Startups For the Rest of Us Episode 804 | Positioning, Inventing a Category, Marketing Globally, and More Listener Questions (A Rob Solo Adventure)
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Oct 28, 2025 In this engaging discussion, various founders and listeners pose intriguing questions about bootstrapping their ventures. Topics include the strategic pros and cons of positioning within vertical, horizontal, or orthogonal markets. They explore whether AI can help invent new product categories and share tips on overcoming launch resistance. Marketing strategies for local vs. global reach are dissected, alongside insights from reverse statistics that challenge conventional business thinking. These insights are perfect for any aspiring SaaS entrepreneur!
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Expand Vertically Before Going Horizontal
- Test adding adjacent verticals before attempting to go horizontal to reduce risk and discover repeatable channels.
- Validate by talks, landing pages, SEO and outreach before building heavy product changes.
Two Questions That Determine Positioning
- Two key questions decide positioning: how much the product must change and do you have reach to sell to the new audience.
- If selling broadly removes clear channels, horizontal becomes much harder for bootstrappers.
Use Existing Category Labels
- Piggyback on an existing category label (like 'site audit' or 'SEO tool') instead of inventing a new one called 'SEO automation'.
- Use clear H1 copy that people already understand to avoid confusing potential customers.