From Bootstrapped to Bought: Sustainable SaaS Growth with Tom Buchok
September 23, 2025
SaaS founders and B2B startup builders, today, we dive into building, leading, and exiting a SaaS business. In this episode of SaaS That App: Building B2B Web Applications, Tom Buchok, the Principal at Reach Frequency, joins Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards to share his experience building and selling a bootstrapped SaaS company, focusing on sustainable growth and work-life balance.
This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a big SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems on their website.
Got a burning idea for an episode, or a SaaS question you absolutely must know the answer to? Leave us a voice memo at SaasThatApp
SaaS founders and B2B startup builders, today, we dive into building, leading, and exiting a SaaS business. In this episode of SaaS That App: Building B2B Web Applications, Tom Buchok, the Principal at Reach Frequency, joins Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards to share his experience building and selling a bootstrapped SaaS company, focusing on sustainable growth and work-life balance.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to build a sustainable SaaS business using product-led growth without burning out
- Why focusing on self-service customers can lead to more predictable, scalable growth
- How to navigate the transition from consulting to product-based revenue
- The strategic approach to handling enterprise clients without derailing your core business
- Why exit planning should focus on building an efficient business first, sales second
Tom Buchok is a SaaS entrepreneur, an expert in scaling businesses in the tech space, and the Principal at Reach Frequency, where he advises and coaches B2B SaaS founders on leadership and growth strategies. As the former CEO and Co-founder of MailCharts, he led the company through a decade of growth before its successful acquisition by Validity in 2022. With deep expertise in bootstrapped SaaS businesses and product-led growth strategies, Tom transformed MailCharts from a "Wayback Machine for emails" concept into a revolutionary platform for e-commerce marketers optimizing email campaigns. Currently, Tom focuses on helping other SaaS entrepreneurs navigate their growth journeys while maintaining work-life balance and operational efficiency.
This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a big SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems on their website.
Highlights
- [00:00] Introduction
- [01:47] Meet Tom Buchok
- [06:47] The Wayback Machine for Emails
- [10:19] The Long, Slow Ramp of SaaS Growth
- [16:38] Product-Led Growth in Action
- [20:55] Redefining Startup Culture
- [28:48] When to Say No to Enterprise Clients
- [34:45] The Exit to Validity
- [41:52] The Power of MicroConf
Episode Resources:
Got a burning idea for an episode, or a SaaS question you absolutely must know the answer to? Leave us a voice memo at SaasThatApp
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Your input helps us shape future episodes and continue bringing you practical, real-world insights into building B2B web applications.