STARTUP TOPIC
Interviews, manual services, early users, and the difference between interest and willingness to pay.
Charge when a B2B product already solves a measurable problem; use feedback from people who are willing to pay.
The SaaS Podcast2015-03-09
An email signup can indicate curiosity without proving that someone will pay. Finding a narrower customer and a relevant offer mattered more than the initial launch numbers.
The SaaS Podcast2019-10-28
Free adoption was not enough to establish the business. Asking customers to pay and speaking with them directly changed the evidence available to the founder.
The SaaS Podcast2019-07-15
Start with a specific problem and evaluate the market around it. A new business does not always require an entirely original category.
Startups For the Rest of Us2026-10-13
Customer conversations can change the product and business model, but a pivot is often ambiguous while it is happening.
Startups For the Rest of Us2026-09-22Pricing an AI product requires understanding the value it can reliably provide, while promise and actual capability need to match.
Startups For the Rest of Us2026-08-25Validation is incomplete evidence, not certainty. The appropriate test depends on the eventual sales process and customer price point.
Startups For the Rest of Us2023-04-04
Customer research and a paid commitment can precede software development. A completed product is not the only way to test an idea.
Smart Passive Income2013-09-26
Bootstrapping affects the pace of growth, who gets paid and which risks a founder can take. Customer funding and personal investment shaped ConvertKit’s early choices.
Smart Passive Income2016-12-14Charge when the product solves a paid problem
Stripe analytics for online software businesses.
Signups are not the same as paying customers
Social media software for marketing agencies.
Evaluate the problem and the market
Rob Walling answers a listener question about choosing a SaaS idea.
Practical discussions about independent software companies, early customers, recurring revenue, and founder decisions.
Founder interviews about product decisions, acquiring customers, sales, and software business growth.
Interviews and strategy discussions about online businesses, audiences, products, and creator businesses.