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Kill the HiPPO
How do bootstrapped teams
really choose what feature
to build next?
But there’s so much already
written about this!
• Bootstrapped
• Stable
• Well-run
• Mature
• Pro
fi
table
• ~ 20 to 50 employees
Stories from software companies
that are:
5 unique things
WOW?
1. Does it spark WOW?
James Kennedy - ProcurementExpress.com
You can delight users
of any software
- even procurement software
1. Does it spark WOW?
2. Building for “Simon from Canada”
YouCanBookMe - Bridget Harris
Make your software perfect for
1 person - if they are the right person
2. Building for “Simon from Canada”
3. “A Season for Everything”
Balsamiq - Peldi & Liz Green
Each class
of backlog item deserves a
chance to be considered
3. “A Season for Everything”
4. Cupholders or CarPlay?
Less Annoying CRM - Tyler King
4. Cupholders or CarPlay?
Don’t get caught up in endlessly
perfecting the cupholders
5. Adopt and adapt
DNSimple - Anthony Eden
No approach is perfect for
every team - but sometimes
a couple of tweaks is enough
5. Adopt and adapt
Steve McLeod, April 2025
Read more at
killthehippo.com
I want to hear your story!
steve@featureupvote.com