Sounds Good.

Epizódok

• The $500M SaaS company that doesn't chase AI hype — Ken Weary @ Hostaway 20.07.2026 51p

  Hostaway has raised more than $500 million. It still hasn't acquired a single company. Ken Weary, COO at Hostaway, believes that's not a missed opportunity—it's discipline. Instead of buying competitors, the company has spent the last decade building a single platform, staying profitable, and resisting the temptation to chase every shiny new thing. We talked about what AI is actually changing inside SaaS companies (and what it isn't), why "SaaSpocalypse" is mostly a story about adaptation rather than extinction, how to think about third-party platform risk when your business depends on Airbnb and Booking.com, and why founder-led companies often win by acting like they still have no money. In this episode: Why Hostaway has never made an acquisition despite evaluating hundreds of companies What a $500M-funded company can teach bootstrappers about spending money The real relationship between AI and layoffs Why AI should augment people, not replace them Building software on top of platforms like Airbnb without becoming dependent on them What SaaSpocalypse gets right—and what it completely misses Why customer events matter even more in a fully remote company How Hostaway uses AI to improve customer support and guest experience "Be frugal, not cheap"—the mindset behind sustainable growth The marathon lesson that applies surprisingly well to building SaaS Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Hostaway 03:45 - The Importance of Property Management 06:59 - Navigating Guest Reviews 07:37 - Handling Third-Party Dependencies 10:54 - Mergers and Acquisitions Strategy 16:47 - AI Integration in Property Management 24:28 - AI as Augmented Intelligence 28:00 - The Impact of AI on Employment 31:54 - The Importance of Real-Life Events 38:49 - SaaS Evolution and the 'SaaSpocalypse' 43:25 - Playbooks for Success in Business Ken - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenweary/ Hostaway - https://www.hostaway.com ─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• SaaS isn't dead but old playbooks are — Mac Martine @ Demandbird 14.07.2026 56p

  Mac Martine has been building and acquiring SaaS for 20 years. He still doesn't think it's easy — and that's the point. We talked about what it actually looks like to run a small SaaS portfolio as a two-person team, why buying a boring Slack backup tool led to Fortune 500 clients and a 50x price increase within 48 hours, and why the fundamentals of distribution haven't changed as much as the hype suggests. Plus: AI search, third-party dependency risk, building in your own voice, and why bot media is quietly replacing social media. In this episode: - Why buying beats building for early validation right now - The graveyard SaaS market and what makes something worth acquiring - How good SEO still converts overnight — even in 2026 - AI search vs regular search: is there actually a difference yet? - Third-party dependency risk: Aware, Shield, and what comes next - Why AI-assisted humans beat AI alone — and where the line breaks down - Content production, scheduling tools, and keeping your voice when AI helps you write - What won't work anymore in micro SaaS Timestamps: 00:00 - Navigating Uncertainty 06:05 - The Shift from Building to Buying: Exploring Holdco Strategies 12:29 - Validating Ideas: The Importance of Community and Feedback 18:27 - SEO's Enduring Relevance in the Age of AI 23:31 - Building with Dependencies: Risks and Strategies 29:18 - Finding Value in Content Production and Scheduling Tools 32:25 - The Evolution of Retail and Music 36:05 - The Impact of AI on Human Interaction 41:58 - Navigating the Noise in AI Development 46:09 - The Future of AI and User Interaction 51:48 - Exciting Discoveries on the Internet Mac - https://www.linkedin.com/in/macmartine/ Demandbird - https://demandbird.com─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• You don't need to go shopping ever again — Felix Hoffmann @ 7Learnings 07.07.2026 55p

  Felix Hoffmann has been inside Zalando's pricing engine. Now he's building the tools retail brands need to survive the AI. We talked about what agentic shopping looks like these days, why European platforms are dangerously slow to react, and why asking "how do I use ChatGPT in my company" is completely the wrong question. In this episode: - Why 30–50% of online purchases already start with an AI conversation - The real reason OpenAI paused agentic shopping (hint: Amazon) - How product decisions — not just pricing — will be shaped by what AI assistants recommend - Why Zalando is losing to Amazon - The offline retail impact nobody's talking about yet - Why predictive pricing beats LLM-based pricing for explainability and trust - The chess computer analogy: why specialized AI beats general AI for enterprise use cases - What a €500M investment commitment would actually look like for a European platform to win Felix is one of the clearest thinkers on what AI actually changes in commerce versus what's just noise. Timestamps: 00:00 - The Future of AI in Shopping 03:47 - The Role of Discoverability in Retail 06:47 - Personalization and Production in Fashion 10:58 - The Impact of AI on Consumer Behavior 13:59 - 7Learnings: Optimizing Retail Decisions 16:48 - Consumer Readiness for AI Shopping Assistants 19:35 - The Offline Shopping Experience and AI 22:50 - Luxury Brands and AI Integration 27:43 - The New Gatekeepers of Retail 28:57 - The Competitive Landscape of AI in Shopping 31:02 - Opportunities for Independent Brands 32:14 - Navigating Uncertainty in AI Adoption 36:14 - Strategic AI Investments for Retailers 37:56 - The Risks of Inaction in Retail 40:55 - Pricing Strategies in the Age of AI 46:28 - Trust and Explainability in AI Systems 51:07 - The Future of Decision Automation Felix - https://www.linkedin.com/in/felix-hoffmann-7learnings 7Learnings - https://7learnings.com/ ─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• Your AI product needs an accountability layer — Sai Dhanak @ deduction.com 30.06.2026 55p

  Most AI companies make big claims. Sai built a guarantee into the business model. Sai Dhanak is the founder of Deduction, an AI tax firm that pairs licensed CPAs with AI agents to deliver tax advice, planning, and filing for US consumers — at a fraction of traditional accountant prices. We talked about what happens when accountability is actually on the line, why services that were "unscalable" are suddenly the hottest pitch in VC rooms, and what the SaaSpocalypse gets completely wrong about junior talent. In this episode: - Why "own the customer outcome" might be the only real moat right now - The CPA shortage nobody's building fast enough for - AI agents with names and phone numbers (meet Taylor at deduction.com) - Why predictable workflows scale and litigation doesn't - The Deduction partner program — a franchise model for the AI era - Whether Google I/O just quietly ate vibe coding for the masses - The real reason companies are laying people off (hint: it's not productivity) - Senior engineers saying they need zero engineers on their team — and whether that ends in burnout Sai is one of those founders who thinks clearly about messy questions. Timestamps: 00:00 - Navigating the AI Landscape 11:06 - The Role of Human Touch in AI Services 21:59 - Building Trust in AI-Driven Tax Services 30:28 - The Need for AI Guidance 31:50 - Integrating AI into Daily Life 32:26 - The Reality of AI Implementation 36:24 - Balancing AI and Human Interaction 37:03 - Data Infrastructure Challenges 40:46 - The Cost of Building vs. Buying Software 44:19 - The Future of Vibe Coding 50:29 - Building Trust in AI Solutions Sai - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saayuj/ Deduction - https://deduction.com/ ─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• Stop the slop. Here's how to do founder-led content — Finn Thormeier @ Project 33 23.06.2026 1ó 2p

  Good content still wins. Finn Thormeier has spent years building LinkedIn presence for B2B executives and he's got a genuinely uncomfortable take on why most of it fails — and it's not the algorithm. Finn runs Project 33, an executive LinkedIn agency working with B2B founders and C-suite leaders to turn their actual opinions into content that moves pipeline. He's obsessed with the gap between what people think LinkedIn content does and what it actually does. In this episode: - Why AI ghostwriting and human ghostwriting have almost identical failure modes - The real reason LinkedIn reach is dropping (hint: it's supply, not algorithm) - How to train an AI — or a writer — to not produce slop - Why Finn stopped using em dashes and what that tells you about the platform right now - The "VP of Supply Chain" rule: what good engagement actually looks like in B2B - When LinkedIn posting can't save you (and what product-market fit has to do with it) - Where Finn would go if LinkedIn disappeared tomorrow: newsletters, in-person, and why Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 03:59 - The Role of AI in Content Creation 07:01 - Human Touch vs. AI in Content Strategy 09:44 - Navigating AI Biases and Content Quality 12:54 - The Importance of Clear Communication in Content 15:53 - The Shift in Audience Perception of AI Content 19:02 - The Impact of Algorithms on LinkedIn Engagement 22:55 - Understanding Content Effectiveness and ROI 25:48 - Balancing Salesy Content with Value-Driven Posts 28:35 - Final Thoughts on Content Creation and Engagement 36:11 - Finding Balance in Content Creation 41:56 - Navigating LinkedIn and Social Media Burnout 48:42 - Debunking Myths About AI and Content Creation 53:58 - The Shift Towards In-Person Networking 56:28 - Inspiration from Real-Life Experiences If you've ever wondered whether any of this content stuff actually works, this one's worth your time. Finn Thormeier - https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnthormeier/ Project 33 - https://www.project33.io/ ─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• Bootstrapping in an over-funded market — Antoine Minoux @ Fernand 16.06.2026 54p

  What happens to bootstrapped SaaS when AI levels the playing field — and VC money controls distribution? Antoine Minoux, serial founder and builder of Fernand (a customer support tool for founders doing their own support), gets real about what's actually broken right now: UI as a moat is dead, cold email is harder than it looks, and "distribution is king" is not just a cliché anymore — it's existential. In this episode we cover: - Why Antoine rebuilt Fernand's AI layer (and what his power users are doing instead) - The 3,000-email cold outreach experiment that looked genius and flopped - Bootstrap vs. VC-funded SaaS in 2025 — who actually wins - Why product-market fit is harder to find when everyone has the same AI stack - The case for done-for-you services as SaaS's next pivot - Why "sounds good" and "works well" are two completely different things Timestamps: 00:00:01 - Fernand, a customer support tool. 00:02:23 - Rebuilding with an AI layer. 00:03:07 - Thoughts on rebuilding and innovation. 00:05:17 - Customers not asking for current developments. 00:06:28 - AI can do 90% of the work. 00:08:04 - Not using the interface anymore. 00:09:29 - Uncertainty about UI needs. 00:11:11 - Two hypotheses in the world. 00:13:29 - Brutal market for SMBs. 00:18:42 - Distribution is the main thing. 00:19:51 - Hypothesis about bootstrapping challenges. 00:23:34 - Cold email automation experiment. 00:32:09 - Pricing strategies. 00:51:48 - Final thoughts on adaptability and innovation. If you're a founder who's ever thought "this idea is so smart" and then watched it land with a thud — this one's for you. Antoine Minoux - https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoineminoux/ Fernand - https://getfernand.com/ ─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• Why the Best product doesn't win anymore — Joseph Lee @ Supademo 09.06.2026 45p

  Your product isn't defensible because it's hard to build. The tough news: you're in trouble. Joe Lee, founder of Super (200,000+ users, growing without a sales team), joins Sounds Good to dismantle the idea that technical complexity is a moat. We get into why distribution and brand eminence are what's left, why "we're just watching AI" stance might have been the smartest move of the year, and why "ever-boarding" beats onboarding every single time. In this episode: → Why tech defensibility has collapsed — and what actually replaces it → Is waiting on AI a power move or a mistake? → "Ever-boarding" — Joe's framing for why switching cost beats features → Why ARR can mask structural problems (and what to look at instead) → Buyer personas are converging — enterprise buyers now self-qualify like PLG users → AI is becoming invisible — and why sophisticated buyers stopped caring about the label → The "build with Claude on the weekend" family activity rant → Would you trade shoes with Warren Buffett for $5 billion? Timestamps: 00:00 - Defensibility Is Dead 01:00 - Meet Joe From Supademo 01:11 - SaaS Whiplash Era 03:57 - Escaping The AI Echo Chamber 10:06 - Hype Versus Outcomes 11:53 - Freshline Versus Supademo 15:39 - Founder Market Fit 18:01 - Build In Public For Brand 22:48 - Midmarket Buyer Reality 26:35 - Not Becoming A Feature 28:41 - Moats Brand Distribution Habits 34:05 - Everboarding For Retention 36:52 - IRL Is Back 40:52 - Work Life Balance As ROI 43:32 - Closing Thoughts On AI Anxiety For founders who are tired of being told they're behind, and want a clearer view of what actually compounds. New episodes of Sounds Good every week. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. 🎙️ Joseph Lee - Supademo - ─── sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com sounds good. is sponsored by saas.group - serial acquirer of profitable SaaS businesses. If you're thinking about an exit, they're worth a conversation. https://saas.group/
• Don't start SaaS right now — Mike Hill @ Curator.io 02.06.2026 53p

  Sounds Good Podcast #1 — Mike Hill on whether bootstrapped SaaS is still worth starting in 2026. His advice to anyone asking him right now: don't. Not because SaaS is dying. He doesn't buy that — neither do I. But the gap between building a product (easier than ever) and getting your first SaaS customer (harder than ever) got pretty broken. Mike Hill is a serial bootstrapper. His newest thing is Smile — a Slack app for sending dorky cards to your team (which I love using!). What we got into: - Why the SaaSpocalypse started five years ago and has nothing to do with AI - The Google-to-ChatGPT shift is wiping out bootstrappers - AI makes senior people better and junior people worse - Lifetime deals stop making sense when token costs are ongoing and buyers already have your competitor's LTD - The day Claude went down and Mike just went home, and what that says about all of us - Why he still recommends every founder who emails him to get a technical co-founder Timestamps: 00:00 - Is SaaS Still Worth Starting? 00:57 - SaaSpocalypse Explained 03:14 - AI Makes Seniors Faster 04:30 - Content Led Growth Edge 06:00 - Why Not Start SaaS 07:47 - AI Search Hurts Discovery 11:11 - Building SaaS for Fun 15:46 - Ship Fast New Process 17:59 - Agent Overload Limits 25:24 - Get a Technical Cofounder 28:21 - AI Skepticism and Hype 29:36 - Reliance and Outage Fear 31:09 - API Risk and Cost Creep 33:09 - Lifetime Deals vs Token Costs 37:35 - SaaS Is Not Dead 45:05 - Competition and Go To Market 48:27 - AI Sidekicks Not Replacements 50:46 - Why AI Design Still Fails 52:02 - Wrap Up If you've been wondering whether you missed the SaaS window, this one's for you. New episodes of Sounds Good every week. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. Mike Hill — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mymatemike/ Smile — https://smiile.co/ Curator — https://curator.io/ Juuno — https://juuno.co/ #SaaS #Bootstrapping #IndieHackers sounds good. — a podcast with Anna Nadeina soundsgoodpod.com anna@soundsgoodpod.com
• sounds good. launching June 1 21.04.2026 1p

  Have you ever heard a podcast, read an article, or just seen a LinkedIn post that sounded really, really good? Where someone was sharing the ultimate playbook that definitely works, the sales process that makes your team indestructible, and that great game changer for SaaS growth?Yeah. We've all been there.I've clicked on those links. And hey, fair enough, some of those did work. And some sent me on a trip to Cringeville and my wine cabinet because I had to recover from thinking people get paid for this stuff.So that's what this is. I'm Anna, and this is sounds good. — where I talk to SaaS folks who walked that yellow brick road. People who ran with it and can look me in the eye and tell me if it worked, or spectacularly didn't.Because I'm not sure if playbooks are real. Or if there's a version of SaaS success you can follow like a recipe — or if every company that made it just had a great team, obsessive founders, and quite a bit of luck. And then someone wrote a LinkedIn post about it afterwards.That's what I want to find out.Tune in to "sounds good." podcast episode 1 on June 1st.