Startups for the Rest of Us

100 episodes
59.5 hours of content
30,615 total views
Startups for the Rest of Us

In episode 698, Rob Walling interviews Noah Kagan, CEO of AppSumo. They discuss the importance of eliminating distractions, cover strategies that led to growth in Noah’s businesses, and share insights from growing YouTube channels. Noah also shares why he decided to write his new book, Million Dollar Weekend. Episode Sponsor: Is your outsourced development team dropping the ball? Maybe you’ve worked with a team that just couldn't grasp your vision and needed constant oversight because they weren’t thinking strategically. Or maybe you ended up wasting hours micromanaging, often needing to jump on late-night calls across massive time zone differences to get alignment. And in the end, they delivered a sluggish app with a frustrating UI that didn’t come close to the solution you had envisioned. If any of that sounds familiar, you need to reach out to our sponsor - [DevSquad](https://devsquad.com/startups). DevSquad provides an entire development team packed with top talent from Latin America. Your elite squad will include between 2 to 6 Full Stack Developers, a technical product manager, plus experts in product strategy, UI/UX design, DevOps, and QA - all working together to make your SaaS Product a success. You can ramp up an entire product team fast, in your timezone, and at rates 75% cheaper than a comparable US-based team. And with DevSquad, you pay month to month with no long-term contracts. Get the committed, responsive development team that your business deserves. Visit [DevSquad.com/startups](https://devsquad.com/startups) and get 10% off the first three months of your engagement. Topics we cover: 2:38 – Making good decisions, consistently 5:47 – Noah’s disappointment in selling Sumo 13:20 – Strategies and decisions that led to growth 15:46 – Focus on eliminating distractions 20:15 – Noah returns as AppSumo CEO 23:20 – Making the mistake of not listening to customers 26:55 –Growing a YouTube Channel to 1M+ subscribers 35:03 – The role of YouTube content in supporting AppSumo 37:11 – Building a million dollar business in a weekend Links from the Show: [Register for MicroConf US in Atlanta, April 2024](https://microconf.com/americas) [Million Dollar Weekend](https://noahkagan.com/mdwbook/) by Noah Kagan [Noah Kagan (@noahkagan) | X](  / noahkagan  ) [Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life](https://a.co/d/7WdUy7c) by Steve Martin [Sumo](https://sumome.com/) [AppSumo](https://appsumo.com/) [TidyCal](https://tidycal.com/) [SendFox](https://sendfox.com/) [KingSumo](https://kingsumo.com/) [Noah’s YouTube Channel](   / @noahkagan  ) If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please [submit your question](https://www.startupsfortherestofus.co...) for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you! Subscribe & Review: [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...) | [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2Ww2e4J...) | [Google](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...)

All Episodes

Episode 698 | How to Launch a Million Dollar Business (With Noah...

Episode 698 | How to Launch a Million Dollar Business (With Noah...

44:49
2.6K
Episode 699 | How to Build Elegant, Scalable Software Products wi...

Episode 699 | How to Build Elegant, Scalable Software Products wi...

47:49
313
Episode 700 | Playing the Long Game

Episode 700 | Playing the Long Game

30:53
237
Episode 701 | The Long Journey to Product-Market Fit

Episode 701 | The Long Journey to Product-Market Fit

33:24
326
Episode 702 | Revenue vs. Profit Multiples, When to Lower Prices,...

Episode 702 | Revenue vs. Profit Multiples, When to Lower Prices,...

32:04
160
Episode 703 | The Accidental SaaS Entrepreneur

Episode 703 | The Accidental SaaS Entrepreneur

34:25
215
Episode 704 | Landing Pages, Buying a SaaS, the Right Tech Stack,...

Episode 704 | Landing Pages, Buying a SaaS, the Right Tech Stack,...

37:38
350
Episode 705 | From Bootstrapped to Mostly Bootstrapped

Episode 705 | From Bootstrapped to Mostly Bootstrapped

36:14
180
Episode 706 | 2/20/200 Validation, Prior Art, and Designing by Co...

Episode 706 | 2/20/200 Validation, Prior Art, and Designing by Co...

25:40
228
Episode 706.1 | MicroConf US Tickets Will Sell Out Soon!

Episode 706.1 | MicroConf US Tickets Will Sell Out Soon!

2:43
53
Episode 706.5 | Rethinking My Most Common Advice

Episode 706.5 | Rethinking My Most Common Advice

13:04
225
Episode 707 | Once.com, Open Source to FT Income, and More (Hot T...

Episode 707 | Once.com, Open Source to FT Income, and More (Hot T...

37:13
266
Episode 708 | Outsourcing Marketing, Competitive Markets, and Mor...

Episode 708 | Outsourcing Marketing, Competitive Markets, and Mor...

48:02
276
Episode 709 | The 7 Greatest Investments of My Life

Episode 709 | The 7 Greatest Investments of My Life

32:10
311
Episode 710 | Is Coding Dead?, The "Right" Tech Stack, Funded Com...

Episode 710 | Is Coding Dead?, The "Right" Tech Stack, Funded Com...

34:16
340
Episode 711 | Finding Early Customers, Horizontal vs. Vertical, P...

Episode 711 | Finding Early Customers, Horizontal vs. Vertical, P...

51:39
2.9K
Episode 712 | Revisiting Burnout + Updates on My Progress in 2024...

Episode 712 | Revisiting Burnout + Updates on My Progress in 2024...

28:05
233
Episode 713 | Our Top 5 Takeaways from MicroConf US 2024 (with Ar...

Episode 713 | Our Top 5 Takeaways from MicroConf US 2024 (with Ar...

34:30
191
Episode 714 | TRM not TAM, Acquiring a Competitor, and Finding a...

Episode 714 | TRM not TAM, Acquiring a Competitor, and Finding a...

31:28
172
Episode 715 | Best Uses of the Internet, a Book about Selling You...

Episode 715 | Best Uses of the Internet, a Book about Selling You...

35:53
160
Episode 716 | Positioning Against Incumbents, Changing Your H1, H...

Episode 716 | Positioning Against Incumbents, Changing Your H1, H...

31:18
190
Episode 717 | Bootstrapping to $1.3M ARR and 300,000 Free Users

Episode 717 | Bootstrapping to $1.3M ARR and 300,000 Free Users

34:28
545
Episode 718 | When to Give Up, Open Source Competition, Painful F...

Episode 718 | When to Give Up, Open Source Competition, Painful F...

43:14
261
Episode 719 | How to Test Pricing, Lifetime Deals, and Building S...

Episode 719 | How to Test Pricing, Lifetime Deals, and Building S...

26:47
208
Episode 720 | How to Prioritize Your Focus (In Both Your Startup...

Episode 720 | How to Prioritize Your Focus (In Both Your Startup...

46:27
329
Episode 721 | 7 Key Takeaways from the 2024 State of Independent...

Episode 721 | 7 Key Takeaways from the 2024 State of Independent...

35:23
201
Episode 722 | Bootstrapping a Vertical SaaS to 7-Figures in 18 Mo...

Episode 722 | Bootstrapping a Vertical SaaS to 7-Figures in 18 Mo...

39:10
440
Episode 723 | How to Be a Supercommunicator (and Why it Matters a...

Episode 723 | How to Be a Supercommunicator (and Why it Matters a...

31:57
200
Episode 724 | Managing Managers, Breaking Through Plateaus, Thoug...

Episode 724 | Managing Managers, Breaking Through Plateaus, Thoug...

30:39
143
Episode 725 | SEO in the Age of AI, Freemium, When Brand Becomes...

Episode 725 | SEO in the Age of AI, Freemium, When Brand Becomes...

46:26
1.2K
Episode 726 | Selling 29,000 Copies, Information vs. Motivation,...

Episode 726 | Selling 29,000 Copies, Information vs. Motivation,...

23:43
177
Episode 727 | Gymdesk Sells for More than $32.5 million, Hiring G...

Episode 727 | Gymdesk Sells for More than $32.5 million, Hiring G...

29:35
157
Episode 728 | Bootstrapping Gymdesk to a More Than $32.5M Exit

Episode 728 | Bootstrapping Gymdesk to a More Than $32.5M Exit

36:10
334
Episode 729 | 9 Things I've Learned Investing in 170+ SaaS Compan...

Episode 729 | 9 Things I've Learned Investing in 170+ SaaS Compan...

25:31
256
Episode 730 | The SaaS Launchpad: The Ultimate Course for Launchi...

Episode 730 | The SaaS Launchpad: The Ultimate Course for Launchi...

37:36
375
Episode 731 | How to Delegate as a Perfectionist, SaaS Partnershi...

Episode 731 | How to Delegate as a Perfectionist, SaaS Partnershi...

49:12
224
Episode 732 | Lessons Learned Bootstrapping to a $615M Exit

Episode 732 | Lessons Learned Bootstrapping to a $615M Exit

36:30
348
Episode 733 | Good vs. Bad Distractions, Weaknesses vs. Blind Spo...

Episode 733 | Good vs. Bad Distractions, Weaknesses vs. Blind Spo...

27:23
218
Episode 734 | The 20 Year Bootstrapper (With Ian Landsman)

Episode 734 | The 20 Year Bootstrapper (With Ian Landsman)

35:07
208
Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adve...

Episode 735 | The 8 Levels of SaaS Platform Risk (A Rob Solo Adve...

27:01
322
Episode 736 | Founder Regrets, DIY vs. Hiring, Defining your ICP,...

Episode 736 | Founder Regrets, DIY vs. Hiring, Defining your ICP,...

27:53
226
Episode 737 | Key Takeaways from MicroConf Europe 2024 (With Derr...

Episode 737 | Key Takeaways from MicroConf Europe 2024 (With Derr...

42:16
184
Episode 738 | Encouraging Word of Mouth, Educating a Market, and...

Episode 738 | Encouraging Word of Mouth, Educating a Market, and...

28:43
201
Episode 739 | Selling SaaS to Customers Who Don't Know They Have...

Episode 739 | Selling SaaS to Customers Who Don't Know They Have...

29:43
280
Episode 740 | My New Book! The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Yo...

Episode 740 | My New Book! The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling Yo...

29:55
141
Episode 741 | What Actually is Product Led Growth? (with Wes Bush...

Episode 741 | What Actually is Product Led Growth? (with Wes Bush...

31:52
273
Episode 742 | Normalizing Hard Things, Facing Your Biggest Threat...

Episode 742 | Normalizing Hard Things, Facing Your Biggest Threat...

28:25
210
Episode 743 | How to Sell Your Business Without Regret

Episode 743 | How to Sell Your Business Without Regret

36:49
117
Episode 744 | Bluesky, TinySeed is Raising, YC Backs Competitors,...

Episode 744 | Bluesky, TinySeed is Raising, YC Backs Competitors,...

34:03
228
Episode 745 | Reflecting on 2024: Revisiting My Predictions, The...

Episode 745 | Reflecting on 2024: Revisiting My Predictions, The...

27:26
174
Episode 746 | 9 Startup Predictions for 2025
💬1

Episode 746 | 9 Startup Predictions for 2025

22:28
361
Episode 747 | Evolving SaaS Customer Success Over 7 Years (with J...

Episode 747 | Evolving SaaS Customer Success Over 7 Years (with J...

35:54
203
Episode 748 | The Ins and Outs of Startup Investing

Episode 748 | The Ins and Outs of Startup Investing

38:48
131
Episode 749 | TinySeed Tales s4e1: Introducing Hammerstone.dev

Episode 749 | TinySeed Tales s4e1: Introducing Hammerstone.dev

26:02
150
Episode 750 | Making Your First Hire, Testing Prices, And More Li...

Episode 750 | Making Your First Hire, Testing Prices, And More Li...

36:34
138
Episode 751 | TinySeed Tales s4e2: From Developer to Manager

Episode 751 | TinySeed Tales s4e2: From Developer to Manager

30:31
121
Episode 752 | The State of SEO in 2025

Episode 752 | The State of SEO in 2025

36:28
264
Episode 753 | TinySeed Tales s4e3: Co-Founder Conflicts + Renamin...

Episode 753 | TinySeed Tales s4e3: Co-Founder Conflicts + Renamin...

23:07
110
Episode 754 | Broken Freemium, SaaS Plateaus, and More Listener Q...

Episode 754 | Broken Freemium, SaaS Plateaus, and More Listener Q...

25:27
238
Episode 755 | TinySeed Tales s4e4: Customer Interviews + Pivoting

Episode 755 | TinySeed Tales s4e4: Customer Interviews + Pivoting

15:43
149
Episode 756 | Why Great Product Management Is Critical for Your S...

Episode 756 | Why Great Product Management Is Critical for Your S...

43:16
226
Episode 757 | TinySeed Tales s4e5: Founder Breakups, Crushing Fai...

Episode 757 | TinySeed Tales s4e5: Founder Breakups, Crushing Fai...

15:26
100
Episode 758 | Do Free Trials Suck?, What Moves the Needle, and Mo...

Episode 758 | Do Free Trials Suck?, What Moves the Needle, and Mo...

45:09
215
Episode 759 | TinySeed Tales s4e6: Does AI + Pivot = Success?

Episode 759 | TinySeed Tales s4e6: Does AI + Pivot = Success?

27:12
112
Episode 760 | White-Labeling, Founder Mindset, and More Listener...

Episode 760 | White-Labeling, Founder Mindset, and More Listener...

32:43
174
Episode 761 | TinySeed Tales s4e7: Identifying Pain Points

Episode 761 | TinySeed Tales s4e7: Identifying Pain Points

20:37
162
Episode 762 | Doing Great Work, Hierarchy of SaaS Skills, and Pub...

Episode 762 | Doing Great Work, Hierarchy of SaaS Skills, and Pub...

25:09
215
Episode 763 | TinySeed Tales s4e8: One Last Pivot

Episode 763 | TinySeed Tales s4e8: One Last Pivot

15:21
111
Episode 764 | Finding Hockey Stick Growth with an A.I. Wrapper (w...

Episode 764 | Finding Hockey Stick Growth with an A.I. Wrapper (w...

39:58
264
Episode 765 | TinySeed Tales s4e9: Making the hardest decision

Episode 765 | TinySeed Tales s4e9: Making the hardest decision

28:20
173
Episode 766 | Close.com's Amazing Run to $40M ARR (with Steli Eft...

Episode 766 | Close.com's Amazing Run to $40M ARR (with Steli Eft...

37:18
245
Episode 767 | Finding Your ICP, Prioritizing Feature Requests, Pr...

Episode 767 | Finding Your ICP, Prioritizing Feature Requests, Pr...

42:48
247
Episode 768 | Reacting to Controversial Startup Advice

Episode 768 | Reacting to Controversial Startup Advice

29:39
253
Episode 769 | Key Insights from MicroConf 2025 in New Orleans

Episode 769 | Key Insights from MicroConf 2025 in New Orleans

30:57
176
Episode 770 | Revenue vs. Profit, Asking for Permission, and Mike...

Episode 770 | Revenue vs. Profit, Asking for Permission, and Mike...

25:09
233
Episode 771 | What Changes As You Grow, AI Agents, Patents, and M...

Episode 771 | What Changes As You Grow, AI Agents, Patents, and M...

38:53
291
Episode 772 | A Highly Effective Framework for SaaS Positioning

Episode 772 | A Highly Effective Framework for SaaS Positioning

35:29
381
Episode 773 | How to Find Your Early Customer Profile (ECP)

Episode 773 | How to Find Your Early Customer Profile (ECP)

30:19
306
Episode 774 | How a Non-Technical Founder Bootstrapped to Million...

Episode 774 | How a Non-Technical Founder Bootstrapped to Million...

37:15
351
Episode 775 | A.I. Coding Tools, User Experience, Racking Your Ow...

Episode 775 | A.I. Coding Tools, User Experience, Racking Your Ow...

54:31
278
Episode 776 | How Bootstrapping Led to a Life-Changing $90M SaaS...

Episode 776 | How Bootstrapping Led to a Life-Changing $90M SaaS...

50:55
468
Episode 777 | Why Retiring Might Be the Worst Goal for Entreprene...

Episode 777 | Why Retiring Might Be the Worst Goal for Entreprene...

28:50
165
Episode 778 | Pricing Pilot Projects, Niching Down, Skipping Stai...

Episode 778 | Pricing Pilot Projects, Niching Down, Skipping Stai...

39:14
261
Episode 779 | 10 Myths Most SaaS Founders Believe

Episode 779 | 10 Myths Most SaaS Founders Believe

44:40
306
Episode 780 | "I'll Never Sell My Company" and Other Myths Founde...

Episode 780 | "I'll Never Sell My Company" and Other Myths Founde...

42:34
200
Episode 781 | A Founder's Regret List: 12 Mistakes I’ll Never Mak...

Episode 781 | A Founder's Regret List: 12 Mistakes I’ll Never Mak...

39:44
388
Episode 782 | Why I Succeeded: My 10 Best Entrepreneurial Decisio...

Episode 782 | Why I Succeeded: My 10 Best Entrepreneurial Decisio...

27:47
333
Episode 783 | Bootstrapping ScrapingBee to $5M ARR and an 8-Figur...

Episode 783 | Bootstrapping ScrapingBee to $5M ARR and an 8-Figur...

40:32
405
Episode 784 | The Wealth Ladder: Six Levels of Financial Freedom

Episode 784 | The Wealth Ladder: Six Levels of Financial Freedom

31:25
297
Episode 785 | Choosing Between AI Products, Building Multiple App...

Episode 785 | Choosing Between AI Products, Building Multiple App...

34:21
353
Episode 786 | Questions About Bootstrapping SaaS to a $90M Exit (...

Episode 786 | Questions About Bootstrapping SaaS to a $90M Exit (...

44:47
337
Episode 787 | "We Shut Down a $1.5M Product, and Raised $10M Inst...

Episode 787 | "We Shut Down a $1.5M Product, and Raised $10M Inst...

37:49
174
Episode 788 | Do I Need a Co-founder? And More Listener Questions...

Episode 788 | Do I Need a Co-founder? And More Listener Questions...

57:43
192
Episode 789 | TinySeed Tales s5e1: From Agency to SaaS

Episode 789 | TinySeed Tales s5e1: From Agency to SaaS

30:56
215
Episode 790 | From Scrappy to Scalable: Evolving Your Role as a F...

Episode 790 | From Scrappy to Scalable: Evolving Your Role as a F...

34:01
159
Episode 791 | TinySeed Tales s5e2: Growing Pains

Episode 791 | TinySeed Tales s5e2: Growing Pains

29:17
132
Episode 792 | Hot Take Tuesday: GPT-5 Struggles, the A.I. Bubble,...

Episode 792 | Hot Take Tuesday: GPT-5 Struggles, the A.I. Bubble,...

45:54
223
Episode 793 | TinySeed Tales s5e3: Building Momentum

Episode 793 | TinySeed Tales s5e3: Building Momentum

27:17
140
Episode 794 | From Struggling Side Project to Life-Changing SaaS...

Episode 794 | From Struggling Side Project to Life-Changing SaaS...

56:05
251
Episode 795 | TinySeed Tales s5e4: The $20K Milestone

Episode 795 | TinySeed Tales s5e4: The $20K Milestone

28:28
165