Startups For the Rest of Us

If AI can build anything, how do you decide what to build? 

In this episode, Rob Walling celebrates the launch of his sixth book, Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI. He shares why he wrote it, how it started as part of The SaaS Playbook, and why he rewrote it three times. Plus, why every second- and third-time founder still validates before they build, and why AI can speed up building but not learning.

Topics we cover:

(0:41) – Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI is available

(2:32) – Why Rob wrote another book

(4:56) – How the book began inside The SaaS Playbook

(6:33) – Rewriting the book three times

(8:57) – Why validation still matters with AI

(10:50) – Grinding until the work finally clicks

(12:22) – Endorsements from Jason Cohen and Derek Sivers 

(15:28) – Who Idea to Traction is for

(16:25) – What the book covers, from ideas to traction

(18:26) – SaaS isn't dead, and moats keep changing

Links from the show:

Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI by Rob Walling | Out Today!

Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling 

The SaaS Playbook

SaaS Launchpad

MicroConf

TinySeed

Ruben Gamez | LinkedIn

Jordan Gal | LinkedIn

Bryan Shankman | LinkedIn 

LeadTruffle 

Jason Cohen (@asmartbear) | X

Smart Bear Live

Derek Sivers

The Dip by Seth Godin 

Ep. 834 | Eric Ries Revisits The Lean Startup and Discusses How to Become Incorruptible

Ep. 855 | The Eight SaaS Moats that Still Work in the Age of AI

The Only SaaS Moats Left in 2026 | MicroConf Rob’s talk

Rob Walling | YouTube

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!

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What if raising your prices could actually bring in more customers? 

In this episode, Rob Walling welcomes back Jason Cohen, founder of WP Engine and SmartBear, to dig into his book, Hidden Multipliers. They talk about finding your profit whales, why raising prices can actually increase sales, and how pitching more value instead of savings can 8x what you charge. Jason also shares the free AI skills he built to grill founders like a rude journalist, and why the best strategy starts with building a company in the shape of you.

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Topics we cover:

(3:23) – Why Jason finally wrote his first book

(5:38) – What makes a multiplier "hidden"

(8:06) – Profit whales and your unprofitable customers

(14:40) – Raising prices from $35 to $1,300 a seat

(18:44) – Why WP Engine lowered its entry price

(23:08) – Selling more value instead of savings

(28:35) – Charging for implementation and price testing on calls

(31:32) – Free AI skills and finding your Carol

(38:37) – Inside the Smart Bear Live podcast

(41:41) – Building a company in the shape of you

Links from the show:

MicroConf US 2027┃Austin, April 18–20, 2027 | Promo Code: ROB50 for $50 off

TinySeed SaaS Institute

Hidden Multipliers by Jason Cohen

Skills from A Smart Bear

Smart Bear Live

A Smart Bear Blog

How repositioning a product allows you to 8x its price

Rude Q&A: The constructive devil’s advocate

WP Engine

SmartBear

SpareFoot

Capital Factory

Gallup CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder)

Jason Cohen | LinkedIn

Jason Cohen (@asmartbear) | 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!

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What did you miss at our biggest MicroConf Europe ever?

In this episode, Rob Walling and Derrick Reimer recap MicroConf Europe 2026 in Reykjavik, Iceland. They break down the talks on ranking in ChatGPT and AI SEO, Rob's eight moats that still work in the age of AI, and Corey Haines on marketing skills for Claude. Plus, the hallway track, a stunning venue, and a hike to a geothermal river at the top of an Icelandic mountain.

Topics we cover:

(2:11) – Traveling to Iceland and Rob's road trips

(5:12) – Biggest MicroConf Europe ever, by the numbers

(8:04) – The Harpa venue and the hallway track

(13:30) – George Chasiotis and Aleyda Solis on AI SEO

(19:44) – Jacob Wright on UX as a moat

(21:26) – Agnese Jaunošāne on riding the AI wave

(23:25) – Rob's talk: eight moats in the AI age

(34:00) – Will AI stop writing human-readable code?

(38:14) – Corey Haines on marketing skills for Claude

(41:01) – Excursions and a geothermal river hike

Links from the show:

Idea to Traction | Pre-order before November 10th and claim the complete pre-order bundle

MicroConf Events | Use promo code ROB50 for $50 off your ticket

MicroConf US | Austin, Texas on April 18 - 20, 2027

MicroConf Europe | Dubrovnik, Croatia · Oct 3–5, 2027

TinySeed SaaS Institute

Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre 

The SaaS Playbook

George Chasiotis 

Minuttia 

Aleyda Solis | LinkedIn

Dabble Writer

Agnese Jaunošāne | LinkedIn 

Ajelix 

Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | X 

Anthony Eden | LinkedIn 

DNSimple

Campfire by ONCE 

Corey Haines | LinkedIn 

Marketing Skills for AI Agents by Corey Haines 

Conversion Factory

Ep. 830 | Breaking Through Plateaus, Zero-Click Marketing, and More from MicroConf 2026 (with Derrick Reimer)

SavvyCal (Derrick Reimer)

Derrick Reimer (@derrickreimer) | X

Derrick Reimer | LinkedIn

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!
...

Which SaaS moats are left in 2026?

In this episode, Rob Walling and Einar Vollset walk through the 10 ways AI is attacking SaaS companies, from customers vibe coding the app to per-seat revenue disappearing entirely. They then dig into the 8 moats they believe still work in the age of AI, with real examples like Stripe, Gusto, SignWell, and Gymdesk. 

They finish with how founders can go on offense, including why the biggest opportunity may be to stop selling the tool and start doing the work.

Topics we cover:

(06:02) – The SaaSpocalypse and conflicting market signals

(07:24) – How Einar researched durable SaaS moats

(11:48) – Which SaaS businesses AI will flatten

(14:20) – Attacks 1 and 2: Customers vibe code, competitors catch up

(16:52) – Attack 3: Open source gets good enough

(17:23) – Attack 4: Platforms ship your feature free

(18:06) – Attack 5: Custom software at SaaS-ish prices

(19:11) – Attack 6: AI models absorb your product

(19:57) – Attack 7: Your customers stop existing

(21:48) – Attack 8: Per-seat revenue disappears

(22:45) – Attack 9: The roles you serve vanish

(23:25) – Attack 10: Your workflow step becomes obsolete

(24:09) – Old moats that no longer protect you

(25:56) – Eight moats that still work today

(26:30) – Moat 1: Buyers know and trust you

(28:28) – Moat 2: You're the system of record

(30:10) – Moat 3: You're allowed to act

(31:28) – Moat 4: Customers don't check your work

(32:51) – Moat 5: Someone official already said yes

(36:08) – Moat 6: Everyone's already in it

(38:03) – Moat 7: Every customer makes you smarter

(40:47) – Moat 8: It's hard to keep running

(44:14) – How do we not get sideswiped by AI?

(54:46) – Why learning loops are the strongest moat

Links from the show:

Moats Slides, Summary, and Live Q&A

TinySeed

MicroConf

Discretion Capital

SignWell

Gymdesk 

Reimbi 

Sidekick Learning

Ep. 851 | The Messy Middle of a SaaS Pivot

Stripe Radar

Gusto

ScrapingBee

Pieter Levels X post

10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy 

Ep. 842 | What is the Future of SaaS in an AI World? (Rob Solo)

Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X

Einar Vollset (@einarvollset) | 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 upco...

Where do the best SaaS ideas actually come from?

In this episode, Rob reads a chapter from his new book, Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI. He walks through the five places problems tend to show up, eight strategic approaches for finding and shaping a product idea (with real examples), and when it makes sense to replicate an existing idea.

Pre-order the hardback before November 10th to get bonus PDFs, a seat in a live Q&A to ask your early stage questions, and a free copy of the ebook or audiobook ideatotractionbook.com.

Topics we cover:

(1:41) – Why Rob wrote Idea to Traction

(3:29) – What the new book covers

(6:03) – Pre-order bonuses and live Q&A

(7:32) – Chapter three: how to find startup ideas

(9:09) – Solve a problem, not a moonshot

(10:34) – Five places problems come from

(12:52) – Approach 1: Translate an idea to a new niche

(13:50) – Approach 2: Find a hated competitor

(14:57) – Approach 3: Build on your audience

(16:04) – Approach 4: Build on your network

(16:50) – Approach 5: Undercut a clunky enterprise competitor

(17:49) – Approach 6: Enter a fast-growing ecosystem

(19:15) – Approach 7: Build on an existing product

(20:13) – Approach 8: Audit your day job spending

(21:20) – Can you replicate an existing idea?

Links from the show:

Idea to Traction: Stop Building SaaS Nobody Wants in the Age of AI

Start Small, Stay Small 

The SaaS Playbook

MicroConf

State of Independent SaaS Report 

TinySeed

The Stair Step Method of Bootstrapping

Derek Sivers

Jason Cohen

Basecamp

WP Engine

Builder Prime

Bidsketch 

SignWell

SparkToro

ScrapingBee 

ScatterSpoke 

Clarity.fm 

DealForma 

ScoutDNS

Baremetrics

StaticKit

SavvyCal

Seriously Simple Podcasting / Castos 

CartHook 

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!

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