Episode 768 | Reacting to Controversial Startup Advice

2025-04-01

Do you disagree with any of these controversial takes about bootstrapping? In episode 768, Rob Walling unpacks a series of semi-controversial beliefs about bootstrapping from ScrapingBee’s Pierre de Wulf. Rob evaluates each point from Pierre's tweet, discussing topics like rebranding your SaaS, the hidden problem of affiliate marketing, and the realities of scaling a SaaS business. Topics we cover: (1:21) – Pierre’s semi-controversial bootstrapping beliefs (4:35) – Don’t waste time on a rebrand

Do you disagree with any of these controversial takes about bootstrapping?

In episode 768, Rob Walling unpacks a series of semi-controversial beliefs about bootstrapping from ScrapingBee’s Pierre de Wulf. Rob evaluates each point from Pierre's tweet, discussing topics like rebranding your SaaS, the hidden problem of affiliate marketing, and the realities of scaling a SaaS business.

Topics we cover:

(1:21) – Pierre’s semi-controversial bootstrapping beliefs
(4:35) – Don’t waste time on a rebrand
(7:24) – No one cares about your domain extension
(9:06) – Affiliate marketing won’t fix your acquisition issues
(11:51) – There is no silver bullet for growth
(13:42) – Copy what works best
(14:59) – Double down on acquisition channels that work
(16:53) – Hire specialists
(19:34) – Never offer a plan with unlimited features
(20:22) – Don’t offer a cheap plan if you can’t support it
(20:47) – Don’t add social logins to your signup page
(21:27) – Read competitors’ reviews several times a year
(21:59) – $10k MRR doesn’t guarantee $100k MRR
(22:28) – You will get copied if you share success
(23:02) – “Build this feature…”
(24:10) – The Mom Test
(24:56) – Provide value for your target demographic for free
(25:47) – Don’t overthink Product Hunt
(26:00) – You’ll never sell your SaaS for 10x

Links from the Show:

MicroConf Growth Retreat in London
Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X
Pierre de Wulf (@PierreDeWulf) | X
ScrapingBee (@ScrapingBee) | X
ScrapingBee
Pierre’s semi-controversial bootstrapping beliefs
TinySeed
Rob Walling.com
Rob Walling | LinkedIn
SaaS Institute
Exit Strategy by Sherry Walling, PhD & Rob Walling
Episode 705 | From Bootstrapped to Mostly Bootstrapped to Venture Backed
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen
The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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