How 1 wordpress mastermind event changed the SaaS trajectory from failure to 30kMRR for Adrian Tobey

Adrian Tobey of Groundhogg talks about coming up with his business idea, building his MVP, and how he propelled his SaaS from poor performance to 30,000 MRR

Adrian Tobey is the CEO and sole founder of Groundhogg, a market automation and customer relationship management WordPress Plugin that offers users a comprehensive integration in their WP environment. He talks to Geordie about his journey.

What You’ll Learn

• How Adrian discovered CRM
• How did Adrian’s first product operate?
• Why developers should focus on building their own products
• The shoemaker’s son’s syndrome
• Lessons Adrian learned while working in the agency
• How Adrian funded his MVP
• How Adrian and his team launched Groundhogg
• Advantages of partnering with other professionals
• Why cheaper solutions hardly solve significant problems
• What strategy did Adrian use to attain his big break?

In this Episode

Groundhogg software is specially designed to cater to WordPress and digital marketing agencies. Adrian says he gained experience working as a WordPress developer. His primary focus was building WordPress websites for his clients, complete with layout design and page builders.

He would also integrate the websites with effective marketing automation and CRM products such as Hubspot, Active Campaign, and Infusionsoft. Having worked with numerous small businesses, Adrian understands how much small companies struggle with implementing practical strategies with marketing automation software. Groundhogg does not handle small businesses. Find out why from the podcast. 

Groundhogg’s core business focuses on areas where they are likely to make the most profit margins, that is, WordPress and digital marketing agencies. Apart from requiring minimal support, Adrian says already established agencies are high spenders and always renew their licenses whether their clients thrive or not.

Agencies are both persistent and consistent, making them easier to work with. According to Adrian, his business found him, and he gives a detailed explanation why. Listen to the podcast for this exciting story.

Many businesses struggle with attracting the right audience to their websites and converting them into paying customers. At some point, Adrian and his dad were working to identify the right strategy to initiate and maintain a conversation between visitors and the business until they finally become paying customers.

Adrian explains the most common method that many firms used in the past (some still do) to start conversations which you can find out about from the podcast. He also explains the method he and his dad used to start conversations with potential clients. 

At 18 years old, Adrian was already a certified partner of Infusionsoft. During that period, he worked with numerous small businesses and companies. Apart from building thousands of campaigns, Adrian attended the funnel hacking conference to horn his skills. He would then develop his first product while still in University. Adrian learned to code from YouTube and later quit the university.

Working on your own product is crucial for creating wealth and establishing yourself in the industry. According to Adrian, working for agencies is similar to the shoemaker’s son’s syndrome. Listen to the podcast to learn what the syndrome is all about.

What is Adrian doing to improve his product? He says a combination of building features and listening to customer demands works for him. Working with the agency exposed Adrian to numerous lessons, which he uses to build his business. He narrates some of these lessons in the podcast. 

At some point, Adrian realized that he was getting a raw deal from working for the agency and decided to quit. He gives details of this realization in this podcast. While he is no longer involved with the agency, he agrees that he can identify with most agencies’ problems. 

 

Quitting employment can be an easy process, but surviving after that and running a personal business can be difficult. Adrian borrowed some money from his grandfather, which he intended to depend on until his business stabilized.

Being at the right place at the right time is crucial for an entrepreneur. Adrian says he spent lots of time in areas where small businesses and agencies were, like Facebook groups. Here, he noticed the frustrations many companies were facing. Listen to the podcast to find out what these were. Adrian knew he could offer solutions for all those problems without fail. 

When Adrian and his team launched Groundhogg, they faced numerous challenges. He explains the strategy he used to attract regular customers. This is a long and detailed process filled with multiple failures that you cannot afford to miss. He would later devise the right strategy to develop an audience and create a constant flow of customers, which he would later convert into revenue. Listen to the podcast and learn about it.

At some point, Adrian attended an event where he discussed his cash flow and revenue problems. Listen to the podcast to find out the solutions he got from the professionals in attendance. He also explains how he leveraged those lessons to get his big break.

Adrian concludes the podcast by encouraging listeners to reach him with any questions they may have. He says he’s very reachable and ready to assist where possible. 

Resources

Ygroundhogg.io

Adrian Tobey LinkedIn

Adrian Tobey Twitter