Creator Stories

Hard Lessons Learned Scaling a Startup in Year 1

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2025 33:19

Colin and Brent discuss their wins and losses and lessons learned in the last year.Colin's lessons learned in year 1: https://www.colinkeeley.com/blog/hard-lessons-learned-scaling-a-startupWant to get my best breakdowns for free? Grab them here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at HireinSouth.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Bending Spoons Breakdown (Italian Constellation Software)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 28:10

Colin and Brent discuss how Luca Ferrari & Bending Spoons built its holding company.Colin's breakdown of Bending Spoons: https://www.colinkeeley.com/blog/bending-spoons-operating-manualWant to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Deliver Unreasonable Hospitality

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 23:08

Colin and Brent discuss great books, customer support, tech diligence, a Latin American staffing firm.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Deal with Lawsuits & Ransoms

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 38:28

Colin and Brent discuss lawsuits and ransoms they've dealt with and seen.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Capital Camp 2024 & Tough Turnarounds

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2024 23:33

Colin and Brent discuss Colin's learnings from Capital Camp 2024 and tough debt turnarounds.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How We Use AI to Replace Employees

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2024 19:02

Colin and Brent discuss how they are using AI to write code and do marketing for their software companies.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Visiting a Secret Club, Austin, Latin America Hiring & Remote Teams

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2024 34:21

Colin and Brent discuss Brent's secret club, visiting Austin, launching a Latin American staffing company, and managing remote teams.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How Double Your Software Business With Services

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 28:50

Colin and Brent discuss the process of adding services to grow their software business. Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterHire top 1% remote talent in Latin America at JulesHQ.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Use Traction / EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to Scale Your Business

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2024 26:27

Colin and Brent discuss implementing Traction / EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) at their software company.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

2023 Recap: Wins, Losses, & Learnings

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2024 40:36

Colin and Brent discuss 2023's wins, losses, and learnings building a software holding company.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

We Sold Our SaaS Business! Learnings & Process

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2023 24:31

Brent and Colin discuss selling their first SaaS acquisition in Blinksale and the process and learnings from doing it.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterEnroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How to Raise Prices & Launch Growth Services

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 23:12

Colin and Brent discuss raising prices, launching their new google review service, and buying vs building.Grow your local business https://www.maplejoin.comWant to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterEnroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How to Buy a Venture Capital Orphan (Real Example)

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 25:54

Colin and Brent discuss buying a venture capital-backed company that's in distress.Want to get more breakdowns? Subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://www.colinkeeley.com/newsletterEnroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

6 Month Review of a SaaS Acquisition

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2023 22:43

Colin and Brent discuss Colin's their acquisition of Scout (scoutforpets.com) 6 months in with growth channels, what's worked, and what's happened. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How Two Brothers Bootstrapped a $300m Tourism Vertical SaaS

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2023 17:43

Colin and Brent discuss Colin's breakdown of FareHarbor and Peter Attia's $150,000 longevity playbook. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How a Ex-Googler Built a $220m Vertical SaaS in Flooring

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2023 18:40

Colin and Brent discuss Brent's Scout update, building vertical software for flooring, and buying a house vs buying a business. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

We Made a Huge Mistake

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2023 28:38

Colin and Brent discuss Scout's bumpy product launch and rebuilding trust.Colin's takeaways from Capital Camp 2023: https://www.colinkeeley.com/blog/capital-camp-2023-review-takeaways Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How the Pritzkers Made Their Billions Through Acquisition

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2023 29:56

Colin and Brent discuss Jay & Robert Pritzker / Marmon Group Business Breakdown https://www.colinkeeley.com/blog/jay-... Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

Brent Beshore & Permanent Equity Business Breakdown

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 24:49

Colin and Brent discuss how Brent Beshore's Permanent Equity built its holding company.Colin" breakdown of Permanent Equity: https://www.colinkeeley.com/blog/bren... Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How to Manage & Grow a Remote Team

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2023 29:13

Colin and Brent discuss how we are managing and growing our remote team. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

Software Companies Are Dead. ChatGPT Killed Them.

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2023 27:50

Colin and Brent discuss the impact of ChatGPT and AI on software companies. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How To Build an Offshore Tech Team & Transition Challenges

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 24:10

Colin and Brent discuss all things tech. How to build an offshore team and limits of tech debt. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community https://www.indiepe.comGet our SaaS Growth Playbook https://www.indiepe.com/growthSell your SaaS at https://www.vernehq.com

How to Bootstrap a Startup from $0 to $1 million in ARR

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2023 28:06

Colin and Brent discuss how to self-fund / bootstrap the perfect startup from $0 to $1m in ARR and whether you need a technical co-founder. Enroll in Colin's "How To Buy a Small Business" Course & Community and SaaS Growth Playbook.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Find Riches in Software Niches

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2023 25:59

Colin and Brent discuss niching down a software business to own one space to grow faster. https://www.blinksale.comEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Tiny Goes Public & How to Structure a HoldCo

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2023 29:56

Colin and Brent discuss Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling going public and how to structure a holding company with LLCs, C-Corps, QSBS, and more.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

community technology coach online passion video building tech creator teaching reach public startups teach economy capital platform structure saas diary vc venture enroll llcs c corp andrew wilkinson holdco qsbs chris sparling colin keeley

Buying 134 Software Companies in a Year

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2023 19:36

Colin and Brent discuss a competitor being bought and how Constellation buys so many companies.Sorry for the echo on Brent's audio. We switched to Riverside for this recording and had some issues. I fixed it as much as I could.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

2022 Recap: 2023 Opportunities, Wins, Failures, & Lessons

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2022 39:58

Colin and Brent discuss 2022's wins, losses, and learnings building a software holding company.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Build Trust to Buy Companies & Sell Products

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 24:49

Colin and Brent discuss how to build trust to close deals with sellers and investors.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Transition & Grow a Company After You Buy It

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2022 25:36

Colin and Brent discuss transitioning and growing Scout since they bought it.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

We Bought Scout! Learnings & Negotiation Play-by-Play

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 39:28

Colin and Brent discuss buying Scout, the leading dog walking and pet sitting software.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How You Can Buy a Business With the Profits From the Business

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 22:30

Colin and Brent discuss growing a business with a broken funnel, buying the rights to an out-of-print book, and $20k AWS bill.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Product Led Growth vs Enterprise Sales, Buying the Rights to an Out-of-Print Book, Lebron of Pickleball

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2022 27:47

Colin and Brent discuss growing a business with a broken funnel, buying the rights to an out-of-print book, and $20k AWS bill.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

What Matters in Acquisition Due Diligence & Warren Buffett Handshake Deals

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2022 28:39

Colin and Brent discuss how they conduct due diligence and simplifying the legal side of acquisitions.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Pros & Cons of Venture Capital, Private Equity, & Startup Studios

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2022 27:58

Colin and Brent discuss pros and cons of venture capital, private equity, and startup studios.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Losing a Deal to Mark Leonard, HoldCo Conference & a $100M NFT Fund

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 23:14

Colin and Brent discuss Brent's experience at the Holding Company conference and their most recent dead deal.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

John Malone Operating Manual (Billionaire Cable Cowboy)

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2022 22:51

Most of this comes from the book: “Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business” by Mark Robichaux “The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success” by William Thorndike John Malone Operating ManualEnroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Deep Work, Productivity Hacks, & Sleep Training

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2022 30:47

Colin and Brent discuss their deep work approach, productivity hacks, and sleep trainingSnoo Smart Sleeper Baby Bassinet Brent reviews.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Become a Lighthouse for Like-Minded People

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2022 31:02

Colin and Brent discuss their content consumption and creation and why they spend so much time thinking about it.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Buying Companies in a Downturn & Launching a Cohort-Based Course on Acquisitions

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2022 33:20

Colin and Brent discuss buying companies in a downturn and Colin's new cohort-based course.Sign up for Colin's cohort-based course on acquisitions. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Hiring Overseas Like the Navy Seals & Launching an Anti-Franchise With Jon Matzner

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2022 46:27

Jon Matzner is the CEO of Garage Excell, a garage remodeling and organization specialists based out of Southern California. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Hire & Train Virtual Assistants

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2022 23:02

Colin and Brent discuss their failure to hire virtual assistants in the past and how they plan to do better next time.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Balance Building & Buying Companies?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2022 30:17

Colin and Brent discuss whether they should restart an earlier project, balancing internal and external work, and audience building on Twitter.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Acquisition Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

New Name! Baremetrics Price Increase, Twitter Hostile Takeover & Product Improvements

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2022 33:00

Colin and Brent discuss the podcast's new name, baremetrics price increase, Twitter hostile takeover, & product improvements. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Buying Internet vs Non-Internet Businesses & Paid Acquisition Funnel

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 28:30

Colin and Brent discuss Colin's experience buying ads for his micro-pe course and thoughts around buying non-internet businesses.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Increase Prices & Keep Customers Happy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2022 23:50

Colin and Brent discuss how to increase prices and keep customers happyReach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Raise Money & Find Investors for Private Equity Deals

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2022 21:10

Colin and Brent discuss how to raise money & find investors for private equity deals.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

Our Latest Acquisition Story & Danger of Building in Public

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2022 24:47

Colin and Brent discuss their latest acquisition, leverage, and danger of building in public.Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How to Do Acquisition Due Diligence & Smoothly Transition a Business

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2021 14:46

Colin and Brent discuss how to do acquisition due diligence and smoothly transition a business. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How We Lost a Deal & How We Can Do Better Next Time

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 32:17

Colin and Brent discuss how and why to use debt to buy a business and different options for offering it. Reach out if you want some tech and product diligence done.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com

How & Why to Use Debt to Buy a Business

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2021 24:39