The Startup Success Podcast

Pat and Bob

Bob and Pat go off script bigtime – Pat talks about MicroConf 2012, we bounce up and down Pat’s new startup Tribbon, Bob does a private demo of prebeta Freelancer Cash Flow, and we talk about our soon-to-be new sponsor and some ideas we’re bouncing around to take this podcast to the next level.

Along the way we talk about customer discovery as fun, why Amy Hoy is awesome, and we ask for your feedback on a couple ideas we’re considering for the show (at 47:53 – we really want your opinion!). Also, new feature! Send us your launch announcements and we’ll mention them on the show!

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going!

Play it now!

Download Show #138 here: Show #138 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com. Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• microConf 2012.
• Patrick’s new startup.
• Dave Collins of Software Promotions.
• A part of the New Startup Infrastructure: KISSmetrics.
• You will want to download these lessons from Amy Hoy’s upcoming 300×50 Launch Class – they are some of the best things Bob has ever read about conceptualizing creating a startup. The 5-part 30×500 Taste Test.
• BusyEvent.
• Eliza Brock’s RailsThemes.
• Screenshots of pre-beta Freelancer Cash Flow:


Setup Wizard





Cashflow Comparison





Home Screen

Melanie Plageman

Bob and Pat talk with Melanie Plageman about the recently enacted JOBS bill, what will crowdfunding in the U.S. look like soon, and the changes coming to the startup funding landscape.

Melanie is a cofounder of Motaavi, a crowdfunding startup, and was deeply involved in the bill that opens the doors for companies to sell stock as easily as they sell goods on eBay or fund projects at Kickstarter.

We get into the behind the scenes details of how this law became a law and the visible outlines of how crowdfunding will work for companies and investors. Crowdfunding lets companies raise up to $1 million a year, anyone invest at least $2,000 a year through crowdfunding portals like Motaavi, and will rewrite the company-investor and company-consumer playbooks.

The Massive Paradigm Shift Ahead sign should be flashing in your brain right about now if you are building a business or launching a startup. If you want the real backstory, details and implications of this major shift in the startup landscape, make time to listen to this podcast.

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going!

Play it now!

Download Show #137 here: Show #137 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com. Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• JOBS bill passes – New era for startup funding starts now.
• Motaavi, the crowdfunding platform.
• Melanie’s on Twitter at @melanieplageman
• Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act on Wikipedia.
• Rulemaking starts at the SEC – comments submitted so far.

Kelly Kim

Bob and Pat talk with Twylah Cofounder Kelly Kim about Twylah, a web service that turns your tweets into an attractive, SEO-optimized web page.

We talk with Kelly about Twylah’s approach and value proposition, living in Twitter’s world, what it’s like to be married to your cofounder and the challenges and issues women founders confront.

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going!

Play it now!

Download Show #136 here: Show #136 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com. Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• JOBS bill passes – New era for startup funding starts now.
• Twylah.com.
• Twylah Reviews.
• And of course on Twitter at @Twylah.
• Buffer.

Bo Fishback

Bob and Pat talk with Zaarly CoFounder Bo Fishback about this buyer-driven hyperlocal online marketplace and how he went from the front row of a Startup Weekend to $15.1 million in startup funding.

Zaarly, where you post what you want and the price you pay and what services you or your company offer, has over 300,000 users and is adding 50,000-100,000 new users a month.

We talk to Bo about his amazing rocket ride so far, the power of social proof raising equity funding, the real secret of how Zaarly got funded so fast and so well and making deposits in the Karma Bank. Interestingly enough, 85% of Zaarly’s transactions are made from mobile devices.

Thinking about doing a MicroConsult with Bob Walsh? Stop by 47hats.com and let’s chat a bit about your startup as a first step. I hold free “online office hours” Monday-Friday 4-6pm PST UTC -8. Details at 47hats.com. Or, send me your startup question via AskBob, and let’s get a conversation going!

Play it now!

Download Show #135 here: Show #135 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

Bob Walsh is at 47Hats, @bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com. Patrick Foley blogs at PatrickFoley.com, is @patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com.

URLs mentioned/relevant to this show:

• Zaarly.com.
• The Zaarly Blog.
• The Kauffman Foundation.
• KISSmetrics, Mixpanel and Geckoboard.