17: Why meeting face-to-face is critical for remote founders

Our B2B SaaS Journey

In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin finally meet up in person after four years of online collaboration, and their strategy session delivers a massive product breakthrough for SixSides. They share how a simple conversation unlocked a critical insight about user onboarding and future product direction. Plus, Gavin shares his experience at the CEO Sleepout, Mitchell locks in a wedding venue, and they reflect on long-term SaaS planning.

Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped.

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In this episode, we cover:

• Meeting in person for the first time after four years of remote work
• A major product breakthrough: shifting from event attendees to full users
• How in-person deep work unlocked product clarity
• Golf, beers and surprisingly deep strategy conversations
• Gavin’s experience at the CEO Sleepout
• The importance of community tracking and security in events
• Mitchell’s wedding venue hunt and planning advice
• Why Expo was chosen for the SixSides mobile app
• A simple non-technical explanation of mobile app tech stacks
• Testing the podcast’s SEO-driven titles and early results
• Setting medium and long-term SaaS planning goals
• Gavin's upcoming DealBuddy integration with SixSides

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (00:38) - First in-person meeting after four years
• (02:10) - Hanging out, strategy sessions and golf
• (04:38) - The big product insight: users vs ticket codes
• (06:51) - Why full user accounts change everything for SixSides
• (12:28) - CEO Sleepout reflections
• (15:29) - Gavin’s Fiji trip (and food poisoning)
• (19:33) - Mitchell locks in a wedding venue
• (24:10) - Planning SixSides for family and future time off
• (29:11) - Technical deep dive: why we’re using Expo
• (34:40) - A non-technical explanation of mobile app tech stacks
• (42:29) - Reviewing SEO titles experiment
• (46:01) - What we’re working on this week
• (49:19) - Highlights from the last six months
• (53:31) - Wrapping up and call for reviews

Atlas Software is a premier software development agency based in Sydney, Australia, and founded by Mitchell Davis. We specialise in building innovative, robust, and scalable applications that drive business growth. With expertise in Laravel, Vue, React, and React Native, we help businesses craft tailored software solutions that streamline operations and enhance user experiences. Whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise scaling digital transformation, Atlas ensures your tech vision becomes reality. Learn more at atlas.dev.

Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of Sales Market Fit (SMF) - a game-changing framework that helps B2B startups unlock predictable, scalable growth. With over 20 years of experience in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses struggle to close deals and how they can transform their approach. Sales Market Fit aligns positioning, go-to-market strategies, and sales execution into a repeatable process that wins more clients with less friction. Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with a deliberate, proven sales strategy at salesmarketfit.co.

Links:

• SixSides: sixsides.co
• Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co
• Matt Langtree and Entry Place: entry.place
• Mitchell’s Laracon AU talk: Mobile apps don't suck anymore

Connect with us:

• Mitchell on Bluesky: mitchdav.is
• Mitchell on LinkedIn: mitchdav
• Gavin on LinkedIn: gavintye
• SixSides on LinkedIn: sixsides
• SixSides on X: sixsidesevents
• SixSides on Bluesky: sixsides.co