Rogue Startups

In today’s episode, Craig sits down with AI-SEO expert Lars Lofgren to unpack the future of AI-SEO in a world dominated by artificial intelligence. They explore how to attract and retain traffic through both on-site and off-site strategies like Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, and beyond. With AI rapidly reshaping the digital landscape, the traditional rules of content and inbound marketing are being rewritten. Should SEO still be your top focus? How do you build brand authority when search algorithms are changing every day? Tune in for practical tips and bold insights on what’s working now—and what’s next. Highlights from Craig and Lar’s conversation: What does SEO even mean in the age of AI? How the search landscape has shifted with AI’s rise The #1 thing to do now to thrive in AI-powered search results Top of Funnel (TOFU) vs Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) marketing Why Google prioritizes specific landing pages for specific products The companies gaming AI—and how it’s disrupting traditional SEO How to get your brand seen in AI answers and social media feeds The surprising impact of Reddit on SEO strategy Why SEO best practices feel more unclear than ever Authentic content vs high-volume output, what wins with AI? Building trust: How to make your site feel real to your visitors Ads, paid influencers, evangelists: what actually pays off? Resources and Links from This Episode Lars on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larslofgren/ Lars’ website and newsletter: https://larslofgren.com/ Lars on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/larslofgren.bsky.social Lars on Twitter/X: https://x.com/larslofgren?lang=en Find me on Twit...

In this episode of the podcast, Craig sits down with longtime entrepreneur Colin Bartlett, cofounder of StatusGator, to explore what it really takes to build, and sustain, a SaaS business over the long haul. With more than a decade at the helm of a company that helps users monitor service outages, Colin shares hard-won insights from 12 years of entrepreneurship and 11 years of running StatusGator. The conversation dives into how founders’ perspectives evolve, especially in today’s turbulent tech landscape, and how to stay grounded and successful through all of that craziness. Highlights from Craig and Colin’s conversation: How Colin and StatusGator did when Google Cloud went down for a few hours The factors that can determine whether or not free trials can work for your business The difference between the company in the beginning versus 10+ years down the road How their businesses fit into the current markets (alongside AI and other tech advances) Appreciation and respect for the businesses in such uncertainty Plans, trajectories, and what the future holds for them Views on profit in the SaaS industry Their team structures and how to hire and maintain a team in the AI era Staying fresh in the market after you’ve been in the business for a while The benefits of having a cofounder SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance and privacy standards How many hours does your team have to work to be a value to your company? Resources and Links from This Episode Colin Bartlett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinabartlett/ StatusGator: https://statusgator.com/ If you feel like Rogue Startups has benefited you, and it might benefit someone else, please share it with them. If you have a chance, give Rogue Startups a review on iTunes. Do you have any comments, questions, or topic ideas for future episodes? Feel free to reach out to me: Twitter: @TheCraigHewitt LinkedIn: Craig Hewitt Email: podcast@roguestartups.com

What does it really take to lead a company for over a decade—and still be growing? In this episode, Craig chats with Amar Ghose, founder and longtime CEO of ZenMaid, about the challenges, lessons, and evolution that come from running a SaaS company for 12 years. From market leadership and internal conflict to personal growth and productivity, Amar shares candid insights into the realities of long-term entrepreneurship. Whether you're scaling a startup, feeling stagnant in your leadership role, or just wondering if AI is going to eat your SaaS lunch, this conversation delivers. Highlights from Craig and Amar's conversation: Transitioning from following trends to becoming a category leader Navigating internal disagreements and managing tough decisions Running a "benevolent dictatorship"—and why that sometimes works How to deal with boredom, complacency, and staying sharp as a CEO The productivity paradox: what being "productive" means at the top Entertainment vs. distraction: protecting your focus How coaching reveals your blind spots (and helps you evolve) Staying out of cruise control—how to keep leveling up, year after year Is AI a threat to SaaS companies, or a tool for growth? Takeaways and Vision Longevity in SaaS isn’t about coasting. It’s about evolving. Amar Ghose proves that staying in the game for 12+ years means embracing discomfort, sharpening your focus, and leading with intention. Whether you're one year in or a decade deep, this episode is a reminder: real leadership isn’t about avoiding boredom, it’s about leveling up through it. Resources and Links from This Episode ZenMaid – Amar’s SaaS for maid service businesses Follow Amar on LinkedIn Rogue Startups Podcast Archive Connect with Craig on Twitter/X: @TheCraigHewitt If you feel like Rogue Startups has benefited you and it might benefit someone else, please share it with them. If you have a chance, give Rogue Startups a review on iTunes. Do you have any comments, questions, or topic ideas for future episodes? Feel free to reach out to me:

In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig chats with Jesse Hanley, marketer, self-taught developer, and founder of Bento, a powerful email marketing platform for modern teams. With today’s economy in flux and global events adding more pressure, Craig and Jesse dive into what it really means to run and grow a SaaS business in 2025. They explore how entrepreneurs can protect their businesses and families in turbulent times, why niching down is more important than ever (but only for some), and how AI is transforming both Bento and Craig’s own company, Castos. From global living experiences to making tough decisions about free tiers, this episode is packed with honest insights, practical advice, and a few spicy takes on the future of SaaS. Highlights from Craig and Jesse’s conversation: Living and working in Japan, France, Australia, and the US: cultural and business differences Bento’s vision and how they are navigating economic uncertainty Knowing when to bring in experts (and when to trust your gut) How Bento is integrating AI—and how it’s driving real results for users Behind the scenes at Castos: using AI to boost productivity and creativity Are free plans a growth hack or a trap for SaaS companies? Marketing smarter: finding your ideal customers in a crowded market To niche or not to niche? What to do if your product is a Swiss Army knife If you’re a SaaS founder, bootstrapped entrepreneur, or just love behind-the-scenes looks at real businesses navigating real challenges, this episode is for you. Resources and Links from This Episode Jesse Hanley on Twitter/X: https://x.com/jessethanley Bento: https://bentonow.com/ If you feel like Rogue Startups has benefited you, and it might benefit someone else, please share it with them. If you have a chance, give Rogue Startups a review on iTunes. Do you have any comments, questions, or topic ideas for future episodes? Feel free to reach out to me: Twitter: @TheCraigHewitt LinkedIn:

In this episode of Rogue Startups, Craig sits down with founder and entrepreneur Tim Schumacher to discuss his insights on AI, the future of SaaS, and what makes a company successful. In 2001, Tim co-founded Sedo.com, the world's largest domain marketplace. Since selling the company, he’s been active as an Entrepreneur and/or Investor in various start-ups, such as Eyeo (makers of Adblock Plus), Ecosia, Hitfox, Aklamio, Miomente, PiwikPro, BasicThinking, Home, Zolar, Joblift, SaaS.group, and others. Highlights from Craig and Tim’s conversation: The future of SaaS keeps founders up at night Using artificial intelligence to analyze feedback and company metrics for smarter decision-making How to make your data, and your customers' data, available across multiple platforms and environments What impact will AI and automation have on the economy and the future of work? Why are some in the SaaS industry still hesitant to adopt AI, and what are their fears? Key factors that drive business growth and longevity. Product-Market Fit vs Founder-Market Fit: Understanding the difference and why both matter. Starting a business at the intersection between climate tech and AI Remote work vs in-office culture: How the workplace dynamic is evolving in the age of digital transformation. Resources and Links Mention in This Episode: Tim on Twitter/X Tim on LinkedIn Email: tim@saas.group Sedo Zenloop Day.ai Fyxer If you feel like Rogue Startups has benefited you and it might benefit someone else, please share it with them. If you have a chance, give Rogue Startups a review on iTunes. Do you have any comments, questions, or topic ideas for future episodes? Feel free to reach out to me: Twitter: @TheCraigHewitt LinkedIn:

Ever wonder what's happening behind the scenes when your dev team says they're "leveraging AI"? As a non-technical founder, you don't need to understand every line of code, but knowing how AI is actually being used in your business is becoming essential. Today I'm sitting down with Aaron Francis, who pulls back the curtain on AI in development work. We'll explore the surprising differences between how veterans and newcomers in the field are using these tools, the common pitfalls teams fall into, and the unexpected ways AI is transforming how products get built. Whether you're trying to speak your developer's language or just want to ensure your company is using AI effectively, this conversation will give you the insights you need. Highlights from this Episode: Are junior developers utilizing AI too much? Creating a balance between overusing AI and being a Luddite How Aaron uses Claude for “discrete” tasks Developers aren’t going away anytime soon Balancing the use of AI without depending too much on it Harnessing the power of AI for your business AI tools are both calming and scary for founders Aaron’s different uses for 01 Pro What AI can do versus what AI should do and undeniably human tasks Where to go to educate yourself about AI The importance of testing and checking AI work Resources and Links from this Episode: Try Hard Studios: https://tryhardstudios.com/ Aaron Francis: https://x.com/aarondfrancis Reforge: https://www.reforge.com/profiles/brian-balfour SWYX: https://x.com/swyx https://www.youtube.com/@JeffSu https://www.youtube.com/@SkillLeapAI https://www.youtube.com/@MATGpod Email me: podcast@roguestartups.com Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCraigHewitt

On today’s episode of Rogue Startups, Craig continues his AI series with founder, marketer, and Claude-user Alison French. They discuss the hesitation creators feel when working alongside AI and what Alison did to overcome that hurdle. Since then, she’s taught herself how to use Claude.ai in her creative and professional work. AI is a tool that everyone has to learn how to use. Watch on YouTube If you feel our podcast has benefited you and might benefit someone else, please share it with them. Also, if you have a chance, please give Rogue Startups a review on iTunes. We’ll see you next week! Highlights from Craig and Alison’s conversation: How creatives can use AI to improve their professional and personal lives How to fine-tune Claude’s tone of voice: Add files to the specific project only You have to feed the machine with information that matters Over time, working within the same project, Claude will tune itself to your prompts How to have Claude see references and change the tone or voice Separate and break down transcripts by prompt to hone in on specifics Claude is like a junior copywriter: work with it and nurture it, and it will help your work go faster so you can focus on the important things. Craig’s creative process when creating content: Get examples/models, templates, and ideas to input into your AI program of choice. Break your content up into different functions. Go in once a week to pull out topics. Put the time and energy into refining one meaty piece of content that you can use over and over again. You have to focus on what makes you credible to your audience How does your team embrace and respond to AI because at the surface it’s a risk for all of us? How do we educate our youth now, for a future with AI? Takeaways and Vision Balancing the importance of human connection with the ability to express your individuality and be yourself is even more possible in this AI era. Adopting and embracing technology and AI in your personal and professional lives can help save you time and free up some creative energy for being social, innovative, and expressing yourself. AI will give you the time to do the work to open yourself up to having personal experiences. Resources and Links from This Episode Alison French on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frenchalison/ LTO:

Today, I’m kicking off a series on AI—how I’m using it personally and professionally to grow my business, make life easier, and operate at a higher level. Over the next few episodes, I’ll be chatting with folks about the real ways they’re using AI in their businesses. If you’re interested in joining the conversation, hit me up (details below). But for now, here’s a breakdown of how I’m incorporating AI into my own work. Key Ways I’m Using AI in My Business Content Creation for Programmatic SEO Using OpenAI and Claude to create use case pages for Castos. Built a process to programmatically generate 100+ SEO landing pages using Google Sheets and templates. Example use case: Why Startups Should Start a Podcast for Thought Leadership. Custom GPT for YouTube Scripts Created a custom GPT workflow to script our Castos YouTube videos. Process: Provide a topic, feed it examples, and let GPT draft outlines and scripts. Outcome: High-performing, 90%-ready scripts I tweak and personalize. Building Free Marketing Tools Leveraging tools like Replit and Cursor to develop free tools for Castos (e.g., podcast name generator, social post creator). Focus: Engineering as marketing to drive traffic and lead generation. Documenting Internal Processes Using Loom to record workflows (e.g., triaging support tickets). Leveraging AI to convert videos into detailed step-by-step process documentation (aka playbooks). Automating Low-Level Tasks (Future Plans) Exploring tools like Make and Airtable for automating repetitive processes (e.g., email tagging, Slack notifications). Goal: Free up mental energy for high-value activities like sales, marketing, and strategy. Takeaways and Vision AI is transforming the way we work, and I’m all in on finding ways to integrate it into every aspect of my business. It’s not just about saving time; it’s about leveling up and creating systems that make the impossible possible. I’m inspired by the idea of building something like an 8-person, $10M business with AI at its core. That’s where I’m headed—and I want to bring you along. Resources and Links from This Episode Castos Free Tools: castos.com/tools VidIQ (for YouTube insights): vidiq.com Replit (for building free tools): replit.com Cursor (for coding support): cursor.com Loom (for recording processes): loom.com Email me: podcast@roguestartups.com Find me on Twitter: @TheCraigHewitt Want to Share Your AI Story? I’m looking for guests to share how they’re using AI in their businesses. If you’ve got some great examples or unique insights, reach out to me: Twitter: @TheCraigHewitt LinkedIn: Craig Hewitt Email: podcast@roguestartups.com Let’s level up together!