[SaaS Club] Bootstrapping solo to over $10M ARR

Hey Reader

I hope you're doing well.

Here's a quick round up of what's been going on at SaaS Club:

🎧 Podcast

Walls.io: Bootstrapping Solo to Over $10M ARR

In 2013, Michael was running an agency in Austria that specialized in Facebook app development.

After seeing clients struggling to manage their Facebook communities, Michael launched his first SaaS product, Swat.io.

But finding his first 10 customers took nearly 2 years!

Around that time, a friend asked Michael to create a tool for aggregating and showcasing social media posts on TV screens at a co-working event.

Realizing its broader potential, Michael quickly turned the tool into another SaaS product called Walls.io.

But growth was slow for both products. 

It took many years and a lot of hard work and persistence to get traction.

Then, the pandemic hit, causing big problems for Walls.io as live events suddenly stopped. Michael and his team had to quickly pivot to keep the product alive.

Eventually, the demands of running an agency and two SaaS companies became too much for Michael. He realized he couldn't keep doing it all.

He decided to focus his time and energy on Walls.io.

And that decision paid off significantly.

Today, his SaaS business generates over $10 million ARR.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How Michael navigated the initial challenges of building Swat.io and Walls.io, including the struggle to find his first customers.

• What strategies Michael implemented to pivot Walls.io during the pandemic and how that change impacted the company's growth.

• How Michael tried to balance running two bootstrapped companies and the lessons this taught him about entrepreneurship and growth.

• How Walls.io leveraged SEO, content marketing, and search ads as key growth tactics and a surprising growth channel that failed.

• The unique challenges and lessons Michael faced as a bootstrapped solo founder growing his business to over $10M in annual revenue.

I hope you enjoy it.

Listen to the full podcast episode

📗 Book of the Week

This week's book recommendations is:

In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High Tech Marketing Disasters by Merrill R. Chapman

🌐 Around the Web

YouTube Channel

Here's a link to the full video episode.

😍 Let's Get Social

Want to get more social? Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Have a great week!

- Omer

Interested in sponsoring The SaaS Podcast or this newsletter?


P.S. whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. SaaS Club Plus: We're re-launching a brand new paid community for SaaS founders with an exciting new offering. Join the waitlist!

2. SaaS Club Launch: This 3-month coaching program that gives you the tools, knowledge, and support to fast track your journey to $10K+ MRR.

3. SaaS Club Clarity:  Book a 1-hour consulting session with Omer to get unstuck and gain clarity about your SaaS business.