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Our B2B SaaS Journey
Join us as we document the real, unfiltered journey of building SixSides, one week at a time. New episodes every Tuesday.
77: From 64 Facebook groups to one app
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate a hugely positive WPFG demo, race to get the new app through Apple and Google review, unpack why SixSides’ customer-first culture is getting noticed, and wrestle with HubSpot pricing, a non-paying client, release automation, translations, and a new way of giving developers more ownership. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:29 - WPFG demo feedback 04:17 - The final stretch for WPFG phase one 11:31 - App Store assets and a new SixSides look 12:59 - Our culture is shining through 14:36 - Automating the release process 17:14 - The HubSpot pricing surprise 20:34 - A hard client decision 22:59 - Chat, translations and giving developers more ownership 30:44 - Landing page progress and Gavin’s massive ride In this episode, we cover: The overwhelmingly positive feedback from the latest WPFG app demo Replacing the need to manage 64 individual Facebook groups for sporting communities Getting the WPFG app through Apple App Store and Google Play review Managing TestFlight, external testers and beta feedback before launch The final polish required before rolling the app out to thousands of athletes Creating better App Store and Play Store assets for WPFG and SixSides Why SixSides’ customer-first culture is becoming a competitive advantage Using Claude to improve and automate the mobile app release process Managing multiple branded mobile apps from a single codebase The unexpected cost of HubSpot marketing contacts and whether the deal still makes sense What to do when a client keeps using your SaaS but stops communicating or paying Prototyping real-time chat and translation features for events Using AWS translation APIs and exploring on-device language models Giving developers outcome-based projects instead of tightly scoped tickets Preparing the development team to work independently while Mitchell is away Early progress on the redesigned SixSides landing page Gavin’s underprepared 70 km training ride ahead of a 100 km event Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
76: Upgrading HubSpot before our biggest launch yet
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin race towards the first World Police Games app handover, onboard two new clients, upgrade HubSpot for future growth, and debate gated content, paid advertising, encrypted chat, translations, and the next phase of SixSides. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and a very busy week 04:20 - Onboarding two new clients 07:13 - Community growth and the HubSpot upgrade 16:25 - Is gated content dead? 23:04 - When should SixSides start advertising? 26:39 - The SixSides redesign and launch deadline 32:55 - News feeds, official posts and the first milestone 38:43 - Encrypted chat and group messaging 41:43 - Translation, on-device AI and speech-to-text 45:57 - Fitness, stress and going sober In this episode, we cover: Onboarding two new SixSides clients while preparing for a major product launch How referrals between event organisers are creating new sales opportunities Turning event attendees into future community builders and qualified leads Whether SixSides should host its own community instead of relying on platforms like Skool Using white glove onboarding to improve the experience for new community organisers Upgrading HubSpot to manage a growing sales pipeline and thousands of new users Using Claude and MCP integrations to configure CRM workflows The opportunity to support organisations with communities of up to 70,000 volunteers Why gated white papers and downloadable resources may be losing their value Making content publicly available for AEO, AI discovery and organic search Waiting for a proven customer acquisition pipeline before spending money on advertising Measuring return on ad spend in a bootstrapped SaaS business Redesigning the SixSides website ahead of the World Police Games app release Creating onboarding emails, product guides and launch communications for 5,000 users Separating official announcements from general community posts in the SixSides news feed Designing private messaging, group chats and announcement channels The challenges of end-to-end encryption in community messaging products Translating user-generated content without compromising user privacy Exploring on-device AI for private translations and live speech-to-text Managing founder stress, fitness routines and the decision to take a break from alcohol Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
75: Can we handle 5,000 people at launch?
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin check in on fitness and their delivery timeline, share updates on WPFG and the latest SixSides design work with Robin Holesinsky, celebrate two new clients, and map out the next 6 to 12 months while trying to spend more time working on the business rather than only in it. Links Robin Holesinsky Chapters 00:09 - Intro and Mitchell’s Laracon speaker video 02:16 - Fitness updates, leg presses and very long walks 10:44 - WPFG app timeline, polish and testing 14:52 - Preparing to onboard more than 5,000 participants 22:56 - Design update with Robin Holesinsky 27:22 - Podcast plans during Mitchell’s honeymoon 30:11 - Two new clients and more deals close to signing 34:11 - Planning the next 6 to 12 months and exploring HubSpot 39:04 - Using AI and MCP while working on the business 42:28 - Outro and listener feedback In this episode, we cover: Preparing the SixSides mobile app for its first major WPFG release Why the app needed another round of polish after 12 weeks of development Reframing the product from an event management tool to a community communication platform Testing the mobile app with TestFlight, Google Play and Maestro Preparing SixSides to onboard more than 5,000 WPFG participants Using serverless infrastructure, automatic database scaling and caching to manage launch traffic Staggering user invitations to reduce risk during a large app rollout Planning customer onboarding, support and engagement with Intercom and Bento Hiring Robin Holesinsky to redesign the SixSides marketing website Managing a tight launch timeline before Mitchell leaves for his honeymoon Keeping the podcast running while Mitchell is travelling through Europe Signing two new clients and building the SixSides sales pipeline Planning the next 6 to 12 months of the business Considering HubSpot for sales and customer relationship management Using AI and MCP tools to improve internal workflows Making more time to work on the business rather than only delivering client work Founder fitness updates, including gym progress, cycling and long-distance walking Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
74: Six inches high and rising
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack a catastrophic house flood, celebrate the launch of Changemakers and 10,000 LinkedIn followers, simplify SixSides’ lead generation strategy, and race through community features, GDPR compliance, device testing and onboarding with one week of development left. Links Changemakers podcast Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Gavin’s flooded house 06:24 - Changemakers is finally live 10:05 - Finding a LinkedIn voice and reaching 10,000 followers 16:12 - The A-hole title delivers, and lead generation gets simplified 22:21 - Repurposing whitepapers with AI 30:49 - Community features and GDPR compliance 36:16 - Maestro testing and one week of development left 43:10 - Building a bespoke Police Games integration 50:20 - Onboarding webinars and the marketing design decision 56:52 - The Brimstone Brawl and outro In this episode, we cover: Gavin’s disastrous weekend after five open taps flooded his house with six inches of water Launching the first episode of Changemakers with Nick Marchese from Orange Sky Repurposing podcast interviews into LinkedIn carousels, blog posts, quotes and future long-form content Finding an authentic LinkedIn voice while building a B2B SaaS in public The five years of consistent effort behind Gavin crossing 10,000 LinkedIn followers Why LinkedIn comments can create valuable B2B conversations even when most receive no response Simplifying SixSides’ lead generation after cold email failed to produce results Creating clearer content workflows for a remote marketing and sales team Turning bespoke whitepapers and strategic briefs into reusable sales and marketing assets Using AI to personalise whitepapers and potentially help prospects build internal business cases Building community posts, comments, reactions, member lists and management tools into SixSides Supporting GDPR account deletion without damaging historical event attendance analytics Testing a mobile app across multiple iPhone and Android devices with Maestro Preparing the Police Games app for testing, App Store review and launch Keeping bespoke Police Games logic outside the core SixSides codebase with a Cloudflare Worker Using registration data to automatically add athletes to the correct events and communities Planning in-app onboarding and live webinars for international sporting associations Weighing a three-month design retainer against cash flow, workload and potential return on investment The Brimstone Brawl, where people in medieval armour hit each other with swords and axes Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
73: What do you say we cut the chit chat, a-hole?
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack a reassuring World Police Games client catch-up, turn LinkedIn into a competitive sport, prepare the Changemakers podcast for launch, and push SixSides towards release with a redesigned app, new analytics and support tooling, community features, and a long-overdue plan to reduce their bus factor. Links What do you say we cut the chit chat, a-hole? Chapters 00:00 - A World Cup lesson for bootstrappers 04:14 - Proactively updating the Police Games team 08:14 - Chasing sporting events and parkrun connections 10:48 - The LinkedIn impressions showdown 15:49 - Launching the Changemakers podcast 21:12 - Hiring a designer for the SixSides marketing site 29:45 - PostHog, Intercom and the finished app redesign 35:06 - Two weeks to finish the World Police Games milestone 40:07 - The bus factor problem 43:18 - Communities, expansion revenue and launch planning In this episode, we cover: Proactively keeping major event clients informed during long development projects The latest progress on the World Police Games app Expanding SixSides into sporting events and volunteering organisations Building relationships with the founder of parkrun Australia Mitchell and Gavin’s LinkedIn impressions competition What makes personal founder-led LinkedIn content perform Preparing the new Changemakers podcast for launch Editing podcast intros, music and production workflows Budgeting for a professional SixSides marketing website redesign Finding SaaS designers through Dribbble Integrating PostHog analytics into the mobile app and web dashboard Adding Intercom customer support and push notifications Completing the SixSides mobile app redesign and translation system Automated mobile app testing with Maestro GDPR, account deletion and attendee privacy Reducing the bus factor inside a bootstrapped SaaS Giving contractors enough access to keep the business running Building community posts, comments, likes and invitations in SixSides Expansion revenue from existing customers Planning a coordinated launch campaign for the new SixSides website Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
72: We put a database in your backyard
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin make a $500 LinkedIn bet, share the infrastructure mistake that was slowing down every screen in SixSides, and unpack their plans to support global events, launch community features, and pursue an opportunity that could transform the business. Links Problem-Led Growth for B2B GTM on Skool Chapters 00:00 - Wedding rings, swearing and podcast downloads 03:49 - Fitness updates and the 100-kilometre ride 08:35 - LinkedIn posting and the $500 impressions bet 15:39 - Listener shoutouts and sending Nick his dice 19:31 - Gavin’s first community leader interview 22:08 - Too much work and growing DealBuddi 24:26 - Building global infrastructure for SixSides 38:31 - Android is complete and communities are next 41:44 - Taking SixSides worldwide 49:42 - Startup World Cup, Snitcher and the marketing website In this episode, we cover: Building consistent fitness habits while running a bootstrapped SaaS Mitchell’s return to LinkedIn and the wedding post that nearly flopped Gavin’s 13,000-impression LinkedIn post The $500 LinkedIn competition running until the end of the financial year Listener shoutouts for Ryan David, Varun Jain and Nick Taylor Gavin’s first community leadership interview with Orange Sky founder Nic Marchesi Growing DealBuddi while continuing to fund SixSides Preparing SixSides for the World Police and Fire Games launch Migrating the SixSides database from MySQL to PostgreSQL Moving from PlanetScale back to AWS Aurora Deploying infrastructure across Sydney, Germany, Singapore and North Virginia Using synthetic canaries to test API performance around the world Finding the unnecessary WorkOS request that was slowing down every screen Reducing global API response times to under 500 milliseconds Completing the Android redesign and supporting older iOS versions Beginning development of SixSides community features Piloting SixSides with the Global Entrepreneurship Network in Australia Using a local-first strategy to grow a global event network Why ProcurePro was the deserving Startup World Cup winner Reviewing Snitcher traffic and the need for a stronger SixSides marketing website Deciding whether to hire an external website designer Using ChatGPT voice mode during longer fitness walks Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
71: You can just shoot the messenger
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin deal with possums, fitness resets, a brutal sales call, one of their worst days building SixSides so far, and the product push to get the World Police and Fire Games app ready for testing in just four weeks. Links Problem-Led Growth for B2B GTM on Skool Chapters 00:00 - Explicit warning from Editor Mitch 00:31 - Possums, alarms, and nude home defence 05:20 - Socceroos, bike rides, and getting back into fitness 08:46 - Mitchell restarts the 75 challenge 18:27 - Shoot the messenger 24:59 - Europe, Brisbane, Laracon AU, and travel plans 33:26 - One of our worst days building SixSides 41:46 - World Police and Fire Games app progress 51:12 - LinkedIn results and marketing experiments 58:18 - Onboarding session and what still needs work In this episode, we cover: Why this episode earned an explicit rating before it even started Gavin’s 2am possum alarm scare and the noble art of nude home defence Mitchell watching the Socceroos and Gavin’s take on Australian football Restarting a 75 Hard-style fitness challenge after slipping out of routine The link between exercise, stress, mental health, and founder energy A sales meeting that made SixSides feel like a “side hustle” Why blunt feedback can be useful, even when it lands badly The value of not shooting the messenger and digging into the real message Booking Europe, Brisbane, Laracon AU, and a very packed few months of travel One of the toughest founder conversations Mitchell and Gavin have had so far Regaining confidence by merging unfinished product work back into the main app Preparing the World Police and Fire Games app for testing in four weeks Translating the SixSides app UI into multiple languages Building splash screens, map views, calendar views, and better event visuals Using ChatGPT to help turn event schedules into Laravel seeders Planning venue maps, transport links, and event discovery inside the app Postgres migration work and Android progress LinkedIn content experiments and what performed better this month Gavin’s upcoming Orange Sky interview for the SixSides marketing plan Reviewing the customer onboarding flow and realising SixSides is still at level zero Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
70: Let's take this offline
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin talk through the final stretch before World Police and Fire Games testing, the Postgres and S3 work behind SixSides’ offline sync plans, an app store trademark dispute, and Gavin’s rapidly evolving community-led marketing campaign that might now include a new YouTube strategy. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and bird complaints 02:27 - Pool losses, Socceroos, and pub plans 07:07 - Postgres, S3, and offline mode 13:35 - Podcast reviews, downloads, and app redesign progress 17:39 - The app store trademark dispute 24:14 - Gavin’s community-led marketing campaign 27:20 - Should SixSides create a YouTube channel? 35:14 - The new LinkedIn strategy and Community Builders Network 40:06 - Testing advertising on GPT 43:57 - The year so far and what comes next In this episode, we cover: The Socceroos, pub lunches, and the perks of running your own business Why SixSides is migrating from MySQL to Postgres How ElectricSQL could unlock offline mode and real-time sync for event apps Moving request logs from the database to Amazon S3 Using Amazon Athena to query log files stored in S3 Hitting 2,000 podcast downloads and five-star Spotify reviews The ongoing SixSides app redesign and the push toward a more polished event app The five-week countdown to World Police and Fire Games testing An app store trademark dispute and why it has been frustrating Gavin’s new community-led marketing campaign Planning guest interviews with community leaders and charities Whether SixSides should create a more intentional YouTube channel A new LinkedIn strategy focused on community stories instead of product promotion The early days of the Community Builders Network on Skool Testing advertising opportunities through GPT Why the SixSides website and freemium funnel need to improve before paid ads make sense Overselling the vision, then racing to make the product catch up Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
69: How we are multitasking while bootstrapping our SaaS startup
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack the chaos of multitasking across SixSides, DealBuddi, sales, marketing, product, fitness, and life, while working through a new content strategy, a path to $1.5m, a painful sales lesson, a near-miss in the Startup World Cup, and a major technical move from MySQL to Postgres for offline event app support. Links Gavin's Brisbane to Gold Coast Fundraiser Open Source iPhone Chatbot from Kiraa Chapters 00:00 - Intro and the multiple balls problem 03:08 - Breaking priorities into action plans with ChatGPT 03:56 - The new SixSides marketing plan 10:24 - Mapping the road to $1.5m 12:45 - Why onboarding is becoming a bottleneck 17:47 - Mr Worldwide and the next big opportunity 21:13 - App redesign and improving team workflows 27:43 - Gavin’s painful sales mistake 39:48 - Missing out on the Startup World Cup 49:57 - Moving from MySQL to Postgres for offline mode In this episode, we cover: Gavin’s “multiple balls problem” and how he used walks and ChatGPT to break messy priorities into clearer action plans The new SixSides marketing plan built around interviewing community leaders and turning those conversations into useful content Why SixSides may need to think more like a media company to build trust and create a sustainable pipeline The road to $1.5m, including founder-led sales, team-enabled sales, product-led growth, and better onboarding Why customer onboarding is becoming one of the most immediate bottlenecks for SixSides Preparing for the World Police Games and a potentially much bigger “Mr Worldwide” opportunity The app redesign, including handing more design implementation work over to the team How Mitchell is improving team workflows in Linear with clearer comments, screenshots, and before-and-after updates Gavin’s sales mistake with a potential charity client, and why founders need to be careful when sharing unqualified pricing material The “fat guy, skinny guy” sales framework for anchoring value by showing the before and after Why missing out on the Startup World Cup might be a useful reminder to focus on customers instead of grants and competitions Gavin signing up for a 100km Brisbane to Gold Coast bike ride for cancer fundraising Mitchell saying no to extra commitments and narrowing his focus Moving the SixSides database from MySQL to Postgres to support ElectricSQL and offline mode in the mobile app Why offline app support matters for event attendees, especially international participants without reliable mobile data TinyBase, Cloudflare Durable Objects, and why the team is now leaning towards Postgres and ElectricSQL Local AI models, Apple’s on-device AI direction, and possible future use cases for translations inside the SixSides app Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides SixSides on Skool: Community Builders Network
68: AI is making us dumber
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin deal with their first proper hater, reset their routines after a messy few weeks, unpack a six month marketing project for SixSides, and get into a surprisingly tense debate about whether AI is helping us work smarter or quietly making us lazier. Links Community Builders Network on Skool Chapters 00:00 - Intro x2 01:33 - Meeting the first hater 03:56 - New habits die easy 08:01 - Fitness goals, walking, and pickleball 13:48 - Juggling multiple balls across SixSides and DealBuddi 17:46 - Planning a six month marketing project 20:39 - Research projects for the engineering team 23:37 - Redesigning the SixSides mobile app 35:13 - World Police and Fire Games delivery timeline 37:52 - AI is making us dumber In this episode, we cover: Handling negative feedback from someone who does not believe in the SixSides vision Why the opportunity might be in the cracks that other people miss How moving house disrupted Gavin’s routines, habits, gym schedule, and focus Why new habits die easy, especially when your environment changes Mitch’s post-wedding fitness motivation struggles and the search for a new goal Pickleball, long walks, and finding achievable physical challenges Gavin juggling SixSides, DealBuddi, family revenue, house setup, sales, and lead generation The pressure of managing a team, delivering for the World Police and Fire Games, chasing customers, and exploring funding Planning a six month marketing project around community fundraising ideas Using research, interviews, webinars, podcasts, blog posts, LinkedIn content, and white papers as one connected marketing engine The SixSides community being set up on Skool Research projects for the engineering team across ticketing, event websites, and event registration Why the team paused coding for a week to research the market before building The new SixSides mobile app design, including native iOS patterns and liquid glass Reducing event organiser customisation so the app feels more cohesive Designing communities, events, explore flows, and future app navigation Preparing for the World Police and Fire Games timeline and internal testing window Offline mode research and why it may require a major rethink of the mobile app data layer Whether AI-generated research, code comments, LinkedIn posts, and internal communication can be trusted The difference between AI-generated work and AI-assisted thinking Why founders still need to slow down, think clearly, and care about quality Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
67: Stop selling the future
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin rethink how they are selling SixSides, map out what it could take to grow towards $1.5m ARR, unpack the pressure of supporting the World Police Games, and talk through burnout, admin days, AI-assisted onboarding, multilingual apps, LinkedIn experiments, and whether video should become a bigger part of their marketing. Links Laracon AU Chapters 00:00 - Intro, stretching, lawns, and episode 67 06:31 - Selling what SixSides can do today 13:32 - Planning the path to $1.5m ARR 17:28 - Onboarding, AI agents, and AI redundancy 22:49 - Mitchell is speaking at Laracon AU 25:48 - Wednesday admin and avoiding burnout 35:09 - New mobile app design and Liquid Glass 38:36 - The World Police Games gets very real 42:31 - Should SixSides start making videos? 46:42 - LinkedIn, lead gen, Skool, translations, and team updates In this episode, we cover: Why Gavin realised SixSides needs to sell what it can do today, not just the community-led platform it is becoming How flagship events could become the wedge into broader community and account growth The challenge of building towards $1.5m ARR without breaking onboarding, support, or customer experience Why the World Police Games could create a major product-led growth opportunity for SixSides Whether an AI onboarding agent could help customers set up events faster Why SixSides is an AI-assisted business, not an AI-reliant business Mitchell’s upcoming Laracon AU talk about reducing friction in software with AI Mitchell’s new “Wednesday admin” experiment to reduce stress and protect focus time The risk of burnout while juggling SixSides, other businesses, product work, sales, and the World Police Games The new SixSides mobile app design, including Apple’s Liquid Glass UI direction Watching the World Police Games TV commercial and realising how big the project is becoming Whether SixSides should use YouTube and video content as a marketing channel LinkedIn results, AI-generated posts, and shifting back towards more genuine founder-led content Building a community for event organisers using Skool Translating the SixSides app into Spanish, French, simplified Chinese, German, and Portuguese Weekly CEO and CTO updates to keep the growing team aligned Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
66: Mitchell is becoming a real CTO
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack a much better workflow for managing the SixSides development team in Linear, clarify their event-led positioning and pricing strategy, share early wins from voting at recent events, and discuss app onboarding, nested communities, AIME 2027 and a simpler approach to theme customisation. Links FeedSpot - B2B SaaS podcasts Linear Clarityflow Builder Methods Chapters 00:00 - Gavin’s new house, FeedSpot and a fitness update 04:43 - Managing the SixSides dev team with Linear 12:18 - Projects, statuses and weekly development updates 22:30 - Mobile onboarding and nested communities 25:42 - Positioning SixSides and rethinking the pricing page 36:12 - Planning for AIME 2027 and building a community 41:53 - Voting feedback from MArinas and StartClub BNE 48:04 - Reducing theme customisation for a better app design 51:27 - Where to find Mitchell and Gavin online In this episode, we cover: Gavin’s move into a new home and office, and Mitchell’s fitness accountability update SixSides being recognised by FeedSpot as a top B2B SaaS podcast Managing an offshore software development team with better processes in Linear Engineering office hours, ticket shaping, project statuses and review pipelines Using weekly development updates to improve accountability and team communication Building the World Police and Fire Games app on the existing SixSides codebase Improving mobile app onboarding before asking attendees to register or sign in Supporting nested communities for countries, sports and other groups within major events Positioning SixSides as a community-led events platform Why high-value B2B software pricing often needs a sales conversation instead of a public calculator Using an internal pricing calculator to support quoting and future business case creation Preparing for AIME 2027 and building an event organiser community before the conference Feedback from MArinas and StartClub BNE after launching in-app voting Using pre-event onboarding and email sequences to improve attendee engagement Reducing theme customisation so the SixSides mobile app can feel more polished and consistent Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
65: We will crack a few eggs
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin get ready for the Marinas event, unpack a very busy week of sales meetings, rethink their LinkedIn strategy, and work through the product, marketing, and sales roadmap leading into the World Police and Fire Games launch window in August. Links Mobbin UI.sh The 4 Levels of SaaS Landing Page UI Design Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:05 - Fitness, accountability, and morning routines 03:29 - Marinas is almost live 08:10 - Event support and customer service expectations 13:01 - Nine meetings in one week 13:59 - Using DealBuddi and Gamma for proposals 20:13 - Rethinking the LinkedIn strategy 29:21 - Building a sales dashboard 34:05 - Cold outreach and new sales channels 37:40 - Mitch stole Gavin’s big idea 40:41 - Everything changes in August 44:34 - Rebuilding the marketing website 46:57 - Turning changelogs into feature and use case pages 53:00 - Scheduled notifications, voting, and dev updates In this episode, we cover: Mitchell’s attempt to get back into fitness, and Gavin’s suspiciously productive morning routine The upcoming Marinas event, and what it has taught us about onboarding larger events Why hands-on customer support still matters when you are bootstrapping a SaaS Gavin’s nine sales meetings in one week, and what that says about the new lead generation motion Using DealBuddi and Gamma to quickly produce a professional proposal The difference between strategic white papers and lighter proposal decks What we are learning from LinkedIn content, and why the strategy is changing Moving SixSides-focused posts to the company page Building personal founder audiences through build in public posts Creating a sales dashboard to track effort, pipeline, and revenue The cost and strategy behind thoughtful cold outreach Mitch accidentally rediscovering Gavin’s Canva integration idea The August roadmap for the World Police and Fire Games Preparing the SixSides marketing website for a potential spike in attention Turning changelog entries into feature pages, use case pages, and industry pages Using AI tools to improve product marketing and website design Shipping scheduled notifications and live voting for events Why August could become a major turning point for SixSides Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
64: David vs multiple Goliaths
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin recap Mitch’s Tasmanian honeymoon, unpack a sudden surge in leads, build out management reporting and Slack notifications, and wrestle with how SixSides can compete with much larger event platforms without hiding what makes the product special. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and audio note 01:18 - Life after the wedding and Mitch’s honeymoon 14:10 - So many leads 17:54 - Building management dashboards 19:49 - Slack notifications and sales visibility 27:00 - Startup World Cup and the next three months 34:26 - How do we compete with larger competitors? 47:47 - Building a changelog for SixSides 51:45 - Dev updates - Bento, attendee search and notifications 54:16 - Voting, app releases and managing the dev team In this episode, we cover: Mitch’s honeymoon in Tasmania, including Hobart, Bruny Island, Port Arthur, Freycinet and Launceston The shift from being “on the tools” to building a management and reporting structure A growing number of leads coming through LinkedIn and HubSpot Why the team may need better dashboards to track revenue, pipeline, lead indicators and website activity Using Slack notifications to surface new deals, website visitors and product activity across the team Gavin’s trip to a Startup World Cup info night and why he wants to pitch SixSides The massive three month lead-up to the first World Police Games release How SixSides should prepare its website, onboarding and positioning for more international exposure How small SaaS companies can compete with larger competitors Why public product docs, feature pages and changelogs might be worth the competitive risk How AI changes the speed at which competitors can copy features Building a changelog as a signal that SixSides is becoming a more mature product business Dev updates including Bento integration, attendee search, notification scheduling, adjustable logo heights and voting How Mitch is evolving the engineering review process with Martin and Raymond Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
63: Nine leads and a wedding
In this episode, Mitchell returns from his wedding and honeymoon break to find Gavin, the team, and the SixSides sales machine starting to build real momentum, with new leads coming in, LinkedIn and cold email taking shape, a potential SixSides community on the table, and an unexpected trademark issue in Singapore forcing the founders to get serious about protecting the brand. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Mitchell’s wedding recap 05:36 - Travel touches, DJs, dancing, and photo booths 12:06 - The sales machine is starting to work 13:36 - Managing the team while Mitchell was away 17:37 - Website traffic, PostHog, and app designer behaviour 18:25 - LinkedIn outreach and cold email 19:17 - Building a proper sales structure 20:16 - Why SixSides may need its own community 25:53 - The SixSides trademark scare in Singapore 31:10 - Wrapping up and what is next for the team In this episode, we cover: Mitchell’s wedding recap, including travel-themed details, geese, photo booths, and Gavin on the dance floor Why founders probably should not pretend they will work “just one hour a day” on holiday How Gavin managed the business while Mitchell was away The pressure of onboarding new team members while one founder is offline The early signs that the SixSides sales machine is starting to work New leads coming in through the business, and how the team is handling follow-up Building a clearer sales structure around LinkedIn, cold email, content, and community Why not every prospect is in a buying cycle, and how community could help bridge the gap Whether SixSides should build its own event manager community on SixSides or start on another platform Using PostHog to better understand how people move through the SixSides website and app designer Trademarking SixSides after a Google Play Store issue in Singapore The challenge of protecting a SaaS brand internationally as a bootstrapped startup Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
62: How to stay married while bootstrapping a SaaS (with Mel Tye)
In this episode, Gavin is joined by his wife Mel to unpack how they met, how they process risk differently, what it is like watching SixSides grow from the sidelines, and why trust, communication, and the occasional hard conversation matter when you are building a bootstrapped SaaS around family life. Chapters 00:00 - Mel’s first podcast begins 02:10 - How Gavin and Mel met 07:40 - Same values, very different ways of processing information 13:20 - Work, motherhood, control, and learning to let go 18:50 - Gavin’s many business ideas before SixSides 26:30 - From Sales Market Fit to DealBuddi 33:20 - How Mel reacted to SixSides and meeting Mitch 42:00 - When your co-founder becomes part of the family 49:10 - Big client wins and the next phase of SixSides 56:30 - Advice for founders and their partners In this episode, we cover: Mel’s first ever podcast appearance How Gavin and Mel met while working in recruitment and electrical contracting First impressions, nervousness, arrogance, and how people can be misread The difference between Gavin and Mel’s decision-making styles Getting comfortable with risk when your partner is a founder Gavin’s long list of past business ideas, including importing products, dog mats, lights, car mattresses, Cards Against Humanity, and 3D pens How Sales Market Fit evolved into DealBuddi Why Gavin’s sales skills work best when he is helping other people clarify and sell their own ideas The $20K course decision, and what it taught Gavin and Mel about making big financial calls together How Mel felt when Gavin first started working with Mitch on what became SixSides Why meeting Mitch and Nicole mattered personally, not just professionally The blurred line between business partnerships, friendships, and family Winning the World Police and Fire Games, and the role of long-term effort rather than luck Signing the Civil Contractors Federation as a major new SixSides client Moving into the next phase of SixSides, including team management and additional support Advice for founders and partners on communication, money, risk, and staying aligned Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
61: The great productivity explosion
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack the first full week with new developers on the SixSides team, the sudden jump in productivity and stress, the push to document processes properly, fresh leads coming through the door, and how they are preparing the business for Mitch’s wedding leave. Links Mobbin - https://mobbin.com/ ui.sh - https://ui.sh/ Chapters 00:00 - Intro, wedding nerves, and SixSides positioning 06:44 - The first full week with new developers 08:50 - Mobile app fixes and the first new release 11:47 - Dashboard work, Slack alerts, checklist items, and notifications 15:12 - The first dashboard signup and tracking growth 19:26 - Marketing website, docs, and design struggles 28:54 - Building SOPs and adjusting to team life 33:57 - Leads, Project Earth, and the bootstrap sales strategy 41:10 - Team culture, Slack emojis, and setting up events in minutes 46:21 - Handling Mitch’s leave and documenting development processes In this episode, we cover: Mitch’s final week before the wedding, and how the team is handling his leave The first full week of new developers working on SixSides Why hiring people can increase your workload before it reduces it Mobile app fixes for sponsors and sponsor names in event apps New Slack notifications for user signups, teams, and event creation Dashboard improvements for checklist items, attendees, pagination, search, and notifications The first dashboard signup, and what that means for sales visibility Building a better marketing website, docs, user guides, and support content Using tools like Mobbin, Stitch, UI.sh, and Cursor for product and website design inspiration The challenge of creating design from scratch when you can critique but not create Building SOPs across sales, marketing, and operations Adjusting to new stress levels as the business becomes more team-led Leads coming in through follow-ups and outbound work Project Earth, a major potential opportunity tied to a 2028 event How a sales-led bootstrapping strategy could fund the next stage of SixSides Creating an event in minutes before a business development meeting Why the team had to push back on a potential event during Mitch’s wedding week How Linear, Slack, screenshots, and written updates are being used to manage development work Setting expectations with the team around AI-generated updates and communication style Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
60: Building a multicultural team at SixSides
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin reflect on the first week with their expanded team, unpack what it means to build a thoughtful multicultural company, and talk through onboarding pains, revenue planning, AI’s impact on software development, and the next phase of SixSides. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and wedding countdown 07:33 - Our dev team started 10:12 - First weekly team meeting 11:31 - Building the marketing machine 14:27 - Leading a multicultural remote team 22:04 - How AI is changing Mitchell’s role 28:45 - Revenue projections and planning ahead 34:08 - PLL, PLG, and SLG at SixSides 43:04 - Reworking the marketing website 48:14 - World Police Games kickoff meeting In this episode, we cover: The first week with our new development team and the realities of onboarding across different devices and environments How our weekly all-team meeting brought the dev and sales sides of SixSides together Building standard operating procedures for marketing so content creation becomes more repeatable What it means to lead a multicultural remote team with more care, sensitivity, and intention Why we want SixSides to feel like a human business, not a cold, overly directive one Mitchell’s reflections on AI, coding, and how the software developer role is changing Revenue projections for the next 12 months and what our cash flow looks like with a growing team How flagship customers can help fund meaningful product development and unlock new markets The difference between product-led leads, product-led growth, and sales-led growth for SixSides Reworking the SixSides marketing website and CMS setup to support blogs, docs, white papers, and better search visibility Our kickoff meeting with the World Police Games team and what that project unlocks next Why authenticated onboarding, localisation, and a stronger first-run app experience are becoming more important Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
59: We won the World Police and Fire Games 2027!
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin finally unveil Project Rendezvous as the World Police and Fire Games 2027, share how the deal came together, welcome their first two developers to SixSides, and talk through the hiring sprint, website plans, LinkedIn content push, and why the next 12 months could change everything. Links World Police and Fire Games 2027 - https://wpfg2027.com/ Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Project Rendezvous is finally revealed 02:44 - How Volunteering WA led to the police games 06:18 - What the deal means for SixSides 10:27 - Hiring our first two developers 13:39 - The plan to announce it to the world 17:58 - The bank account, burn rate, and payment milestones 24:56 - Posting to LinkedIn and building a content engine 30:06 - Why the website is now a massive priority 32:37 - Two more paid events and more momentum 35:47 - What we’re working on this week In this episode, we cover: Unveiling Project Rendezvous as the World Police and Fire Games 2027 How the Volunteering WA event led to SixSides’ biggest deal so far What it takes to sell into large organisations with long procurement cycles Why this project could fund the next 12 to 18 months of growth Hiring SixSides’ first two developers - Raymond and Martin Growing the team across engineering, lead generation and marketing Building product features for international and large-scale event communities The pressure of milestone payments, cash flow, and managing burn Why the SixSides marketing website now matters more than ever Starting a proper LinkedIn content engine for founder-led marketing Turning white papers, case studies and blog posts into a repeatable content system How one major event could create years of lead generation and follow-on business Balancing weddings, leave, onboarding and startup momentum The ambition to turn event-driven sales into product-led growth Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
58: We doubled our team in two weeks
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin share why they moved fast to hire their first two team members, unpack the near-finished Project Rendezvous deal that made it possible, and talk through onboarding, process documentation, DealBuddi plans, and the next wave of product work inside SixSides. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:06 - We hired our first two team members 03:38 - Project Rendezvous and the procurement process 10:12 - Why this deal unlocked hiring 13:20 - Meet Chris and Rhea 15:07 - Fair Work, contracts, and doing right by the team 17:10 - Making up onboarding as we go 22:02 - Commission, incentives, and team-wide upside 26:38 - Product updates - liquid glass, app parity, and new event features 38:01 - The plan with DealBuddi In this episode, we cover: Hiring the first two team members for SixSides Why Project Rendezvous is such an important sales opportunity Using upfront strategy work to survive a formal procurement process The risks of hiring before a major deal is fully signed Onboarding new team members while building the process in real time Documenting SOPs and using AI to speed up internal operations Structuring fair pay, commission, and team-wide upside Navigating offshore hiring and Fair Work considerations Product updates across the SixSides app and dashboard Liquid glass design work and upgrading the app’s UI foundations Closing the parity gap between the app, dashboard, and AI assistant Event feature updates including session RSVPs, sponsors, and exhibitors Planning around Mitchell’s wedding and developer hiring timelines The next phase of DealBuddi and building AI-powered internal tools How the founders are thinking about growth, revenue, and team culture Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
57: Building the right team
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack a tense enterprise procurement process, share where hiring is up to across lead gen and development, and talk through the product, positioning, and SaaS agreement changes that are making SixSides feel more scalable. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:31 - Project Rendezvous and enterprise procurement delays 03:51 - Fitness updates and wedding countdown 07:28 - Hiring plans across lead gen and development 12:38 - Loom screening, technical hiring and what good candidates look like 18:38 - Creating room for initiative and experimentation in the team 23:18 - Project Hammer and expanding within existing accounts 25:12 - Website, design direction and making SixSides feel premium 32:33 - Product updates - dashboard fixes, AI assistant improvements and feature cleanup 38:54 - SaaS agreements, positioning work and wrapping up In this episode, we cover: The procurement panel slowing down a major SixSides deal Whether to keep hiring even before a large contract is formally signed Fitness updates, discipline struggles, and wedding prep Interviewing candidates for lead generation and development roles Why responsiveness and initiative matter more than a polished CV Building a 90 day onboarding plan for new hires Delegating LinkedIn and email outreach as the team grows A new expansion opportunity with Project Hammer Moving customers from one-off events to ongoing SaaS agreements Updating the SixSides dashboard so organisers can manage more without developer help Improving the AI assistant so it can handle links, logos, profile photos, and more event setup tasks Why modern UI matters for an event platform built around connection and community Using product design to make SixSides feel more premium Planning webinars and outreach to convert past event users into future organisers Clarifying SixSides positioning as a community-first event engagement platform Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
56: We're hiring!
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack a huge turning point for SixSides as they start hiring, celebrate Project Rendezvous moving into contracts, and talk through how DealBuddi, team structure, and long-term planning are all evolving at once. Links DealBuddi - https://dealbuddi.com ChatGPT Atlas - https://chatgpt.com/atlas/ Superwhisper - https://superwhisper.com Aaron Francis on YouTube - Are designers cooked? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm9im-3g8fY Stitch by Google - https://stitch.withgoogle.com Suno - https://suno.com Chapters 00:00 - Editor’s note and intro 00:52 - We’re hiring at SixSides 07:38 - Using Atlas browser and AI to screen applicants 14:08 - Project Rendezvous gets approved 18:49 - What DealBuddi does and why it matters now 27:39 - Rebuilding DealBuddi in Laravel 31:04 - Founder roles, planning styles and playing to strengths 35:23 - National Safety Conference and product adoption lessons 38:44 - PlanetScale spikes and event infrastructure 41:58 - Founders Collective, student work experience and wrap-up In this episode, we cover: Why now feels like the right time for SixSides to start hiring Hiring a growth marketer, lead gen support and multiple developers Using AI tools like Atlas browser to screen job applicants faster How voice-to-text workflows with Superwhisper and ChatGPT are changing day-to-day work Project Rendezvous getting committee approval and moving into contract discussions Why DealBuddi’s positioning needs work and how it supports real sales conversations The plan to rebuild DealBuddi from Bubble into Laravel Founder roles, planning styles and how to play to each other’s strengths Lessons from the National Safety Conference and event app adoption Database load spikes in PlanetScale during live events Founders Collective momentum, community building and staying in touch between events Why student work experience is a good idea, but not the right fit just yet Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
55: That's tree trimming money
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin unpack a huge week of live events, reflect on the first real signs of SaaS leverage inside SixSides, talk through plans to hire their first extra team members, and share why Project Rendezvous could become a major turning point for the business. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:25 - CCF Women in Civil and a big week of events 03:31 - We’re not engaging with attendees properly 08:13 - We’re hiring 12:03 - Good signs for Project Rendezvous 20:43 - Project Hammer Brisbane and tree trimming money 27:45 - Bridging the gap between operations and dev with Linear 39:09 - NSCA tomorrow 40:31 - Understanding the user journey on our site with PostHog 43:41 - When do we hire for AI and agents? In this episode, we cover: What happened at the CCF Women in Civil event and how attendee usage is improving Why SixSides needs a better post-event attendee engagement strategy How the team is thinking about email automation and lifecycle messaging with Bento The current growth in platform users across all SixSides events Why Mitchell and Gavin are planning their first hires across development and lead generation How Project Rendezvous could unlock faster growth and more engineering capacity The moment SixSides started to feel like a real software business with paid events running without hands-on support Lessons from Project Hammer and how event setup is becoming more repeatable Bridging the gap between operations and development with better planning in Linear Why the team is looking at PostHog to better understand the user journey on the marketing website How bootstrapping affects hiring, planning, and long-term product decisions When AI agents might become part of the team structure Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
54: There is so much to do
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate their fastest client win yet, prepare for five events in seven days, share updates to the SixSides app and dashboard, and unpack the growing pressure of building a bootstrapped SaaS when the momentum finally starts to kick in. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:19 - Fitness update and hitting new milestones 03:42 - Fastest client win yet 06:46 - Five events in seven days 10:35 - Building the first user guide 14:59 - Should we go back to AIM next year? 18:11 - Product updates in the app and dashboard 22:33 - There is so much to do 31:31 - Should we hire our first developer? 38:05 - Outro In this episode, we cover: Fitness progress and how personal routines are tracking alongside startup pressure Our fastest client win yet and what made the sales process work How a quick Loom walkthrough helped close a new event customer Why community building keeps coming up in SixSides sales conversations Invoicing momentum and how March revenue is already beating last year Preparing for five events in seven days across multiple customers The operational risk of becoming the bottleneck as event volume grows Building a first draft attendee user guide for event clients Using Gamma to speed up polished documentation and onboarding assets Why sponsor and exhibitor workflows could become a product-led growth lever Recommitting to AIME as a key conference for future customer growth New SixSides product updates including sponsor tier layouts and feature toggles Fixing AI assistant tooling issues in the dashboard backend The growing product roadmap across the website, dashboard, infrastructure and mobile app Whether it is time for SixSides to hire a first developer The realities of bootstrapping while juggling multiple businesses Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
53: Our biggest deal yet
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate one year of podcasting, lock in their biggest client commitment yet with four more events booked through to EOFY, and unpack what’s next across dashboards, lead gen follow-ups, Linear vs Slack, and a big push towards a better AI workflow inside SixSides. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and one year anniversary 02:40 - Biggest deal yet - four more events booked 06:27 - Project Rendezvous - still waiting 07:34 - Leadfeeder signals and why the website needs work 10:46 - Slack channel vs Linear for feature requests 15:58 - AI inside SixSides - Vercel AI SDK, agents, and better chat UX 22:14 - Infra fatigue and keeping the work fun 27:02 - AIM follow-ups and lead gen reply reality 29:36 - The DICE - mailing packs and handwritten notes 31:19 - Fitness check-in and staying consistent In this episode, we cover: One year of podcasting and how routine keeps the business grounded Landing the biggest SixSides deal so far and booking four more events through to EOFY Hitting 93% event app adoption and what might be driving it Project Rendezvous delay and learning to live on other people’s timelines Using Leadfeeder-style tooling to see who’s checking out the SixSides site Why the marketing site needs screenshots, walkthroughs, and a proper sign-up path Linear vs Slack for feature requests and how to keep dev work organised Using AI inside SixSides to duplicate events and reduce setup grunt work Moving towards the Vercel AI SDK and improving agent workflows, approvals, and attachments Parking infra work to stay motivated and keep shipping AIM follow-ups, outreach reply rates, and lead gen back in motion The DICE mail-out plan and handwritten notes for supporters Fitness routines, travel disruption, and staying consistent over perfection Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
52: This episode is mostly technical
In this episode, we go mostly technical - Mitchell migrates the SixSides dashboard from Vue to React, moves the database to PlanetScale, and outlines the plan for proper preview environments that go from Linear to Cursor to live. Along the way there’s a fitness check-in, a disrupted Canberra trip, Project Hammer running without us on-site, and a new plan for an event manager success playbook. Links mostlytechnical.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro, billionaires, and the Christmas present 05:00 - Anniversary trip recap - escape room, Harbour Bridge nope, ice cream mission 08:50 - Fitness updates - gym habits, 75 Hard halfway, and easing into running 14:20 - We’re a React app now - why we moved from Vue 20:05 - PlanetScale migration - ditching RDS and simplifying the database setup 25:05 - Cost reduction and scaling globally into other regions 27:30 - Import issues, support fixes, and the “metal instance” workaround 32:50 - Linear to Cursor to live previews - the new dev workflow 41:30 - Project Rendezvous, CCF Magazine, and external deadline pressure 48:25 - Canberra trip disruption, Project Hammer lessons, and mailing out the dice In this episode, we cover: The “billionaire” Christmas present (Zimbabwean dollars, obviously) Anniversary trip vibes, escape rooms, and bailing on the Harbour Bridge walk Fitness updates - 75 Hard progress, running blocks, and sore feet Why SixSides is now a React dashboard (goodbye Vue) Using Cursor to accelerate a React rewrite and why popularity matters for AI tooling Moving the SixSides database from AWS RDS to PlanetScale Consolidating global and regional databases into a simpler model Data sovereignty trade-offs (and when it’s worth paying for) Big cost reduction for adding regions (from hundreds to tens per month) The plan for preview environments: Linear tickets - Cursor agents - live preview links Replacing Laravel Vapor with Terraform for better automation Project Rendezvous update and what “due diligence” could look like CCF Magazine editorial deadline pressure Canberra trip disrupted, then Sydney trip pivot Project Hammer ran without the founders on-site - lessons learned Building an event manager success playbook Mailing out SixSides dice to leads - and a review-for-dice offer Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
51: We shipped our dashboard between bike rides
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin debrief their first big AIME conference trip - from Mitch’s truly unhinged packing list to what they learned meeting organisers face-to-face, how they plan to follow up leads, and why the new SixSides dashboard and AI workflows suddenly became the star of the booth. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:05 - What did Mitch pack? 06:34 - Relocating to Melbourne - podcast gear, desktop PC, and the mic-in-a-cup moment 11:12 - AIME debrief - nerves, then finding the groove 13:23 - Selling lessons - human first, outcomes over features 16:35 - Lead follow-up plan - LinkedIn connects, then email sequencing 17:49 - Dice idea - why we want them at every event 20:14 - Booth lessons - placement away from competitors and why banners weren’t the play 22:22 - The Monday sprint - shipping the dashboard demo fast 24:05 - What we’d change next time - travel days, flights, schedule and dress code 28:19 - Project Hammer update and meeting Joe in person 29:10 - Dashboard and AI workflows - self-serve events and production rollout 35:49 - The “exercise trip” recap - 40k steps, food, and no relaxing 37:16 - The tan track and the uphill cycling humiliation 39:43 - Project Rendezvous white paper - global rollout strategy and what’s next In this episode, we cover: Mitch’s chaotic travel kit - steamer, mini fan, full desktop PC, and podcast gear AIME conference debrief - nerves, first conversations, and surprising moments What worked at the booth - demoing dashboards, theming, and speed of execution How Mitch and Gavin approach conversations differently - features vs outcomes Lead follow-up plan - LinkedIn connects, email sequencing, and timing Dice update - why physical gimmicks might matter more than banners Lessons learned - flights, schedules, attire, and staying until the end The SixSides dashboard - self-serve event setup and getting Mitch out of the loop Productivity gains with AI tooling (with a bigger tech stack chat teased for next week) Exercise and travel routines - 40k steps, sore legs, and avoiding weight creep Project Rendezvous update - white paper strategy and “initial rollout” framing Founder Collective update - co-hosting with The Precinct and upcoming events Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
50: Live from Melbourne
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin record in person from a Melbourne hotel room ahead of AIM, share what it cost to exhibit and what they’re actually trying to achieve, and unpack big momentum updates across Project Rendezvous, CCF, and a major push to get SixSides dashboards ready for live demos. Links atlas.dev Chapters 00:00 - Audio note - recording in person with two mics 00:28 - Live from Melbourne - exercise trip meets lead gen trip 02:53 - Morning person vs night person (and the need for naps) 05:39 - Project Rendezvous update - multi-year potential and pricing pressure 08:29 - What AIM is and why we’re exhibiting 09:23 - Booth setup - reusable banner, shipping pain, and vendor shoutout 12:19 - Booth envy - avoiding the event tech aisle and why positioning matters 15:08 - Conference strategy - lead rating, rapport, and follow-up commitments 17:12 - Pricing direction - per-event pilots to SaaS, dashboards as the key 26:57 - Shoutout to Clay Smith on Bluesky 28:44 - CCF President’s Lunch recap - JT on stage and Tag, You're It via event photos 31:51 - Dashboards build sprint - consolidating repos and shipping fast with AI 35:42 - Using AI for white papers - foundations first, then polish 38:13 - Weight loss update - 5kg down, walking focus, no booze habits 46:00 - Lessons learned coming next week - pitching, exhibiting, and confidence building In this episode, we cover: Recording in person from Melbourne and the joys of mismatched mics Exercising like maniacs and discovering who’s a morning person vs a night person What AIM is, why we’re exhibiting, and how much it cost Booth setup decisions, reusable banners, and avoiding the intimidating event tech aisle Conference lead strategy - cold/warm/hot leads and getting commitment to follow up Project Rendezvous update - pricing pressure, US decision makers, and multi-year deal potential Shifting from per-event pricing to SaaS pricing, and why dashboards are the unlock The CCF President’s Lunch recap, JT on stage, and a new angle for Tag, You're It using event photos How we’re both using AI - white papers for sales, dashboards for product iteration Mitch’s weight loss journey update Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
49: Why we're being so transparent
In this episode, we unpack why we’ve chosen to be so transparent on the podcast - the upside for listeners, the potential risks with customers and competitors, and where we draw the line on sharing sensitive details. We also share a stack of updates as AIME approaches, including meeting bookings, a new client trial, analytics learnings from Heroly, multi-agent AI workflows, and a big strategic planning prompt from Inductive. Plus, wedding prep and fitness check-ins to round things out. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:46 - AIME meeting bookings update (Gavin on 11+, Mitch on 3) 03:20 - Banner logistics and prep for Melbourne 06:07 - The secret AI breakthrough teaser for AIM 09:28 - Why we’re being so transparent (and the downsides) 16:34 - Being “small” vs getting on people’s radar 18:40 - New client trial and shifting to community-based pricing 20:43 - Why short events don’t suit “tagging” features 22:10 - Catching up with Heroly: analytics, AI and advice 24:35 - Using multiple AI agents in parallel (what worked, what didn’t) 29:00 - Claude Code vs Cursor experiments 30:02 - Project Hammer update and deadlines 30:40 - Inductive session: backcasting to $10M-$20M 32:45 - Wedding planning update (catering, dogs, MC/DJ, photo booth, bus) 37:41 - Fitness check-in (weight, habits, 5k walks, Apple Watch, Strava) 46:24 - Episode 50 coming up and outro In this episode, we cover: Why we’re choosing transparency, and what could go wrong The trade-offs between “looking big” vs being honest about being small AIME prep: meeting bookings, banners, and how we’re pitching the stand A new client trial and testing a community-based, ongoing pricing model Why “tagging” style features don’t suit short events and meetups Learning from Heroly's analytics setup (and what we’re missing) Using multiple AI agents in parallel without melting your brain Cursor vs Claude Code, and what we’re experimenting with next Project Hammer update and timelines for event setup Backcasting with Inductive to plan for a $10M-$20M future Wedding planning progress and suit decisions Fitness habits: daily 5k walks, early gym sessions, and staying consistent Episode 50 coming up Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
48: No dice
In this episode, we debrief a not-quite-right funding program (and a rejection that honestly saved us time), share encouraging momentum on Project Rendezvous, and get into full pre-conference mode for AIME in Melbourne - flights, accommodation, banner logistics, meeting bookings, and the lead capture tool build. Chapters 00:00 - Intro - wedding prep and what’s on this week 07:01 - Funding chat - rejected for the first interview and why it wasn’t a fit 10:15 - Project Rendezvous update - signs are positive (and it could change everything) 14:25 - Marinus check-in - timelines, sponsors, and expectations 15:23 - Lead capture tool progress - backend done, frontend next 18:36 - AIME prep - flights, accom, and the Melbourne plan 21:26 - Credit card points - Amex without spending beyond your means 23:25 - Booth logistics - banner arrives and meeting booking portal opens 26:00 - No dice - supplier drama, refunds, and the Alibaba pivot 29:30 - 75 hard vs 75 medium - fitness updates, shin splints, and staying consistent In this episode, we cover: Why the accelerator style funding program wasn’t a fit (10 weeks in-office with no guarantee) A positive update on Project Rendezvous and what “long-term partner” could mean Catching up with Marinus ahead of their May conference and sponsor scale (60+ exhibitors) Progress on the sponsor lead capture tool - backend done, frontend next Whether the lead capture tool should become a separate app AIME conference prep - flights, accommodation, bikes, and daily walking plans Applying for an Amex to earn points on business spend (without spending beyond your means) Banner arrived - and it’s way heavier than expected Meeting booking portal opened and how we’ll approach outreach The dice order saga, the refund, and switching to Alibaba for cheaper dice 75 hard vs 75 medium updates - plus shin splints, walking plans, and diet tweaks Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
47: We're thinking about funding
In this episode, Mitch and Gavin ease back into the year with a big life update (Mitch’s tea ceremony), some very real fitness chat, and then get into the spicy question they keep circling - should SixSides consider funding to accelerate growth? Chapters 00:00 - Intro and personal stuff 17:30 - Back to business - AIM prep 18:29 - Booth logistics - table hire costs and keeping it simple 19:04 - Ordering dice, cancelling the order, and refunds 19:49 - Shout out to Nick Taylor 20:56 - Booking flights and timing around AIME 21:24 - Main topic - we’re thinking about funding 25:30 - What funding changes for Gavin (focus, lead gen, capacity) 29:08 - The trade-offs - bosses, reporting, networks, advice 31:10 - Lead capture tools and sponsor lead gen pricing 34:14 - Reducing reliance on attending events in person 37:31 - Getting the most out of a work trip (Project Hammer travel stacking) 39:35 - Referral to an international events company 40:16 - Wrap up and where to find us In this episode, we cover: Mitch’s edit note - the first 17 minutes are very not-business Getting back into fitness - 75 Hard, 75 Medium, and 75 Easy Parkrun follow-up, chafing survival strategies, and being sick Mitch’s tea ceremony recap - games, challenges, and family speeches AIME prep - booth setup decisions, signage, hiring tables, and keeping it simple Ordering custom dice and cancelling a dropship order Shout out to Nick Taylor and the promised dice Booking flights and planning travel around events The big topic - funding vs bootstrapping and what “full-time” would change Lead capture tools, sponsor lead gen, and how to create more inbound opportunities Reducing reliance on attending events in person and planning for clashes and overseas events Referrals and partnerships that could pull SixSides into new regions Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
46: Our biggest bid yet
In this episode, we’re back from the break and gearing up for the biggest pitch of our SaaS journey so far. Gavin walks us through how we approached pricing for Project Rendezvous — a potentially game-changing deal — while Mitch shares what he didn’t finish during the holidays. We also get into prepping for AIME, our lead capture tool, why we’re ordering custom dice (yes, dice), and a whole lot of honest founder chat about fitness, burnout, and figuring out what kind of company we want to be. Links 8 Ball Pool app: iOS and Android Chapters 00:00 - Intro - back for 2026 00:37 - Holiday catch-up - first aid incident and a tough Christmas 06:00 - Mitch’s new pool table hobby (and the 8 Ball Pool app) 10:34 - Project Rendezvous update - sponsor prospectus and indicative pricing 12:25 - Pricing advice - “get the logo first, pricing second” 16:42 - Big opportunity pressure - backlog, speed, and protecting advantage 20:24 - Learning from podcasts - growth tactics and AI agents in sales 26:57 - AIME prep - booth planning, swag, and ordering custom SixSides dice 31:47 - Mitch’s “spectacle” ideas vs conference reality 32:40 - AR concept - how we might wow people at the booth 34:10 - Badge scanning tool - OCR lead capture and follow-ups 36:18 - Do we even need a TV? Booth strategy chat 38:48 - Travel logistics - flights, accom, and budgeting 41:26 - Mitch’s tea ceremony - getting “married” before the wedding 43:28 - Project Hammer Sydney trip planning 44:35 - Virtual office - looking legit with a business address 45:48 - Fitness goals - running, Strava, Parkrun, and wedding prep 52:13 - Wrap-up - where to find us and the SixSides dice giveaway In this episode, we cover: Our experiences over the holiday period (including some intense moments) Why Mitch didn’t get as much done on SixSides as he hoped The story behind Project Rendezvous and our pricing strategy Creating sponsor and pricing documents for a major event How Gavin’s ex-CEO helped shape our approach Planning for AIME: dice giveaways, AR interactions, and more Whether we need to aim higher for in-person events Why Gavin is rethinking our pace and whether we should stay bootstrapped What we’re learning from other SaaS founders via podcasts Our lead capture tool and how OCR is helping us demo at AIME Virtual offices, customer perception, and looking legit Fitness goals and accountability leading into Mitch’s wedding Mitch’s pool table obsession (and why 8 Ball Pool is surprisingly educational) Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
45: Getting to know Mitch and Gav
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin take a break from the usual product updates to share the personal backstories that shaped them - from childhood and family life, to early career detours, to how they eventually teamed up to build SixSides. Chapters 00:00 - Intro - co-founders, holiday timing, and why this episode 01:07 - Gav’s 2026 challenge: learning harmonica 01:49 - Why we’re doing a “get to know us” episode 02:48 - Gav’s childhood, moving around, and early perspective shift 06:11 - Mitch’s childhood, Central Coast life, and independence 13:44 - Family pressure, mentors, and what shaped Gav 16:38 - Counselling, relationships, and communication lessons 24:45 - Mitch’s path into coding: GTA SA-MP and first paid dev work 31:20 - Gav’s path into sales: labour work, Vodafone, mining, and SaaS 37:58 - Redeye, the MBA, and the start of Sales Market Fit 41:06 - Mitch goes solo: the spreadsheet gig and long-term client 50:38 - RecruitKit: product lessons and selling reality 52:50 - How Mitch and Gav met (CV Check), and the coaching era 59:00 - EventKit to SixSides: Laracon AU, community angle, and the Laravel IP snag 01:10:59 - SixSides today: what “six sides” means, working together, and what’s next In this episode, we cover: Why we recorded a “get to know us” episode for the holiday break Gavin’s childhood, moving around, and the perspective it gave him Mitchell’s upbringing, independence early on, and the teachers who influenced him Counselling, relationships, and learning to communicate better How Mitchell got into coding through GTA: San Andreas Multiplayer scripting Gavin’s winding path into sales - from labour roles to Vodafone, mining, and SaaS The stepping stones that led to RecruitKit, EventKit, and ultimately SixSides How Mitch and Gav met through a CV Check sales process (and why Mitch resisted) Why SixSides focuses on community-building, not “just another event app” Where the name SixSides comes from and the six sides of an event What it’s like working together as co-founders, and how they handle friction A look ahead at growth, hiring, and what 2026 might demand Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
44: How much did we actually make this year?
In this episode, we look back on our first full year of building SixSides and share our top 5 moments each – from the emotional, to the hilarious, to the surprisingly profitable. Chapters 00:00 - Intro - uncaffeinated Mitch, cafe loyalty, QR code banter 02:14 - What are we doing - year in review, top 5 moments, full transparency on numbers 03:05 - Revenue and expenses - $15k in, $10.5k revenue, $23k spend, what surprised us 07:34 - Bootstrapping chat - when funding might make sense, momentum and market advantage 10:57 - Putting more money in - hiring ahead of revenue, marketing role, managing risk 13:39 - Top 5 moments begin - Mitch’s #5: starting the podcast 18:09 - Gav’s #5: starting this venture together 19:58 - Mitch’s #4: meeting in person in June 21:11 - Gav’s #4: The Founders Collective as a living case study 23:06 - Mitch’s #3: Volunteering WA win and the payoff 25:41 - Gav’s #3: designing “holy shit moments” and seeing them work live 28:29 - Mitch’s #2: Laracon AU stress test - will the app fall over? 31:58 - Gav’s #2: end-of-year momentum shift and inbound opportunities 34:39 - Mitch’s #1: Brisbane hangs - drinking on the couch with Gav and Mel 38:21 - Gav’s #1: Project Rendezvous - the opportunity that could change 2026 42:28 - Bonus moments - conflict, communication, lessons from Denmark 47:41 - Where to find us - Gavin’s plugs, Mitch’s socials, Happy New Year and what’s next In this episode, we cover: SixSides 2025 year in review - what changed (especially in the last 3 months) Revenue for the year: $10.5k invoiced/received (excluding two agreements for next year) Funding put in by founders: $15k total (setup, hosting pre-credits, AIM sponsorship) Total spend for the year: just over $23k (incl. AIME for next year, contractor work, hosting, accounting) Current bank position: roughly $2.5k left in the account What bootstrapping feels like right now - and when funding might make sense The “spend $2k to make $20k” mindset - spending only when it’s revenue generating or reduces costs Hiring ahead of revenue - likely bringing on a marketing person next year Top 5 moments each (mix of personal and business highlights) Starting the podcast and why it’s become a weekly journal + creative outlet Meeting in person (June catch-up) and building the co-founder relationship The Founders Collective as a “living case study” for SixSides (events, RSVPs, lead gen) Volunteering WA delivery - first big in-person win and the emotional payoff Designing “holy shit moments” and seeing them work live at events Laracon AU “stress test” - hundreds of photo uploads, infra holding up, learning from edge cases End-of-year momentum shift - more inbound conversations and unexpected opportunities Project Rendezvous teaser - why it could be a step-change opportunity Navigating conflict and improving communication as co-founders Quick wrap: where to find you both online + New Year / upcoming long-form episode teaser Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
43: Our goals for 2026
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin wrap the year with a Christmas check-in and map out what 2026 needs to look like for SixSides, including revisiting the $300k goal, chasing bigger multi-event deals, and getting ready for AIM in February. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Merry Christmas 01:06 - Revisiting the $300k goal for 2026 03:40 - Sharing revenue and founder contributions next episode 04:49 - What drives $300k: multi-event deals and bigger contracts 06:06 - Leads coming from LinkedIn outreach and Mitch’s profile 08:27 - Setting a baseline goal: $120k invoiced in 2026 10:32 - Project Rendezvous meeting update and buy-side milestones 14:10 - AIME conference prep: booth, signage, meetings portal 17:00 - Marketing hire plan and lead gen investment 18:55 - Pausing outreach for the holiday period 19:23 - New leads, long-term opportunities, and international interest 20:49 - Mitch’s work Christmas party and the “future company dinner” idea 24:40 - Cursor UI mockups, speed of shipping, and product quality lift 33:10 - Inbox zero and dashboard work over the break 34:50 - Roadmap: dashboards, photo selection, notifications, user-level galleries 41:15 - Fireflies didn’t record the biggest meeting 43:10 - Wrap up, where to find the boys, and what’s next In this episode, we cover: Revisiting the $300k goal for 2026, and why the market signals feel different now A more conservative baseline goal: invoicing $120k in 2026 Project Rendezvous update, pricing pressure, and competing against “product-only” vendors “Buy-side milestones” and how to arm internal champions with the right info AIME (February) planning: booth setup, reusable signage, and booking meetings via the event portal Hiring a part-time marketing resource to run lead gen strategy and iteration Pausing LinkedIn outreach over the holidays (and why that matters) Why a self-serve setup flow and dashboards are the next big product bottleneck to kill Cursor-generated UI mockups that look production-ready in two prompts Roadmap thoughts: dashboards, photo selection, notification inbox, and lifting galleries/connections to the user level The joys of a work Christmas party… and why remote teams miss that Fireflies failing to record your biggest meeting and the scramble to memory-dump notes Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
42: Planning our first hire
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate landing a new client (Project Hammer), read out their latest listener emails, give pragmatic advice on validating SaaS ideas, and unpack what it looks like to plan their first hire - starting with just four hours a week focused on lead generation. Chapters 00:00 - Intro - building SixSides and the 12-month momentum shift 01:17 - We won another client - welcome, Project Hammer 04:29 - Project Rendezvous prep - pitch work, mockups, and what to demo 09:48 - Listener emails - Herri Lee and Nick from the UK 12:15 - Nick’s questions - validating SaaS ideas and when to start marketing 20:46 - Planning our first hire - 4 hours a week and ROI expectations 23:47 - SOPs and documentation - avoiding vague roles and churn 28:08 - The “Messi effect” - sprinting when it matters, avoiding burnout 33:05 - Next year planning - AIM, banners, travel, and a stacked first half 36:14 - Sales cycles vs effort - and the path to self-serve signups 44:07 - What Mitch is building for Thursday - reskinned app demo for the pitch In this episode, we cover: Winning a new client and why you should codename early deals (hello, Project Hammer) Prepping for a high-stakes pitch with Project Rendezvous, including scripted intros and mockups Listener emails from Heroly and Nick, and what questions we’d love more people to send Advice for developers starting a SaaS - validating ideas with interviews before building When to start marketing - and why relationships beat “get 1,000 customers” thinking Planning the first hire: four hours a week, ROI expectations, and not burning cash Creating lightweight SOPs and documentation so hires don’t fail from vague expectations The “Messi effect” - when to sprint and when to cruise to avoid burnout Next year planning: AIM conference prep, booth “holy shit moments”, banners, and travel Thoughts on sales cycle length vs actual effort, and when self-serve might make sense Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
41: Can we win two more customers before Christmas?
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate landing a new customer (Marinas 2026) and wonder: can they win two more before the holidays? They unpack the exciting (and slightly terrifying) momentum they’re feeling, dream about going full-time on SixSides, and discuss a potentially game-changing opportunity in Project Rendezvous. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:28 - Can you feel the momentum? 01:29 - We landed Marinas 2026 03:07 - Planning for the future: going full-time? 07:12 - Gavin reflects on founder traits and coachability 08:37 - Early talks with VCs and making a single bet 10:12 - Project Rendezvous: a potential game-changer 12:05 - Mitch feels it too 15:35 - Challenge: can we win two more customers before Christmas? 18:03 - Deep dive on Marinas onboarding and expectations 19:45 - Deals slipping through the cracks in HubSpot? 21:03 - White-labelling SixSides for big customers 26:05 - Community story: how our podcast helped someone get a job 27:32 - Reviewing the Preshience sponsor experience 30:44 - Brainstorming a lead capture tool for sponsors 33:31 - Could this be another revenue stream? 35:45 - Mitchell still hasn’t posted on LinkedIn 37:30 - Bed bugs, broken cars and a terrible Airbnb 44:34 - Mitchell recovers and delivers photo exports for clients 47:20 - Gavin’s podcast appearance and Mitch’s wedding prep In this episode, we cover: Signing a new customer: Marina Industries Association Are we actually building momentum or just hoping we are? Big conversations about going full-time on SixSides Project Rendezvous and why it could change everything Gavin’s thoughts on founder focus and the Inductive program Learning from past mistakes (Mitchell’s RecruitKit story) A new use case: SixSides for sponsors and exhibitors Reviewing the Preshience pilot and lead capture challenges White-labelling the SixSides app for enterprise clients Bulk photo downloads for customers like Denmark and Preshience The ever-elusive LinkedIn post from Mitchell A disaster getaway: bed bugs, broken Mahjong and a flat car battery Gavin’s upcoming appearance on the Bootstrapped podcast Prepping for mock-ups and meetings before Christmas Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
40: Project Rendezvous
In this episode, we reflect on a surprisingly big sales week that came off the back of Laracon AU and Volunteering WA. Mitch steps outside his comfort zone as we commit to exhibiting at AIME 2026. We talk conference nerves, how fast you should respond to leads, and how an unexpected testimonial made all the difference. Links Delivering 15TB of 4K video with Cloudflare R2 for $2.18: screencasting.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro and catching up 01:40 - Mitch’s Mahjong weekend plans 04:00 - Sales stories and risky contract practices 07:45 - Locking in AIME2026 and planning our booth 10:20 - Project Rendezvous: the biggest opportunity yet 14:40 - The follow-up email mistake 18:20 - Juggling SixSides with SMF and DealBuddi 21:55 - WorldShare’s Cambodia trip review 25:10 - Using SixSides as a lead capture tool 28:45 - Improving onboarding for sponsors and attendees 31:20 - Gavin’s bonus-points-per-5-photos idea 34:00 - Our marketing glow-up and the new white paper 39:20 - SOPs, design quality and marketing processes 43:40 - The Leap vs our podcast 48:10 - Planning for the holiday period and listener feedback In this episode, we cover: AIME2026 and locking in our first conference booth Project Rendezvous: the biggest opportunity we’ve ever had Gavin’s near-disastrous follow-up email and how he recovered Using SixSides as a lead capture tool for the first time Gavin’s genius idea for bonus points per 5 photos WorldShare’s Cambodia impact trip and feedback on SixSides Mitch building our first white paper (and levelling up on Canva) The evolution of our marketing website and webinar strategy Balancing SixSides with our other businesses during sales spikes Planning our podcast schedule over the holiday break An open call for listener feedback on next year’s format Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
39: $200K in the pipeline
In this episode, we reflect on a surprisingly big sales week that came off the back of Laracon AU and Volunteering WA. Mitch steps outside his comfort zone as we commit to exhibiting at AIME 2026. We talk conference nerves, how fast you should respond to leads, and how an unexpected testimonial made all the difference. Links Subscribe to the newsletter: sixsides.substack.com The Leap (podcast) by Founders Collective: podcasts.apple.com The Plateau of Latent Potential: medium.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro & Gavin’s fruit bat problem 02:00 - A big week in sales: $200K in new pipeline 04:30 - Laracon AU feedback and Vickie’s testimonial 06:30 - What if we had stopped? Reflecting on momentum 07:30 - DealBuddi and business juggling 08:30 - Our five-minute reply challenge 11:00 - Sending the first contract via DocuSign 12:00 - How our first webinar went (and what’s next) 15:00 - Committing to AIME 2026 (and Mitch’s nerves) 22:00 - Gavin’s other conference commitment for DealBuddi 23:00 - Reaching out to Justin Jackson and cold emails 27:00 - Founders Collective recap with Mark Salby 32:00 - Improving app UX for small meetups 36:00 - Tagging photos, engagement ideas, and event UX 37:00 - Tall poppy syndrome and staying under the radar 40:00 - Should we go public with our wins? 43:00 - Wrapping up and where to find us In this episode, we cover: How Volunteering WA and Laracon AU filled our pipeline Why testimonials matter (and what Vickie said about our app) Reaching out to Justin Jackson (and how he responded) Mitch confronting his fear of manning a booth at AIME 2026 Lessons from running a second Founders Collective meetup How we’re improving “Tag You’re It” UX The five-minute rule for responding to leads Why tall poppy syndrome might be holding some founders back Whether it’s time to go public with our wins Webinar experiments and how we’re repurposing content DealBuddi and juggling multiple businesses The moment when momentum finally shifts Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
38: 2,500 photos in two weeks
In this episode, we do a full debrief of Laracon AU, breaking down exactly what worked (and what didn’t) with SixSides in our biggest and most polished event deployment yet. From overwhelming feedback and glowing stats to near-crashes and a few WorkOS woes, we unpack it all — plus a peek into what’s coming next. Links Subscribe to the newsletter: sixsides.substack.com The Leap (podcast) by Founders Collective: podcasts.apple.com The Plateau of Latent Potential: medium.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Laracon AU first impressions 05:25 - Comparing Laracon and Volunteering WA 08:20 - Lessons from mobile app support 10:00 - Real business dev opportunities coming out 12:30 - The plateau of latent potential 14:45 - Stats that blew us away 19:00 - Rethinking the structure of a conference 24:45 - WorldShare event recap 27:45 - Supporting events remotely 31:00 - Scaling concerns and AWS limits 36:20 - Prepping for the upcoming webinar 41:00 - The SixSides culture reflected in the app 43:30 - Founders Collective and upcoming events 46:00 - Viral growth through the product 47:25 - Shoutouts and lead follow-ups 50:00 - Next steps in development 52:22 - Building impact reports for organisers 53:50 - Tracking users for grant goals 55:15 - Wrap up and final thoughts In this episode, we cover: Our experience at Laracon AU and how the event played out App stats: 2,500+ photos, 300+ questions, 91% five-star ratings The power of prescriptive MCs and the “Tag You’re It” feature Comparing stats from Laracon AU vs Volunteering WA The stress of mobile support for live event software Lessons learned from WorldShare’s Cambodia event How SixSides helps break the ice and boost connections Turning Laracon attendees into leads (14 and counting!) The upcoming webinar and what we’re covering Early traction on Founders Collective and what’s next Our thoughts on scale, support, and infrastructure Sneaky UX issues and what we’re prioritising in dev Why events are now the core of our business development strategy Planning follow-ups and personal recap emails Community, connection, and culture as product advantages Why we’re building case studies for every major event Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
37: Live from Gavin's kitchen
In this episode, Mitch and Gavin are finally recording together in person from the Gold Coast – live from Gavin’s kitchen, no less. They dive into their huge week delivering the Volunteering WA conference, prep for Laracon AU, and share some honest lessons learned from the front lines of building SixSides. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and live from the Gold Coast 01:22 - Volunteering WA recap: our first big conference 04:05 - Fixing the iPhone photo upload bug (HEIC issue) 06:30 - 629 photos and a working notifications system 08:15 - Turning one event into 9 sales leads 09:40 - Why we need a CRM now 10:25 - Laracon AU prep and the 1,000 photo challenge 13:00 - Repositioning SixSides as a community platform 15:10 - New features: check-ins, better themes, notifications 17:35 - SaaS pricing model vs per-event 18:50 - SixSides goes international: Cambodia! 20:00 - Founders Collective and structured networking 21:30 - Gavin’s new podcast and wrapping up In this episode, we cover: Volunteering WA: what went right and what we learned The emotional moment seeing SixSides on three massive screens A weird iPhone bug with photo uploads and how we fixed it How one event turned into nine real leads for 2026-2027 The magic of notifications and user momentum The upcoming push at Laracon AU (and the 1,000 photo challenge) Designing themes that don’t look amateur Shipping check-in functionality just in time Why we’re shifting towards a SaaS model instead of one-off events Using events as marketing content and lead gen flywheels Our first international simultaneous event use – in Cambodia! When it's time to get a CRM The future of SixSides as a community-building platform Lessons from last year’s EventKit vs this year’s SixSides Getting people to connect with structured networking prompts Gavin’s new podcast: The Leap by the Founders Collective Our upcoming conference as exhibitors (gulp, $$$) Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
36: The day we lost $97K
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin talk through their best month yet in podcast downloads, Gavin’s rapid expansion into multiple podcasts, and the final lead-up to the Volunteering WA event — including Mitch’s mad dash to polish features and release a build in time. They also reflect on a tough week of stress, miscommunication, and their first big disagreement as co-founders, and how they worked through it. Plus, there’s a deep dive into why traditional digital lead generation is losing effectiveness — and how in-person events might be the comeback story. Links Subscribe to the newsletter: sixsides.substack.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:43 - The Leap podcast launch 03:41 - Podcast download growth 05:59 - Volunteering WA prep 07:26 - Juggling three major events this week 09:46 - Last-minute app tweaks and release plans 11:09 - Recap video design decisions 13:06 - Photo timing, music, and recap video UX 16:05 - Video formats for social media 17:12 - Gavin’s on-the-ground plan for interviews in Perth 19:01 - Hope for a smooth event rollout 20:35 - The DocuSign debate 22:29 - Business case writing for WorldShare 25:08 - Streamlining the process with Fireflies 26:06 - Sales learnings from recent calls 28:52 - We didn’t get the grant 31:16 - In-person lead gen is making a comeback 33:37 - The case for businesses building community 34:58 - SixSides vs online event platforms 36:31 - Making content AI searchable 38:06 - DealBuddi and LLM-ready SEO 39:16 - Mitch and Gavin’s falling out (and how they resolved it) 47:07 - Next week’s in-person catch-up in Brisbane 48:09 - Recording plans for next week’s episode 50:07 - Laracon AU volunteering and wrap-up In this episode, we cover: Celebrating the show’s best-ever month for downloads Gavin’s new podcast series, The Leap, and upcoming guests Preparing for Volunteering WA, Founders Collective, and WorldShare’s Cambodia event Recap video functionality and design tweaks before release Shifting lead generation from digital back to in-person Building a business case for WorldShare and how it became a new playbook Honing the SixSides value prop in real sales conversations Reflecting on not getting the Ignite Ideas Grant The emotional toll of juggling multiple businesses and responsibilities How Mitch and Gavin handled their first real co-founder conflict Behind the scenes of Gavin’s push for video interviews and content strategy Why AI-written cold emails are losing their edge SEO vs LLM optimisation and what they’re doing for visibility Using SixSides as a live case study at Volunteering WA The vision for helping regular businesses run community events What’s next for the product roadmap post-event season Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
35: Google Surprised Us: Our biggest product release yet
In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of our biggest product release yet. Mitch walks through all the new features in the SixSides mobile app — from private ratings and reviews to notifications, polished bottom sheets, and fully functional meeting bookings. Plus, Gavin shares early feedback from clients, how these new features landed us more leads, and how this update finally made the product feel “ready.” We also revisit our lofty $300K revenue goal for 2026, talk about why it might have been unrealistic, and how we’re now reverse-engineering a more sustainable growth plan (with a strong focus on structure, SEO, and freemium strategies). Chapters 00:00 - Intro and lawn chat 01:06 - Our best app release yet 02:02 - New features: ratings, reviews, and meetings 06:24 - Private notes and feedback logic 10:14 - Toast notifications and app polish 12:24 - App store review times (thanks Google!) 13:33 - Why the app finally feels ready 15:39 - Five questions with Mitch (dev Q&A) 22:44 - Lessons learned from this release 25:28 - Client feedback from Volunteering WA 30:09 - Re-evaluating our 2026 revenue goals 35:27 - Reverse engineering $300K 36:54 - What structures we’re missing 39:45 - Our new SEO and content strategy 41:06 - Founders Collective growth update 43:03 - Hopes for upcoming funding 44:26 - New opportunities: WorldShare and others 46:11 - Planning our upcoming webinar 47:06 - Spreading the word on LinkedIn 48:34 - Giving our partners the inside scoop 50:14 - Wrap up In this episode, we cover: Our biggest mobile app update yet New features: private ratings, reviews, notes, and meeting booking Toast notifications and what makes them great How fast Google and Apple approved the app (and why that matters) Why Mitch feels like “day one” just started Real client feedback from Volunteering WA How the app helped close a new trial client Revisiting our revenue goals and setting realistic expectations The power of reverse-engineering growth from outcomes Building the foundation for inbound and outbound sales WorldShare’s upcoming trial and what it means for us Freemium, SEO and creating scalable structure The importance of habit-building (and avoiding burnout) Preparing for Volunteering WA’s big conference Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
34: Under promise, over deliver
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin talk through the latest updates to the SixSides app, from new cryptography-powered notifications to a completely redesigned recap experience. They also chat about how they're using Founders Collective as a real-world case study to prove their hypothesis: events can build stronger communities when you encourage behaviour change. Plus, Gavin's off to Perth for Volunteering WA, and Mitchell’s prepping for Laracon AU - with new street-style interviews, better onboarding, and a feature-packed release on the horizon. Links Subscribe to the newsletter: sixsides.substack.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Decorating the office (or not) 02:09 - App release timeline update 05:00 - Cryptography and unique device identification 13:00 - Notifications and event admin features 16:00 - Rebuilding the recaps feature with Cursor 21:00 - Under promise, over deliver: a product philosophy 24:23 - Mitchell's creative drive and project priorities 33:00 - Upcoming webinar on designing interaction 36:00 - Founders Collective learnings and RSVP plans 44:00 - Why we're ditching Luma for in-app RSVPs 47:52 - Gavin's Perth road trip and $2K strategy 50:13 - Mitchell's Laracon AU travel plans 54:29 - Lead generation lessons and role changes 58:24 - Wrap-up and where to find us In this episode, we cover: The (slightly delayed) app release timeline and why it was worth the slip Using cryptography to uniquely identify devices without tracking users A technical deep dive into public/private keys and how they power notifications The brand new recap (formerly wrapped) feature and how Cursor helped build it Why Mitchell needs fun tasks to stay motivated (and how Gavin enables that) Preparing for Volunteering WA and Laracon AU — and how we’re maximising the ROI Turning Founders Collective into a test case for community-building features Planning the next event with deliberate behaviour design to increase engagement Switching to in-app RSVPs to cut friction Upcoming features: meeting notes, job titles, ratings, and improved onboarding Building our sponsorship strategy the reverse way — community first, prospectus second The state of our sales pipeline and how to de-risk lead generation Why being your own client is the best kind of product feedback Updates on the newsletter and upcoming Change Makers podcast Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
33: We're starting a podcast for lead generation
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin dive into their evolving content and lead generation strategy, including why they’re launching two new podcasts: “Change Makers” for SixSides and “The Leap” for Founders Collective. They unpack the goals, target audiences, and how they plan to use podcasting alongside Substack to grow a real community around their events platform. Plus, Mitchell gives a behind-the-scenes update on the SixSides app, including major mobile improvements, Android headaches, Liquid Glass drama, and the new onboarding checklist tied to the app’s points system. Gavin shares an inspiring story about his recent trail run, a LinkedIn post that resonated, and even hints at chasing Olympic torch dreams (yes, seriously). Links North Meets South Web Podcast (episode 184): northmeetssouth.audio Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:17 - Why we're launching new podcasts (and who they’re for) 04:46 - Podcasts as a lead generation strategy 07:37 - What is Founders Collective? 09:17 - Introducing “The Leap” podcast 10:06 - Who we’ll feature on “Change Makers” 13:13 - Timeline for launching the new podcasts 15:00 - Gavin’s trail run and recovery 17:44 - Gavin’s viral LinkedIn post 20:52 - How that post inspired Mitchell (and Nicole’s baking dream) 26:46 - Planning for Mitchell’s wedding 30:30 - Michael Dyrynda’s podcast feedback 35:18 - Preparing for app release ahead of two big events 36:27 - Dealing with Expo and Android updates 37:18 - Apple’s Liquid Glass problems and design decisions 42:30 - Redesigning the app dashboard and onboarding checklist 44:51 - Why we’re introducing points for user actions 48:38 - Designer feedback and UI polish plans 49:37 - Full-screen background images and event branding 51:24 - Gavin’s plan for next week (first guest, podcast setup) 52:43 - Sales updates and lead generation challenges 54:35 - Preparing for WA and getting the buying process right 55:27 - Wrap up and where to find us In this episode, we cover: Why we’re starting new podcasts as part of our lead gen strategy The plan for “Change Makers” and “The Leap” podcasts Using Substack to grow our newsletter and reach new audiences The importance of giving before asking in content marketing Gavin’s LinkedIn post that unexpectedly struck a chord The trail run that nearly broke Gavin – and inspired Mitchell Major progress on the SixSides mobile app (Expo, Android, UI overhaul) Why Liquid Glass is both beautiful and frustrating A fresh new app dashboard with onboarding checklist and user points Designer feedback on UX and future design aspirations Michael Dyrynda’s podcast critique (and how we’re handling it) Wedding planning updates from Mitchell Gavin’s ongoing DealBuddi sales conversations and upcoming events Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! Connect with us SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
32: Prioritising our roadmap with upcoming events
In this episode, Mitch is mostly through being sick and is back in the office just in time for a hectic sprint. With two weeks until “tools down”, the guys talk through the looming deadlines, feature updates, and the challenge of staying productive while under the weather. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ Gavin’s been diving deep into community-building, launching a new newsletter and outlining a webinar series to build awareness and add value for SixSides users. He’s also floating ideas for a second podcast (or three) while Mitch focuses on getting the Android SDK upgraded and features locked in for Volunteering WA and Laracon AU. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Mitch’s recovery from a rough week of being sick Why too much coffee after a break = disaster Preparing for Volunteering WA and Laracon AU Gavin’s plan for building the SixSides community Starting a Substack newsletter: Events Into Growth Launching a webinar series using Streamyard Discussing the benefits of “community-led marketing” Thoughts on spinning up a second podcast UI/UX advice and upcoming design improvements Michael’s progress on the dashboard and internal tooling SDK upgrades and feature priorities before events New meeting features, star ratings, and private notes Trail running and training through the heat Planning for podcast episodes over the Christmas break Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Mitch is still sick (but recovering) 04:00 - Gavin's starting a newsletter and community 06:11 - Planning a webinar series for SixSides 09:02 - The Inductive accelerator kicks off 12:20 - Mitch updates on development and deadlines 14:52 - Two weeks until “tools down” 17:22 - UI/UX support from a local agency 20:47 - Countdown to Volunteering WA and Laracon AU 24:05 - Planning the podcast over Christmas 26:56 - Should Gavin start a second podcast? 30:33 - Dashboard progress from Michael 34:19 - Trail running and heat training 38:50 - Dropping weight, quitting drinking, and health updates 39:58 - Planning next week’s dev sprint 42:10 - Outro chaos Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: sixsides
31: A case study in building a strong community
In this episode, Mitch battles a cold while Gavin shares the huge success of the very first Founders Collective event, built on the SixSides platform. We dive into what went right, what could improve, and how the app held up in a real-world stress test. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ We also reflect on a sales call that felt like a slam dunk... until it wasn’t. There’s a lot of candid unpacking about what went wrong and what we’ll do differently next time. Plus, we chat about upcoming UI/UX design help, receiving our first real support email, and whether we should start planning for help desk software. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Mitch powering through the podcast while sick Launching the first Founders Collective event in Brisbane Real-world lessons from using SixSides live at an event Android Expo upgrade blocking Play Store updates iOS releases and stability during the event First real support request: do we need a help desk now? Sales meeting that felt great... but fell through Lessons in sales process and emotional discipline Sales plan development and moving towards lead generation with Clay UI/UX designers joining to improve the app Decommissioning old infrastructure from Laracon AU The question of raising money vs continuing to bootstrap Exploring the Inductive.au program and investment readiness Reflections on running two SaaS products at once Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - Mitch is sick but showing up anyway 02:05 - Founders Collective launch recap 07:30 - What we learned from the first SixSides live event 15:10 - App updates and iOS/Android rollout challenges 20:26 - Our first support request and help desk discussions 23:40 - Shutting down the old EventKit infrastructure 25:25 - Michael helping with dashboard development 25:40 - Sales call that felt great but didn’t convert 31:20 - What went wrong with the sale and lessons learned 34:00 - Sales planning and ROI justification 35:45 - Gavin’s lead gen strategy and using Clay 36:45 - Pitching SixSides to Founders Collective attendees 37:25 - What is Inductive.au and should we raise money? 46:10 - Bootstrapping vs capital - pros and cons 52:30 - Upcoming UI/UX design improvements 56:00 - Podcast listenership growing month-on-month 57:14 - Plans for next week Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Founders Collective: founderscollective.com.au Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: ourb2bsaasjourney
30: Eating our own dog food with 100 founders watching
In this episode, we celebrate our 30th episode with a jam-packed update on everything happening across SixSides, Founders Collective, DealBuddi, and beyond. From shoutouts on LinkedIn and Stripe giving $1,500 in credits, to onboarding a Laravel legend to help build the dashboard – it’s been a huge week. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Hitting 30 weeks of podcasting and what it means to us Why email shoutouts are done (unless you’re Holly on LinkedIn) Feedback from PlanetPrice and our unofficial sponsorship 😆 Stripe sponsoring our Founders Collective event with $1,500 in credits How Founders Collective blew past 100 RSVPs What we learned seeing a competitor's clunky UX Mitch's perspective as the first-time event organiser using SixSides Michael Dyrynda offering to help with dashboard dev CEO/CTO titles and why they’re a bit awkward Our call with a major charity and how culture alignment matters LinkedIn outreach updates and what’s working (and what’s not) Why softly-softly lead gen is our approach with charities and associations Using SixSides as a living case study to win future customers The broader vision for dashboards and future functionality Sales Market Fit strategy updates and deep lead gen thinking Gavin’s dad jokes and Mitch’s sarcastic energy peaking Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:23 - Email shoutouts – NOT 01:45 - Holly’s LinkedIn shoutout 02:58 - Feedback from PlanetPrice 04:12 - Celebrating episode 30 06:19 - Build Your SaaS is back 10:42 - Founders Collective deep dive 14:23 - Stripe’s sponsorship and Tag, You're It 18:35 - Setting up the event in the database 20:59 - Competitor dashboard UX breakdown 24:33 - Gavin’s lead gen targeting strategy 31:05 - Our big charity call 36:51 - Anticipating objections in sales 40:50 - Designing the dashboard with Michael Dyrynda 46:06 - Multi-role dashboards and future vision 48:34 - Wrapping up – shoutout to Michael Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Founders Collective: linkedin.com Laracon AU and Michael Dyrynda: laracon.au Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: ourb2bsaasjourney
29: SaaS pricing you can believe in
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin break down a major pivot in SixSides’ pricing strategy — moving away from per-event pricing in favour of a tiered annual model designed to grow with communities. They also share behind-the-scenes stories from meetings with Volunteering WA, the launch of the Founders Collective in Brisbane, new sponsor engagement features, and how a simple ticket code change could make event onboarding a breeze. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why we’re moving away from per-event pricing How our new pricing model better serves associations and communities A brilliant meeting with Volunteering WA (shoutout to Holly and Krista!) Prioritising mobile app development over the web dashboard The launch and surprising growth of the Founders Collective in Brisbane Introducing one access code for all event attendees Our approach to sponsor engagement and ROI Preparing for Laracon AU and the role of gamification Gavin’s lead gen updates and LinkedIn video strategy The flywheel starting to turn and what’s next for SixSides Chapters: 00:00 - Listener challenge and intros 03:30 - Pricing strategy deep dive 13:00 - Volunteering WA meeting recap 17:00 - Mobile app focus and new dev strategy 20:20 - Founders Collective and single ticket code breakthrough 27:40 - Lead generation updates and LinkedIn video outreach 33:30 - Sponsor engagement and gamification plans 38:00 - Wrapping up, shoutouts, and Gavin’s YouTube hiatus Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Founders Collective: linkedin.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: ourb2bsaasjourney
28: Just click on the damn link
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin are back with updates on life, lead gen, and looming travel plans. Gavin’s been down with the flu, but that hasn’t stopped him from pushing lead generation, testing video outreach on LinkedIn, and prepping for some big upcoming calls. The duo chats Father’s Day, outdoor adventures, and the strategy behind showing up in-person at key events. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Gavin’s sick week and how it reset his priorities Fun and chaos from Father’s Day celebrations Lead generation updates and why no one’s watching our Loom videos LinkedIn outreach strategies that aren’t landing (yet) Applying lessons from DealBuddi to SixSides The Sales Market Fit approach and why most founders get it wrong Big upcoming calls with Laravel Live Denmark and Volunteering WA Should Mitch join Gavin in Perth? Planning for Laracon AU and how we’re making time for each other Kicking off street-style interviews at events Dashboard development updates for SixSides organisers Why it’s time to over-service early customers Gavin’s LinkedIn profile overhaul and the new branding direction Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Gavin’s been sick 02:25 - Father’s Day catchups 08:30 - The changing seasons and productivity energy 10:20 - Gavin’s 20kg weight loss challenge 11:08 - Lead gen and outreach update 13:13 - LinkedIn videos and zero engagement 17:15 - Why getting people to click is the first battle 22:56 - Applying learnings from DealBuddi to SixSides 27:20 - The value of making people problem aware 29:31 - Upcoming calls with Denmark and Volunteering WA 32:05 - Planning Mitch’s Perth trip 33:49 - Laracon AU plans and community involvement 38:44 - Wrapping up dashboard development and app work 42:14 - Gavin’s plans for webinars and LinkedIn branding Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Sales Market Fit: salesmarketfit.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: ourb2bsaasjourney
27: Lessons from our first conference on SixSides
In this episode, we break down everything that went right (and wrong) during our first real customer event at Laravel Live Denmark. From a midnight Redis disaster to 500 attendee connections and surprise AWS credits, we’re giving you the full behind-the-scenes debrief. We also cover our new lead gen strategy, launching a Substack for the podcast, and the emotional rollercoaster of watching a potential customer choose a competitor. Plus, Mitch reflects on his time as a Subway sandwich artist and Gavin adds two more past jobs to the resume. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: How our first real customer event went at Laravel Live Denmark A Redis caching issue that brought the app down at midnight The fix: moving to a serverless Redis instance on AWS Attendee stats: 75% logged in, 50% joined the game, 500+ unique connections AWS credits approved: what it means for our infra roadmap Why we’re exploring Cloudflare as a regional database solution Lessons learned from supporting events in opposite timezones What we'll do differently for future events Building wrapped videos vs. collages for conference recaps Gavin's new lead gen approach with LinkedIn and Loom Substack launch for the podcast and why we’re pausing YouTube Investigating email deliverability issues with our domain Competitor apps and how we're feeling seeing familiar ideas pop up Founders Collective: Gavin’s upcoming Brisbane-based event Mitch’s downtime and why burnout is real after a launch Gavin’s resume deep dive and Mitch’s Subway flashback Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - AWS credits surprise 03:27 - Laravel Live Denmark recap 05:23 - The Redis issue explained 08:43 - Last hour panic and lessons learned 10:10 - Conference usage stats 12:54 - What defines a ‘connection’ 14:43 - Friday issues and latency bugs 16:26 - Adding features mid-event: what went wrong 18:09 - Collages vs wrapped videos 20:05 - What’s next for event content 22:43 - Night shift resume battle 24:26 - Sorting out HubSpot and CRM drama 26:56 - New sales opps including Bulgaria 27:49 - Loom videos and soft connect LinkedIn strategy 29:46 - Webinar-led lead gen idea 31:16 - Time zone fatigue and future event support 32:46 - Substack launch and podcast promo 34:32 - Episode 5 is blowing up (but we don’t know why) 35:24 - Competitive app angst and takeaways 36:31 - Smart notifications we might copy 37:11 - Spinning wheels and gamification 39:42 - What’s next: wrapped videos, roadmap and Cloudflare 42:34 - Dashboard priorities and resource planning 44:21 - Wrapping up: new listeners, new energy Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Recit Advisory: recitadvisory.com.au Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco SixSides on Substack: ourb2bsaasjourney
26: Live from Copenhagen
In this episode, we hit a huge milestone as SixSides goes live at Laravel Live Denmark. Mitch ships the Android app just in time, supports the event from Sydney into the early hours, and the team watches real time adoption, photos, and questions roll in. We also workshop our 30 second pitch, set an ambitious $300k revenue goal for next year, and talk about what’s next, including dashboards and post‑event deliverables. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Live launch at Laravel Live Denmark and how the rollout went The App Store saga: expedited iOS approval vs the slow Google review Shipping fixes with Expo over-the-air updates Handling an iOS 26 beta crash and the attendee workarounds Real time numbers: logins, photos, questions, and connections Infra notes: AWS RDS, regions, performance, Cloudflare Workflows retries Content moderation using OpenAI and why retries matter Our 30 second pitch attempts and tying it back to mission Setting a $300k revenue goal for 2026 and what it implies Lead gen experiments and why outreach alone won’t cut it New office vibes and adding Melanie and Roman to Slack What’s next: post‑event wrap videos, reports, leaderboards, and the organiser dashboard Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:43 - Denmark is happening now 01:56 - App Store saga and Android approval stress 03:31 - Over-the-air updates and support plan 05:18 - Night shift handover 07:16 - iOS 26 crash and workarounds 08:43 - Early numbers and adoption 10:46 - Infra and moderation stack 12:45 - Fast iterations and UI tweaks 14:14 - The 30 second pitch attempts 18:19 - How it feels to run our first event overseas 22:42 - Lead gen bookings and the $300k goal 26:52 - Rethinking lead gen and market size 29:29 - Mobile networking errors and monitoring 31:12 - Six months of podcasting and the new office 32:30 - Everyone’s on Slack 34:13 - What comes after the conference 37:41 - Organiser dashboard and data locality 39:19 - Teasing new in-app interactions 40:11 - Late night support schedule 43:12 - Emoji reactions demo 45:29 - Shipping tomorrow: wrap videos and leaderboard 46:32 - Numbers check-in 46:57 - Where to find us 48:25 - Wrap up Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on YouTube: gavintye1 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco
25: These are our company values
In this episode, we finally lock in our company values, vision and mission — and talk through how they’ll shape the way we build SixSides moving forward. We also check in on lead gen, accounting drama (featuring Roman and Mel), and the final countdown to Laravel Live Denmark. Plus, Mitch finally finishes the app and gets some much-needed breathing room. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: How we’ve defined the SixSides vision, mission and values Why it matters for a remote, growing team The messy effect and how we manage burnout Lead generation experiments and learnings from the last week Why Gavin's outreach didn’t quite land (and what he’s changing) The ongoing accounting saga (featuring co-founder confusion) Android vs iOS approval times (spoiler: Apple wins) How Mitch edited an app update faster than Google reviewed it The new system for writing blog articles from our podcast Feedback loops from Denmark and Michael Dyrynda Gavin’s daily YouTube videos and what he’s learning Tools to track who’s visiting our website What’s next for the SixSides content strategy Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:51 - Lead gen update 10:26 - Accounting distractions 15:41 - Defining our vision, mission and values 23:00 - Our five company values 27:56 - Running our growth hypothesis by customers 31:06 - The Android app approval headache 36:46 - Feeling free after app submission 40:24 - The messy effect (and not burning out) 45:22 - Gavin’s YouTube videos and 4am routine 46:34 - Blog articles from the podcast 54:45 - Tracking traffic with Leadfeeder and Snitcher 56:13 - Wrapping up the episode Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco
24: How much should we pay ourselves (and when)?
In this episode, Mitch and Gavin pull apart money, momentum, and mild panic: how we’re splitting revenue (hello, 40/40/20), why the iOS app is live but Android is still pending, early feedback from Laravel Live Denmark (thanks, Rasmus!), plus a candid chat about our fears — from deep water to wasting time — and how we’re evolving SixSides from “event app” to “community engine.” Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: The 40/40/20 split: founders’ wages, expenses, and tax (inspired by Profit First) Why we’re paying ourselves now (with caps) and how that shapes hiring Xero vs extra bank accounts for visual budgeting Evolving beyond “an event app” toward ongoing community value and MRR Our not-yet-shareable competitive advantage (moat-building in progress) iOS app approved; Android still in review (and why OTA updates are magic) Early feedback from Laravel Live Denmark and a sneaky newline login bug Expo 101: what triggers app store review vs over-the-air updates Doing unscalable setup now (YAMLs, imports) until the dashboard is ready Founder fears: wasting time, letting people down, and healthy conflict Consultative strategy: auditing conferences to open doors Gavin’s daily YouTube updates and a smarter, deeper lead gen approach Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:56 - Please leave us a review 01:25 - Shout out to Dan Herbert (podcast workflow chat) 03:34 - Money chat: paying ourselves and early revenue 05:42 - Profit First inspiration and our 40/40/20 split 09:39 - Xero vs multiple bank accounts (Mel’s advice) 11:10 - Mindset shift and evolving revenue model 12:40 - The secret sauce we can’t share (yet) 14:44 - Consultative conference audits 16:20 - iOS app approved; Android pending 18:55 - OTA updates vs app store review (Expo explained) 21:28 - Denmark feedback and the newline login bug 27:58 - Topic: our fears (personal and business) 42:18 - Conflict resolution and not wasting time 44:45 - Gavin’s YouTube + deeper lead gen plan 48:20 - What’s next and wrap-up Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co DealBuddi: dealbuddi.com Build Your Saas: saas.transistor.fm Mobile apps don't suck anymore: youtube.com Profit First by Mike Michalowicz: mikemichalowicz.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co SixSides on Youtube: sixsidesco
23: We’re bootstrapped and feeling every dollar
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate a huge milestone—submitting the SixSides app for review ahead of Laravel Live Denmark—while also unpacking the real costs of getting there (including a spicy $6K invoice). From Strepsils at 9am to strategic conversations about offshore hiring, they reflect on the emotional and financial rollercoaster of bootstrapping a SaaS. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Submitting the app for review ahead of Laravel Live Denmark The emotional toll of shipping under deadline pressure Submitting a grant and scoring 9/10 from ChatGPT Founder burnout and feeling the weight of bootstrapping Big invoices and the cost of external development help Deciding when to take money from your business (if ever) The ethics and practicality of using offshore workers How Gavin is using DealBuddi to prep for business development Starting the shift toward recurring revenue and pricing models The need to formalise SixSides’ vision, mission and values Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:55 - Submitting the grant (and getting GPT’s 9/10 rating) 03:34 - Shipping the app for Laravel Live Denmark 06:26 - Burnout, relief, and what’s next 10:31 - Surprise $6K invoice and the cost of building 13:52 - Feeling the financial pinch across two businesses 16:00 - Exploring new revenue streams and early pricing ideas 18:05 - Profit allocation models and sustainable bootstrapping 22:35 - Ready for general use (but not self-service yet) 26:21 - Using offshore workers (ethically) 30:59 - Can we afford to build a team? 34:46 - Ethical hiring, privilege, and long-term thinking 37:01 - What's next this week 40:26 - Wrapping up (and listener shoutouts) Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co DealBuddi: dealbuddi.com Build Your Saas: saas.transistor.fm Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
22: This is our $97K pitch (and it better work)
In this episode, Mitchell returns from Bali with sunburn, margarita memories, and a deadline staring him down — the Denmark app launch. Gavin, meanwhile, has been neck-deep in grant writing, trying to win $97,000 to accelerate SixSides… even if it means giving himself four times Mitch’s salary (which comes up, hilariously, on the show). They also dive into building in public, Gavin’s evolving LinkedIn strategy juggling two businesses (SixSides and DealBuddi), and how they’re prepping for their first paying customer on the new infrastructure. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Mitchell’s Bali trip and near-meltdown on a volcano hike Gavin’s $97k grant strategy (and how he’s pitching it) Shared friends, margaritas, and the Laracon hat Why Gavin listed himself at 4x salary (and Mitch let it slide) Grant writing tips from Gavin’s Today Show glory days The power of thinking like the grant reviewer Gavin’s plans to build in public across two businesses Mitch’s mobile app progress for Laravel Live Denmark Lessons from “Build Your SaaS” and why they still resonate Mitch’s plan to enlist testers and speed through app review Gavin’s long-term vision for student internships and community impact Chris from Atlas joining the dev sprint to hit deadline Mitch’s vow: the app will be done by Friday Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:09 - Mitch's Bali hat gets roasted 01:35 - What SixSides actually does 03:01 - Doing a no-prep podcast episode 03:39 - Bali trip recap and volcano regrets 10:43 - Build Your SaaS and podcast inspiration 13:21 - Gavin’s kitchen reno and grant writing grind 17:09 - Gavin’s Today Show story and grant mindset 22:02 - Building in public and juggling two SaaS businesses 31:36 - Gavin’s 4x salary justification (hilarious) 37:36 - What we’d do with the $97k grant 42:01 - Laravel Live Denmark app progress 50:29 - Submitting to the App Stores and what’s next 52:09 - Getting people to help test the app 53:00 - Wrap up and what’s coming next week Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co DealBuddi: dealbuddi.com Build Your Saas: saas.transistor.fm Mostly Technical: mostlytechnical.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
21: When should founders quit their day jobs? (with Roman Galikov of Recit Advisory)
In this episode, Gavin chats with Roman Galikov — co-founder of Recit Advisory and a long-time mate from their RedEye days — about the financial realities and blind spots that can make or break a startup. From Roman’s wild upbringing in a Cold War-era Russian missile town to co-founding an accounting firm helping Aussie tech founders scale sustainably, this episode is packed with insights (and a few table tennis flashbacks). Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Roman’s incredible journey from Russia to the Australian startup scene The financial mistakes startups make early — and why they’re hard to recover from Why founders underestimate cash flow (and how to fix it) Equity, cap tables and avoiding messy investor situations How to structure your startup’s P&L like a proper SaaS business When to make your first hire and the cost of getting it wrong Why most founders shouldn't outsource sales too early The 80/20 rule for SaaS gross margins R&D capitalisation and tax incentives explained simply Roman’s take on bootstrapping vs raising capital The story of Gavin ripping his pants at a trade show (it’s worth it) Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:56 - Roman joins the show 02:29 - Why founders neglect accounting 05:06 - Roman’s journey from Russia to Australia 17:16 - How Roman and Gavin met at RedEye 20:36 - Early-stage accounting mistakes 22:53 - Lessons founders learn at each stage 25:02 - Cash flow truths (and myths) 30:01 - Gavin’s risk balancing with Sales Market Fit 33:39 - SixSides’ early traction and approach 34:17 - Juggling multiple businesses and focus 41:10 - Equity, vesting and cap table messiness 46:53 - Bootstrapping vs raising capital 50:41 - Scaling up: hiring your first employee 53:50 - Managing hiring expectations 57:10 - Sales vs product vs support hires 59:15 - Business case analysis for product decisions 01:04:02 - Understanding SaaS financial structure 01:08:43 - What is EBITDA? And why it matters 01:11:31 - Starting Record Advisory 01:16:13 - Gavin’s final missile question 01:17:59 - Wrap-up and final thoughts Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co DealBuddi: dealbuddi.com Recit: recit.app Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Roman on LinkedIn: romangalikov SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
20: Mitch vs Apple (and will we get $100K in funding?)
In this episode, Mitch is not in Bali (yet), Gavin almost gets Roman cancelled, and the guys dive deep into their TestFlight adventures, app store approvals, and why the new comments UI looks suspiciously like Instagram. They also talk through Gavin’s sales strategy for SixSides, the launch of DealBuddi, and how they’re building a community-led approach to founder support in Brisbane. Oh, and there’s an update on their government grant application – plus a story about a fake software award Gavin once pulled off that you don’t want to miss. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why Mitch is still in town and not sipping coconuts in Bali Gavin’s recording with Roman Tips on structuring your finances from a trusted friend Did we hit our TestFlight deadline? Mitch’s battle with Apple’s review process New comments UI inspired by Instagram Submitting the app to the store (and why we're not telling anyone) The “as is” and “to be” model for sales strategy Gavin’s launch of DealBuddi and onboarding 9 startups Why cold outreach is dying – and community is the answer Building a founder community in Brisbane using SixSides Grant progression and the feedback we received Gavin’s fake software award story Stress check-ins and how they’re managing the mental load Plans for the next two weeks while Mitch is away Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:44 - Mitch is not in Bali 01:31 - Gavin’s episode with Roman 04:06 - TestFlight deadline check-in 05:00 - Comments feature and UI inspired by Instagram 09:38 - Explaining Apple’s review process 14:37 - Publishing a stealth production build 18:31 - App development progress update 19:17 - Gavin checks in on stress levels 22:46 - Launching DealBuddi 25:14 - Using SixSides as a sales strategy case study 27:15 - The future of lead gen and building real communities 29:27 - Planning the first Brisbane founder meetup 31:30 - Dogfooding: eating our own dog food with SixSides 32:30 - Finalising the SixSides sales strategy 42:30 - Government grant update and feedback 47:44 - How they’re using GPT for grant writing 54:06 - What would we do with $100K? 55:23 - Wedding updates and sunscreen plans 57:02 - Gavin’s plans while Mitch is away Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co DealBuddi: dealbuddi.com Sales Whitepaper: salesmarketfit.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
19: Burnout and reducing stress, while building to committed customer deadlines
In this episode, Mitch reveals the mounting pressure of delivering the new SixSides app as the team approaches a self-imposed TestFlight deadline. Gavin brings a new sales strategy to life, and the guys explore the delicate balance between progress and burnout. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Gavin’s success with a new, consultative sales approach Mitch’s looming deadline for the new SixSides app and his battle with burnout Behind the scenes of building infrastructure across regions (Sydney and Frankfurt) Adding a tiny emoji feature, and why it sparked a debate Chris's dashboard work and how it's shaping up Exploring Slack Connect and customer communication strategies Why the blog system needed an overhaul and what we’re using now Lean Startup lessons and planning for sustainability The challenge of stress in a fast-paced bootstrapped startup Mutual TLS, Cloudflare Workers, and other nerdy but vital things Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:27 - Global shout-outs and listener feedback 01:53 - Slack Connect wins and misses 03:04 - Gavin's sales strategy shift and early wins 06:41 - DealBuddi, AI coaching, and sales evolution 07:58 - Mitch’s TestFlight deadline and mounting burnout 10:36 - Learning infrastructure the hard way 13:45 - Emoji feature: distraction or creativity boost? 16:40 - Burnout management and future-proofing 22:00 - Dashboard progress and Chris's backend work 24:16 - Startup stress: when is it too much? 26:34 - Should we create a product roadmap? 28:06 - Planning help for the future 29:46 - The many flavours of development roles 33:55 - More on Slack Connect + customer comms 36:47 - SEO titles experiment: last week for now? 38:29 - Next week’s episode sneak peek with Roman 40:34 - Gavin tries (and fails) to write a blog post the dev way 42:21 - How Tina.io saved our blog workflow 45:26 - Dashboard progress and test flight follow-up 46:43 - The Lean Startup: a joint book club idea 49:22 - Starting our internal startup book club 51:10 - Load balancing, mutual TLS, and hosting challenges 54:31 - Data privacy and multi-region infrastructure 57:36 - Wrapping up – see you next week! Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co DealBuddi: dealbuddi.com Mio: m.io Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
18: OpenAI and Cursor use WorkOS, should we? Plus, why we are evolving our B2B sales strategy.
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin reflect on a huge milestone: SixSides has hit the six-month mark - and things are finally starting to move. They dive into a brilliant new sales call that reshaped their positioning, reveal how WorkOS helped them ship auth in record time, and unpack what it means to bootstrap while juggling other businesses. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why they're really recording this podcast (and who it's for) The power of podcast SEO and keyword-rich episode titles Gavin’s “amazing” sales call and how it reframed SixSides' positioning Selling a platform that doesn’t exist (yet) with empathy and vision How WorkOS helped them ship authentication in 24 hours Laravel, JWT tokens and Mitchell’s developer brain dump Global database deployment with AWS (Sydney + Frankfurt) Introducing Slack Connect for real-time customer support Doubling user growth and the importance of cadence Why they’re still bootstrapping (and not taking investment… yet) The psychology of founder alignment over 6 and 12 months Getting help without blowing the budget (hello, Chris from Atlas) Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Why we’re doing this podcast 03:09 - Listener growth and SEO musings 06:05 - Gavin’s amazing sales call breakdown 12:15 - Strategic selling vs event facilitation 15:11 - Denmark client update 16:36 - Hitting the six-month SaaS milestone 18:28 - Aligning tech and sales roadmaps 22:02 - Repositioning attendees as users 24:27 - Implementing WorkOS in a night 29:29 - How WorkOS handles auth, tokens & login 32:23 - Reducing clicks, increasing security 35:58 - Laravel & Cloudflare integration update 36:19 - Slack Connect for better support 42:00 - Do clients need paid Slack? (Maybe) 44:04 - Chris joins to help hit the July 8 deadline 47:56 - AWS global databases explained 50:26 - Bootstrapping vs funding (and why we’re staying lean) 54:44 - What success looks like 57:47 - Wrapping up + Gavin’s rejected slogan Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co WorkOS: workos.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
17: Why meeting face-to-face is critical for remote founders
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin finally meet up in person after four years of online collaboration, and their strategy session delivers a massive product breakthrough for SixSides. They share how a simple conversation unlocked a critical insight about user onboarding and future product direction. Plus, Gavin shares his experience at the CEO Sleepout, Mitchell locks in a wedding venue, and they reflect on long-term SaaS planning. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Meeting in person for the first time after four years of remote work A major product breakthrough: shifting from event attendees to full users How in-person deep work unlocked product clarity Golf, beers and surprisingly deep strategy conversations Gavin’s experience at the CEO Sleepout The importance of community tracking and security in events Mitchell’s wedding venue hunt and planning advice Why Expo was chosen for the SixSides mobile app A simple non-technical explanation of mobile app tech stacks Testing the podcast’s SEO-driven titles and early results Setting medium and long-term SaaS planning goals Gavin's upcoming DealBuddy integration with SixSides Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - First in-person meeting after four years 02:10 - Hanging out, strategy sessions and golf 04:38 - The big product insight: users vs ticket codes 06:51 - Why full user accounts change everything for SixSides 12:28 - CEO Sleepout reflections 15:29 - Gavin’s Fiji trip (and food poisoning) 19:33 - Mitchell locks in a wedding venue 24:10 - Planning SixSides for family and future time off 29:11 - Technical deep dive: why we’re using Expo 34:40 - A non-technical explanation of mobile app tech stacks 42:29 - Reviewing SEO titles experiment 46:01 - What we’re working on this week 49:19 - Highlights from the last six months 53:31 - Wrapping up and call for reviews Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Matt Langtree and Entry Place: entry.place Mitchell’s Laracon AU talk: Mobile apps don't suck anymore Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
16: How we landed our first customer (with Michael Dyrynda of Laracon AU)
In this episode, Mitchell flies solo without Gavin (who’s soaking up the sun in Fiji) and sits down with Laracon AU organiser and SixSides’ very first customer, Michael Dyrynda. They dive deep into what it takes to run a developer conference, how Laracon AU has evolved over the years, and how SixSides went from talk idea to full-blown product. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: The early days of Laracon AU and how it got started Why Brisbane has become the new long-term home for the conference How Laracon AU balances growth, inclusivity and vibe Michael’s approach to managing sponsors, booths and the foyer experience The story behind SixSides and its in-conference photo game How Mitch’s talk turned into a SaaS company Dealing with fire alarms, bowling nights, and late-night scooter rides Lessons from using Bento and running segmented email campaigns Michael’s evolving role from developer to full-time event operator What’s coming next for both Laracon AU and SixSides Chapters: 00:00 - Intro and where's Gavin? 00:46 - Meet Michael Dyrynda – organiser of Laracon AU 01:31 - Ticketing strategy and pricing experiments 06:22 - Using Bento and smarter email marketing 10:55 - Evolving the attendee experience post-COVID 13:49 - Turning sponsors into active participants 22:48 - Gavin’s sales advice and chasing better sponsors 28:28 - How Laracon AU helped launch SixSides 43:01 - Building the photo game and live Q&A features 55:25 - What’s next for SixSides and final reflections Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Laracon AU: laracon.au Caleb Porzio's Notes On Work: notesonwork.transistor.fm Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Michael on X: michaeldyrynda Michael on Bluesky: dyrynda.au Michael on LinkedIn: michaeldyrynda SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
15: Juggling three businesses and a wedding (while bootstrapping a SaaS)
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin catch up before Gavin jets off to Fiji for a family holiday, and reflect on how juggling multiple businesses is helping them bootstrap SixSides. From battling sunburn at the beach to shipping major infrastructure changes, it's a wild and very real look into the life of early-stage SaaS founders. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Gavin's upcoming Fiji trip and the challenges of parenting while bootstrapping A shoutout to Entry Place and the Laravel dev community The pressure and joy of getting great customer feedback Big news: SixSides lands its first international event in Denmark What we’ve learned from juggling multiple businesses How we’re planning to share resources across startups Building infrastructure that can scale globally (on a budget) Mitchell’s excitement about real-time syncing and Cloudflare’s role Why we’re not selling yet—and what our early customers are teaching us Gavin’s new AI sales tool, DealBuddi, and managing multiple product launches Why moving fast isn’t always the best move Planning weddings, CEO Sleepout updates, and the heat in Woolgoolga Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Gavin’s holiday plans and Mitchell’s Wii baseball look 01:43 - Parenting, beach time, and sunscreen stories 03:11 - Shoutout to Matt and EntryPlace 04:07 - How the rap video went down at Start Club Brisbane 07:03 - SixSides goes international: Denmark event confirmed 10:51 - Building infrastructure that scales globally 13:30 - Feedback from Holly and iterating the theme designer 15:57 - Bootstrapping while running other businesses 18:21 - DealBuddy and startup resource sharing 21:58 - Outsourcing and tech stack consolidation 29:07 - CEO Sleepout and fundraising chat 34:43 - Update on the new SixSides app infrastructure 39:02 - Fiji, weddings, and aluminium smelters 41:25 - Wrapping up and what’s next Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Support Gavin with the CEO SLEEPOUT: ceosleepout.org.au Matt Langtree and Entry Place: entry.place DealBuddi waitlist: dealbuddi.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
14: How we are using Cloudflare and AWS to build a freemium solution without blowing the budget
In this episode, Mitchell takes us deep into the development of SixSides’ new real-time theme designer—built with Next.js, Cloudflare, and a dash of Cursor magic. Meanwhile, Gavin begins his “CTO in training” journey by installing GitHub for the first time (with only mild resistance). We also get into the behind-the-scenes planning for Mitchell’s wedding (yes, it’s a side project), a live wrap video for Start Club Brisbane, and the exciting future of SixSides scaling globally through durable objects. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: How Mitchell used AI to build a collaborative theme designer Switching from Laravel to Next.js for the marketing site Why Cloudflare Durable Objects are a game-changer for global scalability Lessons from launching a blog and improving content workflows Gavin’s first encounter with GitHub (and VS Code!) The story behind Mitchell’s upcoming wedding venue Why Start Club Brisbane is eager to use SixSides Our new merch idea for our partners Planning for freemium and infrastructure scaling Gavin’s busy week juggling client work, DealBuddi, and SixSides Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Four months in: reflecting on the journey 02:15 - Dishwashers of the world, we salute you 03:00 - Mitchell’s wedding planning (and why Gavin’s uninvited) 05:30 - Building the theme designer with AI 10:00 - Real-time collaboration and sharing in the browser 12:49 - Gavin loses his design (and wants an undo button) 13:30 - A blog is born + CEO sleepout post 15:00 - Gavin’s dev setup begins (slowly) 17:00 - Tuple, tabs, and taking control 18:45 - SEO titles and future-proofing content 22:00 - Gavin’s week: juggling DealBuddy, clients, and chaos 26:25 - Start Club Brisbane and our first SixSides wrap 29:30 - Shirts for the real MVPs: our partners 32:00 - Why durable objects matter for scaling 36:00 - Real-time updates and saving $$$ 42:00 - Freemium, cost control, and infrastructure 44:30 - How Mitchell’s learning all this stuff 48:00 - Back to the mobile app 49:40 - Gavin gets a GitHub 50:01 - Wrap-up Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Support Gavin with the CEO SLEEPOUT: ceosleepout.org.au Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Gavin on GitHub: gavtye76 SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
13: Starting a SaaS? Start a podcast.
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin go full meta – reflecting on why they’re podcasting, who they’re doing it for, and how this little weekly ritual might become a key pillar in the SixSides journey. Along the way, there’s SixSides merch, a powerful personal story about homelessness, and a marketing website rebuild that may or may not have caused Gavin’s eyes to glaze over. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Launching SixSides merch (and dreams of embroidery) Why this podcast is more than just content – it’s a record Gavin’s personal story of homelessness and the CEO Sleepout Our approach to SEO and technical updates to the marketing site A discussion on audience – real, imagined, and future-facing The idea behind the upcoming newsletter “Watch Our Six” Apollo setup dramas (and Gavin’s rookie save button mistake) How we’re prepping for sales growth and community building Applying for $100k in grant funding and what we’ve learned Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Mitchell gets dubbed “Head Visionary” 01:15 - Gavin debuts SixSides merch 02:45 - Why this podcast exists (and who it’s for) 06:40 - Podcast as time capsule: unexpected insights 08:44 - Gavin’s resistance pattern and dirt bikes 11:01 - Shout out to caffeinated dev + SEO saga 13:27 - Building the podcast GPT & speeding up publishing 14:42 - Who’s this podcast actually for? 16:37 - For the audience of tomorrow 17:38 - Event updates: one defer, one maybe 21:20 - Gavin’s Apollo config fail (solved!) 23:54 - Launching the “Watch Our Six” newsletter 26:45 - Gavin’s CEO Sleepout and homelessness story 31:15 - SixSides donation & fundraising update 32:49 - Queensland grants & funding strategy 38:07 - Technical deep dive: marketing website rebuild 50:54 - Gavin’s ideas for newsletter + lead capture 53:47 - Pillar content, AI, and a content flywheel 56:03 - Wrapping up and what's next Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Support Gavin with the CEO SLEEPOUT: ceosleepout.org.au Caffeinated Dev on Bluesky: caffeinated.systems Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
12: Low Rider, Donny?
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin reflect on 12 weeks of podcasting, the power of Low Rider to set the mood, and why Gavin’s red jumper might be cursed. They dive into lessons from listener feedback, debates around SEO-style episode titles, and a light-hearted competition over who’s got the better LinkedIn banner. 6 weeks of SEO-based titles will start next week! Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: The “Low Rider” ritual that gets us hyped for meetings Why podcast titles matter (or don’t) and the SEO vs. vibes debate Gavin’s red jumper saga (RIP old one) Listener shout-outs (especially if you’re walking the dog) The Apollo lead gen mystery and debugging outreach tools Mitch’s first Terraform experience — and why he scrapped it Validation from their second client and the SixSides app direction Limited edition merch ideas and building a brand with heart A friendly LinkedIn banner competition (spoiler: Mitch won) The case for guesting on other podcasts (and when to do it) Reflecting on 12 weeks of building SixSides Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - The Lowrider story 02:50 - Dog-walking shoutouts & podcast feedback 06:52 - SEO titles vs. playful names 10:43 - Twelve-week milestone reflection 13:05 - App store prep & infrastructure experiments 16:31 - Terraform trials & tribulations 17:47 - Client validation on the SixSides app 19:19 - Lead generation update and Apollo bugs 22:55 - LinkedIn vs. LinkedIn: The banner design face-off 25:21 - Merch talk and hoodie wars 28:33 - T-shirt drops, brand building, and charity ideas 36:38 - Reflections on the journey so far 44:04 - Should Gavin go on other podcasts? 48:43 - What's next this week Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Podcast Marketing Trends Explained: podcastmarketingacademy.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
11: We’re not paying $40K for a domain
In this episode, Mitch and Gavin celebrate the launch of the new SixSides marketing site, reflect on their growing list of reviews, and dive into the weird world of AI agents. They also discuss their latest challenges with domain negotiations, cold outreach woes, and how they’re staying lean with software and services. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Our first live listener joining the stream A bunch of new podcast reviews (thanks Mel, Roman, Justin & more!) Launching the updated SixSides marketing website Why we said “no thanks” to the .com Gavin’s early results with Apollo and cold email outreach The potential of AI agents in content creation How we’re keeping our SaaS stack lean and low-cost Conversations with our WA client and feedback on the unified app experience Early sponsorship shoutout to Laracon AU 2025 Mitch getting back into mobile app development Behind-the-scenes fun with SixSides merch and toddler cameos Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - First live listener shoutout 01:29 - Podcast reviews and feedback 04:17 - journey@sixsides.co gets its first email! 04:28 - Week in review 06:47 - Building the new SixSides marketing site 07:02 - Gavin’s cold outreach and Apollo issues 09:11 - A mysterious opportunity arises 10:14 - Client feedback on unified app 10:45 - Laracon AU sponsorship & details 13:59 - Domain drama: the $25K dot com 17:48 - What software we’re using to run SixSides 21:20 - Hosting costs and cost-cutting 23:55 - Tools Gavin’s using in Sales Market Fit 26:40 - Merch, legacy shirts, and future plans 29:07 - Gavin discovers another Gavin Tye 30:28 - Gavin dives into AI agents and SalesBuddy 33:25 - AI content strategies and marketing bottlenecks 36:10 - Michael suggests videotap.com 38:08 - New theme music for the pod 39:23 - Mitch returns to mobile app development 40:56 - Client ideas and creative engagement strategies 41:55 - What’s coming up next week 42:39 - Wrap up and where to find us Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Laracon AU: laracon.au North Meets South Web Podcast: northmeetssouth.audio Video Tap: videotap.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
10: The reviews are in
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin hit the 10-week milestone and dive into what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s coming up for SixSides. From reading their first podcast reviews to debating LinkedIn banner designs, it's a candid look into the real work behind building a B2B SaaS. They chat about Gavin’s cold outreach efforts using Apollo, the challenges of multi-brand personal profiles, and how Mitchell speed-built a new marketing site using Relume and Cursor. There’s also some classic banter about working styles, parenting schedules, and how early is too early to start your workday. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Celebrating 10 episodes and reading listener reviews Cold outreach using Apollo and planning Gavin’s lead gen strategy What even is Apollo, and is it a bit shady? The pros and cons of cold email vs LinkedIn messaging Using Relume + Cursor to build a marketing site in 20 minutes The ongoing challenge of balancing multiple businesses on LinkedIn The future SixSides app and positive feedback from Laracon AU’s organiser How remote founders can improve async communication Gavin’s 4am starts and how kids shape your calendar The hunt for our .com domain and negotiating with GoDaddy Upcoming meetup plans and how to make them productive Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Reading our first podcast reviews 05:42 - Starting our lead gen campaigns 07:54 - What is Apollo and how does it work? 09:32 - Is cold email still effective? 12:55 - Our LinkedIn banner showdown 14:06 - Live design feedback and font fights 18:25 - Personal branding across multiple businesses 23:39 - Building a marketing site fast with AI 28:33 - How Mitchell used Cursor to speed things up 32:30 - Feedback from Laracon AU organiser 35:40 - Planning our app + dashboard rollout 38:37 - Prepping for our in-person meetup 40:31 - Making async communication better 45:46 - Juggling multiple businesses + client work 52:48 - The .com domain update 55:30 - Twitter, Bluesky, and community questions 57:24 - Wrap-up and where to find us Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Relume: relume.io Poll with both LinkedIn banners: linkedin.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides SixSides on X: sixsidesevents SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co
9: The $4,700 refund
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin talk about the chaos of trying to launch a YouTube live episode, the ongoing saga of securing their SixSides.com domain, and how Cursor is radically speeding up their app development. Mitchell shares insights on when AI tools shine and when they get in the way, while Gavin opens up about new lead gen plans and early sales lessons. Plus, a hilarious story about dancing in a puppet suit at a music festival. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why our YouTube live idea fell apart Updates (and frustrations) around getting our domain name The power and pitfalls of using Cursor for coding How we're preparing SixSides for real customers Gavin’s early lead gen efforts and refining our ideal customer The importance of finding the right target market How co-founder dynamics affect creativity and momentum Reflecting on early wins, setbacks, and lessons learned Future ideas around AI-powered event insights Building SixSides while still running our main businesses Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Nine weeks of documenting the journey 01:45 - Why the YouTube live stream didn’t happen 03:28 - Gavin’s puppet suit disaster story 04:48 - Asking for reviews and feedback 05:26 - Domain saga update 08:12 - Drama, suspense, and the reality of startup life 08:54 - Cursor and speeding up development 14:43 - How Cursor really helps (and where it struggles) 20:42 - Using AI even when you're tired 23:21 - Dreaming about future AI integrations 25:04 - Finding our ideal customer 27:53 - Website updates and next marketing moves 32:28 - Building a lead gen strategy 36:10 - Lessons from early sales conversations 38:40 - Reflecting on our real progress 41:16 - How working together shapes the product 47:35 - Conflict resolution: the podcast numbering story 48:27 - Wrap-up and where to find us Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Relume: relume.io Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
8: Paid In Full
In this episode, we dive head-first into the rebuild of the SixSides mobile app – and the reason why we’re shifting from one-off event apps to a centralised, community-focused experience. Mitch finally caves and uses AI to help with coding (thanks to a little nudge from Heroly), and Gavin shares a big sales milestone: our first paid client. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why we're moving from one-off event apps to a centralised SixSides platform Mitch’s first real use of AI to write code (and how Cursor helped) How we’re thinking about user onboarding and long-term engagement Gavin’s custom GPT to generate marketing copy for clients The strategic reason we're deliberately holding back sales How we’re shaping our target market and refining our mission Why trust, consistency, and timing matter more than ever The excitement (and nerves) of our $5,000 .com domain purchase Early wins, upcoming goals, and our plan to scale to 10+ events Planning our first live podcast episode and a future in-person meetup Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Mitch tries AI and builds a new app 04:35 - Why we’re rebuilding from the ground up 07:42 - Shifting from single-event to community-driven 10:10 - The SixSides app vision takes shape 13:36 - Making design decisions (and why Figma isn’t it) 16:19 - We got paid! First client win 17:06 - Mel’s unexpected podcast cameo 18:31 - Gavin builds a custom GPT for clients 21:13 - Using AI to support, not replace humans 22:42 - Identifying our ideal customer 25:49 - Why we're holding back on outreach 28:11 - The trust vs. speed balancing act 31:14 - Planning for scale without burnout 34:07 - When will we be ready to flood the market? 38:27 - Gavin’s LinkedIn plans and lead gen strategy 41:32 - How one event can turn into two 43:42 - Looking ahead: goals, challenges, and live episodes Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
7: The $5,000 letter
In this episode, Gavin gets emotional over SixSides’ first two verbal client yeses (yep, there were actual tears), while Mitch celebrates a major milestone - securing the sixsides.com domain. We dive into the momentum that's building, the technical and emotional rollercoaster of early traction, and the fast-tracked setup of all the boring-but-important SaaS admin stuff like Stripe, Xero, and legal terms. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Our first two verbal client wins (and the unexpected emotions) Why we bought sixsides.com (and how much we paid) The case for consolidating into one mobile app Stripe onboarding inspiration Trading time to fast-track accounting setup Why timing is everything with conference sales Setting up HubSpot, Xero, and Stripe to scale Mitch's struggles with balancing priorities (and how he's working through it) Gavin's five-eight method and upcoming positioning work Conference heartbreak and how to handle it Chapters: 00:00 - Sandpaper saga 01:13 - Intro 03:12 - What is SixSides? 04:23 - Our first verbal client wins 06:42 - Getting emotional over early traction 07:26 - Admin scramble: bank accounts, Stripe, and invoicing 08:24 - Legal, terms and CPA help 10:02 - Stripe onboarding inspiration 12:17 - Lost conference deal and moving on 14:15 - Building a GPT for event messaging 16:24 - We bought sixsides.com! 19:29 - Why domain names matter for mobile apps 26:21 - Focus for the week ahead 28:46 - Tracking deals in HubSpot and Fireflies 30:27 - Setting up payments with HubSpot and Stripe 31:07 - Prioritising SixSides while juggling other work 36:01 - Game ideas and networking incentives 36:46 - Moving to a single shared app 37:46 - Wrapping up Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
6: We’re small. Should we act big?
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin dive deep into the messy but rewarding middle of building SixSides - from early product feedback and design challenges to how they’re preparing for big sales meetings next week. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why the app felt “one-dimensional” – and how we're fixing it What makes a great product meeting The role of AI in speeding up design and ideation Using themes and branding to create emotional buy-in from clients Building holy shit moments into the sales process Risks of having a single point of contact in sales How to track ROI from events beyond the event itself Early onboarding challenges (and opportunities for SOPs) Zapier integrations and future automation Being small vs. acting big: where transparency wins The case for putting themselves on the SixSides website Their first YouTube upload flop (and what we're doing about it) Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - Gavin gets under the hood 01:16 - Product design feedback session 04:07 - Making the app less boring 06:14 - AI vs hiring a designer 08:26 - Planning a design chat with Rolly and Graham 10:49 - Gavin’s perspective shift as a founder 13:20 - Custom branding for clients 17:39 - Creating emotional buy-in in sales 21:01 - Demo tools and the wow factor 23:31 - Redundancy in the sales process 27:10 - Sales horror stories and lessons learned 30:04 - Mitch’s solo call with Zoe 33:35 - Meeting bookings update 34:24 - From sales to onboarding 36:18 - Why onboarding has been hard historically 38:09 - Event setup: seeded data vs real data 42:23 - Zapier integrations and automation dreams 44:37 - Getting to break-even and beyond 46:12 - Building value post-event 49:41 - Transparency vs. perception 52:42 - Should we be promoting the podcast? 56:33 - Acting big vs being honest 58:49 - Personalising the SixSides website 59:49 - Wrapping up + next week’s big meetings Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
5: Building a better events platform, one API at a time
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin are finally feeling the momentum. They’ve launched their first new feature in months - meeting bookings - and walk through the design and development process behind it. Gavin reflects on the mission-led sales conversations that are actually fun for a change, while Mitchell gets real nerdy about Laravel, APIs, and how design doesn’t always need to start in Figma. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Launching our first feature in months: meeting bookings Gavin’s best-ever sales call and why the mission is resonating Why starting with “why” is still a winning move in sales Building a product that can scale without needing to rewrite later What Laravel is and why Mitchell swears by it How we keep design lean and fast (without wireframes) APIs, backend vs frontend, and how the parts fit together Founders learning from each other’s work to stay aligned The value of reporting and ROI in the events space Getting honest in startup partnerships Juggling multiple businesses and staying motivated Planning for the next feature: in-app chat Setting up the company, bank accounts, and getting legit Gavin’s commitment to (finally) learn how to spell Laravel Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - YouTube and episode buffer 01:17 - Week in review 02:24 - Best sales call yet 04:56 - Being mission-driven 05:52 - Turning $1 into $5 06:14 - Mitch gets nerdy 08:24 - Laravel 101 10:54 - Will Laravel scale with us? 15:58 - Making meeting bookings a reality 18:23 - Connecting attendees better 20:14 - Notifications and next steps 24:44 - What’s an API? 27:38 - Designing without Figma 30:09 - Where to find UI inspiration 32:46 - The trade-off between speed and polish 36:24 - Planning for chat 37:26 - Juggling priorities across businesses 38:10 - We’re officially a company! 41:26 - Sales should be fun 43:37 - Getting our story right 46:26 - Communication, boomers, and being honest 48:48 - Planning next week 50:14 - Coming up: chat and more meetings 52:03 - Gavin’s sales next steps 53:02 - Founders retreat and wrapping up Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Built with Laravel: builtwithlaravel.com Dribbble: dribbble.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
4: Why building a great product isn't enough (with Heroly Chour of Busable)
In this episode, we sit down with Heroly Chour, founder of Busable – a SaaS company helping regional bus operators digitise and modernise. From quitting his government job to becoming a full-time dad and accidental founder, Roly shares the deeply personal story behind Bussable’s beginnings. We dive into everything from AI-assisted development and customer advocacy to the harsh realities of product-led growth that doesn’t quite lead to sales. Roly gets real about his mistakes, lessons from his refugee upbringing, and why his approach to business is all about magic moments and building real relationships. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: How Busable started from a side project while on parental leave Why Roly believes sabbaticals are key to creative energy The lessons of product-led growth (and when it fails) Sales Market Fit and working with Gavin to unlock momentum Using AI to build faster and smarter with a small team The value of customer advocacy and emotional buy-in How to identify strategic customers and turn them into allies Balancing rapid development with disciplined focus Bootstrapping with a mission rooted in lived experience Why great co-founders change everything Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Meet Heroly (Roly) Chour from Busable 03:18 - Roly’s background, love of tinkering, and refugee family values 06:15 - The accidental founding of Busable 08:54 - Sabbaticals, snowboarding, and how a side project became a SaaS 11:44 - What Roly wishes he knew in year one 16:10 - The power of co-founder chemistry 22:39 - Why customer advocacy is Busable’s secret weapon 26:04 - How fast feedback loops and AI turbocharge their dev cycle 28:48 - Staying disciplined when ideas are endless 34:17 - Busable’s bigger vision as a transport platform 37:41 - How Roly chooses strategic customers 42:28 - The power of face-to-face and trust 47:01 - Creating "magic moments" with customers 50:13 - Can you scale to millions with a 10-person team? 54:23 - This week’s wins at Busable 57:05 - Busable’s reinvestment mindset 59:12 - Final reflections on values, legacy, and community 01:02:20 - Wrap-up and plans for a founder support group Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Busable: busable.app Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye Heroly on LinkedIn: herolychour
3: We just set a huge goal for 2032
In this episode, we dive into the challenge of building SixSides while balancing our other businesses. We also break down why we're creating a customer advisory council and how it will shape our product decisions. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Our struggle to get a solid podcast intro recorded Why Mitch spent three hours perfecting an overview doc How we hired a designer on Upwork to create our first sales doc The pros and cons of different SaaS sales strategies Setting up a customer advocacy group (and why it matters) Mitch’s approach to balancing SixSides with Atlas Software How a cyclone disrupted Gav’s week (but led to a tech upgrade) Our unexpected 2032 Olympics goal The importance of tracking business conversations in a CRM Chapters: 00:00 - The struggle to record our podcast intro 02:54 - Mitch's hat collection and cyclone aftermath 06:36 - Mitch’s week: Balancing Atlas Software and SixSides 10:34 - The trade-offs of being a perfectionist in SaaS 14:17 - Why we created a SixSides overview document 18:08 - Lessons learned hiring a designer on Upwork 22:42 - The debate over "good enough" vs. "perfect" 25:45 - Gavin’s new Mac Mini setup 29:11 - Building a customer advocacy group 35:57 - Our unexpected 2032 Olympics goal 42:07 - How long should an advisory group run? 46:22 - Planning for next week: Key meetings & development work 52:05 - The importance of a family dinner (even remotely!) 54:51 - Wrap-up & outro Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
2: How we’re actually finding our first customers (Gavin's in a cyclone)
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin continue their journey in building a B2B SaaS company. They discuss the challenges of launching a startup, handling redundancy issues, and finding their first customers. Gavin also shares a personal story about a tech mishap that made him rethink business continuity. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Reflecting on episode one and the challenge of early feedback Gavin’s cyclone experience and running a business in extreme weather A laptop disaster sparks a discussion on redundancy and backups The challenge of long sales cycles in the event industry Competing with big event tech and finding our unique niche The idea of a customer advocacy group for real product feedback What’s next: marketing site updates, sales outreach, and product planning Chapters: 00:00 - A slow but steady start 00:45 - Recap of last week's progress: Marketing, sales, and product development 01:19 - Cyclone Alfred update – running a business in extreme weather 02:26 - The reality of bootstrapping a SaaS business 03:20 - Gavin’s laptop disaster 05:27 - Why long sales cycles are a challenge in the event space 07:23 - Positioning SixSides in a competitive market 10:34 - Finding early adopters and the "decision-making window" 12:24 - Competing against industry giants as a startup 16:10 - The importance of feedback and customer advocacy groups 20:55 - Sales strategy: Building relationships vs. hard selling 28:17 - Structuring redundancy in a startup team 31:29 - First clients: How to go from zero to one 42:15 - Introducing the SixSides Client Maturity Scale 45:12 - What’s next? Marketing, product updates, and finding more early customers Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co Mac Mini M4: apple.com Backblaze for cloud backups: backblaze.com Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
1: What happens when a developer and a sales expert join forces?
Welcome to the very first episode of Our B2B SaaS Journey! Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sixsides.substack.com/ In this episode, Mitchell Davis and Gavin Tye introduce themselves and share how they found each other, why they teamed up as co-founders, and what led to the creation of SixSides. From a conference app experiment to a full-fledged business, we discuss the early days, our complementary skills, and the challenges of sales vs. product development. Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people! In this episode, we cover: Why we started this podcast and what to expect How Mitchell’s Laracon talk led to a business idea Gavin’s first impression: "Do we really need another event app?" The challenge of sales for developers Why choosing the right co-founder is critical The evolution of SixSides from a side project to a startup What’s next for the business and this podcast Chapters: 00:00 - Welcome to Our B2B SaaS Journey 00:28 - Who we are: Mitchell & Gavin introduce themselves 01:57 - What is SixSides? The story behind the name 02:31 - How Mitchell came up with the idea at Laracon AU 03:49 - Building the first version of the app & early feedback 08:27 - Reaching out to Gavin: The first conversation 10:08 - The challenge of sales: Why developers struggle with it 14:53 - How we first met: The "pain in the ass" sales process 21:38 - The turning point: Why we decided to team up 23:22 - How SixSides is different from other event apps 25:46 - The power of having a co-founder with complementary skills 28:49 - Why communication and conflict resolution matter in a startup 30:38 - The business plan: How we’re tackling sales & product growth 33:02 - Bootstrapping SixSides: Why we’re not raising funding (yet) 34:08 - Where to find us & how to support the show Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev. Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co. Links: SixSides: sixsides.co Mitchell’s Laracon AU talk: Mobile apps don't suck anymore Connect with us: Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye