

MicroConf On Air
Rob Walling
Welcome to the MicroConf Podcast!
Every week, we feature the stories and strategies you need to level up your SaaS business. From the visionaries and makers who fuel sustainable, profitable software companies that don’t need to seek venture capital to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
Every week, we feature the stories and strategies you need to level up your SaaS business. From the visionaries and makers who fuel sustainable, profitable software companies that don’t need to seek venture capital to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 7, 2022 • 14min
MicroConf Refresh Episode 59: Supporting Our Team in Ukraine While Building 4 Startups and 5 Client Apps
In this talk from MicroConf Growth US 2022, Andrew Amann, CEO of NineTwoThree Studio, shares how he and his team reacted to the news of war starting in Ukraine. Supporting 25 team members based in Ukraine while also keeping up with the client work was no small task.
Links from the pod
Andrew Amann | Twitter
NineTwoThree Studio
MicroConf Growth | Denver, CO | April 16 - 18, 2023

Nov 30, 2022 • 10min
MicroConf Tactics: 5 Secrets to Hiring Top Tier Talent for Your Startup
Looking to build a SaaS team full of superstars? Hire right the first time with these 5 secrets to hiring top tier talent.
Hiring for your startup can be a game changer with how far and fast you can grow.
In this pod, we share the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos.
LINKS FROM THE POD:
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Nov 23, 2022 • 38min
MicroConf Refresh Episode 58: How to Go To Market Across Many Verticals
What happens when you've grown and it's clear you've got many market segments? How do you balance them all? Or do you say "screw it" and niche somehow?
In this talk from MicroConf Growth 2022, Asia Orangio of Demand Maven breaks down how you can bring more focus and zen to your GTM efforts — especially if your product has many use cases and verticals.
Links from this pod:
Asia Orangio I Twitter
Demand Maven
Watch this talk on YouTube

Nov 16, 2022 • 12min
MicroConf Tactics: 11 Ways Startups Waste Their Money
Stop wasting money! These SaaS startup mistakes can be avoided.
In this pod, we share the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos. Rob outlines the top 11 ways he see startups waste their money in the early stages so you can avoid the same costly mistakes.
Links from the Pod:
Watch this video on YouTube
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Rob Walling I Twitter

Nov 9, 2022 • 35min
MicroConf Refresh Episode 57: A Conversation with MailChimp Co-Founder Ben Chestnut
Rob Walling recently caught up with Ben Chestnut, Co-Founder of Mailchimp at our MicroConf Local Atlanta event.
Ben and Rob chat about the founding story of Mailchimp, bootstrapping Mailchimp to $12 billion, and the decision to sell to Intuit.
They discuss everything from areas of focus as a founder, making freemium work, overcoming catastrophic server crashes, and the power of having a great team.
Enjoy this wide ranging talk with Ben Chestnut!
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/microconf
The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America.
They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running.
When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week.
And for listeners of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Ben Chestnut | Twitter
Mailchimp
Rob Walling | Twitter

Nov 2, 2022 • 11min
MicroConf Tactics: How To Distribute Startup Equity Fairly for Founders
Distributing startup equity among founders can be tricky. You want to make sure each startup founder is getting compensation for everything they’re doing.
In this pod, we share the audio from one of our recent YouTube videos. Rob talks about how to distribute startup equity fairly for founders.
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/microconf
The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America.
They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running.
When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week.
And for listeners of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
View this video on YouTube
MicroConf Connect
The Slicing Pie Handbook by Mike Moyer
Rob Walling | Twitter

Oct 26, 2022 • 42min
MicroConf Refresh Episode 56: From Failure to Five Figure MRR - The 6 Mistakes We Learned From Our First Failed Startup - Pierre de Wulf
In this talk from MicroConf Growth Europe 2021, Pierre de Wulf of ScrapingBee walks through 6 key mistakes he made on his journey from a failed startup to building a profitable SaaS.
ScrapingBee is now over $1.5 million in ARR.
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io/microconf
The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io/ helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America.
They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running.
When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io/, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week.
And for subscribers of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/microconf
Links from the pod:
ScrapingBee
MicroConf Youtube Channel
MicroConf Europe Tickets- Malta I Nov 15-17, 2022
Pierre de Wulf I Twitter

Oct 19, 2022 • 15min
MicroConf Tactics: What Is Churn & How To Reduce It In Your Startup
Churn can make or break your startup. In this pod (pulled from one of our YouTube videos), Rob Walling answers the question "what is churn?" and goes into detail on different ways to reduce it in your startup.
Episode Sponsor
Find your perfect developer or a team at Lemon.io
The competition for incredible engineers and developers has never been more fierce. Lemon.io helps you cut through the noise and find great talent through its network of engineers in Europe and Latin America.
They take care of the vetting, interviewing, and testing of candidates to make sure that you are working with someone who can hit the ground running.
When it comes to hiring, the time it takes to write your job description, list the position, review resumes, schedule interviews, and make an offer can take weeks, if not months. With Lemon.io, you can cut down on a lot of that time by tapping into their wide network of developers who can get started in as early as a week.
And for listeners of MicroConf On Air, you can get 15% off your first 4 week contract with a developer by visiting lemon.io/microconf
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Remote 5.0: Early Stage Marketing Strategies
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
View this video on YouTube
Watch the video case study on how Rob reduced churn while building Drip
MicroConf Connect
Rob Walling | Twitter

Oct 12, 2022 • 43min
MicroConf Refresh Episode 55: Catching Up with Rand Fishkin
In this Refresh Episode, Rob Walling chats with Rand Fishkin at our recent MicroConf Local event in Seattle.
They chat about the ups and downs of building (and selling) Moz, building SparkToro, and yes, they even dig into a bit of D&D.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Local: Atlanta October 18, 2022
MicroConf Local: Austin November 30, 2022
Rand Fishkin I Twitter
Lost and Founder
Rob Walling I Twitter

Oct 5, 2022 • 9min
MicroConf Tactics: The Best Customer Acquisition Funnels for a SaaS Startup
Customer acquisition funnels for SaaS startups work differently than other businesses.
In this pod (pulled from one of our YouTube videos) Rob Walling breaks down everything you need to know about acquiring customers for your SaaS product. From customer acquisition cost (CAC) to customer acquisition strategy, make sure you're doing the right things to get more customers.
Links from the Pod:
MicroConf Local: Atlanta on October 18, 2022
Subscribe to the MicroConf YouTube Channel
View this video on YouTube
MicroConf Connect
Rob Walling | Twitter