What’s it take to bootstrap a niche SaaS to $90M without raising a dime?

In this episode, Kevin Wagstaff joins Rob Walling to share how he and his brother bootstrapped Spectora from a scrappy MVP to a $90M valuation. It’s a masterclass in finding traction in unsexy markets, building with empathy, and making smart bets like embedded payments.

• (4:39) – The surreal moment Kevin and his brother became multimillionaires
• (9:14) – Why a mobile-first approach won in an outdated, overlooked niche
• (17:39) – How adding payments created a second revenue stream and bigger valuation
• (20:36) – The early hustle: trade shows, 6 AM demos, and Facebook group tactics

• SaaS Launchpad Course
• MicroConf
• Kevin Wagstaff | LinkedIn
• Kevin Wagstaff (@KevinWagstaff3) | X
• Spectora
• Kevin’s Built to Sell Radio Episode

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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What shortcuts are actually worth taking when you're building a SaaS?

In this episode, Rob Walling and fan favorite Derrick Reimer delve into listener questions about startup development. They discuss the impact of AI coding tools on building minimum viable products (MVPs) and the importance of user experience (UX) with advice on balancing UX investment based on the product's nature.

You’ll also hear a breakdown of the real costs of leaving the cloud, plus tips on email deliverability and validation. Throughout, they highlight how validating ideas through user feedback and research is still critical, no matter how fast you build.

This podcast is brought to you by Mercury. I've been banking with Mercury for years and whenever I set up a new account, I'm reminded why traditional banking feels stuck in the past.

When our previous bank faced solvency issues, we needed to spin up new accounts quickly that could handle millions in funds across multiple businesses. Mercury had us up and running almost immediately.

I manage half a dozen different Mercury accounts across a wide range of companies – from my personal, single-member LLC to MicroConf, our 7-figure global events and education platform, to TinySeed, our venture fund and accelerator. Mercury easily handles them all.

The interface is elegantly simple for daily banking, paying invoices, and sending and receiving international wires, yet powerful enough to handle the multi-step approval processes we needed to put in place when funding founders with large transfers.

Anytime founders ask me who they should set up their accounts with, I send them to mercury.com.

Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

• (4:55) – How AI coding tools are changing the MVP timeline
• (16:11) – When UX design actually matters (and when it doesn’t)
• (23:47) – Should you ditch cloud hosting for your own servers?
• (32:38) – Pro tips on email deliverability and keeping out of spam folders

• SaaS Launchpad Course
• MicroConf Remote | May 21, 2025
• Windsurf AI Editor
• SavvyCal
• Derrick Reimer | LinkedIn
• Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) | X

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, Rob Walling sits down with Noah Tucker, the non-technical founder behind Social Snowball, an affiliate marketing SaaS built for Shopify. Noah bootstrapped the company to $5M+ in ARR, navigating technical roadblocks, team-building hurdles, and a crumbling codebase, while leveraging bold growth tactics like influencer partnerships to scale fast.

• (3:26) – Spotting the gap in affiliate tools for creators
• (7:09) – The agency MVP failure and early dev misfires
• (11:15) – Losing a CTO to priesthood
• (16:33) – How influencer partnerships fueled fast early growth
• (30:12) – Hiring a world-class CTO and engineering team

• Discretion Capital
• MicroConf Remote | May 21, 2025
• TinySeed
• Noah Tucker | LinkedIn
• Noah Tucker (@noatuck) | X

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