Category: Blog

When launching a new SaaS business, what comes first? What features do you focus on? How do you keep an eye on your key metrics early on? How do you handle onboarding when you’re shuffling team members’ priorities?

Brian and Jordan talk all about the newest updates with ZipMessage and Rally. From experimenting with free plans, website redesigns, and preparing themselves for an influx of activity, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Exciting things are happening but with excitement come daunting tasks, important decisions, and possible mistakes.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• New activity with ZipMessage
• Onboarding first merchants with Rally
  • Remembering the excitement and joy that comes from sales demos
• Experimenting with a free plan on ZipMessage
  • The differences between the free and paid plan
• Rally’s all-hands to mentally prepare for a different challenge: new priorities
• ZipMessage’s website redesign
• The daunting task of revamping landing pages

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave us a message here

Resources:

Brian on Twitter

Jordan on Twitter 

ZipMessage

Rally

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Bootstrapped Web is no longer bootstrapped, on either side!

Jordan starts off this episode with his “coming out” strategy, which all starts with his initial three-post series on Rally. He also dives into Rally updates, comparing your start-up businesses, and the importance of developing a unique view of the market.

Brian takes funding from Calm Fund (formerly Earnest Capital), which has been a month in the making. He talks about the different decisions and considerations to be made when exiting Audience Ops and taking funding for ZipMessage.

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave us a message here.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Jordan’s “coming out” strategy for Rally
• Brian takes funding from Calm Fund (formerly Earnest Capital)

Resources

Rally Blog

“Your Startup is a Movement” by David Sacks

Calm Fund 

Brian on Twitter

Jordan on Twitter 

ZipMessage

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

Some news!  Brian has sold his business, Audience Ops, to JD Graffam!  And what better way to announce this transition than to bring JD on the show!  

Jordan leads the way as Brian and JD talk through how this deal came together, the process from each of their perspectives, and the successful close and transition that’s now underway.

If you’re thinking about pursuing an exit from your business or thinking about acquiring one, we hope you’ll find some of our real-world experience from this deal helpful.

You can read Brian’s blog post that dives deeper into the deal and thought processes that led up to the exit.

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave us a message here

Mentioned on today’s episode:

Audience Ops

JD Graffam on Twitter

JD’s article, Fourteen Things That Will Keep Me from Buying Your App

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

Introduction:

Do you work with a full-service accounting and admin company? How do you create markers on your business’s path to success? What unique marketing platforms and ideas do you use? Brian and Jordan are back behind the mic, during this horrendous heatwave. Today’s topics range from admin and accounting tasks they would rather avoid, their very professional podcasting process, Rally’s current markers and goals, and Brian’s exciting marketing ideas. 

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave us a message here

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Forming a new corporation with ZipMessage
  • The need for full-service accounting/admin
• Our “professional” podcasting process
  • Listening back on episodes to help sharpen your gut
• Rally’s current markers
  • Do we have what we need to raise money?
  • Working backwards from and mapping out the goal and markers
  • How to project numbers at this stage
  • Creating a safe space to make mistakes, changing your mind, and getting appropriate push-back
•  Marketing ideas and promotion
  • The Shipped Podcast (using ZipMessage)
  • Testing audiences and different marketing platforms
  • Podcast sponsorships: targeting small podcasts
  • YouTube advertising
  • Alternative free trial program

Mentioned on today’s episode:

Office Engine

Gusto

Leave us a message here

Rally On 

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI 

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook  

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

After a month hiatus, Brian and Jordan are back with stories about trips, waking up in pain, and prepping for competition. They also talk about growth in terms of profitability versus milestones, the newest developments with ZipMessage, and introducing “common, everyday tools” to people outside of the SaaS community.

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave us a message here.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• The relationship between founder and VC
  • Headcount versus profitability as growth
  • Hiring a recruiter
• ZipMessage goals
  • Prioritizing requests
  • Setting up new features
  • Opening it up to the public
  • The Shipped podcast
  • Brian’s new technical marketer
• Introduction of technology to others
  • Niche tools
  • Summit, whiteboards that do math. The easiest way to create, test, and present your logic.
• Taming the chaos

Mentioned on today’s episode:

Leave us a message here

Rally On 

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI 

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook  

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

Brian and Jordan are back to back-to-back weeks before vacation and travel plans kick in because… It’s summertime! While Jordan deals with a minor lacrosse injury, they both gush over Matt Medeiros, and give updates on their latest business endeavors. They talk about the progress on the search for a media creator for both Rally and ZipMessage, hiring funnels and hiring hurdles, getting feedback, and ways to get out of a funk.

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave us a message here. 

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Matt Medeiros and the media creator role
• The technical side of ZipMessage
• Reading stats and getting feedback
• Getting out of a funk
• Completing tasks, self-induced stress, and forgiveness
• Figuring out the right workflow and the right people
• Hiring funnels, hurdles, testimonials, and role-specific adjustments

Mentioned on today’s episode:

Matt Medeiros’ Twitter Thread on the media creator role

ChartMogul

DynamiteJobs

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

Rally On 

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI 

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook  

Brian’s 2 positions open for applications:

Media Creator

Technical Marketer

Leave us a message here

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

Brian and Jordan are back with updates about diving headfirst into team sports with an “old man lacrosse leagues,” to celebrating 10-year wedding anniversaries, job postings, and creating messages that resonate with customers. They’re covering a little bit of everything today.

Brian shares a couple of interesting job openings based on ZipMessage: a media creator and a technical marketer. Check out the job opening for media creator if you love to create content, are comfortable telling stories, and coming up with creative new ideas. He is also looking for a technical marketer who will work on distribution and optimizing channels and SaaS funnels. If you are interested in either job position, use the links below to apply.

Media Creator  

Technical Marketer

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave a message here

Here are today’s conversation points:

• ZipMessage Updates:
  • Growth and skepticism 
  • Job openings:
    • Media creator
    • Technical marketer
• Creating a community
• The Bloomberg Model
• Axios
• Conversations and conveying the Rally message
  • What to lead with
  • How to make your message resonate
• Shopify opinions
• Brian is hiring for 2 roles:

Media Creator  

Technical Marketer

Mentioned on today’s episode:

Axios Today

Rally On 

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI 

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook  

Leave us a message here

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

Brian and Jordan are back with no excuses and plenty of updates for both Rally and ZipMessage. Today’s topics are all about roadmaps, leading tech teams, and ecommerce marketing. While ecommerce has been around for a while, SaaS is evolving in the way it is marketed and sold. What are your thoughts on SaaS marketing strategies? Do you prefer leading a large tech team or would you rather keep your team small and easily manageable? What are your thoughts on the importance of communication for teams who work remotely?

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Brian or Jordan, leave a message here.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• The next step for Rally
• The many uses for ZipMessage
  • Combining live Zoom calls with asynchronous follow-ups
  • Direct Slack integrations
  • The ZipMessage roadmap
• Leading a tech team
  • Requirements for leadership
  • The importance of communication
• Different strategies for marketing

Mentioned on today’s episode:

Patrick Campbell’s tweet about building a media brand, monetizing with software

Unthinkable podcast by Jay Acunzo

Our stuff:

Rally On 

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI 

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook

Leave us a message here