Episode 768 | Reacting to Controversial Startup Advice
01 April 2025

Episode 768 | Reacting to Controversial Startup Advice

Startups For the Rest of Us

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Do you disagree with any of these controversial takes about bootstrapping?





In episode 768, Rob Walling unpacks a series of semi-controversial beliefs about bootstrapping from ScrapingBee’s Pierre de Wulf. Rob evaluates each point from Pierre's tweet, discussing topics like rebranding your SaaS, the hidden problem of affiliate marketing, and the realities of scaling a SaaS business.





Topics we cover: 




    (1:21) – Pierre’s semi-controversial bootstrapping beliefs 



    (4:35) – Don’t waste time on a rebrand



    (7:24) – No one cares about your domain extension   



    (9:06) – Affiliate marketing won’t fix your acquisition issues



    (11:51) – There is no silver bullet for growth



    (13:42) – Copy what works best



    (14:59) – Double down on acquisition channels that work



    (16:53) – Hire specialists



    (19:34) – Never offer a plan with unlimited features



    (20:22) – Don’t offer a cheap plan if you can’t support it



    (20:47) – Don’t add social logins to your signup page



    (21:27) – Read competitors’ reviews several times a year



    (21:59) – $10k MRR doesn’t guarantee $100k MRR



    (22:28) – You will get copied if you share success



    (23:02) – “Build this feature…”



    (24:10) – The Mom Test



    (24:56) – Provide value for your target demographic for free



    (25:47) – Don’t overthink Product Hunt



    (26:00) – You’ll never sell your SaaS for 10x




Links from the Show: 




    MicroConf Growth Retreat in London



    Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X



    Pierre de Wulf (@PierreDeWulf) | X



    ScrapingBee (@ScrapingBee) | X



    ScrapingBee



    Pierre’s semi-controversial bootstrapping beliefs



    TinySeed



    Rob Walling.com



    Rob Walling | LinkedIn



    SaaS Institute



    Exit Strategy by Sherry Walling, PhD & Rob Walling



    Episode 705 | From Bootstrapped to Mostly Bootstrapped to Venture Backed



    The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick



    Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen



    The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling




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