The SaaS Podcast - SaaS, Startups, Growth Hacking & Entrepreneurship 457: Spectora: Bootstrapping to $27M ARR by Serving vs Selling - with Kevin Wagstaff
Oct 16, 2025
Kevin Wagstaff, co-founder of Spectora, transformed a $5,000 investment into a $27 million ARR home inspection software platform. He shares insights on conducting extensive customer research for nine months and how serving customers genuinely led to success. Discover the power of early SEO efforts, building 200+ websites for credibility, and the pivotal 6AM demo that unlocked growth. Now stepping back as CEO, Kevin reflects on the importance of knowing when to pass the torch and how to balance business with personal passions like golf.
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Field Research Revealed The Real Problem
- Kevin and Michael spent six to nine months doing in-person interviews and ride-alongs with home inspectors to understand real workflows.
- They discovered inspectors spent hours finishing reports at home, which became the core problem they solved.
One Platform Beats Multiple Tools
- Combining report writing and business management on one platform cut costs and simplified workflows for inspectors.
- Bundling payments and communications later became a strategic multiplier for revenue and acquisition.
Start SEO A Year Before Launch
- Start content and SEO well before product launch to build credibility and organic discovery.
- Offer useful marketing help first to open conversations that lead to demos and early customers.
