Shows
Read Beat (...and repeat)"Unveiling the Color Line" by Lisa McLeodW.E. B. DuBois went on record in 1896 saying that white supremacy significantly warps whites' perceptions and behaviors. Even earlier--in 1890--as a 22-year-old Harvard College student--he called out Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederacy during the Civil War.He outlined the Davis career in a 10-minute speech as one who "advanced civilization by murdering Indians" and participated in the "national disgrace called the Mexican War" before attaining "the crowning absurdity" of his career, heading up the Confederacy, "the peculiar champion of a people fighting to be free in order that another people should not be free."2025-02-2826 min
GeomobSteve McLeod: Feature UpvoteEd chats with Steve McLeod, the founder of Feature Upvote, a service that allows customers to suggest and upvote ideas for products. At the recent Geomob Barcelona and Berlin events we used the service to vote for best speaker at Geomob events. They also explore the challenges of gathering feedback, distinguishing between different types of feedback, and overcoming language barriers. Steve shares advice for managing feedback and making customers feel listened to.
Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.2024-06-1631 min
Code and Conquer - The Indie Hacker Podcast#019 Charge More, Earn More with Steve McLeodIn this episode, Steve McLeod shares the lessons he's learned from building and growing his SaaS product Feature Upvote. Steve discusses his unconventional journey from an IT consultant to a successful indie hacker, including the surprising ways his target market evolved over time.
The conversation covers Steve's approach to pricing and customer acquisition, as well as his decision to launch a coaching business alongside his core product.
Steve offers counter-intuitive advice and insights that challenge common indie hacker wisdom, providing a refreshingly honest look at the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial path.
...2024-04-101h 03
Bootstrapped#239: Our Business Heroes with The Gross Profit PodcastI was recently a guest on The Gross Profit podcast, hosted by James Kennedy. In that interview, James and I talked about our business heros, and well, it seemed to me that the conversation was a perfect fit for this podcast too.So, with James's permission, I'm sharing with you here the entire episode of The Gross Profit podcast in which I was interviewed.The Gross Profit podcastFeature Upvote, my B2B SaaSMy B2B SaaS coaching services
2024-03-0138 minBootstrapped#238: B2B SaaS design with Nathan PowellI chat with Nathan Powell, freelance product designer whose work these days is mainly with B2B SaaS. We chat about how developer founders can go about improving their app's UX and general design.Mentioned in this episode:Nathan's website: https://nathanjpowell.com/Descript: https://www.descript.com/
2023-06-2333 minBootstrapped#237: Michael Koper, founder of NusiiI chat with Michael Koper, founder of Nusii. We talk about what it's like when your product spends several years at a revenue plateau.Mentioned in this episode:Michael's company, NusiiMichael on Twitter.
2023-03-1225 min
Baptist PulpitA Fearful Thing - Bill McLeodA Fearful Thing - Bill McLeod2022-12-2241 minBootstrapped#236: Steve McLeod, founder of Feature UpvoteI'm the guest on my own podcast! A year ago, Ben Pages joined my company, Feature Upvote, to be our marketing manager. Ben had questions about the early days of Feature Upvote, and how this product came to be. He also wanted to know the origin of my low-stress approach to running a business. We thought, why keep this conversation to ourselves? Why not record it as a podcast interview, and share it with you? And that is exactly what we did for this episode.Mentioned in this episode:Feature UpvoteA blog post we mentioned: What...2022-12-0233 minBootstrapped#235: Maeva Cifuentes, founder of Flying Cat MarketingI chat with Maeva Cifuentes, founder and CEO of Flying Cat Marketing, an SEO and content marketing agency. We discuss Maeva's journey from freelance translator to CEO of a successful marketing agency. Maeva also shares with us some practical SEO tips.Mentioned in this episode:Maeva's company, Flying Cat MarketingMaeva on LinkedInProduct-led SEO by Eli Schwartz
2022-11-1832 min
Page ChewingPAGE CHEWING: Lindz McLeod | Episode 32On this episode I talk with writer and editor Lindz McLeod about writing, horror, surrealism, why the band Queen were great storytellers, what it's like for a horror author to crush their readers, time travel stories, writing goals, Turduken, what Lindz enjoyed most about her first job and much more!Watch on YouTube Find Lindz: Website Twitter Connect with me:Steve Talks Books YouTube ChannelVeroDiscussion ForumTwitterPodcastMy Mountain Biking ChannelSend us a messageSupport the showFilm Chewing Podcast: https://www...2022-11-051h 23Bootstrapped#234: Ed's marketing catchupMy frequent guest co-host Ed Freyfogle tells us about his recent marketing endeavours, including one that was inspired by April Dunford's "toilet talk". Toilet talk, you ask? All will be revealing during this episode.Mentioned in this episode:Steve’s company, Feature UpvoteEd’s company, OpenCageGeomob websiteApril Dunford's "Toilet talk"Ed's newly published Geocoding Buyer's Guide
2022-10-2832 min
Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life CrisisEpisode #344 - Kristi McLeod Fondren (HQtie)Dr Kristi McLeod Fondren joins us today to bring an academic's view on hiking. Kristi hiked the PCT over the last couple of years and has combined that love of the outdoors with her work as a Professor at Marshall University. She has some great insights that she shares with us, as well as her deeply personal story. You can find out more about Kristi from her two journals from 2021 and 2022. They are at http://www.trailjournals.com/HQtieandTurkeyB for the 2021 hike and at http://www.trailjournals.com/HQtie for the 2022 hike 2022-10-201h 19Bootstrapped#233: Running a lifestyle business and proud of itWe have two guests interviewing each other! I invited two friends of the podcast, Andy Brice, and Robin Warren, to chat with each other about what it's like running a lifestyle business in 2022 compared to, say, 10 years ago. Although both Andy and Robin run what they call lifestyle businesses, they've taken different approaches, based on what they want to get out of their business.Mentioned in this episode:Robin's company: bluecatreports.comAndy's products: Easy Data Transform, PerfectTablePlan, Hyper PlanAndy on Twitter: @successfulswAndy's blog: Successful SoftwareRobin on Twitter: @robinwarren
2022-10-1429 minBootstrapped#232: Running a WordPress agency, with Marc Jenkins of 16by9I chat with Marc Jenkins, founder of 16by9, a small web studio that focuses on building WordPress sites. Marc and I talk about what its like to start and build up this type of company, and how, with some careful thinking, you can avoid letting your business become something you never wanted it to be.Mentioned in this episode:Marc's web studio, 16by9Marc's Unoffice HoursSteve’s company, Feature UpvoteThe Bootstrapped website, designed and created by 16by9
2022-09-3028 minBootstrapped#231: Bad support loses customers, and payment failuresI catch up with my frequent co-host, Ed Freyfogle, after a long summer break. Amongst other topics, we discuss how bad customer support will lose you customers. We also talk about yet more payment problems - a common theme on this podcast, and for SaaS businesses in general.Mentioned in this episode:Steve’s company, Feature UpvoteEd’s company, OpenCage
2022-09-1634 minBootstrapped#230: Introducing Pushing to ProductionSomething a bit different in this episode: we're playing an episode of the new Pushing to Production podcast, where Ed Freyfogle was the guest. It's a conversation about the technical stack Ed's product runs on. Lots of insightful discussion of the tech decisions you need to make in an API-based business.Mentioned in this episode:Pushing to Production podcastEd’s company, OpenCageBootstrapped #228, where I explain why this show will end with episode #250.
2022-08-1933 minBootstrapped#229: Saying no to a generous acquisition offer, with Simon Bennett of SnapShooterSimon Bennett, founder of SnapShooter, returns to the show. We chat about a generous acquisition offer Simon recently received for his company - and why he ultimately decided to not to be acquired. We also chat about Simon's new podcast, Ship SaaS Faster.Mentioned in this episode:Simon's company, SnapShooterSimon's new podcast for SaaS founders, Ship SaaS FasterSnapShooter's podcast, Pushing to ProductionVersolyMy company, Feature UpvoteSimon on Twitter
2022-08-0531 minBootstrapped#228: How to get backlinks (without feeling dirty)An effective content strategy for your product requires getting backlinks. In this episode, I share 9 strategies I use for getting backlinks for my product's website - without doing things that make me feel dirty.Mentioned in this episode:My company, Feature UpvoteTooltester's email deliverability reportRand Fishkin's company, SparkToroPosts I got on the blogs of Postmark, Cloudinary, and ChartMogulMy guest post on Andy Brice's Successful Software blogMy guest post on HelpSpot's blogOut of Beta podcastJavalin Java web frameworkSteve on Twitter
2022-07-1523 minBootstrapped#227: Joining TinySeed with Nick Swan of SEOTesting.comI chat with Nick Swan from SEOTesting.com. We discuss how Nick took on a co-founder for his already-established business, why Nick decided to no longer be a 1-person show, and most importantly how Nick sold a small part of his company in order to join TinySeed, a startup accelerator designed for founders who would traditionally bootstrap.Mentioned in this episode:Nick's company, SEOTesting.comNick's previous appearance on Bootstrapped #177Nick's investor, TinySeedNick on TwitterSteve's company, Feature Upvote
2022-07-0135 minBootstrapped#226: Sponsoring events, podcasts, and newsletters with Peldi @ BalsamiqWe are joined by a good friend of the podcast, Peldi Guilizzoni, to discuss how to go about sponsoring events, newsletters, and podcasts to promote your product. In particular we talk about creative approaches that make your sponsorship stand out.Mentioned in this episode:Peldi's company, Balsamiq, a low-fidelity wireframing tool.Steve's company, Feature UpvoteEd's company, OpenCageSteve on TwitterEmail: steve@bootstrapped.fm
2022-06-1733 minBootstrapped#225: BoS Europe 2022 retrospectiveI first recorded this episode for the Business of Software podcast. I chat about the experience of attending the recent Business of Software Europe in-person event, together with Joe Leech, who was a speaker at the event.Joe and I shared our thoughts on the event, Joe from the point of view of a speaker at the event, and me as an attendee.Mentioned in this episode:Business of Software websiteBusiness of Software podcastJoe Leech's websiteJoe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjoeSteve’s company, Feature UpvoteSteve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveofmcleod
2022-06-0328 minBootstrapped#224: Recalibrating prices, and Postmark got acquiredEd and I talk about how currency fluctuations are affecting our pricing. And we give our opinion on the recent acquisition of Postmark, a bootstrapping success story, by ActiveCampaign.A brief note about an error in this episode: At one point I complain about a customer support problem I once had when trying to sign up for ActiveCampaign. After recording, I realised I had confused ActiveCampaign with CampaignMonitor. Let the record show that I've never had any experience with ActiveCampaign, good or bad! Apologies for my confusion.Mentioned in this episode:Postmark's acquisition announcementSteve's...2022-05-2031 minBootstrapped#223: When customer payments failWe talk about why we are switching the podcast from weekly to fortnightly for a while. We also discuss headaches when customer payments fail and what we can do to address the problem.Mentioned in this episode:The Photographer's EphemerisBusiness of Software conferenceEd's company, OpenCage.Steve's company, Feature Upvote.
2022-05-0630 minBootstrapped#222: Pierre de Wulf, co-founder of ScrapingBeeEd chats with Pierre de Wulf, co-founder of ScrapingBee. Pierre tells us about the time his company almost got acquired - and how the deal fell apart at the final stage.Links:Pierre's company, Scraping Bee.Pierre on Twitter
2022-04-2235 minBootstrapped#221: Brian Sierakowski of BaremetricsMy co-host Ed Freyfogle chats with Brian Sierakowski, general manager of Baremetrics. Brian stepped in to manage Baremetrics after it was acquired a year or so ago from the founder.Ed and Brian discuss the challenges of taking over a complicated business, Brian's trajectory from SaaS founder himself to running someone else's business, and how changing prices inadvertently gave him the chance to get valuable customer feedback.
2022-04-1531 minBootstrapped#220: Adventures in Abandonware and WordPressEd and Steve talk about a dilemma Steve is facing. An open source component heavily used by Feature Upvote has become abandoned by the maintainer, and Steve has to make a hard decision about how to deal with this.We also talk about why and how Steve recently moved Feature Upvote's website from Jekyll to Wordpress. Yes, really, Wordpress.
2022-04-0831 minBootstrapped#219: Leaving bootstrapper life to be an employee again, with John NdegeEd chats with John Ndege, a former bootstrapper, about how it feels no longer being one's own boss. John launched and grew a product, and he ultimately sold it. Afterwards, he went back to being an employee, working for a large corporation. Ed and John discuss the advantages and frustrations you might experience when you choose the path of going back to work for someone else.Links:John's website: https://www.johnndege.com/John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnndege
2022-04-0129 minBootstrapped#218: London, in-person events, crowded pubsEd and I chat about Ed's recent trip to London, my upcoming trip to London, the return of in-person events, and getting exposed to ideas and concepts outside of our normal channels.We mentioned Geomob and Business of Software.In or near London? And interested in joining me for a Bootstrapped mini-meetup in central London on the evening of April 6th or 7th? Let me know at steve@bootstrapped.fm
2022-03-2526 minBootstrapped#217: Brian Casel of ZipMessageI talk with Brian Casel, founder of ZipMessage, an asynchronous video messaging tool.Brian has created several successful products in the past, and sometimes ran them in parallel. But he recently sold his entire portfolio of products to focus on ZipMessage. Brian explains why he made this decision. He also talks about why sometimes you need to shut something down, even if it does seem to be kind of, sort of working.And we talk about the feeling when you realise that a new product is really getting traction.Links:zipmessage.comBrian's p...2022-03-1830 minBootstrapped#216: Trademarking your bootstrapped businessEd tells me why and how he obtained a trademark for his business. We discuss when it is worthwhile to do this. We then talk about the trouble with having competitors clone your product or website content.Ed mentioned how we got the EU to refund most of the costs of obtaining a trademark. Learn about the EU's "Ideas Powered for business SME Fund" here.
2022-03-1126 minBootstrapped#215: The domain name change that didn't go as planned, with Robert Brandl of ToolTester.comI chat with Robert Brandl, founder of ToolTester.com. We talk about Robert's recent experience changing the domain name of his website. It was an expensive experience, and one that, for a while, did not go to plan.
2022-03-0432 minBootstrapped#214: I hired a marketerEd and I chat about my recent experience hiring a marketing manager for Feature Upvote. Amongst other topics, we discuss how I went about finding the right person.
2022-02-2530 minBootstrapped#213: Charles Perry, founder of RelaNetEd interviews Charles Perry, founder of RelaNet. Charles was the co-host of Release Notes, a long-running podcast that Charles and his co-host recently ended.It's a great conversation, addressing how, over the years, we change, our industries change, and how sometimes things do come to an end.Charles on TwitterThe Release Notes podcast's back catalog of 450 episodes
2022-02-1828 minBootstrapped#212: When, if ever, should we refuse a customer?We talk about Ed's launch of his new product line.That leads into a meandering conversation about ethics and personal beliefs and values. In particular, when a customer signs up for our product and then we discover that customer is in a business that clashes with our own beliefs and values, what should we do and what can we do?When is it right, ethically or legally, to refuse a customer?
2022-02-1124 minBootstrapped#211: Strengthening company culture in a remote team with Peldi of BalsamiqFrequent guest Peldi, founder of Balsamiq, makes another welcome appearance.We talk about some ways to strengthen company culture in a fully-remote team, we discuss advice that Peldi often gives to first-time entrepreneurs, and Peldi tells me why he might finally start with traditional product marketing - 14 years after he launched his product.Find out more about Balsamiq's Office Hours.
2022-02-0430 minBootstrapped#210: 50 tips for running a stress-free SaaS part 2Part 2 of Ed Freyfogle's 50 tips for running a stress-free SaaS.There was a lot of good content in this recording and we recorded for much longer than usual. So we have split this recording over two episodes. Part 1 is here.
2022-01-2825 minBootstrapped#209: 50 tips for running a stress-free SaaS part 1Ed Freyfogle shares with us his 50 tips for running a stress-free SaaS. This is based on Ed's talk he prepared for MicroConf late last year, but was unable to deliver due to misfortune.There was a lot of good content in this recording and we recorded for much longer than usual. So we have split this recording over two episodes.
2022-01-2128 minBootstrapped#208: The dismal deeds of a desperate competitorThis week I go solo and rant about the dismal deeds of a desperate competitor. I also talk about the freedom that bootstrapping gives us to change our approach, our style, our audience while staying true to the nature of what we do.
2022-01-1417 minBootstrapped#207: Our goals for 2022Ed and I discuss the goals we'd like to achieve in 2022.While we were recording this episode, we had some problems with our recording software. Now I was able to rescue the recording, but you will hear a few audio glitches.In this episode, I mentioned that I'm hiring a part-time digital marketing expert for Feature Upvote. If you know someone who suits the position, please let them know.
2021-12-2427 minBootstrapped#206: Looking back at our goals for 2021Back in episode 163, Ed and I set our goals for 2021. In this episode we look back at those goals and we ask ourselves, how well did we do in achieving them?Steve mentioned the Catalan Christmas tradition of Caga Tió. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Caga Tió.
2021-12-1729 minBootstrapped#205: A rapid Saber Feedback updateI give Ed an update on what I've achieved on Saber Feedback in recent months.A new app design, ripping out the SPA architecture, replacing our payment processor with Paddle, and hiring a marketing assistant. It's been busy!If you have a friend or colleague or acquaintance who you think would enjoy this episode, please let them know about it!
2021-12-1027 minBootstrapped#204: Ed can speak againEd tells us about his accident he had, and the impact it had on his life and business. He also talks about how it got him reflecting about his business.
2021-12-0322 minBootstrapped#203: A recap of the interview mini-seasonI conclude the mini season of interviews with a brief summary of the five interviews I conducted. A few weeks ago, my cohost had a cycling that student that broke his jaw. As a result he had to take a break from the podcast while he was recovering. In the meantime, I invited a few people to come onto the podcast and talk about their businesses, their work and themselves.The episodes:#198: Simon Bennett of SnapShooter#199: Jane Portman of UI Breakfast#200: Positioning for bootstrappers with April Dunford#201: Peter Cooper of Cooperpress#202: Bridget Harris, co-founder of YouCanBook...2021-11-2613 minBootstrapped#202: Bridget Harris, co-founder of YouCanBookMeBridget is co-founder and CEO of YouCanBook.me, an online scheduling tool. I chat with Bridget Harris about the 10-year journey of starting and growing her company as a bootstrapped SaaS. Amongst other things we discuss the financial sacrifices bootstrappers have to make in a rapidly growing business.Links:Bridget's scheduling tool, YouCanBook.me Bridget's email: bridget@youcanbook.meBridget on Twitter
2021-11-1933 minBootstrapped#201: Running an email newsletter business, with Peter Cooper of CooperpressI chat with Peter Cooper, who runs several email newsletters, including JavaScript Weekly, Ruby Weekly, React Status, and Postgres Weekly. These all live under the collective banner of Cooperpress.Links:CooperpressPeter on Twitter
2021-11-1234 minBootstrapped#200: Positioning for bootstrappers with April DunfordApril Dunford has a well-deserved reputation as the expert in product positioning within the tech industry. April and I discussed how bootstrappers can go about product positioning.Links:April's websiteApril's book, Obviously AwesomeApril on Twitter
2021-11-0534 minBootstrapped#199: Creating a successful podcast with Jane Portman of UI BreakfastJane Portman is the host of UI Breakfast, a podcast covering UI/UX design, products, marketing. Jane recently crossed the 2 million downloads milestone. Jane and I discussed the journey from the first episodes, with almost no listeners, to where she is today.Jane is also co-founder of Userlist. We discuss how Jane's podcasting experience helps with Userlist.Links:The UI Breakfast podcast How to sponsor Jane's podcastUserlistBetter Done Than Perfect podcast
2021-10-2233 minBootstrapped#198: Backing up 170 Petabytes of customer data, with Simon Bennett of SnapShooterSimon runs SnapShooter, a service that performs scheduled server backups. We discuss:why backups is NOT a dull businesshow the pandemic pushed him to make the jump to full-timecharging his first customer just $2/month - and quickly learning to charge much morea "I did a rm -rf on the wrong server" storyLinks: SnapShooterSimon on Twitter
2021-10-1532 minBootstrapped#197: Life is unpredictable, and a pricing experimentEd is recovering from an accident, so Steve goes solo in this episode. Ed's accident gets Steve musing on the unpredictability of life, and what we can do to partly prepare ourselves and our businesses for this.Steve then abruptly changes topic and challenges all listeners to make a bold pricing experiment.Email Steve at steve @ barbarysoftware dot comSteve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveofmcleod
2021-10-0120 minBootstrapped#196: Our Mental Wellbeing as Bootstrappers, with Robin WarrenThree-time guest Robin Warren, founder of Corrello, achieves "very infrequent guest co-host" status. We chat about a number of aspects of mental wellbeing for bootstrappers - getting out of the house, taking breaks, dealing with boredom, and making your business less dependent on you.Show links:Robin on TwitterBlue Cat Reports websiteBlue Cat Reports on Trello
2021-09-2432 minBootstrapped#195: Back to SchoolEd and Steve talk about the challenge of continuing to learn how to run our businesses better, and the challenges we encounter in ongoing learning.
2021-09-1728 minBootstrapped#194: We talk about our vacationsIt's good to take a break!In this episode Ed and I get self-indulgent and talk about our vacations. From time to time we make a tenuous link between our vacations and our bootstrapped businesses.
2021-09-1029 minBootstrapped#193: The fine details of the Saber Feedback acquisitionIf you've ever thought of selling your business, or acquiring one, you'll enjoy this episode. Matt Zeunert, founder of DebugBear, was curious about the details of my acquisition of Saber Feedback. So we switch roles for this episode, and the guest became the interviewer. Matt asks the questions, and I answer!
2021-09-0335 minBootstrapped#192: How the pandemic overturned my business, with Mark Littlewood of Business of SoftwareMark Littlewood runs the Business of Software, a series of annual conferences to help us run our software companies better. Mark very openly shares how COVID-19 has hit his business, and his need to adapt almost overnight.We talk about the upcoming Business of Software online conference, 27 - 29 September 2021, and how Mark's team make online events work.Business of Software websiteUse this code when buying a ticket for BoS Conf: Fall, 2021 for 20% discount: BootstrappedFM
2021-08-2727 minBootstrapped#191: On quietly successful SaaS businesses, and saying goodbye to our forumIn this solo episode, I talk about successful yet quiet SaaS business all around us. I also tell the full story of why our forum has been closed and put permanently into archive mode.Bootstrapped websiteSteve on TwitterRecommended alternative communities to our now-closed community:Indie Hackers - if you are just getting started and want to chat with others just getting startedFounder Summit (paid) - if your business is viable and you like to run a calm companyMicroConf Connect - “a space for founders and their teams of independently funded startups to connect with like min...2021-08-2319 minBootstrapped#190: Resellers and product-based podcasts, with Peldi of BalsamiqPeldi, founder of Balsamiq, drops by. We discuss two unrelated topics. First, resellers - why they exist and how to accommodate them. Second, the challenges and benefits of having a podcast for your product.
2021-08-1326 minBootstrapped#189: The agony of the enterprise sale process, with Ed FreyfogleEd and Steve go in deep on some enterprise sales work they've both been doing lately for their bootstrapped, mostly self-service SaaS products.
2021-08-0629 minBootstrapped#188: Switching from Bootstrapped to Investor-Funded, with Craig Hewitt of CastosCraig Hewitt runs Castos, a podcast hosting and analytics company. He returns to the show to talk about why he recently sold a chunk of his bootstrapped company to a round of investors.Links:Castos: https://castos.com/TinySeed: https://tinyseed.com/Craig on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCraigHewitt
2021-07-3030 minBootstrapped#187: A Saber Feedback updateIt's 15 months since I acquired Saber Feedback. I talk about the challenges I've faced so far, the bottleneck I'm currently facing, and where things are headed.Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveofmcleodBootstrapped on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bootstrapped_fm
2021-07-2319 minBootstrapped#186: Marketing to Developers with Adam DuVanderWhile Steve enjoys a summer break, Ed Freyfogle steps in this week to interview Adam DuVander. Adam helps companies like yours market to developers.Ed chats with Adam DuVander about his book "Developer Marketing Does Not Exist"Adam on TwitterAdam's siteLearn more about Developer Marketing Does Not Exist
2021-07-1628 minBootstrapped#184: When team members quit, with Ed and SteveEd and Steve discuss what it is like when a core team member quits, how to reduce the chance of it happening, and how to make our businesses resilient enough to handle it.Watch this episode on YouTube.
2021-06-1830 minBootstrapped#178: The Hungry Time, with Ed FreyfogleBoth Ed and Steve are feeling a little bit stressed, perhaps at the beginning of burnout. We discuss why this might be, and what we are doing about it.We also reveal our who guest host will be, stepping in for the next few weeks while I take a break.This episode is also on YouTube.
2021-05-0734 minBootstrapped#175: Riskiness of being a side project's customerEd and Steve discuss the return of Microconf Europe as an in-person eventworking out if a new feature is worth the effortweighing the risk of becoming a customer of someone’s side projectDiscuss this episode and more with our community.This episode is also on YouTube.
2021-04-1634 min
The More Than Fitness Podcast With Matt McLeodSteve Kamb — Traveling The World For $400, How To Level Up Your Life, & Steve's "Epic Quest of Awesome" | MTFP Ep.110I've been a fan of Steve's and his work for a while now, so I was pumped for this one. Steve is the founder of nerdfitness.com, which regularly gets 1.5 million visitors each month and has been helping nerds get fit since 2009. Steve also has a best-selling book called "Level Up Your Life" and the Nerd Fitness company is now a full team of 25+ fitness coaches. I'm a sucker for people who are all-in on being themselves, and Steve proudly represents his fellow nerds everywhere.
In this episode, we cover:
-Steve's origin...2021-04-061h 00
The First 10 Podcast#19 - Steve McLeod on writing emails that get responses, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and taking your time with B2B SEO.Send us a textOn this episode of The First 10 Podcast, I talk to Steve McLeod, Founder of Barbary Software, the company behind Feature Upvote and Saber Feedback. He also hosts the Bootstrapped.fm podcast.Key PointsYour early customer avatar might not be your final customer avatarSEO takes persistenceIf you can, delegate.Cancellations are great feedbackTalk to your customers as much as possibleShow NotesSaber FeedbackFeature UpvoteBarbary SoftwareTraction by Gabriel WeinbergPatrick McKenzie2021-03-1837 minBootstrapped#170: "Be so good they can't ignore you", with Peldi of BalsamiqPeldi Guilizzoni is the founder of low-fidelity wireframing tool Balsamiq. Peldi and Steve discuss: why Peldi tracks almost nothing except revenue and profitstalking to customers instead of using analyticson being "so good they can't ignore you"how to apply a coder's approach to marketinghow Balsamiq is run like a "cozy restaurant on the web"not getting to code much when running a software companythe painful experience of rewriting Balsamiq Wireframes from scratch that took five years(!)choosing technology carefully for your companyThis episode is also on YouTube.Discuss this episode on our co...2021-03-1236 minBootstrapped#169: Email newsletter or no email newsletter? The great debate.We argue for and against having a monthly email newsletter for your product. Ed is firmly in the "No way" corner. Steve represents the "You gotta have a newsletter" side. Let the debate begin!Also mentioned:Do Open - How a simple email newsletter can transform your business (and it can), by David Hieatt
2021-03-0533 minBootstrapped#167: The blog gets posts once every 13 yearsEd and Steve talk about the mental stress of having real-time business metrics, how to find a business mentor, and Steve's attempt to get started with enterprise sales.And we talk about the blog that posts very infrequently.Discuss this topic and more with the Bootstrapped community.
2021-02-0531 minBootstrapped#162: Reviewing our 2020 goalsSteve and Ed look back at the goals they set for 2020 at the beginning of the year. What goals did we hit? What goals eluded us? What did we learn along the way?Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.
2020-12-3027 minThe More Than Fitness Podcast With Matt McLeodSteve Hall — Walking The Walk, Being Results-Driven, & The Big Rocks Of Fitness | MTFP Ep.96Steve is back for his second appearance on the show and just like last time, we had a great chat. Steve is a bodybuilding competitor, an online fitness coach, and a content provider through his company Revive Stronger. In this conversation, we cover:
-How smart it is to sign up with a fitness coach to learn their methods
-How Steve is approaching his upcoming bodybuilding show
-What his motives are for competing in such extreme physique competitions
-Why he finds so much comfort in "the process" and daily...2020-12-2258 min
UI Breakfast: UI/UX Design and Product StrategyEpisode 198: Desktop Apps vs Web Apps with Steve McLeodWhat are the main differences between running desktop apps versus web apps? And which of the two comes with less hassle and problems down the line? Our guest today is Steve McLeod, the founder of Feature Upvote and acquirer of Saber Feedback. You’ll hear Steve’s opinion on switching from desktop to web-based apps, the various maintenance and support issues that may arise, the “boring” aspects of running complex software, and how to prevent the stress that often comes with SaaS.Podcast feed: subscribe to https://feeds.simplecast.com/4MvgQ73R in your favorite podcast app, and foll...2020-12-0431 minBootstrapped#159: Enterprise sales hell, SEO frustration and self-doubtEd and Steve talk about recent challenges and successes in their bootstrapped SaaS businesses. Ed tells of the agony of doing enterprise sales. Steve admits to self-doubt when waiting for SEO results.Some things we discussed:2020 SaaS Podcast AwardsOur forum thread on dealing with endless business administrationFathom Analytics
2020-12-0434 minBootstrapped#157: Dealing with your business's endless administration burdenEd and Steve discuss the endless burden of busy-work that comes with running a business - and how we try to minimise it.We also mention Ed's new marketing-related hire, Feature Upvote's dashboard design overhaul, and using a content agency to write blog posts for Saber Feedback.The invoice handling service we mentioned is GetMyInvoices.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.
2020-11-2028 minBootstrapped#149: A Saber Feedback update six months after acquisitionEd Freyfogle is back again. This week he interviews Steve on his progress with Saber Feedback, six months after acquisition.Ed marvels at how many words we were able to write about feedback buttons.We also talk a bit about co-working in the age of Covid.Discuss this topic and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.
2020-09-2737 minBootstrapped#145: The Hacker News front page experience, 5-hour workdays and 4-day workweeksEd reintroduces himself, Steve shares his experience of making it to the front page of Hacker News, and we discuss Quaderno's 5-hour work day and Wildbit's 4-day work week.Links:Ed's home on the web.Quaderno's job page.Wildbit's 4-day work week.Discuss these topics and more on the Bootstrapped discussion forum.
2020-08-2230 minBootstrapped#143: When should you refactor your product's code?When, if ever, should you, should make changes to your product's code that don't change its external behaviour?How do you weigh up the risks of breaking things against the ease of future development?Steve and Ed get way more technical than usual in this episode.We mention Refactoring, the book by Martin Fowler.We want listener questions! Post your question here and we'll discuss it in a future episode of Bootstrapped.
2020-08-0231 minBootstrapped#142: Revisiting our pre-pandemic yearly goalsWe revisit the goals we made in January 2020. We consider what progress we've made despite the current massive global uncertainty.Back in January, in episode #124, Ed and Steve stated their goals for 2020. Then COVID-19 happened, changing many of the assumptions we had when we made those goals.We’re open for listener questions! Got a topic or question you’d like us to discuss on the podcast? Let us know on our discussion forum.
2020-07-2634 minBootstrapped#137: Derrick Grigg - Founder of PageProoferDerrick's product is a direct competitor to one of my products. So it was extremely generous of him to speak openly about the challenges and successes of running PageProofer.We also discussed:the challenge of having many competitorshaving years of work annihilated by one Steve Jobs announcementthe challenge of separating personal life from work time when you are a solo founder.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.
2020-06-0533 min
Athlete - Purpose Beyond SportEp. 3 Steve Agreda - Football and Peace in El SalvadorScott Michael Shotgun and McLeod Bethel Thompson welcome Steve Agreda to talk about how he implimented American Football to bring about peace in the violent country of El Salvador. Scott, Mac, and Steve open up about experiences through the game that have brought about emotional growth for each of them and connect the dots back to systemic peace.2020-05-251h 05Bootstrapped#124: Goals for 2020Steve and Ed discuss what they hope to achieve by the end of 2020 - both professionally and personally.We also discuss the importance of knowing your non-goals, that is, things your explicit decide NOT to do.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Bootstrapped listeners, to try Balsamiq for free, visit balsamiq.com/go/bootstrapped where you will find a promo code giving you an extended trial and a hefty discount.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.Review us on Apple Podcasts! Here's how to do...2020-01-3138 minBootstrapped#122: My desktop app got acquired!Steve tells Ed all about the sale of his desktop app. We talked about why I sold off the desktop app I've been running for 12 years, how I found a purchaser, and the emotional ride of negotiating and handing over the app.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Bootstrapped listeners, to try Balsamiq for free, visit balsamiq.com/go/bootstrapped where you will find a promo code giving you an extended trial and a hefty discount.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Versoly. Versoly is the easiest way to build a SaaS website...2020-01-1831 minBootstrapped#120: Small team habits part 2: Steve's turnLast week we heard Ed's top 5 habits for small teams. This week, Steve shares the habits he uses to keep his small team productive.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is Checkvist, the professional list making tool.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.
2019-12-2030 minBootstrapped#118: Should your product go Freemium?Steve and Ed consider whether Freemium is a viable business model for bootstrappers.Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.Our guest sponsor, courtesy of Balsamiq, is IvyBackup.Discuss this episode and more on our discussion forum for Bootstrappers.
2019-12-0634 min
Bootstrapped#115: Living Abroad While Bootstrapping, with Craig HewittCraig and I are both bootstrapping our businesses while living in foreign countries. In this episode we discuss what that's like for us personally. We also discuss the challenging practicalities of visas, languages, and business while living abroad.
Thanks to Balsamiq who sponsored this episode. Find out how, thanks to Balsamiq, you can promote your bootstrapped business for free on the podcast.
We also discuss:
Craig's efforts with paid acquisition
how Steve refined the sign-up process for Feature Upvote
2019-11-1534 min
Bootstrapped#114: "The Tables are Turned", with Craig HewittCraig turns the tables and interviews me about Feature Upvote and about this podcast.
We discuss:
why Steve launched Feature Upvote when he already had a successful product.
doing things differently the second time around.
the beauty of "expansion revenue".
B2C vs B2B (spoiler alert: B2B has a whole lot of advantages).
the Bootstrapped podcast 10 episodes into its new iteration.
2019-11-1029 min
Bootstrapped#113: "The idea of public speaking fills me with unspeakable terror", featuring Craig HewittWe discuss how you can become a speaker at events, and whether this is a viable way to raise awareness of your product and services.
Topics include:
Why speak at events and conferences
Getting started as a speaker
What event organisers look for in potential speakers
Non-obvious benefits from speaking at events
Steve's champagne-spilling behaviour when speaking in public
Craig's experience speaking recently at MicroConf Europe
TinySeed Tales: https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/tinyseed-tales/castos-1-a-non-technical-saas-founder
Traction by Gabriel Weinberg: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369
2019-11-0129 min
Bootstrapped#112: Three ways to use podcasts for marketing. Featuring Craig Hewitt, founder of CastosCraig and I discuss how bootstrappers can use the podcasting ecosystem to promote their products.
We discuss three ways to use podcasts - and the pros and cons of each:
Start and run your own podcast
Do the "podcast circuit" as an interesting guest with riveting insights
Sponsor podcasts
We 'go meta' and talk about why Steve has launched the new iteration of the Bootstrapped podcast.
We also talk about:
"credit card required upfront" trials versus "no credit card required" trials.
the life-cycle email sequences using activity-based triggers that we've recently added...2019-10-2529 min
Bootstrapped#109: Andy Brice - Founder of EasyDataTransformAndy and I discuss why he's created a new product, even though he already has two successful products.
We also discuss:
how he manages a portfolio of three desktop apps as a one-person team
how to name products
choosing a market
usability testing
choosing to remain a one-person team
the benefits of the founder doing customer support
why many one-person businesses are actually two-people businesses
Links:
Easy Data Transform: https://www.easydatatransform.com/
Andy's blog: https://successfulsoftware.net/
Easy Data Transform's demo video: https://successfulsoftware.net/2019/09/11/easy-data-transform-video/
Andy's other products: https://www.perfecttableplan.com...2019-10-0441 min
Steve Hargadon InterviewsScott McLeod: School Leadership in the 21st Century | Steve Hargadon | Jan 5 2012Scott McLeod: School Leadership in the 21st Century | Steve Hargadon | Jan 5 2012 by Steve Hargadon2019-08-231h 19
Almost HeinousPhylicia McLeod and Hallmark MoviesSteve and George welcome Phylicia McLeod. Together they talk about Powerpoints, Hallmark movies, Saint Patrick's Day, and Catherine O'Hara in Schitt's Creek. Also Steve gets real and honest about his experience with ASSHOLES IN LAKEVIEW. Be an ally and step up to his challenge.Support Phylicia:-in Matt Damon Improv-in Nectar: iO Harold Team-on Twitter(@phy_phy)-on Instagram(@laugh_with_phee)Follow George Elrod: Twitter, InstagramComet: iO Harold TeamFollow Steve Han: Twitter, InstagramStir Friday NightHosted by George Elrod and Steve HanCover Art by Jordan StaffordMusic by Nathan SandbergEditing by Dominic GuanzonProduced by Jacob...2019-04-031h 03The More Than Fitness Podcast With Matt McLeodSteve Hall - Surrounding Yourself With The Best Of The Best And Battling Imposter Syndrome | MTFP Ep.6Steve Hall is the founder of Revive Stronger. Steve has always been extremely active and into sports, however having been involved in a serious accident, everything changed. It was here Steve fell in love with lifting weights as this allowed him to take control of his life. After a few years working office jobs and feeling dissatisfied Steve knew his passion lay in Personal Training.
Now a competitive Bodybuilder and Powerlifter Steve uses his vast experience and science to provide his clients results. Outside of training, programming and attending conferences with the top fitness...2019-04-021h 00
GreenelinesGuide, Guard and Grace with Carol Burton McLeod (Season 5, Ep. 29)How hard it is to guide your mind, guard your heart and grace your tongue? Speaker and author Carol Burton McLeod reflects on her personal difficulties with each one as she joins host Dr. Steve Greene to share with you the recipe to joyfully take control over your thoughts, feelings, and to steer your words. When you do, you will have cleansed your soul. Listen now as Carol challenges you and talks more about her new book, "Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Hear, Grace Your Tongue."2019-01-2842 min
Hopping Mad with Will McLeod & Arliss BunnySteve Grumbine: Truth About Money13 August 2018 – We were lucky enough to have Steve Grumbine, of Real Progressives, for the entire show. We talked briefly about the recent OH-12 special election and his take on how the Greens impacted the election. We then spent the rest of the show talking about spreading the word about modern monetary theory and messaging.
Next week we have terrific interviews with experts on Puerto Rico and the following week we have Nancy Altman of Social Security Works on her new book, The Truth About Social Security. Stay tuned, August is going to be a great month on Hopping Mad! Many Ca...2018-08-1357 min
Starting & SustainingSteve McLeod, Founder of Feature UpvoteAfter years running a company based on a consumer product, Steve made the decision to switch to a business-focused product in Feature Upvote, and he's never looked back. We explore the implications of legal changes having the ability to wipe out 55% of your customer base after the United States changed the laws around online gambling.
We compare the differences between Steve's B2C and B2B experiences, the ability to make a healthy living working 6 hours a day but making you sure you're consistent and show up every day. We also discuss the value of enlisting the...2018-07-1038 min
The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan194: From Zero To $20 Million, A Story Of Courage And Relentless Discipline, with Steve McLeod of Fire And Safety AustraliaFormer firefighter Steve McLeod turned his passion for helping people into a nationwide business, scaling his Fire and Safety Australia company to eight figures in 10 years. In addition to running a profitable company, McLeod also empowers entrepreneurs by teaching them how to become more courageous and run goal-focused businesses that never give up.According to McLeod, it takes courage to protect and serve, especially when danger could be present at every turn. But it takes another kind of courage to withstand the pressures of entrepreneurship to build and scale a $20 million dollar company.In this...2018-04-1157 minHopping Mad with Will McLeod & Arliss BunnyReal Progressives’ Steve Grumbine5 March 2018 – WOW! We had an exhilarating, affirming, healing conversation with Real Progressives founder, Steve Grumbine (@sdgrumbine) who was on with us for the whole show. Steve is a long-time MMT evangelist and activist. He also has been active and is well known in Bernie & Green Party circles. I knew, from having heard his panel at the MMT conference in Kansas City last summer, that we shared many values and virtually all objectives and that was why I was determined to have him on as a guest. Still, I worried a little bit because the Hillary/Bernie divide runs so deep am...2018-03-051h 27
Manager Mojo with Steve CaldwellStop Creating Happy & Excited Employees, Said No CEO E-V-E-R – a purposeful conversation with Lisa Earle McLeod on why purpose matters and how it affects financial resultsLisa Earle McLeod
Stop Creating Happy & Excited Employees, Said No CEO E-V-E-R
Your job is not just about making money. If it’s the only thing, you’re doing the wrong thing. When finances are the primary driver of an organization everyone suffers, because over the long term the best you will achieve is mediocrity. Once you translate your organization’s focus into its noble purpose, employees begin to find an excitement and drive in what they are doing. It is simple to provide good customer service, but it’s not easy to figure out how to treat your customers in amazing ways t...2017-08-0100 min