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
Pricing & RevenueWhy one-time payments killed LTV
Switching to subscriptions to unlock recurring revenue
Using low-friction paid trials to boost conversion
GTM / OutboundSEO as the core go-to-market motion
Why content beats ads in crowded markets
Building trust before monetization
SEO / AEOCreating linkable assets journalists actually cite
Digital PR vs. guest posting
Programmatic SEO pitfalls and content pruning
Scaling & OperationsReducing 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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