26: Ryan Matonis (Lead Engines)

Ryan Matonis is Founder & CEO of Lead Engines, an automated lead sourcing platform. In this episode, we talk about his background, turning a consulting gig into a SaaS platform, bootstrapping Lead Engines, learning how to hire and fire, and what really matters when building a software company. Ryan also asks about my biggest mistakes so far.

Bootstrapping a software company is difficult. It can take longer than you think, and there are days when you wonder what you got yourself in. Ryan is particularly impressive as he was able to build the product and drive sales – two skills that usually don't go hand in hand. If you want to know what it's really like, listen to this episode and take notes. Hopefully you can avoid the mistakes that we have both made.

GUEST

Ryan Matonis LinkedIn
Lead Engines Website
API Exchange Website

PODCAST

Safa Mahzari
Patreon
Alluxo Website

TERMS

MVP = minimum viable product
R&D = research and development
S&M = sales and marketing
G&A = general and administrative
ROAS = return on ad spend
B2B = business to business
B2C = business to consumer
Perpetual license = one-time payment for a lifetime software license 
CRM = customer relationship management
SaaS = software as a service
API = application programming interface
SDR = sales development representative
AE = account executive
Payback Period = time to recoup sales and marketing costs from a paying customer
TAM = total addressable market

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Episode intro
0:50 - The importance of sales and marketing
6:36 - Making a pitch deck that works
13:15 - How did you start Lead Engines?
23:48 - Being a solo founder
33:19 - What was the most difficult skill to learn?
42:46 - What is API Exchange?
53:38 - What would change if you start all over again?
1:02:15 - Wrap up and final thoughts