Practical Founders Podcast

Paul Van Metre was the co-founder of a successful machine shop that manufactured custom parts for the aerospace and medical device industries. Over 15 years, they created and improved software to run their entire business, which created huge efficiencies and helped them manage their growth. They sold that business in 2014 to focus on selling their complete software platform, called ProShop, to other forward-thinking machine shops.  ProShop is now one of North America's leading ERP (enterprise resource planning) software platforms for machine shops. The software manages every aspect of a machine shop business, from orders, finances, inventory, and shop floor operations.  The company grew quickly with no outside funding as happy customers spread the word in their industry. Their software company focuses on processes, customer service, and company culture. In 2024, ProShop received a $32 million growth equity investment from Mainsail Partners, which allowed the founders to take money off the table and fund new growth.  Links Paul Van Metre on LinkedIn ProShop on LinkedIn ProShop website Mainsail Partners website   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.  

Chris Savage, co-founder of Wistia, shares insights on bootstrapping Wistia to profitability, turning down acquisition offers, and aligning the team for long-term growth. They discuss the evolution of Wistia's video marketing platform, balancing profitability and growth, and embracing a remote-first approach for small to medium-sized businesses.

Rand Fishkin, founder of Moz, shares the struggles of VC funding and the shift towards practical funding for his new venture. Discussions on the challenges of big VC funding, work ethic in startups, angel investing, and navigating growth hurdles in the SEO industry. Emphasis on the harsh realities of VC funding, organic audience building, and modern marketing strategies.

Nathan Hirsch, co-founder of FreeUp, shares his journey of building and selling the company, highlighting niche targeting, software-people combo in operations, and organic marketing strategies. FreeUp grew to $12 million in revenue before being acquired. The podcast delves into the challenges and successes of scaling a tech-enabled marketplace, strategies for rapid business growth, and operational excellence in Amazon seller business.

Ian Brodie, the co-founder and CEO of Levanta, shares his journey of building a successful SaaS company in the affiliate marketing space. Levanta is an affiliate marketing platform for Amazon sellers, enabling them to connect with content creators, publishers, and influencers to drive sales and traffic to their Amazon storefronts. The company has experienced rapid growth, with over 700 brands and 3,000 affiliates on the platform. Ian discusses the challenges and opportunities of the affiliate marketing industry, working with Amazon, and the importance of building credibility and confidence as a young founder. He also discusses his experience of successful selling his previous company, Grovia, an affiliate partner recruiting services company that was acquired by Acceleration Partners in 2022. Learn more at practicalfounders.com. 

Gregg Scoresby founded CampusLogic in Phoenix in 2021 to provide software for colleges and universities in the US to make it easier for students to apply for college loans and grants online. Initially self-funded, CampusLogic raised investment and grew faster, becoming a leading provider of software to universities with $50 million in revenue. In 2022, CampusLogic was acquired by Ellucian for an undisclosed amount.  In 2023, Gregg launched PHX Ventures, a $27 million seed-funded supporting early-stage B2B SaaS founders in Phoenix, Arizona. Unlike the traditional VC approach, PHX Ventures supports startups that are growing fast with a capital-efficient approach. PHX Ventures also helps the larger software community in Phoenix with educational events and networks to connect founders, talent, experts, and capital. In this expert episode, Gregg answers common questions about when practical venture funding can be useful for founders and what it means to be capital efficient.  Learn more at practicalfounders.com. 

Esben Friis-Jensen, founder of Userflow, sold his profitable SaaS company with $4 million ARR to Beamer for $60 million. Insights include benefits of a buyout deal, efficient communication, AI assistant integration, and lessons for bootstrapped founders in the SaaS industry.

Antony Ceravolo shares his journey as a successful two-time founder, from Lovefilm.com to founding Sine. He discusses the benefits of bootstrapping over VC funding and the challenges of working with institutional investors. The podcast dives into pricing strategies, international expansion, company growth, and the acquisition by Honeywell. With insights on strategic investments, post-exit reflections, and evolving business value.

Raj Khera, experienced practical SaaS founder, explains the basics of SEO for SaaS founders, tactics for identifying search terms, gaining authority from Google, and useful search engine marketing tools. He also discusses calculating ROI with SEO investment and the importance of SEO for startups and founders.

Justin Hewett started in the software business as a territory sales manager for an education software company in Utah. The company grew and Justin eventually led the sales team as the senior executive. When the company was acquired by PE investors, Justin moved on in 2020 and thought about ideas for a new software business to serve K-12 schools in the US.  Flashlight Learning helps K-12 teachers in the US to quickly assess the speaking and writing progress of multilingual students who are learning English. The software captures data for teachers to provide students with improved feedback to accelerate language development. Flashlight Learning grew 300% in 2023 to $4 million in revenue, with a growing team and an outsourced development partner. Justin raised some angel funding to get started and move fast, but they are expecting to be profitable this year with continued growth. Learn more at practicalfounders.com.