ProfitLed Podcast

Everyone says you need to measure everything so you can make data-driven decisions on your product. That's exactly the strategy eWebinar DID NOT follow, especially when there's not going to be enough data when you don't have enough users. On this episode, Melissa and Todd shares how they decided on priorities even before having a significant customer base, and the lean process their...

Running a startup is a lot of throwing things against the wall to see what sticks (and what doesn't). The hard truth is, majority of things you do won't work...but you need to do them anyway to find the few things that do. On this episode, Melissa and Todd dives into the 10 go-to-marketing strategies that didn't work for them, why, and what they learned from each one. Takeaways:  •...

In the last 13 years, Melissa has worked with over 10 marketing agencies/contractors to execute a content strategy. Most couldn't deliver on their promise. It was incredibly frustrating. You may have experienced something similar. The vicious cycle went something like this: → Hire company experienced in digital marketing for min 3-6 months → Get proposal of new content strategy because old on...

Melissa and Todd talks about how they stay super lead as a bootstrapped startup,  how they decide what to and what not to spend money on, and how to avoid money mistakes they've made in the last few years. Takeaways:  •  What "lean" means especially for bootstrapped startups •  The importance of optimizing cost versus being cheap •  What to spend money on (software, people, operatio...

Melissa and Todd talks about how (and why) they leveraged their best customers to sell and market eWebinar by using the language they used to describe value propositions and how the product solves their problems. Takeaways:  •  The moment Melissa realized 1on1 sales was never going to cut it •  How to extract the best product marketing language from your customers •  The process of doing customer...

Founder-led sales is the ONLY way to get your startup off the ground. If you can't sell your own product, how can you expect someone else to? On this episode, Melissa digs into why every founder needs to be the first to sell their product, and how anyone can learn how to sell today. Takeaways:  •  Where to find your first set of prospects to sell to •  Using sales as a way to get customer fee...

Launching eWebinar after 18 months was a huge milestone, but then what? On this episode, Melissa and Todd discuss what it was like to wake up from the dream that if you build it, they'll come. Spoiler alert: That didn't happen. Takeaways: • When reality set in after months of daydreaming • Product assumptions that worked and didn't work • Initial user reactions, the good, the bad, a...

Melissa and Todd dive  into the thrilling and nerve-wracking experience of launching eWebinar's MVP.  While  many people see product launches as the end goal and celebratory occasion, Melissa explains why it's often more stressful instead because that's when the dreams you've sold become reality. They reminisce about getting stuck in a never-ending rabbit hole of features, how...

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...