The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you’ll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us.
All content for Startups For the Rest of Us is the property of Rob Walling and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you’ll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us.
Episode 803 | 8 Key Takeaways from MicroConf Europe 2025
Startups For the Rest of Us
34 minutes 19 seconds
2 weeks ago
Episode 803 | 8 Key Takeaways from MicroConf Europe 2025
What's it really like to attend MicroConf?
In this episode, Rob Walling and Laura Sprinkle, founder of Rootabl, recap MicroConf Europe 2025 in Istanbul. They discuss the MicroConf vibe, standout talks on AI, affiliate marketing, and SaaS growth, as well as the value of networking and connecting while getting outside the conference room.
Topics we cover:
(5:01) – The friendly, diverse MicroConf crowd
(8:06) – Impressions on Istanbul
(9:24) – Marc Thomas on lifecycle marketing
(11:34) – Michelle Hansen & John Knox on networking
(13:04) – MicroConf Excursions
(16:45) – Einar Volset on SaaS Buyers
(20:27) – Rob’s AI talk
(23:27) – Laura’s talk about affiliate programs
(24:47) – Jesse Schoberg on ranking in ChatGPT and Google's AI
(26:31) – Attendee-Led Workshops
(27:58) – Kevin Sahin’s unfiltered lessons scaling to $2M
(31:12) – James Mooring’s journey to $2M ARR
Links from the Show:
Get your Ticket for MicroConf - Portland, Oregon, on April 12 -14, 2026 | Use promo code ROB50 for $50 off your ticket.
TinySeed
Join MicroConf Connect
Deploy Empathy by Michelle Hansen
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
There’s ONLY 5 Ways to Use AI in SaaS (prove me wrong)
Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X
Rootabl
Laura Sprinkle | LinkedIn
Laura Sprinkle (@imlaurasprinkle) | X
If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!
Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify
Startups For the Rest of Us
The original podcast for bootstrapped and mostly bootstrapped startups, this show follow the stories of founders as they start, acquire, and grow SaaS companies. Hear when they fail, struggle, succeed, and take you with them through the tumultuous life of a SaaS founder. If you like Mixergy, This Week in Startups, or SaaStr, you’ll enjoy Startup for the Rest of Us.
