{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Tech Founders Podcast","title":"4 Years to $1M ARR—Then Bootstrapped to $18M and an Exit","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2659,"description":"In this episode, we dive into the full journey of building and scaling TextRequest—a bootstrapped SaaS company that grew to $18M in ARR and was acquired on its 10-year anniversary.Brian Elrod, CEO and co-founder of TextRequest, shares how he transitioned from the franchising world into tech, what it took to build the MVP, and how he found the right technical co-founder.He also breaks down how TextRequest found product-market fit by shifting from customer service to revenue-focused messaging, and how they scaled through a “bottom-up” strategy targeting franchisees first.We also explore Brian’s approach to customer feedback, how he ran daily demos even years into the business, and how building a strong relationship with Twilio turned into a game-changing distribution channel.What you’ll learn: • The mindset and milestones behind bootstrapping to $18M ARR • How TextRequest turned franchisees into their biggest growth engine • Why staying close to customers can guide your entire roadmap • The art of the sales demo and listening for product insightsI hope you enjoy the episode!","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/cpUDTR_DSI72vSaXB54RKg808aClRbPKRJST-x8X7DY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iYzZm/M2I2ZWJlZTkzM2Zm/N2RmMzVmYzJhZjYz/OTk3NS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}