In this episode, Marc Thomas, founder of Positive Human, mentor at TinySeed, and former Sr. Growth Marketer at Podia, traces an unlikely path from freelance journalism to co-founding doopoll, surviving a COVID-era near-meltdown, and ultimately reinventing himself as a lifecycle/email operator for SaaS. Marc shares the chaotic “we priced it in the hallway” moment, the lesson of raising money before true validation, and the four-day surge that took doopoll from 1.6M to 16M votes—and nearly torched the company with usage-based bills.

He and Nick dig into the solopreneur head-game: optionality vs. salary, why Marc would take less money for more freedom, and how “punk” DIY energy: charisma, coaching, and seeing work through end-to-end wins in growth. Marc shares candid reflections on confidence dips, building pipeline without becoming your own worst client, and a pragmatic cash-flow system that lets him sleep at night while he eyes a return to software on his own terms.

(00:00) Intro

(00:29) Starting as a freelance journalist

(01:58) Creative gigs lead to a voting tool idea

(03:48) Building doopoll in four days

(04:19) Landing a 25k deal on the spot

(07:01) Fundraising before validation

(08:51) From 1.6M to 16M votes and server crashes

(10:32) Choosing stability and leaving doopoll

(17:22) The banker vs. taxi driver analogy

(20:52) Taking less money for more freedom

(26:18) Emotional whiplash of solopreneurship

(27:00) Lifecycle email and intersecting skills

(30:26) Punk marketing and DIY growth

(33:29) Learning charisma and coaching clients

(43:24) Cash-flow forecasting and personal runway

(45:39) Pipeline focus and new software projects

Follow Marc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iammarcthomas

Check out Positive Human: https://www.positivehuman.co/

Check out Tinyseed: https://tinyseed.com/

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Join How Solos Scale: ​​https://www.howsolosscale.com/

Download the free roadmap: https://fullstacksoloroadmap.com/

In this episode, DemandMaven founder and growth strategist Asia Orangios shares her path from laid-off marketing lead to trusted advisor for PLG SaaS companies. What started as a solo consulting gig in 2018 evolved into a boutique growth consultancy—and along the way, Asia discovered that the real problem isn’t always marketing. It’s everything that comes after: product experience, activation, pricing, and turning demand into actual revenue.

Asia reflects on the emotional rollercoaster of early entrepreneurship, the burnout cycles that pushed her to build a team, and the surprising role public speaking played in her pipeline. She opens up about managing ADHD as a founder, learning to delegate the work she once thought only she could do, and why her next act might just be as CEO of a SaaS company—not just a consultant to them.

(00:00) Intro

(00:47) How Asia became a solopreneur

(03:19) Shifting to strategic growth consulting

(06:27) Team building with ADHD in mind

(11:02) Growth through delegation and feedback

(25:53) Managing work and life demands

(28:30) Using AI to grow smarter

(29:22) Why speaking matters in business

(29:48) Business impact of public speaking

(36:34) Marketing opportunities beyond the usual

(41:42) Overcoming doubts and embracing growth

Follow Asia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asiaorangio/

Check out DemandMaven: https://demandmaven.io/

Check out Asia’s newsletter, The Work by DemandMaven: https://demandmaven.substack.com/

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Create your next digital offer: https://harnessandhone.com/

Join How Solos Scale: ​​https://www.howsolosscale.com/

Download the free roadmap: https://fullstacksoloroadmap.com/

In this episode, Scrappy ABM founder Mason Cosby talks about his unexpected journey from side hustle to multi-million-dollar business owner—all sparked by a desire to help his wife stay home with their newborn. Mason shares how an early $25K win in March 2023 snowballed—leading to $2.5M+ in revenue within just two and a half years—and how he’s scaling Scrappy ABM without debt, cold outreach, or compromising on his values.

Mason reflects on the chaos of working 120-hour weeks with a postpartum partner, the painful lessons from firing seven contractors, and the shift from being the brand to building a team that can thrive without him. He also opens up about turning down a $6–7 million acquisition offer in pursuit of a bigger mission: equipping a million marketers with repeatable ABM playbooks by 2035.

(00:00) Intro

(00:29) Starting the solopreneur journey

(00:53) Early successes and challenges

(02:32) Transitioning to a real business

(05:27) Scaling with contractors and employees

(09:43) Lessons in hiring and growth

(23:31) Scaling out for paternity leave

(24:41) Hiring the right people

(28:20) The role of a coach

(31:11) Building a support network

(35:23) Mason’s future goals and vision

Follow Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masoncosby/

Check out Scrappy ABM: https://scrappyabm.com

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Create your next digital offer: https://harnessandhone.com/

Join How Solos Scale: ​​https://www.howsolosscale.com/

Download the free roadmap: https://fullstacksoloroadmap.com/