The Bootstrapped Founder

Ben Rometsch (@dabeeeenster.bsky.social), the founder of Flagsmith, created a bootstrapped SaaS success story. Feature flags are transforming software deployment by decoupling releases and enhancing control. And Ben bootstrapped this deceptively simple-looking part of engineering into a significant software business. And then there's the open-source part of all that. The Open Feature project is setting new standards in software development, akin to OpenTelemetry. Ben shares insights into this collaborative open-source initiative and takes you on a decade-long journey running a software agency in London, where creativity thrived, leading to the creation of a cost-effective, open-source feature flag tool now used by major companies. We even get to the parallels between Brexit and business growth as Ben discusses breaking growth ceilings and the challenges of venture capital. You'll hear about a pivotal deal during the pandemic and how it set off a massive growth spurt that was previously impossible.Ben and I both value slow, sustainable growth without VC pressures. But it comes with its own challenges, like balancing monetization strategies while maintaining a sustainable open-source project. Join us for a conversation about building a business with purpose.This episode is sponsored by Paddle.com — if you're looking for a payment platform that works for you so you can focus on what matters, check them out.The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/ben-rometsch-from-side-projects-to-industry-giantsThe podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/363-ben-rometsch-from-side-projects-to-industry-giantsCheck out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvidYou'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.comPodcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcastNewsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletterMy book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.comHere are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw