Traction… Then what?

03/17/22 • 38 min

How do you decide what features you should work on now? How do you stay unplugged during a vacation? What are the milestones and progress markers that tell you if you are on the right path?

As Brian comes back from a vacation and conference (and before Jordan leaves for his own), we’re catching up on the latest updates on ZipMessage and Rally. We’re also talking about how to best judge our own traction, and how to decide which feature to work on first.

“All the best paying customers are usually pretty quiet. ” – Brian Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Here are today’s conversation points:

Staying unplugged during a vacation
Recognizing milestones and gauging progress
Updates on ZipMessage and Rally
- Dealing with big competitors head-on
- Future plans
Being a SaaS business owner and a SaaS customer
Integration partnerships: the approaches, the benefits, and the selection process
Deciding how to move forward: short term decisions versus long term/strategic decisions

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

“I highly recommend working with a lawyer that you both trust and like, because there’s some moments out there...” – Jordan Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Resources:

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

How do you decide what features you should work on now? How do you stay unplugged during a vacation? What are the milestones and progress markers that tell you if you are on the right path?

“All the best paying customers are usually pretty quiet. ” – Brian Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Here are today’s conversation points:

Staying unplugged during a vacation
Recognizing milestones and gauging progress
Updates on ZipMessage and Rally
- Dealing with big competitors head-on
- Future plans
Being a SaaS business owner and a SaaS customer
Integration partnerships: the approaches, the benefits, and the selection process
Deciding how to move forward: short term decisions versus long term/strategic decisions

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

“I highly recommend working with a lawyer that you both trust and like, because there’s some moments out there...” – Jordan Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Resources:

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

Previous Episode

Everything Must Go

We have some big news to share before we go on a (much needed) two-week hiatus.

Brian talks about his sale of Productize, in addition to nearly every other business he has owned. Jordan talks about his latest tweet thread, responding to Moiz Ali’s criticisms of Shopify. We also talk about the power of audio, networking through podcasting, and marketing.

“The relationship built through audio is so much more powerful. It’s really hard to do that with copywriting, with a website, with ads. It’s just much harder to do.” – Jordan Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Here are today’s conversation points:

Taking a break and staying away from the computer while on vacation
Moiz Ali’s tweet about Shopify’s problems
- The problems that they need to solve
Marketing and speaking your mind
The sale of the Productize brand (and everything else)
Networking through podcasting
- Connecting with people through audio
Competitors and marketing

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

“I would focus on one thing at a time, but (in my experience) it’s not the end of the world to have a few different things going and learn and hone different types of chops and skillsets and meet different people.” – Brian Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Resources:

Jordan’s response to Moiz’ Shopify Tweet

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

Next Episode

CartHook Acquired!

What do you get out of conferences? Do you mute competitors on Twitter? How to you utilize Twitter as a budding SaaS entrepreneur?

After a brief hiatus, Brian and Jordan are back with some big news: Carthook was officially acquired! Jordan shares what details he can about the acquisition as well as the process and journey of the company.

They also talk about the upcoming MicroConf and what conferences can do for you. After all, they’re not just about networking, there are a lot of things gained when meeting with colleagues, competitors ...and podcast listeners.

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

“The thing that I want out of a conference is a huge boost of confidence.” – Jordan Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Talking Points:

Carthook officially acquired
- Shutting down and selling the supported Shopify app
- A mixture of emotions after a crazy journey
Unwinding after the stress of a trip
What conferences can do to your mindset
- The energizing effect of conferences
- Meeting podcast listeners
How it feels to be an anonymous company in a space with huge companies
Competitors on Twitter: To Mute or Not To Mute
How many people do you need for a startup?
Access the gratitude