How do you take a niche SaaS product from zero to $150k MRR in under two years — without venture capital?

In this episode of Founder Views, Kosta Panagoulias sits down with Nadav Boaz, co-founder of VoiceDrop, to break down exactly how they scaled fast by combining cold email mastery, SEO execution, and ruthless operational discipline.

This isn’t theory. Nadav shares what actually worked — and what didn’t — across dozens of past businesses before VoiceDrop finally clicked.

We cover:

• How VoiceDrop reached $150k MRR with a lean, remote team
• The exact 3 growth channels they double down on (and why)
• How cold email is used strategically — not spammy
• SEO tactics that helped them rank #1 and show up in AI search
• Why pre-authorizing trial users increased conversions from 12% → 50%
• Managing churn in a high-ticket SaaS
• Why “usage” matters more than logins
• Lessons from running (and failing) dozens of businesses before success

If you’re a SaaS founder focused on execution, leverage, and real growth, this episode delivers.

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Why VoiceDrop caught Kosta’s attention
02:00 – What VoiceDrop does (ringless voicemail explained)
04:00 – Team size, remote setup, and founder roles
07:00 – Using past businesses as leverage for new SaaS launches
10:20 – The 3 growth pillars: SEO, cold email, Google Ads
13:30 – SEO execution: keywords, authority, and SOPs with VAs
16:00 – Ranking in AI search (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.)
18:10 – Cold email infrastructure that actually works
22:00 – Targeting, segmentation, and ARPU strategy
26:00 – When SEO overtook outbound as the #1 channel
27:00 – Boosting trial-to-paid conversion to 50%
30:00 – Pre-authorization: filtering tire-kickers
32:00 – Human vs product-led conversions
36:00 – Using AI inside the product (voice cloning, scripts)
39:00 – AI for outbound replies and internal leverage
41:30 – Scaling fast without burning out as a founder
45:30 – Customer support, tooling, and cost control
50:00 – Managing churn in a high-ticket SaaS
53:30 – The single metric Nadav watches daily
54:20 – Favorite business book & lifestyle choices
56:20 – One billboard lesson for SaaS founders

👉 Hard Knock SaaS is a practical video series for SaaS founders who want real-world playbooks — not theory.
Built from my experience bootstrapping, scaling, and exiting SaaS companies, it covers sales, positioning, pricing, and execution.
Learn more at: https://hardknocksaas.com

Gladys Jeannette is a real estate investor and Broker in El Salvador. I've been wanting to speak to someone on the ground in El Salvador for quite some time, and Gladys is the perfect person to get an insider's look into the changes happening in the country.

We dive deep into the life in El Salvador, real estate investing in the country, including which areas to keep an eye out for, how bitcoin is driving change, safety, and the way of life in the country.

If you've been keeping an eye on El Salvador, curious about the changes happening in the country, real estate, or bitcoin, this is the perfect episode for you.

Adam Niman (BSc, CLU) is a seasoned life insurance professional with over a decade of experience in the field. His focus is exclusively on insurance, and he advocates for keeping insurance and investments separate.

I first heard Adam on one of my favourite podcasts (see link below), talking about why the infinite banking concept is flawed. He raised some pretty eye-opening concerns and perspectives that stirred up some waves in the infinite banking circles.

Since first hearing Adam on that podcast, we've since had several conversations, and wanted to have him on the podcast. I definitely think his insights and message is worth sharing.

If you're familiar with infinite banking, have a policy, or thinking about getting setup, this is an episode you definitely want to hear.

Download Adam's ebook "Fortune or Fiction" here: https://fortuneorfiction.ca/