RS346: What 11 Years in SaaS Really Looks Like

RS346: What 11 Years in SaaS Really Looks Like

Author: RogueStartups July 2, 2025 Duration: 48:49
In this episode of the podcast, Craig sits down with longtime entrepreneur Colin Bartlett, cofounder of StatusGator, to explore what it really takes to build, and sustain, a SaaS business over the long haul. With more than a decade at the helm of a company that helps users monitor service outages, Colin shares hard-won insights from 12 years of entrepreneurship and 11 years of running StatusGator. The conversation dives into how founders’ perspectives evolve, especially in today’s turbulent tech landscape, and how to stay grounded and successful through all of that craziness. Highlights from Craig and Colin’s conversation: How Colin and StatusGator did when Google Cloud went down for a few hours The factors that can determine whether or not free trials can work for your business The difference between the company in the beginning versus 10+ years down the road How their businesses fit into the current markets (alongside AI and other tech advances) Appreciation and respect for the businesses in such uncertainty Plans, trajectories, and what the future holds for them Views on profit in the SaaS industry Their team structures and how to hire and maintain a team in the AI era Staying fresh in the market after you’ve been in the business for a while The benefits of having a cofounder SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance and privacy standards How many hours does your team have to work to be a value to your company?   Resources and Links from This Episode Colin Bartlett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinabartlett/ StatusGator: https://statusgator.com/ If you feel like Rogue Startups 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. Do you have any comments, questions, or topic ideas for future episodes? Feel free to reach out to me: Twitter: @TheCraigHewitt LinkedIn: Craig Hewitt Email: podcast@roguestartups.com  

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
RS348: Not Exactly White Hat AI-SEO with Lars Lofgren [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:05
In today’s episode, Craig sits down with AI-SEO expert Lars Lofgren to unpack the future of AI-SEO in a world dominated by artificial intelligence. They explore how to attract and retain traffic through both on-site and…
RS347: How to Rank Any Brand In AI Results [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:34
This week on Rogue Startups, Craig chats with Mike Buckbee from Knowatoa about how AI is changing the game for brands. With tools like ChatGPT taking over the way we search and discover businesses, Mike breaks down what…
RS345: The State Of Search 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:27
- LLMs.txt article: https://www.quoleady.com/llm-txt-files/ - Craig's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@thecraighewitt
RS344: 12 Years to Overnight Success with Amar Ghose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:27
What does it really take to lead a company for over a decade—and still be growing? In this episode, Craig chats with Amar Ghose, founder and longtime CEO of ZenMaid, about the challenges, lessons, and evolution that come…
A Caffeine Infused Diatribe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:59
Hello, remember me? Sorry that it's been 6 weeks, but I'm back. In this episode I talk through what I've been up to recently, what's going on with Castos, with myself personally, and things I'm learning growing the busin…
RS342: SaaS Survival Mode - AI, Niches & Navigating Chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:12
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig chats with Jesse Hanley, marketer, self-taught developer, and founder of Bento, a powerful email marketing platform for modern teams. With today’s economy in flux and global event…
RS341: Microconf 2025 Recap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:48
Craig recaps his biggest takeaways from MicroConf 2025, reflecting on lessons in positioning, lead generation, conference ROI, and the power of going all in on what’s working. From tactical marketing insights to personal…
RS340: Is AI Killing SaaS w/ Tim Schumacher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:00
In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig sits down with founder and entrepreneur Tim Schumacher to discuss his insights on AI, the future of SaaS, and what makes a company successful. In 2001, Tim co-founded Sedo.com, th…
RS339: AI Skeptic, or Believer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:49
In today’s episode, Craig chats with Anthony Eden from DNSimple about how they use AI in their businesses and their personal lives. As early skeptics of AI, they do a deep dive into what made them change their minds, wha…
RS338:  Balancing Your Use of AI with Aaron Francis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:12
Ever wonder what's happening behind the scenes when your dev team says they're "leveraging AI"? As a non-technical founder, you don't need to understand every line of code, but knowing how AI is actually being used in yo…