13 years of bootstrapping a SaaS with people-first approach with Glenn Rogers @Float

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/ . I’m your host Anna Nadeina, Head of Growth for saas.group.

In this episode #41, we talk with Glenn Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Float, one of the top-rated resource management SaaS tools to keep projects profitable, workloads sustainable, and teams in sync.

Building a Bootstrapped SaaS Success Story

In 2011, Glenn Rogers and his co-founder faced a common problem in the professional services industry – project planning was primarily done with cumbersome spreadsheets. Determined to find a better solution, they founded Float, a resource management SaaS tool designed to help teams plan capacity, make better decisions, and keep projects profitable.

Over the past 13 years, Float has grown from a scrappy startup to a thriving, fully remote business with a team of 50 across more than 20 countries. Despite opportunities to seek venture funding, Glenn and his team have remained steadfastly bootstrapped, leveraging this approach as a strategic advantage.

The decision to bootstrap has allowed Float to focus on sustainable growth, build strong financial practices, and maintain control over the company’s direction. This long-term mindset has enabled Float to experiment, iterate, and improve their product and operations over time.

Mastering Remote Collaboration and Communication

As a fully remote company, Float has developed robust practices for effective asynchronous communication and collaboration. Tools like Slack and Loom have been instrumental in keeping the distributed team connected and productive.

Glenn emphasizes the importance of documentation, written communication, and providing long blocks of uninterrupted time for deep work. “We rely heavily on async communication… we leverage tools like Loom to share context, and we use Notion for documenting our ways of working, our values, our roadmap.”

Additionally, the team organizes regular in-person meetups to foster personal connections and facilitate knowledge sharing. Glenn reflects, “We still have in-person discussions, and we make time for that, but we can communicate an incredible amount through both the written and video.”

Evolving Pricing and Growth Strategies

As Float has grown, the team has had to navigate the delicate process of transitioning customers to updated pricing plans. Glenn shares, “We had folks grandfathered on old plans and never took the time to move them onto current plans and current pricing. We did that, and that’s been a huge impact to our revenue.”

The key, according to Glenn, was taking the time to communicate the changes clearly and offering gradual discounts to ease the transition. 

This thoughtful approach has paid dividends, with churn being far lower than expected. Glenn emphasizes the importance of aligning value with each pricing tier, incentivizing the right customer behaviors, and continuously optimizing the product and go-to-market strategies.

Embracing a People-First Mindset

At the heart of Float’s success is a deep commitment to a people-first approach. This manifests in the company’s radical transparency around hiring, salaries, and company culture.

Glenn explains, “The more we can share about life at Float and expectations, the better these candidates can decide if Float is right for them. It’s a win-win – we get a higher quality of candidate who is more likely to be successful at Float.”

This transparency extends to the company’s operations, with detailed documentation and asynchronous communication enabling all team members to stay informed and contribute effectively, regardless of location.

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

For founders embarking on their own SaaS journeys, Glenn offers several key pieces of advice:

1. Embrace the marathon mindset: “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Look after yourself, look after your mental health, and focus on sustainable growth.”
2. Prioritize reading and learning: “I probably didn’t read much of a book until I was about 25, and I’ve read a lot since. I think it really accelerates learning, language, and communication.”
3. Experiment and iterate relentlessly: “We’ve always been good at the experiment culture, trying things and iterating on them over the years. That’s been a huge advantage as we’ve navigated the challenges of the past few years.”
4. Invest in your team: “The biggest failure is poor hiring decisions. It hurts the company, it hurts the person involved. That’s what disappoints me the most when I look back.”

Through 13 years of steadfast bootstrapping, a relentless focus on people, and a commitment to continuous improvement, Float has built a thriving SaaS business that continues to inspire and empower teams around the world. Glenn’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance, strategic thinking, and a genuine passion for solving problems.