10 years without shortcuts or investors: the MarsBased keynote reveal

Life on Mars - A podcast from MarsBased

After 10 years building MarsBased as a fully remote, bootstrapped, and values-driven tech company, we’re finally sharing the full story. This keynote, recorded for our 10th anniversary, is a reflection on everything we've learned about building sustainable software, nurturing company culture, and growing a business without external investors, shortcuts or growth hacks.
We talk about how we made remote work function from day one, why we chose to bootstrap instead of seeking venture capital, and how ethical decision-making has shaped every part of our journey. You'll also hear our philosophy on writing clean, maintainable code, and how long-term thinking has guided the way we run the company: slowly, intentionally, and with purpose.
🚀 We are martians. And this is how we built MarsBased.

Support the show

🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

Chapters

1. Welcome to Life on Mars (00:00:00)

2. Startup Grind Values and Sponsors (00:02:51)

3. Introduction to MarsBased's Journey (00:08:50)

4. First Lesson: Rules Are for 80% (00:12:44)

5. Second Lesson: Companies Die Without Sales (00:22:38)

6. Managing Growth and Hiring Challenges (00:27:37)

7. The Reality of Remote Work (00:29:11)

8. Building Client Relationships into Friendships (00:34:55)

9. Community Building Through Startup Grind (00:38:45)

10. Constant Reevaluation and Unlearning (00:42:45)

11. Lifting Others As You Climb (00:46:33)

12. Gratitude for Team and Partners (00:48:14)