ProfitLed Podcast

Melissa and Todd discuss how they established eWebinar's pricing model, focusing on aligning their business strategy with their lifestyle goals and market approach. Melissa shares insights from her past ventures, highlighting her shift towards a product-led strategy to ensure the business supports a hands-off lifestyle, avoiding the demanding nature of sales-led models. Melissa explains why s...

When Melissa first went to Todd with the idea of eWebinar, he wasn't immediately convinced the product was solving a much needed problem. She engaged him as a contractor to write the first version of the website which started with competitive research. During that process, he grew passionate about the idea because he identified a gap in the market for a product that could offer a superior aut...

David, eWebinar's CTO and Cofounder, floated around for 2 years as a fractional CTO before joining the company. Previous to that, he was the cofounder for a New York telecomm startup that raised $10m, but shut down after they failed to find enough traction after 4 years to continue raising capital. Melissa shares David's story and what his mindset was after quitting Microsoft for startup...

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to have a cofounder to start a company. But, that may work for or against you if you're a business cofounder, depending on whether or not you have the technical chops (or lead on your side) to manage a development team. After two previous startups, Melissa was sick of (not doing a good job) managing engineers and thought she could start eWebinar...

Hey there! It's Melissa, and I'm  the Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar. At the time of this recording, we’d just crossed $1m ARR, 36 months after product launch. In the last 1.5 years posting on LinkedIn about my experiences bootstrapping three startups, I noticed that the stories that get the most engagement are the ones that gave people a window into the reality of what it’s like to build...

Melissa founded eWebinar two months after her last startup (real estate SaaS software) was acquired. This episode is the origin story of eWebinar: how she finally settled on eWebinar vs all the other ideas she had, and why she was determined to bootstrap this startup over raising venture capital. Melissa talks about the importance of choosing an idea/product that makes you happy over what you have...

People think bootstrapping is a financial decision, when it's really a lifestyle choice.  Read that again. In this episode, Melissa talks about the reasons behind choosing to build eWebinar as a lifestyle company and how that shapes every decision they make from how they operate, to who they hire, to company culture. Melissa and Todd discuss the benefits of bootstrapping over venture capital,...

In this last episode of Season One, Lloyed Lobo, Cofounder of Boast. AI and Traction shares: Why he took investment after bootstrapping to 8-figure ARR Difference between venture capital, growth capital, and private equity What drove him to depression after cashing out and how he got out of it Traction is a global community of more than 100k entrepreneurs and innovators. Traction Conference has co...

In this episode, Thomas Vervik, Founder of seniordev.com shares: The benefits of working with dev shops How agencies recruit high quality talent and retain them What it costs to hire senior devs SeniorDev is a software development shop based in Norway with an office in Ukraine. ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Thomas also discusses: Why wouldn't you just hire direct? What is the process of in...

In this episode, Devesh Khanal, Co-founder of growandconvert.com shares: Why most content sucks Why vast marketing budget is spent on things with no ROI How to create content that converts by focusing on customer pain points Grow and Convert is a content marketing agency and consultancy that helps growing businesses. ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Devesh also discusses: What are some things cont...

In this episode, Greg Head, Founder at Practical Founders shares: What every founder should know before raising venture capital The roles VCs play in your company after writing a big check Why VC backed companies need to grow at all costs or risk becoming "zombie startups" Practical Founders is a podcast and peer group designed for practical founders who are building valuable software co...

In this episode, Amman Ahmed, Founder at MusicForPets shares: Why running a VC-backed startup turned Amman into a bootstrapper How he came up with the idea to make music for pets How he got the company off the ground as a non-technical solo founder MusicForPets has been making relaxing music for pets since 2011 to help with a range of anxiety issues. Their two main channels include RelaxMyDog and...

In this second ProfitLed Office Hours episode, Troy Munson, 2x bootstrapped founder and large enterprise sales rep connects with host, Melissa Kwan, to discuss questions like: Where is eWebinar at today in terms of size and revenue? How do you find contractors you trust? How did you get your first customers, then get customers who didn't know you to buy the product? Did you get your first cus...

In this episode, Gavin Hammar, Founder at StoryPrompt shares: His most important learnings post acquisition after bootstrapping for 12 years What made him decide to sell the company and how he felt after it closed The things he's doing different this time around with StoryPrompt StoryPrompt empowers brands to strengthen relationships with customers, employees, and their community through asyn...

In this episode, Justin Welsh shares: What living an intentional life means and how to define it The mission that gets him out of bed every morning Why it's important for everyone to have a system for content creation Justin is a solopreneur who is building a portfolio of one-person businesses to $5M in revenue. Be sure to follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter as he shares his processes daily. P...

In this episode, Aaron Krall, Founder at SaaS Growth Hacks shares: What SaaS founders are talking about most nowdays The psychology behind using your best customers to craft your product messaging How to conduct customer interviews to let them tell you the problem you're solving SaaS Growth Hacks is the largest SaaS community on Facebook. ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Aaron also discusses:...

In this episode, Alan Macek & Geoff Mowatt, Partners at the law firm, DLA Piper shares: What patents are (provisional, non-provisional, patent pending) How businesses can determine if they have something patentable How patents can help or hurt businesses ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan, Alan, and Geoff also discusses: What are some common misconceptions about patents? How can a business determine...

In this episode, Miguel Fernandez, Cofounder & CEO at Capchase shares: What it's really like running a venture backed unicorn What non-dilutive capital is and who it's designed for How you can qualify in 48 hours so you don't have to raise more capital Capchase is the most flexible, non-dilutive funding for your subscription-based or SaaS business. ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan a...

In this first ProfitLed Office Hours episode, Meaghan Burns from Dunyasi Ventures connects with host, Melissa Kwan, to discuss questions like: How are you building your company around your life? What's your advice on how non-technical founders can find cofounders? What has been your biggest challenge building your company on the road as a digital nomad? Do you hire developers direct or throug...

In this episode, Farzad Rashidi, Lead Innovator at Respona shares: How to figure out whether SEO is the right acquisition channel for your business The process of finding "opportunity" keywords The 3-step outreach strategy to consistently earn editorial backlinks to boost rankings Respona offers an all-in-one link building outreach software that helps companies to raise their ranking on...

In this episode, Trevor Larson, Cofounder and CEO at Nectar shares: The scrappy ways he got PerkNow off the ground and how that became Nectar Benefits of bootstrapping vs having too much capital Why putting yourself in your customers' shoes is the key to winning their hearts Nectar is a 360 employee recognition and rewards solution for companies investing in culture. ProfitLed host, Melissa K...

In this episode, Zvi Band, Founder at Relatable shares: Why it's so hard to get off the venture train once you get on Why funded startups need "growth at all costs" Personal and professional learnings 2 years after selling his startup for 8-figures Relatable is the CRM for people who love people, the platform for you to capture, prioritize, remember, and nurture your relationships.....

In this episode, Tehsin Bhayani, Founder & CEO of AirMason and Serind Labs shares: How he accidentally stumbled upon a great SaaS business by buying a product his friend didn't want for $8000 How he balanced workload between maintaining his agency and growing AirMason What he learned from working with hundreds of founders that he's applying to his business today AirMason helps HR tea...

In this first ever episode, ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan, shares her own story of bootstrapping, why she felt the need to start this podcast, and why she thinks more spotlight should be given to non-venture backed founders who have forged their own path to success. Melissa is the Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar , a 3rd time bootstrapped founder who has had the privilege of growing a startup to profi...