Episodes
How First-Time Founders Avoid the Burnout Trap
Most first-time software founders treat their startup like a sprint, burning out within eighteen months. This episode explores the counterintuitive strategy of pacing: how treating your company like a marathon changes hiring, pricing, and product development. We look at specific cases where slowing down led to faster growth, why sustainable velocity beats heroic effort, and what early-stage operators can do right now in September 2026 to build resilience into their daily routines. If you are…
Why Software Founders Fail at Pricing
Most first-time software founders build great products and price them poorly. In this episode, we look at the specific mechanics of value-based pricing versus cost-plus models. We break down how to calculate your customer's return on investment and why charging based on features often leaves money on the table. We also discuss the psychological traps that make early-stage entrepreneurs afraid to charge what their solution is worth. #SaaS #PricingStrategy #StartupFounders #ValueBasedPricing…
The Solo Founder Who Built SaaS for Independent Gyms
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of a solo founder who created a software-as-a-service platform for independent gyms. They dive into the specific challenges of building for a niche market, the founder's journey from personal trainer to tech entrepreneur, and the practical lessons learned about customer discovery, pricing, and retention. With a focus on the numbers, they discuss how the platform grew to serve over 500 gyms with a lean team, and what that means for other founders…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Solo Real Estate Agents
In episode 172 of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore a niche corner of proptech: a cloud-based software suite built by one developer specifically for solo real-estate agents. The conversation centers on how a former agent, frustrated with bloated enterprise tools, created a lightweight CRM with integrated listing management, document e-signature, and automated follow-up sequences. The episode digs into the founder's decision to bootstrap, the pricing model ($49 per month flat)…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Independent Tutors
In Episode 171 of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo software developer who created a SaaS platform for independent tutors. Facing a fragmented market of freelancers who relied on spreadsheets and paper schedules, the founder built a simple scheduling and billing tool that now serves hundreds of tutoring businesses. We unpack the founder's journey from a side project to a profitable niche product, the challenges of marketing to a low-tech audience, and the…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Farmers Markets
In this episode, Lucas and Luna talk with a solo founder who spent three years building a SaaS platform for farmers markets. The founder, a former market manager, realized there was no good tool to manage vendor applications, stall assignments, and payments. He bootstrapped the company, hit $40,000 in annual recurring revenue, and learned hard lessons about seasonality and customer support. The hosts break down his go-to-market strategy, the impact of COVID on local food systems, and the…
Solo Founder SaaS for Real Estate Agents
On this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo founder who built a SaaS platform for independent real estate agents. With the housing market in a strange place as of August 2026 — inventory tight, rates hovering, and agents juggling more digital tools than ever — this founder spotted a gap: most CRM software felt like it was designed for big brokerages, not solo practitioners. The episode breaks down how they identified the pain point, the specific…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Independent Bike Shops
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the story of a solo software engineer who left a comfortable job at a big tech company to build a booking and inventory platform for independent bicycle shops. They dive into the specific challenges of serving a niche market, the decision to focus on a single vertical, and the journey from a side project to a sustainable business. The episode highlights the importance of understanding the customer's daily workflow, the power of…
The Solo Founder Who Built SaaS for Food Trucks
In episode 167 of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how a solo developer turned a personal pain point into Trux, a SaaS platform for food truck operators. The episode focuses on the founder's journey from coding a simple scheduling tool for his own truck to onboarding over 300 trucks across the US, and the key decisions that shaped the product: starting with a niche feature (commissary compliance), pricing at $49 per month, and using a Facebook group for early customer discovery.…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Independent Cinemas
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo developer who created a SaaS platform tailored for independent cinemas. Facing the challenge of outdated box office systems, this founder built a solution that handles ticketing, membership, and concession inventory from a single dashboard. We explore the technical choices, the pivot from a consumer app to B2B, and the surprising demand from art-house theaters across the country. Along the way, we discuss…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Craft Distilleries
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo developer who created a SaaS platform for small-batch craft distilleries. Facing a niche market with complex compliance and inventory needs, the founder built a tool that manages everything from barrel tracking to label approval. We explore the early challenges, the pivot from generic software to industry-specific features, and the surprising role of community forums in product design. Along the way, we…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Small Law Firms
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo software developer who created a practice management tool for small law firms. We explore why most legal tech is built for big firms, the specific pain points of solo attorneys and small practices (like document management and billing), and how one founder's focus on a niche market led to a profitable SaaS. We also discuss the challenges of selling to lawyers and the importance of understanding your customer's workflow. Key takeaways…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Small Plumbing Businesses
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the story of a solo founder who built a field-service management SaaS tailored for independent plumbing businesses. They dig into why plumbers are often overlooked by software giants, the specific pain points like scheduling, invoicing, and job tracking, and how a bootstrapped founder turned a niche need into a sustainable product. The conversation reveals the surprising economics of serving a trade audience—talk about low…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Micro Schools
In this episode, we look at a solo founder who built a SaaS platform for micro schools — small, often home-based learning communities that are growing fast. We explore how he identified the niche, the specific features these schools need, and how he got his first customers without a big marketing budget. With over 5,000 micro schools now operating in the US, this founder tapped into a market that legacy edtech ignored. We break down the economics of running a solo SaaS in this space, the…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Coffee Roasters
In this episode, Lucas and Luna talk to a solo founder who built a SaaS platform for independent coffee roasters. They explore how he identified a niche need for inventory and batch tracking, the challenges of selling to a craft-oriented audience, and the lessons he learned about product-market fit. The conversation covers his journey from barista to developer, the early days of building the product, and the strategies he used to onboard his first customers. Listeners will learn about the…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Independent Jewelers
In episode 160 of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the story of a solo founder who created a SaaS platform for independent jewelers. Facing the challenge of managing inventory, custom orders, and client relationships, this founder built a tool that streamlines operations for small jewelry shops. The episode dives into the specific features that matter most to jewelers, like gemstone tracking and custom order workflows, and how the founder found product-market fit in a niche…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Breweries
In this episode, we dive into the story of a solo developer who created a SaaS platform for small craft breweries. We explore how he identified the need for inventory and barrel tracking, built a niche product, and navigated the challenges of selling to a traditional industry. With insights on customer discovery, pricing, and the importance of community, this conversation offers a practical playbook for aspiring software entrepreneurs targeting vertical markets. #SoloFounder #SaaS #CraftBrewery…
The Solo Founder Who Built SaaS for Independent Bakeries
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna talk with a solo founder who built a SaaS platform for independent bakeries. Learn how she identified the need for a specialized point-of-sale and inventory system, managed to onboard her first customers through local baking associations, and grew her business to serve over 200 bakeries without any outside funding. We dive into the challenges of building for a niche market, the importance of listening to customer feedback, and the…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Independent Bookstores
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how a solo developer created a SaaS platform tailored to independent bookstores. The founder, former bookseller Maya Chen, built 'Shelf Life' to manage inventory, events, and customer relationships, all from a single dashboard. We break down her journey from working at a local bookstore to launching a niche SaaS, the early challenges of getting bookstores to adopt tech, and how she pivoted from a generic POS system to a…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Small Churches
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo founder who built a SaaS platform for small churches, a niche often overlooked by big tech. They explore how the founder identified the need for simple, affordable tools to manage memberships, donations, and event scheduling, and how he navigated the challenges of serving a non-traditional B2B audience. The conversation covers the founder's journey from a side project to a sustainable business, including his approach to pricing…
Solo Founder SaaS for Independent Pharmacies
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a solo software developer built a SaaS platform tailored for independent pharmacies. They break down the specific workflows — prescription refill requests, insurance verification, and inventory management — that generic retail software fails to address. The conversation covers the founder's journey from a single pharmacy client to a network of hundreds, the technical challenges of integrating with pharmacy benefit managers, and the business model that…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Independent Florists
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo software developer who created a SaaS platform for independent florists, a niche often overlooked by big tech. They explore how the founder identified the specific pain points of floral shop owners—from inventory management for perishable stock to handling same-day delivery orders—and built a simple, intuitive tool that fits seamlessly into their workflow. The episode breaks down the numbers: the founder bootstrapped the company with…
A Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Dog Trainers
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo software developer who created a scheduling and client-management tool for independent dog trainers. The conversation centres on how this founder identified a niche need among trainers who were still using paper notebooks and spreadsheets, and how they designed a simple product that fit into the trainers' daily workflow. We discuss the specific challenges of building for a non-technical audience, the importance of on-boarding and…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Small Music Schools
In this episode, Lucas and Luna talk to a solo founder who built a booking and billing platform for small music schools — the kind that teach piano, guitar, and voice lessons out of converted living rooms and rented church basements. The founder, a former music teacher herself, spotted a gap when her own studio kept losing track of make-up lessons and recital fees. Instead of chasing venture funding, she bootstrapped the product over two years, signing up 300 studios across the US and Canada.…
The Solo Founder Who Built SaaS for Independent Bookkeepers
Episode 151 of The Tech Founder Podcast with Fexingo dives into a niche that's quietly thriving: SaaS for independent bookkeepers. Lucas and Luna explore how one solo founder, Sarah Mitchell, built a practice management tool for bookkeepers who serve small businesses. They break down her discovery process—how she started by shadowing three bookkeepers for a week—and the key features that won them over: automated client onboarding, document collection, and a simplified reconciliation dashboard.…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Escape Room Franchises
For episode 150, Lucas and Luna dig into a niche that most SaaS founders overlook: escape room franchises. They talk to a solo developer who, after a single frustrating visit to an escape room in 2021, built a booking and puzzle-management platform that now serves over 200 locations across North America. The conversation covers the founder's initial $8,000 investment, the challenge of convincing franchise owners to adopt software, and the surprising role of puzzle analytics in customer…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Martial Arts Schools
In this episode, we dig into the story of a solo founder who built a SaaS platform specifically for martial arts schools. We explore how he identified a niche need, navigated the challenges of a fragmented market, and landed his first customers through dojo visits and community engagement. We break down the numbers: the initial price point, the churn rate, and the journey to a hundred paying schools. We also talk about the importance of understanding the culture of your niche, from belt…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Dance Academies
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, we dive into the story of a solo developer who created a management platform for competitive dance studios. Discover how he identified a niche need for scheduling and parent communication, landed his first five customers through local studio visits, and scaled to over 300 studios without outside funding. We break down the specific pricing model, the churn rate challenges, and the unexpected feature that became a killer app: automated costume and…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Themed Escape Rooms
In this episode, Lucas and Luna meet the developer behind EscapeDesk, a booking and operations platform built specifically for themed escape rooms. He spent two years inside a haunted-house company, watching groups fumble with paper waivers and walkie-talkies, before coding his own solution. We trace how he turned a side project into a product with 130 venues, 90 percent renewal in year two, and a pricing model that charges per room per month rather than per booking. He shares the sales tactic…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Farmers Markets
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a solo founder built a SaaS for farmers markets, a niche often overlooked by tech. They dive into the specific challenges of managing vendors, fees, and seasonal foot traffic, and how the founder turned a simple spreadsheet into a paid product. With insights on pricing, customer discovery, and building for a non-technical audience, this episode offers a fresh take on vertical SaaS. Listeners will learn why farmers markets are a surprisingly good fit…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Small Farms
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo founder who created a SaaS platform for small family farms. They explore how the founder identified the need for crop planning and harvest tracking software among growers who were still using paper notebooks, and how they built a simple, affordable tool that now serves over 400 farms across the Midwest. The conversation covers the challenges of selling to non-tech-savvy customers, the importance of…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Mobile Food Trucks
In this episode, Lucas and Luna talk with a solo founder who turned his own food truck pain point into a thriving SaaS. After struggling to manage routes, inventory, and payments across multiple events, he built a simple tool that now serves over 200 food trucks in 30 cities. We break down how he validated the idea with just 10 trucks, priced it at $99 per month, and reached $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue within 18 months. He shares the key feature that won customers—a real-time inventory…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Pet Groomers
Pet grooming is a nine-billion-dollar industry in the US, yet most shops still run on paper appointment books. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how former software engineer Sarah Chen built Groomflow, a SaaS tailored specifically for pet groomers. Chen bootstrapped the company in 2022, focusing on three core needs: breed-specific scheduling, integrated client photo records, and automated no-show reminders. The conversation covers how she validated the idea by working at a shelter, her…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS for Painting Contractors
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the story of Jake, a former painter turned developer who built a micro-SaaS for painting contractors. Jake's software handles estimating, scheduling, and invoicing, solving daily headaches for small painting businesses. Bootstrapped from scratch, he grew to $15,000/month in recurring revenue with 80 customers, all through word-of-mouth and relentless focus on a single niche. The hosts break down his MVP strategy, customer…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Veterinary Clinics
In this episode, we explore the story of a solo software entrepreneur who built a vertical SaaS for veterinary clinics, a niche overlooked by big players. We dig into how she identified the need, the unique challenges of selling to veterinarians (including medical records compliance and busy staff), and how she acquired her first 50 customers without venture capital. A practical case study for anyone considering a niche-first B2B SaaS strategy. #SaaS #SoloFounder #Veterinary #VerticalSaaS…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Auto Repair Shops
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of John, a former mechanic who built GarageFlow—a SaaS for independent auto repair shops. Launched in 2022 with a focus on appointment scheduling and inventory management, GarageFlow now serves over 200 shops across the Midwest. The hosts discuss how John identified the niche (fragmented market, low tech adoption), his scrappy sales approach (cold emails + demo at trade shows), and the key lesson: winning over one skeptical shop owner by fixing…
The Solo Founder Who Won Over Small Law Firms
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how first-time founder Jenna Park built LexPro, a practice management SaaS tailored for solo and small law firms. Starting with zero legal industry connections, Jenna cold-emailed 200 small firms, got 5 beta customers, and iterated based on their feedback. Today, LexPro serves over 300 firms, with $60k in monthly recurring revenue. They discuss the specific challenges of selling to lawyers—long sales cycles, data migration fears, and the need for…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Tutoring Centers
In this episode, we dive into the story of Alex Chen, a former math tutor who built TutorTrack, a SaaS for small tutoring centers. With no coding background, Alex taught himself to build software over a summer and landed his first ten customers through a Facebook group. Within 18 months, he reached 300 paying centers, charging $29 per location per month. We explore his customer acquisition via referrals, handling churn, and the power of personal onboarding. Alex shares how he kept features…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Coffee Shops
In this episode, we unpack the story of Alex Chen, a solo founder who built BrewOps, a SaaS platform for independent coffee shops. Starting from zero coding experience and bootstrapping with savings, Chen grew the business to $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue by 2026 with just one employee. We explore how he identified the niche, built an MVP with no-code tools, acquired his first 100 customers through Instagram DMs and trade shows, and navigated the challenges of solo support and…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS for Tattoo Studios
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of Marcus Chen, a former barista who taught himself to code and built InkFlow, a SaaS platform for tattoo studios. Within 18 months, he onboarded over 350 studios, achieving $40k in monthly recurring revenue. They explore how he discovered the niche through a casual conversation at his local shop, the early challenges of convincing tattoo artists to adopt software, and his counterintuitive pricing strategy that…
The SaaS That Quietly Won Over Yoga Studios
Mia Chen bootstrapped her yoga studio management SaaS, YogaFlow, from a solo side project to 50 paying studios generating $12k MRR. She cold-emailed every independent studio within driving distance, learned their specific pain points—like scheduling for multi-room studios and handling unlimited class passes—and iterated relentlessly. This episode dives into her niche-first strategy, why she avoided yoga franchise chains, and the moment she realized that small studios wanted a simpler, cheaper…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Laundromats
In this episode, we talk to Maria Silva, a first-time software entrepreneur who built WashTrack, a SaaS platform for laundromat owners. Maria started with zero coding experience and spent two years learning to program while talking to over 100 laundromat operators. Her software handles machine monitoring, digital payments, and maintenance alerts. Today, WashTrack serves 150 laundromats across 12 states, generating $12,000 MRR. Maria shares how she priced the product, handled the long sales…
How a Solo Founder Built a SaaS by Selling to Florists
Jenna Reyes was running a small web design agency when a florist client asked for a simple inventory and ordering system. That side project turned into BloomStack, a SaaS now used by over 300 independent florists across the US. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down how Reyes identified a pain point in wholesale flower ordering, built a minimal product with no-code tools, and landed her first ten customers by physically visiting shops. They discuss the economics of serving a fragmented…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Car Washes
In this episode, we break down how a solo software engineer turned a side project into a profitable SaaS for car wash operators. The founder noticed that most small and medium-sized car washes still use paper logs or basic POS systems that can't handle membership plans, dynamic pricing, or fleet accounts. Over 18 months, he built a lightweight platform — now used by 47 car washes — that handles unlimited monthly washes, peak/off-peak pricing, and commercial fleet billing. We walk through how he…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Bookstores
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of a solo developer who created a SaaS platform for independent bookstores. Facing competition from Amazon and the rise of e-books, indie bookstores need tools for inventory management, event scheduling, and customer loyalty. The founder built a simple, affordable solution that now serves over 300 stores. We discuss the niche, the challenges of selling to a low-margin industry, and why bookstores are surprisingly…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Craft Breweries
In this episode of The Tech Founder Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the story of a solo founder who built a SaaS platform for craft breweries. They break down how the founder identified a niche in inventory and batch tracking, grew from one small brewery to over 200 clients, and hit $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue without outside funding. The hosts discuss the founder's key decisions, including a pivot from a generic inventory tool to brewery-specific features like ABV calculation and…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Dance Studios
This episode of The Tech Founder Podcast with Fexingo dives into the story of Sarah Chen, a former professional dancer who built a scheduling and payments SaaS called Pirouette for dance studios. Lucas and Luna break down how she identified the niche, why dance studios have unique needs that generic booking software doesn't address, and how she acquired her first 50 customers through cold outreach at regional competitions. They discuss the economics of a micro-SaaS targeting a vertical with…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Nonprofit Thrift Stores
Episode 128 of The Tech Founder Podcast dives into the niche of selling SaaS to nonprofit thrift stores. Lucas and Luna unpack the story of a solo founder who built a scheduling and inventory platform for stores run by organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army. They discuss the unique sales cycle—longer because decisions involve volunteers and boards—and the founder's 'pilot parish' strategy: landing one store in a regional chain, proving ROI, then expanding. Specific numbers: the founder…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Dentists
Episode 127 of The Tech Founder Podcast dives into the vertical SaaS play for dental practices. Lucas and Luna break down why dentists are an ideal niche: high recurring revenue, low churn, and regulatory tailwinds. They walk through a real founder's journey — building a scheduling and insurance verification tool from scratch, hitting $30k MRR in 18 months with zero outside funding. Expect concrete numbers: 13,000 solo dental practices in the US, average spend of $400 per month on software, and…
How a Solo Founder Built SaaS Selling to Bakeries
Episode 126 drills into a niche that looks tiny on paper but works beautifully for a first-time founder: bakeries and pastry shops. We break down how one solo developer built a simple scheduling and wholesale-order SaaS for small-batch bakers, landing 140 paying customers within 18 months — while working from a shared kitchen table. We walk through his discovery process (spending three weekends behind a bakery counter), his pricing experiment (tiered by oven size, not number of users), and the…
Showing the latest 50 episodes. The full archive of 175 is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and every major podcast app — or via the RSS feed above.