In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Fennell, founder of Standout CV, to unpack how he built and scaled a resume-builder SaaS to over 18 million organic visitors, $30K MRR, and $1M+ in lifetime revenue — without venture funding.
Andrew walks through his SEO-first go-to-market strategy, pricing evolution, churn reduction, and the exact content and link-building tactics that helped him win in an ultra-competitive space. This episode is a masterclass in bootstrapped SaaS growth, monetization, and acquisition efficiency.
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How a recruitment background led to a SaaS opportunity
Transitioning from services to scalable software
Bootstrapping vs. raising capital
Why one-time payments killed LTV
Switching to subscriptions to unlock recurring revenue
Using low-friction paid trials to boost conversion
SEO as the core go-to-market motion
Why content beats ads in crowded markets
Building trust before monetization
Creating linkable assets journalists actually cite
Digital PR vs. guest posting
Programmatic SEO pitfalls and content pruning
Reducing churn in naturally short-term SaaS use cases
Running a high-margin SaaS with a small team
Positioning a bootstrapped business for acquisition
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Andrew started Standout CV as a freelance CV-writing service, evolved it into a content-driven traffic engine, and eventually built a subscription SaaS now generating consistent monthly revenue. Today, he’s also advising other SaaS companies on SEO while exploring acquisition offers for the business.
Whether you’re a bootstrapped SaaS founder, B2B operator, or investor evaluating SEO-driven businesses, this episode is a masterclass in organic acquisition, monetization, and building real leverage without venture capital.
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