{"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.\nBrian 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.\nHe 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.\nWe 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.\nWhat you’ll learn: \n• The mindset and milestones behind bootstrapping to $18M ARR \n• How TextRequest turned franchisees into their biggest growth engine \n• Why staying close to customers can guide your entire roadmap \n• The art of the sales demo and listening for product insights\nI 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}