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

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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