Hey bootstrappers,

Ever heard founders talk about wearing “many hats”?

The story usually goes: 

1. Founder launches a business in an area they know well or has thoroughly researched.
   
   
2. They fulfil all business functions until they can afford to delegate them. 
   
   
3. Finally, they focus solely on leading the company. 

Or: Specialist (launch) → Generalist (scaling) → Generalist with specialism(s) (scaled)

In Getting Acquired, for example, our founder writes about “firing himself” from jobs experts should’ve been doing so he could focus on being CEO. 

(That said, Andrew launched his multimillion-dollar SaaS company without knowing how to write a single line of code. Go figure.)

So: Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist? 

That’s up to you. If you’re anything like this week’s founders, doing something you know well could accelerate your success. Just prepare to learn new skills as you go.

Chris Roper

Managing Editor

Couple Launches Staffing Marketplace to Help Pharmacies Fill Temp Vacancies Cheaply and Easily

When your spouse complains, listen! Surge Singh did, and now he and his wife Kavita Nadan run a six-figure marketplace that’s reinventing Australian healthcare.

Kavita Nadan, pharmacy owner, collapsed on a chair after work one day. “I can’t find the staff to cover sick days,” she complained to her husband, Surge Singh. An IT architect, Surge listened carefully as his wife explained the staffing issues at her pharmacy – could technology help?

As Covid ravaged Australia, Kavita’s staffing troubles worsened, but Surge had an idea. What if he built a marketplace for temp pharmacy staff that would match them to pharmacies needing cover? They paid for an MVP and then launched Locumate together at a conference.

“If you’ve got someone with domain expertise on your team, you’ll have a much higher chance of succeeding. Even though I had a great idea for a software product, I didn’t know the ins and outs of the pharmacy world. That’s where my wife, and cofounder, comes in.”

Turning points

1. Deciding on a top-down customer acquisition strategy. They sold their vision to leaders at a conference rather than approaching over 6,000 pharmacies individually.

2. Partnering with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Building trust with pharmacies and locums was critical to encouraging people to use the marketplace.

3. Expanding their product offering and market. They’re soon to launch a jobs board and have plans to expand into the UK and US.

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Raising Minority Voices With More Than Just Exposure and a Feel-Good Message

Do you create content online? Are you getting paid for it? If you’re a BIPOC creator, the answer is probably no – but Lyonel Dougé wants to change that.

Lyonel Dougé, son of Haitian immigrants, was used to hearing the word “no”. It happened regularly at Sony, again at his six-figure-a-year product manager role, and when pitching VCs. While scrolling his Instagram feed, he noted the same was happening to BIPOC content creators. Why?

Believing everyone has the right to monetize, Lyonel built “Instagram with a paywall” – viewers pay creators for their content and he’d take a 10 percent cut. Unlike the other pay-to-access platform making headlines, TipSnaps brings overlooked niches attention and monetization.

“I didn’t want to build a native iOS-slash-Android app because then I would have to pay the Apple tax. I launched by DMing people with a million followers. Back then, it was a lot easier to get a response back. My first client was a fitness trainer with over a million followers.”

Turning points

1. Scaling through network effects. Lyonel’s first customers were influencers with over a million followers, many of whom were also content creators curious about his platform.

2. Focusing on overlooked niches. Black hair and beauty, culinary arts, and more all posed huge monetization opportunities, and everyone wanted in.

3. Developing new products. Lyonel expects his latest creation, TipPools, a GoFundMe for social media content, to increase his already healthy 500,000 subscription base.

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How to Get Your Digital Marketing Agency Acquired: Specialize in One Service, Then Offer Them All Later

How did you avoid chores as a teen? You probably didn’t start a business like Alex Price, who later sold his pocket-money project for a life-changing sum in 2021.

If it wasn’t for his mother’s cleaning rota, Alex might never have been so successful. He started designing websites in his teens to earn a little spending money. Later, he formed an agency called 93digital, which prospered to the point of him quitting university after two years.

Over time, Alex and his team specialized in WordPress, helping businesses create blogs on the WordPress content management system and attract traffic with SEO. Being known for building killer WordPress sites earned Alex millions – and the courage to branch out into new services.

“The biggest trap is trying to offer every service to every client. Choose one thing and do it well. For example, one full-service digital agency that now employs hundreds started just doing content marketing for sports brands. They delivered great work and built great relationships.”

Turning points

1. Specializing in WordPress. Alex’s agency became an “enterprise WordPress partner,” delivering exceptional WordPress sites for clients who wanted fast SEO results.

2. Splitting experience and performance marketing. By creating a separate arm for paid ads and SEO, the agency never lost focus on what made it special to customers.

3. Getting acquired by PR agency, Clarity. Clarity’s acquisition of 93digital meant Alex could stay on and achieve his goal of becoming an end-to-end partner for his clients.

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