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

Startups For the Rest of Us

In episode 722, Rob Walling interviews James Mooring, co-founder of Astalty, a SaaS serving Australia's NDIS market. James reveals how they bootstrapped from zero to seven figures in just 18 months and then they explore the strategic decisions, clever pricing, and deep industry knowledge that propelled Astalty's remarkable growth, proving their success was far more than just a lucky break.

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Topics we cover:

• 2:44 – NDIS software for providers of disability care
• 4:23 – Astalty’s rapid growth
• 6:34 – Finding success with a strong co-founder pairing
• 8:39 – Deciding to tailor the Astalty MVP
• 12:25 – Building a free Chrome extension, smart or lucky?
• 17:18 – Launching a paid plan and nailing the pricing
• 21:57 – Explosive word of mouth growth
• 25:19 – Selling at in-person events and in Facebook groups
• 31:02 – A clever way of raising prices
• 35:00 – Learning from fast iteration

Links from the Show:

• The SaaS Playbook
• TinySeed
• James Mooring | LinkedIn
• Astalty
• How Ben Chestnut Bootstrapped Mailchimp to a $12 Billion Exit
• Question & Answer with Jason Fried, Co-Founder, Basecamp – MicroConf Growth 2019

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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