RS311: Does Your Business Pass The Test?

RS311: Does Your Business Pass The Test?

Author: RogueStartups May 8, 2024 Duration: 45:30
Join Craig as he chats with Dan Andrews, renowned cohost of the Tropical MBA, a weekly podcast dedicated to bootstrapping businesses and entrepreneurship. Dan is also the founder and brains behind Dynamite Circle and Remote First Recruiting. Today, they’re dishing out some expert advice about podcasting, content creation, and strategies for acquiring customers. Tune in to explore Dan’s opinions on the rapid evolution of AI and his tips on building thriving ventures. Do you have any comments, questions, or topic ideas for future episodes? Send Craig an email at podcast@roguestartups.com. If you feel like our podcast has benefited you and it might benefit someone else, please share it with them. If you have a chance, give Rogue Startups a review on iTunes. We’ll see you next week! Highlights from Craig and Dan’s conversation: Dan’s podcasting inspirations and his journey into the industry Why Dan chose podcasting over any other platform Is YouTube worth the effort? Finding the overlap between creativity and growth The importance of Investing in your team and treating your business like an investment Getting over imposter syndrome and what your job is as an entrepreneur Creating successful businesses versus businesses that are “just okay” The difficulty of getting to $1 mil for a SaaS company The lifecycle of the entrepreneur ecosystem Predictions for bootstrapping and podcasting trends in the next 5 years A Little About Dan and TropicalMBA: Tropical MBA started in 2009 when hosts Dan and Ian wanted to meet other entrepreneurs for some celebration and commiseration. Most of their first episodes were just them, sharing what they learned about bootstrapping their own business until they concluded that journey with a multi-seven-figure exit. Both Dan and Ian have moved on to their next projects but continue to talk with entrepreneurs on their show. Links & Mentions from This Episode: Tropical MBA Connect with Dan on Twitter/X Lifestyle Business Podcast Internet Business Mastery Smart Passive Income Podcast Startups for the Rest of Us “Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine” by Mike Michalowicz Check out Matt Paulson’s Twitter/X “Exploitative Play in Live Poker: How to Manipulate your Opponents into Making Mistakes” by Alexander Fitzgerald Rogue Startups Resources: Follow Craig on Twitter/X Castos Founder Insights

Behind every new company is a story, and Rogue Startups digs into the real ones-the messy, uncertain, and exhilarating paths founders actually walk. This isn't about polished success tales; it's a candid look at the day-to-day grind of building a business from the ground up. You'll hear directly from entrepreneurs in the thick of it, along with seasoned experts who specialize in the crucial engines of growth: sales, marketing, and product development. Conversations focus on practical tactics, particularly around scaling productized services and SaaS offerings, exploring the real "how" behind their growth hacking strategies. The value of this podcast lies in that shared experience-hearing how others navigate the very obstacles you might be staring down, and learning what moves actually led to a win. It’s for anyone who prefers the unvarnished truth of entrepreneurship over theory, offering a sense of camaraderie and a toolbox of ideas drawn from the front lines. Tune in for authentic dialogue that skips the fluff and gets straight to the challenges and victories of building something new.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Rogue Startups
Podcast Episodes
RS358: Your Design Sucks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:07
In this episode, Craig sits down with Francois Brill, Head of Product at Castos and longtime design collaborator, for an honest and entertaining conversation about what it really takes to build great-looking products in…
RS357: I Got Hacked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:26
This week on the Rogue Startups, Craig gets roasted. He brought in experienced software engineer Brandon Hancock after building the AI-powered SaaS app Outlier largely through “vibe coding,” so Brandon could audit the en…
RS356: When to Pivot, When to Push w/ Jesse Hanley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:06
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig sits down with Jesse Hanley, founder of Bento, for a wide-ranging conversation about building and growing SaaS businesses in the age of AI. From vibe coding and AI-assisted develo…
RS355: Code Velocity and the Future of SaaS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:05
What does it mean to be a SaaS founder in a world where AI can build features faster than we ever could? In this conversation, Craig sits down with Arvid Kahl to unpack the shifting reality of software, competition, and…
RS354: The State Of Podcasting Heading Into 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:22
Craig is back! Today, he welcomes fellow podcaster Colin Gray back to the podcast. They dive into the ever-evolving world of podcasting, reflecting on how much the landscape has shifted over the last decade and what peop…
RS353: Is This the Last Organic Marketing Channel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:57
In today’s episode, Craig sits down with SaaS founder and entrepreneur Brian Casel to talk about the future of software and AI. With years of experience building and growing SaaS companies, Brian shares his perspective o…
RS352: AI Killed Traditional Marketing – Here's What's Next [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:33
Ross Simmonds, founder of Foundation Marketing, has built a reputation for helping ambitious SaaS and B2B brands stand out online with data-driven growth strategies. In this episode, Craig sits down with Ross to dive int…
RS351: Why Brands Fail on Reddit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:05
Today on the podcast, Craig sits down with Reddit marketing expert Paul Xue to explore how brands can tap into one of the internet’s most engaged and skeptical communities. Reddit can be a tough nut to crack, but when ap…
RS349: Ranking In ChatGPT with Devesh Khanal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:42
Today on Rogue Startups, Craig sits with Devesh Khanal from Grow and Convert to talk about how to get your brand showing up at the top of search results in LLMs. They dive deep into the world of AI SEO—covering everythin…