#163: Anthony Pierri & Rob Kaminski of Fletch: Why All SaaS Founders Struggle with Positioning
Practical Founders Podcast
Do bootstrapped founders position differently than VC-backed teams?
Rob and Anthony explain bootstrappers often make narrower bets and why VC founders must sometimes act like bootstrappers initially.
Anthony Pierri and Rob Kaminski are the co-founders of Fletch, a positioning strategy firm for B2B SaaS companies. They started Fletch after observing that most founders often confuse positioning with copywriting and marketing, and built their business by helping SaaS leaders make the tough, strategic choices about who they serve and how they win.
Over the last three years, Anthony and Rob have collaborated with over 400 SaaS companies, ranging from early-stage startups to rapidly growing companies. Fletch helps founders and B2B SaaS leaders clarify their positioning, sharpen their messaging, and translate strategy into effective homepage design.
In our practical discussion, they help founders see that positioning is a business strategy, not copywriting, which forces clarity and tradeoffs to improve execution. They share why founders must (eventually) choose one clear path to scale efficiently and why bootstrapped SaaS leaders often make sharper bets than VC-backed peers.
Key Takeaways
- Positioning = Strategy: Positioning is a founder/CEO choice, not copywriting or branding.
- Almost Universal Problem: Most B2B SaaS founders struggle with positioning clarity.
- Anchors Drive Focus: Use category, use case, or alternative as clear positioning anchors.
- Bootstrappers Move Faster: Limited capital forces clarity that VC-backed companies delay.
- Execution Takes Time: Positioning decisions are quick, but discipline drives results.
- Homepage Test: Your homepage clearly reveals whether positioning is working or not.
This Interview Is Perfect For
- SaaS founders stuck at $1M–$10M ARR growth plateaus
- Bootstrapped operators needing sharper messaging to scale
- Founders unclear about marketing vs positioning strategy
- B2B SaaS CEOs rethinking go-to-market focus
Quote from Dave Yuan, founder of Tidemark Capital
"There is a difference between bootstrappers and VC-funded startup founders in successfully positioning their startups. Bootstrappers are willing to see a narrow opportunity and tackle it with focus, because almost every market is big enough to sustain a $10 million company. "I don't care how narrow you get, the world's a big place. So even with a hyper-focused, verticalized niche, or use case play, there's plenty of money if you do it well and that's very appealing to bootstrappers.
"Most VC-funded founders don't focus as well, which creates problems. But the founders who truly understand positioning and the idea that it can evolve over time, whether they're venture backed or not, they start with a very narrow practice to start and succeed as a leader. "
Links
Podcast Sponsor – Cypress Growth Capital
This podcast is sponsored by Cypress Growth Capital, an alternative to equity, royalty-based growth capital provides funding in exchange for a fixed percentage of your company's future monthly revenues. Learn more at https://www.cypressgrowthcapital.com/
The Practical Founders Podcast
Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel.
Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com.
Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups
Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding. A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
