stack web developer (Laravel, Rails, Tailwind CSS, Alpine, and more!) He's been helping us as a part-time contractor since Oct 2022, and we're excited to have him on board full-time! In this episode, we discuss why we hired another person and how we think about hiring at Transistor. Links:Joshua's personal siteJoshua's podcast: Getting to RamenJason Cohen's articleAcquired.fm Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Michele Hansen (co-founder of Geocodio) is raising the alarm about Section 174. This legislation could dramatically increase your tax bill this year if you're a small software company in the USA. Michele is organizing a response through the Small Software Business Alliance. 👉 ACT NOW: Sign up for Michele's listUS citizens: tweet and call your Senators today. ssballiance.orgIn this episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon's back from his first real vacation in years. In this episode, we discuss how we've been removing inactive accounts on Transistor, SVB, Section 174, Revin is shutting down their Merchant of Record service, SaaS sales tax compliance: Links:excellent summary of the Silicon Valley Bank runIan Landsmanssballiance.orgRevin has shut downwas shut down by Stripe From the Revin email: “The most relevant reason [we are closing] is that the Merchant of Record model is too risky for both sellers and the MOR operator. Sellers bear the risk of platform shutdown (as seen in the example of Flurly & Stripe), and the MOR operator could potentially become involved in illicit or illegal activities quickly, which could lead to all sorts of problems.Furthermore, it became increasingly clear that the Merchant of Record model primarily appeals to small-scale sellers or businesses with questionable and high-risk business models. This presents a significant challenge as we strive to move up the market. The recent change in Stripe's risk behavior has caused us to experience issues with keeping Stripe accounts live.” Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

"I don't get it: if that money is for the government, how come the pizza place put it in their cash register?!?" (Jon is on vacation - our next real episode is coming soon!) Listen to our past episodes on the headache that is SaaS sales tax compliance: Part 1Part 2 Thanks to our monthly supporters ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Last week's episode hit a nerve! "The idea that every small software company in the world will be able to be in perfect compliance will every foreign federal, provincial, state, and municipal government that imposes a sales tax is ridiculous. It's an impossible task. Broadly, there were a few different camps with the responses we received: Responses from indie hackers: European: CooperEdwin Saraccini put to legislation in 2021Daniel VassalloDerrick GriggDerrick ReimerDid you know... "There are actually several different types of sales tax systems in use throughout the United States. The biggest difference is whether the seller or the purchaser is the main taxpayer. In some states, the tax is imposed on sellers, who then have the option of passing the tax along to their purchasers. In other states, the tax is imposed on the purchaser, with the seller being responsible for collecting the tax and remitting it to the state. And then there are other states where the liability for the tax is shared by sellers and purchasers." (Source) New thoughts on Sales tax compliance I still haven’t heard from anyoneanybody RevinThe current solution we’re considering Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sales tax compliance: nobody in SaaS wants to talk about it. Jon and Justin tried to do something about it and it turned into a nightmare. According to Stripe Tax, there are about 90 different regions that software companies may have to register in, and then calculate, collect, and remit sales tax on their behalf. But in North America, many SaaS companies don't seem to care: many that we looked at weren't collecting sales tax at all, while a few had just started collecting in the US states. If you've been wondering about how sales tax applies to SaaS, listen to this episode.Thanks to our monthly supporters 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm. 📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The whole Transistor team got together for a retreat in Montréal. Jon, Justin, Helen, and Jason chat about the experience. What should we talk about next? @buildyoursaas@mijustin@jonbuda@jsonpearl@helenryleson PodchaserThanks to our monthly supporters: RecruitKit.com.auwearebold.afProdCamp.comIntro CRM podcastMemberspacePhotivo.comFathomGetRewardful.comhttps://shipsaasfaster.com/ Thanks to our monthly supporters Want to start a podcast on Transistor? Justin has a special coupon for you: get 15% off your first year of hosting: transistor.fm/justin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! This is part 2 of "Jon and Justin answer your questions." What should we talk about next? @buildyoursaas@mijustin@jonbuda@jsonpearl@helenryleson PodchaserThanks to our monthly supporters: RecruitKit.com.auwearebold.afProdCamp.comIntro CRM podcastMemberspacePhotivo.comFathomGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Want to start a podcast on Transistor? Justin has a special coupon for you: get 15% off your first year of hosting: transistor.fm/justin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! In this two-part series, Jon and Justin answer your questions. See our values hereRunning the DreamWhat should we talk about next? @buildyoursaas@mijustin@jonbuda@jsonpearl@helenryleson PodchaserThanks to our monthly supporters Want to start a podcast on Transistor? Justin has a special coupon for you: get 15% off your first year of hosting: transistor.fm/justin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Baptiste Jamin co-founded Crisp with a friend he met in high school. Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff): What should we talk about next? @buildyoursaas@mijustin@jonbuda@jsonpearl@helenryleson PodchaserThanks to our monthly supporters: RecruitKit.com.auwearebold.afProdCamp.comIntro CRM podcastMemberspacePhotivo.comFathomGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Want to start a podcast on Transistor? Justin has a special coupon for you: get 15% off your first year of hosting: transistor.fm/justin ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★