The Founder's Cookbook

E06 - Staffcloud - How two ski instructors built a Swiss HR SaaS

Two ski instructors, a beer and a gap in a market. That's how StaffCloud started in 2007. 18 years later, Thomas Ungricht and his co-founder run one of Switzerland's leading flex workforce platforms. Bootstrapped, no investors, operating across 6 countries. 🔔 Subscribe for new founder stories every month In this episode, Thomas breaks down what it actually takes to build infrastructure software from zero: no brand, no track record, no trust. He shares how they landed their first customers, why they opened their product roadmap to the public, and what nearly made them quit, more than once. If you're building B2B SaaS or managing a team that does staffing, scheduling, or flex workforce operations, this one's for you. Key lessons from this episode: * The founding moment: one conversation about a girlfriend's bad day at work * Auto-matching flex workers by skills, location, and availability — how it works * Getting your first enterprise customer to trust you when you have zero references * Why "software is never finished" — and how to manage a customer feedback loop at scale * Building in public: what opening their feature request board actually unlocked * Bootstrapping in the world's most expensive country, competing against VC-funded rivals * Expanding into Germany's highly regulated HR market without breaking the product * The honest answer: should they have targeted the larger shift planning market instead? * Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:30 Thomas's background 03:00 The founding story 05:20 Who is StaffCloud for? 08:15 The auto-matching engine: skills, availability, distance 12:00 The long road of a fully bootstrapped company 14:30 The #1 lesson: software is never finished 17:00 Building in public 19:00 20 years of entrepreneurship 22:00 Bootstrapping in Switzerland 24:30 Advice for early founders 27:00 How to get your first customers to switch when you have zero track record 30:00 Scaling to 6 countries 31:30 The honest regret question: niche vs. scale 33:00 Where to follow Thomas and StaffCloud Resources & Links: Thomas Ungricht → https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-ungricht-bb160b132/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-ungricht-bb160b132/] StaffCloud → https://www.staff.cloud/en [https://www.staff.cloud/en] StaffCloud on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/staffcloud/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/staffcloud/] Padrig Guillard → https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/] Orinn Studio → https://www.orinn-studio.com/ [https://www.orinn-studio.com/] Full episode playlist → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtfpuZuNQOVLdJ0Am6aC8cf8rIf8aTL_p [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtfpuZuNQOVLdJ0Am6aC8cf8rIf8aTL_p]

E05 - Survive - Transforming Rescue Missions

In this episode of the Founder's Codebook podcast, Padrig Guillard interviews Georg Hauzenberger, the CEO of sureVIVE, a company dedicated to enhancing rescue operations through innovative technology. Georg shares his journey from electrical engineering to leading a company that provides critical infrastructure for rescue missions. The conversation explores the challenges of coordinating rescue efforts, the importance of providing comprehensive situational awareness, and the lessons learned from managing a dynamic team. Georg emphasizes the significance of strategic planning and adaptability in achieving long-term goals.

E04 - Prospeqt - Crafting the Perfect Outbound Strategy

In this episode, Balsa Kosic dives deep into building a laser-focused, data-rich outbound approach that scales. If you're tired of wasting resources on generic outreach, this is your wake-up call to rethink, refine, and crush it! YOU’LL LEARN: * The importance of dissecting your offer into granular value propositions and pain points * How to map your total addressable market for maximum impact * The core fundamentals: infrastructure, targeting, segmentation, and messaging * Why quality and strategy overpower random testing or spin-text approaches * The significance of building a mental map linking pain points, data points, and value propositions * How to leverage large-scale email campaigns effectively * The role of multi-channel outreach and when to scale into LinkedIn Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:59 Balsa Kosic's Journey to Founding Prospect 09:44 Building a Team and Agency Structure 11:37 The Philosophy of AI in Outbound Sales 12:27 Key Fundamentals for Successful Cold Emailing 18:20 Creating Effective Messaging Through Segmentation 22:24 Scaling Outbound Campaigns and Managing Leads 26:16 Integrating LinkedIn Outreach with Email Strategies 28:32 Future Plans and Growth for Prospect RESOURCES & LINKS: * Prospeqt Official Website [https://prospeqt.co/] * Balsa Kosic on LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/balsakosic] CONNECT WITH BALSA: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/balsa-kosic/] CONNECT WITH PADRIG: https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/]

E03 - Launched.io - How Nova, the Autonomous AI Salesperson, is Changing the Game

In this episode of the Founders Cookbook podcast, host Padrig Guillard [https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/] speaks with Paul Whitehall [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-whittall-9725906/], co-founder of Launched.io [https://www.launchedtech.io/], about their innovative product, Nova, an autonomous AI salesperson designed to streamline the sales process for B2B companies. Paul shares insights into the challenges faced during the development of Nova, the importance of customer feedback in shaping the product, and the integration of AI technology to enhance sales efficiency. He also discusses the lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey and offers valuable advice for aspiring founders. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Nova and Its Impact on B2B Sales 02:26 Identifying the Problem: The Need for Automation in Sales 05:03 The Evolution of Nova: From Concept to Autonomous Seller 08:46 Customer-Centric Development: Building with Feedback 12:25 The Lean Startup: Building a Small, Agile Team 14:56 Integrating AI: Learning and Adapting in Real-Time 17:40 Lessons Learned: Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Journey 20:16 Defining a Successful MVP: Metrics and Criteria 23:12 Using Nova: The Product in Action 25:55 Future Developments: What's Next for Nova 27:06 Advice for Aspiring Founders: Navigating the Startup Landscape

E02 - ALLPS.ai - Revolutionizing Recruitment with AI

In this episode of the Founder's Codebook podcast, Padrig Guillard [https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/] interviews Jakeer Mohammad [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeer/], the founder and CEO of ALLPS.ai [https://allps.ai/], a company focused on revolutionizing the recruitment process through AI. Jakeer shares his journey from identifying recruitment challenges to building a platform that connects tech talent with companies. The conversation delves into the importance of AI in removing bias from hiring, the structure of ALLPS.ai, and the lessons learned from early customer feedback. Jakeer emphasizes the significance of understanding customer pain points and the need for a dedicated team to drive innovation. Takeaways * ALLPS.ai was founded to address recruitment challenges in the tech industry. * The platform focuses on connecting tech talent with companies for mid to long-term projects. * Leveraging AI to remove bias in the recruitment process. * Understanding customer pain points is crucial for product development. * Early feedback from customers helped shape the features of ALLPS.ai. * Building a dedicated team is essential for executing the company's vision. * The importance of GDPR compliance in AI solutions * Jakir emphasizes the need to focus on impactful solutions in entrepreneurship. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Alps AI and Its Mission 03:06 Identifying Recruitment Challenges 05:34 Leveraging AI in Recruitment 08:11 Company Structure and Team Dynamics 11:00 Early Feedback and Product Development 15:45 Entrepreneurial Insights and Lessons Learned 19:53 Building a Team and Delegation 22:31 Using Alps AI for Internal Hiring 26:05 Future Innovations and AI Interviewer 27:48 Conclusion and Audience Engagement ---------------------------------------- Jakeer Mohammad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeer/] ALLPS.ai https://www.linkedin.com/company/allps-ai/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/allps-ai/] https://allps.ai/ [https://allps.ai/] Padrig Guillard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/padrig-guillard/]