PODCAST · business
The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch
by The Product Bus
From The Product Bus comes The Bootstrap: Building Startups from Scratch - your source of news and practical support for early stage founders. The Bootstrap unpacks strategies that any founder can apply to make smart, data-informed decisions as they navigate the early stages of building a startup. We focus on helping founders avoid the common pitfalls that stop many great ideas from becoming a reality. Each episode host Scotty Allen (Founder of The Product Bus) is joined by a guest who brings their experience and subject matter to a specific topic with practical, actionable strategies that founders can take away and apply immediately to their own business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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Fractional Strategists - When, Why, and How? with Natalie Ellis from The Product Bus
Natalie Ellis, who has just joined The Product Bus full time as Partner & CEO, joins host Scotty Allen to talk about fractional leadership, particularly in the product strategy space. We discuss the pros and cons of fractional strategists, when the timing is right to engage them, what to look for...
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What do founders need to know about Agentic AI and what the heck is OpenClaw? With Callum Holt
Scotty speaks with Callum Holt, software engineer at Shopfront and 13 Labs founder, to explain Agentic AI for early-stage founders. They also discuss the rapid rise of OpenClaw — an open-source AI tool making waves for both its power and its risks. Callum breaks down what founders really need to...
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Has AI Rewritten the Rules for Founders in 2026? with Yaniv Bernstein
In our first episode of 2026 Scotty Allen speaks with Yaniv Bernstein, ex-Google, Chief Product Officer of Vera, and host of The Startup Podcast, about how AI is changing what it takes to build a startup in 2026, what "technical" and "non-technical" founders mean (if anything) in this new age…
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Founder Friday with Gavin Tye
Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful - and sometimes much more realistic. This week Scotty is joined by Gavin Tye - founder of DealBuddi and SixSides - and...
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Founder Led Business with Summer Howarth from Eventful Learning
In this episode Scotty is joined by Summer Howarth - director of Eventful Learnings Co - to discuss what is involved in maintaining a founder led business and how Summer's experience, interest and expertise in learning design and education strategies have made Eventful Learnings a perfect match…
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Founder Friday with Tom Maitland from Filament Analytics
This week on Founder Friday Scotty is joined by founder of Filament Analytics Tom Maitland. Filament is an automated data warehouse that unifies business data, making it easy to analyse with natural language. Tom speaks on the value of being a second time founder in knowing what to prioritise in...
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Learning from a Startup Network with Scott Glew from Morning Startup
In this Industry Episode Scotty talks to Scott Glew - co-founder of Fastvue and also the network Morning Startup - based in Western Australia. Exploring Scott's journey in bootstrapping Fastvue to great success, in what continues to be a lean and effective operation, and how Scott has used the...
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Founder Friday with Jesse Gordon from Study Pulse
This Founder Friday Scotty is joined by Jesse Gordon, founder of Study Pulse, to talk about the early journey bootstrapping journey in ed tech; including all the learnings and reflections involved in the process. Jesse is a software engineer and entrepreneur who specialises in bridging the gap...
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The Aussie Startup Ecosystem with Amber Main
Community means a lot of things to a lot of different people in the startup ecosystem. But someone who has been doing something or several really interesting things in that space is our guest today, Amber Main. She is an ecosystem builder. She's the founder and CEO of Sparks. And in this episode...
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Founder Friday with Nathan MacPhee from IIF
In this Founder Friday Scotty is joined by Nathan MacPhee, founder of Invest Inya Farmer (IIF) to discuss how bootstrapping proved effective for IIF in the early idea validation stage. Find out more at: iif.today Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is...
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When to Use Low and No Code with Dave McManus from Lightning Ventures
If you've been around the startup space for more than a hot second, you certainly have heard the terms low code and no code. Today we have someone that is going to help us understand what they mean, how they might be best used in the startup space, and where maybe they're best left untouched.…
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Approaching Cybersecurity as an Early Founder with Billy Hosking
If you are building a digital product and you want other people to use it, then there is probably a cybersecurity element that has to be considered at some point. When is too soon to be focusing on that? When is it too late? And how is AI impacting that? To help attempt to answer these questions...
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Founder Friday with Chris Rickard from Userdoc
In this week of Founder Friday Scotty is joined by Chris Rickard, founder and CEO of Userdoc. Exploring how his background and experience, particularly in agencies, led to the creation of Userdoc and what advice he can give to founders with a similar background. Founder Friday is about works…
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Founder Friday Replay with Matt Ainsworth
This week on Founder Friday we are replaying a conversation with start up mentor and coach Matt Ainsworth, originally published in October of 2023, Matt and Scotty discuss effective strategies for idea validation and how this can help inform a start up's product market fit; a valuable…
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What AI Really Means for Growth with Gavin Reddrop
Are we sick of talking about AI yet? We're going to have to continue to talk about it for some time to come, it's becoming ubiquitous in our everyday life. On other levels, particularly when it comes to business and business strategy, we've really only cracked the surface of what it means and how...
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Founder Friday with Dr Paul Browning from Vivedus
Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful - and sometimes much more realistic. In this Founder Friday Scotty is joined by Dr Paul Browning, managing director of...
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Do B2B SaaS Playbooks Still Exist with Craig Brown from Everest Engineering
As AI transforms the kind of tech we’re using and job we’re doing, are any of the “old” product and sales playbooks still relevant when it comes to B2B Software as a Service? And if not, what should we be doing instead? In this episode we’re joined by Craig Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of Everest...
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Founder Friday with Sean Duffy from Stackle
In our latest Founder Friday episode we're chatting to Sean Duffy, CEO and Founder of Stackle - an EdTech tool that is gaining momentum in the High Ed Space. Sean shares the journey and learnings to date with some strong insights on developing a sales process, market positioning, and managing…
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3 Pitches I Want To Stop Hearing (Scotty Solo)
It's a Scotty solo episode! Occasionally we'll be including an episode that is a (hot or not) take from our host Scotty Allen, and in this first edition he's going to reveal the Top Three Startup Pitches that need to go away for good! These three pitches are frequent fliers, and the reason they...
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Founder Friday with Pip Stocks from The Startup Muse
In this Founder Friday we are joined by Pip Stocks, founder of The Startup Muse. With two decades building, advising, and investing in customer-led businesses, Pip has founded twp ventures in Brandhook and Hearsay. Now building a new platform called The Startup Muse - using AI to bridge the gap...
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Top Things Early Founders Get Wrong with Luke Marshall
With a CV that includes Google and Facebook, you might think Luke Marshall would be an unlikely person to be passionate about helping startups with sales and scaling, but he’s made it his mission to bring his experience and smarts to helping early founders navigate this tricky space. In this...
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Founder Friday with Tabish Bidiwale from Fission
In this Founder Friday Scotty is joined by Tabish Bidiwale to discuss early learnings as founder of Fission, a tool aiming to help developers everywhere plan better and build something they actually want. Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important,...
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Funding Strategies for Early Startups with Liz Van Zyl from Tractor Ventures
Funding is a focus of so much conversation in the startup space, and yet so many ventures fail because founders don’t understand how to match their ideas to a commercial model that can indicate the right approach to funding. In this episode we’re joined by Liz Van Zyl, a highly experienced...
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Founder Friday with Nate Spiteri from Shopfront
Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful – and sometimes much more realistic. In this Founder Friday episode we’re talking to Nate Spiteri, the CEO & Co-Founder...
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How Will AI Reshape Agencies with Martin Anderson from Ionata
The rise of AI is set to reshape the way agencies work, creating both challenges and opportunities for how they deliver value. In this episode, we’ll explore what agencies need to do to adapt, stay relevant, and thrive in an AI-driven future. Guiding us through the conversation is Martin…
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Founder Friday with Chris Asher from Oink Digital
In this Founder Friday, we’re joined by Chris Asher, Founder and CEO of Oink Digital to talk about how to hone creativity into productivity. Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to...
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All About Grants with Janine Owen from Grant’d
Access to capital is one of the biggest challenges facing early-stage founders, and while most think immediately of VC or angel investment, grants offer a compelling non-dilutive alternative. Despite $100 billion in grant funding available to Australian businesses and organisations each year…
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Founder Friday with Dominic Lindsay from Nexobot
In this Founder Friday episode, we’re talking to Dominic Lindsay, founder of Nexobot. Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful – and sometimes much more...
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Learning from Failure with Benjemin Elengovan of MyGigsters
Failure isn't the opposite of success - it's the stepping stone to it. Every entrepreneur faces the inevitable question: when do you push through, and when do you pivot? How do you read the subtle signals the market sends about whether to accelerate or pull the plug? In this episode, Benjemen...
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Founder Friday with Elleesha King from Pulsatile Innovations
In this Founder Friday episode, we’re talking to Elleesha King, founder of Pulsatile Innovations. Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful - and sometimes much...
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Building Startup Teams and Employer Brand with Megan Luttrell
Until AI replaces the need for humans completely, building a team remains a crucial part of building a startup, and the need for other humans to help get things off the ground often comes before the budget to hire them, so some clever thinking is required. Megan Luttrell - founder of Kairos...
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Founder Friday with Nicole Bouchier of SklChat
In this Founder Friday episode, we’re talking to Nicole Bouchier, founder of SklChat Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful - and sometimes much more…
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Fractional Growth with Andrew Sharpe
Fractional leadership roles are becoming more common in startups and scaleups. We’re more familiar with a fractional CFO or CTO - but what about business development? In this discussion with experienced enterprise leader Andrew Sharpe, we look at the ways that larger companies are embracing...
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Founder Friday with Mari Robert from Inflamed
In this Founder Friday episode, we’re talking to Mari Robert, founder of Inflamed. Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful - and sometimes much more realistic....
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Common AI Misconceptions with Dr Sam Donegan
AI is everywhere. Depending on where you are at on the continuum, it's probably the thing that is either exciting you the most, confusing you the most, or scaring you the most at the moment - maybe a combination of all three. The market is struggling with its own confusion, concerns, and fear...
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Founder Friday with Andrew Murphy from Tech Leaders Launchpad
In our first Founder Friday episode, we’re talking to Andrew Murphy, founder of Tech Leaders Launchpad. Founder Friday is about works still in progress. Learning from success stories is important, but learning from founders still in the thick of getting to market is just as useful - and sometimes...
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Lovable Shipped Learnings with Brenton Andersen
The Bootstrap is back for 2025, and we’re kicking off with a great conversation with Brenton Anderson from Lovable about the learnings and success stories from the recent Lovable Shipped program. We also have a wider discussion about the impact of AI tools like Lovable on validation and...
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Keeping up (or not) with AI with Gavin Reddrop
If you work in tech and or with startups and you haven’t heard a dozen people say a version of “we need to add AI” or “I’m building an AI product”, then we've been in different meetings. It can feel like a mess of talk and buzzwords, and honestly a lot of it is, so how does the average founder...
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The HowdyGo Bootstrapping Journey with Tom Bruining
What influences the decision to bootstrap a startup as opposed to going down the fundeaising route, and if you decide to go that waty, how do you do it? My guest for this episode, Tom Bruining, stepped out of a long histopry of working in funded startups and decided to do just that. Along with…
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Transitioning from Founder Led Sales with Gavin Tye
Most founders don’t see themselves as sales people, and many either try to avoid taking on that role altogether, or offloading it as soon as possible. What is the best way for founders to approach sales when its not a comfortable pair of shoes, how do you know when it’s time to transition away…
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Crowdfunding for your Startup with Kane Jackson from Maslow
When you hear the word crowdfunding you might think about that Kickstarter you backed for that groovy new gadget that you may or may not have ever received, or the GoFundMe that you donated to help someone going through something terrible, but until recently you may not think of it as viable…
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How does bootstrapping make you a better founder? with Yaniv Bernstein
At the start, every business is a bootstrapped business. Founders inject their own capital and/or sweat to get things rolling, and then work out what funding model or models is most likely to work for their idea. It’s easy to want to skip through the hard bits and get to the moment where cash is...
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Building a Startup in Today's Landscape with Jo Agresta from Abodey
Bootstrapping a startup is not for the faint of heart. If you really commit to the journey, there are plenty of lows and setbacks to face before you reach a high - if you ever do. We know the success stories, but not always the pivots and failures that came before them. So what is building a...
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Tackling SaaS as a Startup Founder with Kirk Drage of LeapSheep
Software as a service, or SaaS, has been responsible for much of the explosive growth of tech as we know it. What is it like to found and build in the world of SaaS startups? How does your approach as a founder have to change if you know you’re going to be entering the world of Software as a...
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Impact Startups with Annette Rose of Kids Get Money
You may have heard the term "Impact Startup" and wondered what it really means. In broad terms, an impact startup is a business that is designed to solve major societal problems, But what does that look like in reality? What are some examples of impact startups and how do you start? To help us...
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What startups need to know about the law with Talt Anast from Allied Legal
Getting a startup up and running seems to come with an endless to do list, and while some things are exciting, others are just plain necessary. Knowing when you need to formalise the legal structure of your business, what to choose and how to do it can be overwhelming, so we’ve invited Talt Anast...
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Startup Operations with Tiffany Ashdown from The Product Bus
There's no end to the list of things a founder needs to think about at the start of the startup journey. Operations might be seen as something that comes later, but laying the groundwork in the early days, without overdoing it, can lead to a much easier path to scale. Tiffany Ashdown, experienced...
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Do Startups Have an Ageism Problem? - with Kirstin Hunter from Techstars
Do Startups have an Ageism Problem? We recorded our discussion with Kirstin Hunter prior to the WGEA gender pay gap report release, but the discussion couldn’t be more timely. One element of the WGEA report showed that the pay gap for women increases by age range. While you might look at that…
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Talent Aquisition for Startups with Steve Grace from The Nudge Group
Building the right team is an essential part of early stage startups. Finding a balance of skills, experience, and personalities can truly be a make or break factor. To discuss the best ways to approach talent acquisition when you’re bootstrapping, I’m joined by Steve Grace, founder and CEO of…
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What you don't know about being a funded startup with Nick Chang
From the outside, achieving investment in your startup feels like a peak achievement, but the reality is its the start of a much steeper climb that has its upsides and its downs. Someone who knows this journey very well is Nick Chang, who has founded and successfully exited more than one company,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
From The Product Bus comes The Bootstrap: Building Startups from Scratch - your source of news and practical support for early stage founders.
The Bootstrap unpacks strategies that any founder can apply to make smart, data-informed decisions as they navigate the early stages of building a startup. We focus on helping founders avoid the common pitfalls that stop many great ideas from becoming a reality.
Each episode host Scotty Allen (Founder of The Product Bus) is joined by a guest who brings their experience and subject matter to a specific topic with practical, actionable strategies that founders can take away and apply immediately to their own business.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
The Product Bus
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How many episodes does The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch have?
The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch about?
From The Product Bus comes The Bootstrap: Building Startups from Scratch - your source of news and practical support for early stage founders. The Bootstrap unpacks strategies that any founder can apply to make smart, data-informed decisions as they navigate the early stages of building a startup....
How often does The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch release new episodes?
The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch?
The Bootstrap - Building Startups from Scratch is created and hosted by The Product Bus.
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