The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies...
Episode 757 | TinySeed Tales s4e5: Founder Breakups, Crushing Failures, and the Future
In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling chats with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she navigates the complexities of her startup journey.
After a challenging period with her co-founder Aaron, Colleen reflects on their decision to part ways and the emotional toll it has taken on her. She shares her feelings of crushing failure, the uncertainty of moving forward alone, and the realization that their initial product vision may not align with market needs.
Topics we cover:
(0:49) – Colleen and Aaron make a tough decision
(4:09) – Voice memo, “Crushing Failure”
(7:59) – What if you hadn’t raised money?
(11:44) – Colleen weighs her remaining options
Links from the Show:
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!
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Episode 756 | Why Great Product Management Is Critical for Your Startup
In episode 756, Rob Walling interviews Brendan Fortune, Director of Product Management at Customer.io, to explore the skills and frameworks for effective product management. Brendan shares his journey and discusses the importance of understanding customer behavior to drive product decisions. They delve into the concept of the flywheel and how it can be leveraged to enhance user success and optimize pricing strategies.
Topics we cover:
(2:46) – What does a product manager do?
(10:36) – When should a SaaS company designate a full time product manager?
(15:33) – Pricing and and creating a flywheel
(22:41) – Deciding on your “fair” value metric
(30:01) – Pricing experimentation in the early days
Links from the Show:
Applications for TinySeed Spring 2025 are Open!
Invest in TinySeed
Ask a product question on Startups For the Rest of Us
Brendan Fortune | LinkedIn
Customer.io
Product Flywheel + Pricing + Org Strategy (Miro)
Your Pricing is WRONG (even Sam Altman Made This Mistake)
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
In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling checks in with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hello Query, as she shares the latest developments in her startup journey.
Colleen shares the insights gained from recent customer interviews that led to a significant pivot in their product strategy. Hello Query is now focused on embedding custom reporting features within other SaaS applications and Colleen reflects on balancing product quality with minimal v1 features. Her excitement is building to get their solution into users' hands.
Topics we cover:
(1:32) – Digging into customer interviews
(3:54) – Filtering out the noise to achieve confidence
(5:31) – Other competitors in the space
(8:53) – How Colleen prepares for and sources customer conversations
(12:11) – Is the technical implementation coming along?
Links from the Show:
Invest in TinySeed
Episode 748 | The Ins and Outs of Startup Investing
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
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Episode 754 | Broken Freemium, SaaS Plateaus, and More Listener Questions (A Rob Solo Adventure)
In episode 754, join Rob Walling for a solo adventure as he tackles listener questions on a variety of topics. He discusses strategies for converting free users to paid customers, the implications of AI advancements on the SaaS landscape, and how to navigate platform risks when larger players enter your market. Rob also shares insights on breaking through growth plateaus.
Topics we cover:
(3:12) – When in doubt, don’t try freemium
(6:44) – Different levers you can pull to make freemium work
(8:53) – How will SaaS be affected by the exponential growth of AI?
(14:09) – Big players launching features is a form of platform risk
(17:24) – Should I spin out a portion of my product into a new product?
(20:05) – Thinking through plateaus in your business growth
Links from the Show:
MicroConf Connect Applications are open through Feb 5th
Ask a Question on Startups For the Rest of Us
TinySeed
Episode 663 | 5 Insights SaaS Founders Should Know About A.I. (Ignore at Your Peril)
Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adventure)
MicroConf YouTube Channel
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
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Episode 753 | TinySeed Tales s4e3: Co-Founder Conflicts + Renaming a Business
In this episode of TinySeed Tales, Rob Walling reconnects with Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hammerstone, as she shares the latest developments in their startup journey.
Colleen opens up about the emotional challenges of co-founder conflicts with Aaron, highlighting the importance of communication and alignment in their partnership. They also discuss the significant pivot from their initial product offering to the newly rebranded Hello Query, a SaaS solution focused on internal reporting for teams.
Topics we cover:
(0:59) – Breaking up with a co-founder
(7:39) – How could this conversation have been different?
(9:49) – Navigating a major pivot
(14:37) – Changing the name
(16:56) – Getting closer to finding product-market-fit
(19:39) – Competing in a competitive market
Links from the Show:
SaaS Institute
TinySeed
Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger) | X
Colleen Schnettler (@leenyburger.bsky.social) | Bluesky
Aaron Francis (@aarondfrancis) | X
Aaron Francis (@aaronfrancis.com) | Bluesky
MicroConf Recap, Episode 59 – The Hammerstone Podcast
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
The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you’ll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us.