Made with Grit

Kyle ventures back to the office to water the plants, Landon has been researching note-taking apps, and the governor of Georgia is reopening bowling alleys.Today’s Topics:An update on the COVID-19 life and distant socializingGeorgia ignoring the stats to reopen gyms, restaurants, massage parlorsBowling alley conspiraciesNote taking apps for the iPadAd Reform’s cash situation and the hot new trend in SaaS: Subscription pausingHow the businesses have been impactedLinks & Resources:Landon’s tweet about governor of Georgia's announcementNotability - Fall in love with Note takingGoodNotes - GoodNotes transforms your iPad into digital paperNebo - Your notes at workNotion - All-in-one workspaceSidecar - Use your iPad as a second display for additional screen spaceBuild your SaaS episode with Josh Pigford of BaremetricsGetting To Ramen Podcast

Landon and Kyle talk about the strategies and (many, many) tools they use (and have tried out) to collaborate remotely on work.Today’s Topics:COVID-19 drinking game (the new normal)All we can do is keep moving forwardBlood-sucking sales repsHow our team collaborates remotely from all over the worldUsing Slack only for what it's good forOur async-first workflow and why it's better than the alternativeKnowing what communication goes whereUsing Loom and Soapbox for async video communicationLinks & Resources:Guru - Knowledge management solution that delivers everything you needRework (book) - The playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their ownRemote (book) - Shows both employers and employees how they can work together, remotelyNotion - Write, plan, collaborate, and get organizedUserfeed.io - Customer feedback for IntercomArt of Product PodcastTuple - The best remote pair programming app on macOSScreen.so - Work together like you're in the same roomTandem - A virtual office for remote teamsYac

Kyle and Landon reflect on how fast things have changed, how COVID-19 has affected the team so far, and how running the companies conservatively has ultimately paid off.Today’s Topics:A break from podcasting because of "you know what"The emotional phases of a pandemicHow our remote team has been affectedBuilding a no-code app to keep track of COVID-19 cases where our different team members liveGlobally united for better or for worseWhere the business stands from a cash standpointProviding extra financial support to our teamShifting gears from growth to sustainabilityCutting tech costs by requesting deferred payments and or discountsApplying for government loansHow running a business conservatively has paid offIn a twitter battle with a journalistLinks & Resources:AdReform - Your intelligent ad ops assistantUserfeed.io - Customer feedback for Intercom

Landon and Kyle talk about the struggles of hiring a remote international team while still building a product and moving bigger deals forward.Today’s Topics:Kyle and Landon chat about what they’ve been doing latelyChallenges that come with hiring remote international staffDiscovering unnoticed fees when paying internationally with Bank of AmericaR&D tax creditFeeling overwhelmed when day to day work takes a back seatWhat kind of things you need to know about and ask when it comes to making bigger dealsLinks & Resources:Upwork - Connects businesses of all sizes with freelancers.TransferWise - Transfer money abroad quickly with low costs money transfers.Stripe - The best software platform for running an internet business.Gusto - Payroll, benefits, time tracking tools, and more.Wave - Award-winning financial software designed for entrepreneurs.Payoneer - Get paid online by international clients.Basecamp - Get it together and manage projects the right way.

Kyle talks to Pete Bernardo about leaving agency life and starting PunchlistToday’s Topics:Our second guest Pete BernardoWhat is PunchlistThe problem that Punchlist is solving for agencies and businessesNaming PunchlistStarting as a solo-founder and bring people in laterPast businesses & co-founder falloutsRolling out new pricing through in-person conversations to get feedbackThe technical implications of a pricing change toward teamsFocusing on annual dealsLinks & Resources:Punchli.st - Knockout what's left. A todo list for your websiteProduct Of One PodcastMicroConf - The world’s most popular community for non-venture track startup foundersTuple - The best remote pair programming app on macOSStartups For the Rest of Us - 480+ episodes to help you launch and grow your startup

It’s that time of year again: Tax season. Landon & Kyle talk about what they’ve learned (or haven't) about accounting for startups over the years.Today’s Topics:Doing the boring stuff (taxes, bookkeeping, booking flights, etc.)Stuff you should leave until you’re actually making moneyGot ourselves a bookkeeperUsing a product-ized service for filing taxesAnother benefit to being apart of an incubator like TinySeedOur new accounting membership businessRamping up the new head of product for UserfeedLinks & Resources:MicroConf - The World’s Most Popular Community for Independent StartupsTaxFyle - On-demand tax workWave - Award-winning financial software designed for entrepreneursBench - America’s largest bookkeeping service for small businessesTurboTax - The #1 best-selling tax preparation software to file taxes onlineTinySeed - The first startup accelerator designed for bootstrappers.Gusto - Payroll, benefits, time tracking tools, and more.High Alpha - We create and fund B2B SaaS companies.Atlanta Venture

Landon sits down with Ty Abernethy, Co-Founder and CEO of Grayscale to discuss getting to $60K ARR with an MVP, getting blacklisted for sending too many outbound sales emails, and VC vs Bootstrapping.Today’s Topics:How Landon and Ty met at a strangely-named entreprenuer meetupGrayscale’s 30-second elevator pitchAccidentally naming Ty’s company after a diseaseComing up with the initial ideaGetting to $60K ARR with an MVPFinding a co-founderBurned by too much funding too early in a recent businessOutbound sales and partnershipsHow to get your domain blacklisted (and then fix it)The hardest part about running a businessTaking the team out for drinksDigital detoxLinks & Resources:Grayscale - Conversational Recruiting PlatformMarcel - Steakhouse and bar

Landon and Kyle discuss the hard questions they've had to ask about the fate of Userfeed. As well as the conclusion they've finally come to.Today’s Topics:Struggle to run two businesses without neglecting oneWeighing the options for UserfeedThe decision we’ve landed onWhat’s nextThe loss of a heroLinks & Resources:BasecampWildbit

Landon and Kyle prepare for an Atlanta Hawks game while chatting about dev emergencies, content marketing, and tricks for LinkedIn outreach.Today’s Topics:Our first remote episode!A small emergency on the engineering sideEven accountants don’t like accountingUsing StoryChief for content marketing using keyword research and SEORepurposing blog postsShould we use Webflow?How we do LinkedIn outreachLinks & Resources:Tuple - Pair Programming for MacOSPodmelon - Podcast editingStoryChief - All-in-one Content Marketing WorkspaceWebflow - Build better business websites, faster. Without coding.Landen - The Website Builder for StartupsLandon’s tweet about Webflow templatesLandon’s tweet about using Intercom bots for tracking where customers are coming from

As Ad Reform continues to grow, Kyle and Landon talk about the tools and tactics they are using to stay focused on the priorities.Today’s Topics:Our most popular episode yetWe’re killing it! Or so it seems?Can’t get back into a groove after the holidaysLearning to balance a growing list of prioritiesTools for staying productiveWhen should the founders stop providing full-time support?Links & Resources:Rescue Time - Automatically tracks & categorizes the websites you visit and time spentHeyFocus - Website and application blocker for MacOSStatusHero - Automated Stand-ups, Reports, and Insights for Software Teams

Kyle and Landon reflect back on a funding offer from their dream accelerator and wrestle with whether or not they made the right decision...Today’s Topics:An offer from our dream acceleratorSudden influx in cashAt what point does it no longer make sense to take funding?Things to factor in when considering funding (VC or otherwise)Links & Resources:TinySeedMicroConfTechstarsTweet by Kristen Anderson about who should/shouldn't take VC fundingKyle's retweet and comments on notes/SAFEsPodmelon

NotesAfter a few weeks off, Kyle and Landon return to chat about what they've been up to: hiring, funding, benefits, projections, and more...Today’s Topics:An opportunistic hire appears (and then disappears)Funding offers on the tableProjecting profit and burnThe power of the annual prepay (free working capital!)Links & Resources:Startup RunwayProfitwellTake Command HealthGusto (get a $200 Amazon gift card with this referral link)

Landon and Kyle chat about the human side of a remote team, keeping people connected, and adding a monthly "investor" letter into the mix.Today’s Topics:Kyle working on back-end upgrades (i.e. Rails)Staying connected as a remote teamMonthly "investor" lettersLandon going vegetarian (for now)Links & Resources:Standups.io - async video standupsStanduplyRemote HQGrayscale Labs - conversation recruiting platformyac.chat

Kyle and Landon discuss Ad Reform growth, sales, tick-tock development, and more.Today’s Topics:Finding time to work (and record, and sleep)Ads still working (driving leads, trials, and revenue)Landon getting back in sales mode (custom deals, procurement, and more)Tick-tocking between 2 productsMoving to a hosted website provider to make it easier to experiment (with messaging, pricing, etc.)Links & Resources:Podhunt maker podcast collectionLanden.coWebflow

Kyle and Landon try to keep things in perspective after a down week.Today’s Topics:Restricting feature access: Hard limits vs. soft limitsUserfeed challenges: Churn, slow activation, messagingRevamping a marketing site: Wholesale vs. step-wiseReinvesting in growthLinks & Resources:Userfeed's marketing siteMade with Grit on TwitterLandon on TwitterKyle on Twitter

After missing a week, Kyle and Landon return to chat about babies, family, and the personal side of bootstrapping.Today’s Topics:Kyle is a two-time dad! What's it like so far with two daughters under two?Landon holdin' it down while Kyle's out. What's different this time around?An update on the advertising efforts: it's paying off so far!Kyle ditches a contract development opportunityLinks & Resources:Getting To Ramen podcast: episode 14 with Landon and KyleMade with Grit on TwitterKyle on TwitterLandon on Twitter

Kyle and Landon discuss the idea of making their onboarding process more manual. Could a concierge onboarding service improve activation?Today’s Topics:Atlanta sports sidebarManual vs. self-serve onboardingConcierge onboarding to improve activationQualification steps for prospective customersKyle is (almost) a two-time dadLinks & Resources:FullstorySuperhuman's onboarding process (via growth.design)Don't Build Growth Teams blog post (found via Rogue Startups podcast)Eletype

So it's time to roll out a new feature. What's the process? Kyle and Landon share how they do it: from identifying beta testers to closing the loop with stakeholders.Today’s Topics:Landon played golf (badly)What's typical for SaaS product announcementsFeature flags for testing in productionIdentifying candidates for betaPersonalizing your product updatesLinks & Resources:Using Intercom tags to manage feature flagsProduct feedback as a lead nurture strategySegment product tours based on feedbackIntercom templates

In this episode, Kyle and Landon discuss their foray into advertising. They also discuss "how much is enough?", the much-discussed topic recently on bootstrapped Twitter (is that a thing?).Today’s Topics:Landon's bourbon blunderUserfeed ops funNotion, Basecamp, and hill chartsAd Reform's new advertising channelsHow much is enough? (Here's some of the convo on Twitter)Links & Resources:Hillchart.appAdLib MediaIntercom templates

In this episode, Kyle and Landon discuss the importance of talking to customers.Today’s Topics:Increasing pricesShape Up (everybody's doin' it)"Talk to your customers" buzzwordsKyle gripes about a poor support experience (as a customer)Platform risk (for Userfeed)Is live chat a distraction?Support as a differentiatorLinks & Resources:Shape Up book by BasecampIntercomMade with Grit website - give us feedback!