In this episode, Gav sits down with Scotty Allen, founder of the Product Bus, to unpack his leap from structured employment into the messy, high-stakes world of entrepreneurship and why so many founders get product decisions wrong in the early days.
Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch, completely bootstrapped.
Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people!
In this episode, we cover:
- Scotty’s early career path from performing arts to education and leadership
- How a health event reshaped his view of identity, work, and risk
- Why traditional career ladders can quietly cap your growth and impact
- The moment he realised his contribution wasn’t being valued - and the push to leave
- Moving into edtech and product roles, and the mindset shift required
- What redundancy during COVID taught him about freedom, stability, and control
- Why contracting can become “too comfortable” and delay building your own thing
- How Scotty’s first consulting engagements evolved into the Product Bus
- The hard truth: many founders build with zero evidence anyone will pay
- Why false encouragement in the startup ecosystem can be genuinely dangerous
- Scotty’s approach to product thinking - learning fast, being wrong, and de-risking decisions
- The advice he gives founders about runway, risk appetite, and having a clear stop point
Chapters:
00:00 Intro and why scripted podcasts are annoying
00:40 Welcome to The Leap and meet Scotty Allen
01:50 Scotty’s Disney chapter and performing arts background
03:00 What the Product Bus does for early-stage founders
03:35 Vision vs delusion and the “build it and they will come” trap
05:10 Why “just ship it” is misunderstood startup advice
07:30 The myth of validation: “my mates love it”
08:50 Life before founding - teaching, tech, and school leadership
11:15 Hitting the ceiling in education leadership
12:35 The health event that reset everything
15:00 The moment Scotty realised he had to leave
19:00 Taking the leap into an edtech scale-up
21:40 The reality shift: freedom, ownership, and new work habits
23:55 Challenges of being the first non-technical leader
26:05 Why educators struggle with selling and power dynamics
27:00 Redundancy at the start of COVID and why it felt like freedom
29:05 The first business idea and why it was too comfortable
31:25 The problem founders kept repeating - and the start of Product Bus
32:40 When Product Bus started without a name
35:55 The “this might not work” moments and hard founder conversations
38:20 The dangers of false encouragement in the startup ecosystem
41:20 How Scotty has changed and why he’ll never be an employee again
43:40 Habits that keep him grounded
48:20 Advice for founders: risk appetite, runway, and a stop point
50:40 Where to find Scotty and his podcast
52:10 Closing and links in the show notes
Roman Galikov is a co-founder of Create Financial...they help founders and business owners take control of their money with smart, personalised financial advice. They specialise in wealth strategy, risk protection, and long-term planning - without the jargon. Think of them as the team that helps you build a financial engine strong enough to support your ambitions, not just your expenses.
Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of DealBuddi and co-founder of SixSides. 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:
Founder Collective: https://founderscollective.com.au/founders-collective
FC's Newsletter: https://founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com/
Book a call with Gavin: call.sixsides.co
The Product Bus: https://theproductbus.com/
Connect with us:
Scotty Allen on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescottyallen/
Gavin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintye/
In this episode, Gav sits down with Karren Jensen, co-founder and CEO of Conductor Software, to unpack the misunderstood world of psychological safety and why it might be the biggest lever for performance most organisations are missing.
Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped.
Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people!
In this episode, we cover:
Chapters:
00:00 Intro and what The Leap is really about
02:00 What Conductor does and why psych safety is misunderstood
05:30 Why psychological safety isn’t about being “nice”
11:00 What happens when teams don’t feel safe
16:00 Leadership pressure, COVID, and decision fatigue
18:30 Karren’s career before founding Conductor
21:00 Experiencing psychological safety first-hand
26:00 Values, boundaries, and accountability at work
30:40 Feeling unfulfilled and early signals of change
34:00 The moment Conductor took shape
37:00 Bootstrapping and early wins
39:10 Surprises and challenges in the early days
41:10 How founding changed Karren as a leader
44:00 Redefining success and protecting humanity
47:40 What Karren is most proud of
50:10 What keeps her going during tough moments
53:00 Habits that keep her grounded
56:00 What she wishes she knew before taking the leap
58:20 Advice for founders on the edge
01:02:30 Pride, resilience, and legacy
01:04:00 How to connect with Karren
Roman Galikov is a co-founder of Create Financial...they help founders and business owners take control of their money with smart, personalised financial advice. They specialise in wealth strategy, risk protection, and long-term planning - without the jargon. Think of them as the team that helps you build a financial engine strong enough to support your ambitions, not just your expenses.
Gavin Tye is a sales strategist and the creator of DealBuddi and co-founder of SixSides. 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:
Founder Collective: https://founderscollective.com.au/founders-collective
FC's Newsletter: https://founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com/
Book a call with Gavin:
Conductor Software: https://www.conductorsoftware.com/
Connect with us:
Karren Jensen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karren-jensen-ceo/
Gavin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintye/
In this episode, Gav sits down with long-time Brisbane ecosystem mainstay and Inductive founder, Peter Laurie, to unpack his journey from Y2K software engineer to helping founders become genuinely investor ready, not just pitch-deck ready. They talk about why a technically perfect project still collapsed, how VCs actually make decisions, the traits of coachable founders, and why you should chase effective, then efficient, then elegant when building product.
Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped.
Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people!
In this episode, we cover:
Chapters
00:00 No edits, no filter
00:36 Welcome to The Leap and Peter intro
01:29 Who is Peter Laurie and what is Inductive
03:36 What "investor ready" really means
06:29 How VC funds actually work and why they say "you’re not ready"
10:37 Slow nos, fast nos and dating VCs
12:46 Life before founding - engineering and Y2K software days
16:47 Realising tech isn’t the real problem
20:25 The technically perfect project that still failed
23:17 Burnout, taking time off and starting an MBA
25:03 Starting a new consulting business with Dean
31:57 Early surprises and mistakes building software for others
34:20 Turning hard lessons into simple, pragmatic models
39:01 How entrepreneurship has changed Peter
42:42 Unlearning perfection - effective, then efficient, then elegant
47:31 Building Inductive and finding the real players
52:05 The startup industrial complex and Veblen entrepreneurs
55:15 Habits, longevity and staying in the game
59:31 What Peter wishes he knew before taking the leap
63:12 Advice for founders standing on the edge and where to find Peter
Links:
Founder Collective: https://founderscollective.com.au/founders-collective
FC's Newsletter: https://founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com/
Book a call with Gavin: https://call.sixsides.co
Inductive accelerator: https://inductive.au
Peter’s links:
Towards an Untrepreneurial Economy? The Entrepreneurship Industry and the Rise of the Veblenian Entrepreneur:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3479042
Peter’s tweet thread while reading it:
https://x.com/pjlaurie/status/1274180626782945281
Peter on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/pjlaurie
Peter’s video posts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pjlaurie/recent-activity/videos/
Connect with us:
Roman Galkov on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romangalikov/
Gavin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintye/
In this episode, Roman Galikov shares the real story behind his leap from CFO to founder, the unexpected turns along the way, and why creating Create Financial has unlocked a new chapter of energy and purpose.
Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped.
Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people!
In this episode, we cover:
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:52 Getting started and pre-show banter
01:24 Gavin sets up the show and Roman’s intro
02:33 Who is Roman and what does he do?
03:55 Create Financial and early traction
05:05 Founders Collective and the surprising growth
07:10 Reflections on the first FC events
07:43 Life before becoming a founder
09:23 Roman’s move to the US with RedEye
11:47 What being a CFO in tech is really like
13:38 A day in the life of a tech CFO
15:23 Early hints that something was shifting
17:18 Roman’s first ever near-leap
19:48 How he got pulled into a big accounting firm instead
21:28 The software idea that kept coming back
23:28 The leap into Records and leaving full-time employment
24:46 The relief and reality of quitting his job
26:50 Validation, optimism and runway
27:50 Why Create Financial was originally just a side hustle
29:13 The surprise challenges of early-stage software
31:21 Pivoting into Create Financial with momentum
33:34 The messy truth about cleaning up bad financial advice
34:31 The workload of generating demand as a founder
35:49 Surprises in the broader founder ecosystem
37:12 How Roman has changed personally
38:41 Habits, sobriety and staying grounded
39:18 Optimism vs pragmatism as a founder
40:31 Redefining success and chasing financial freedom
42:20 Staying connected to your mission
45:32 What Roman wishes he knew before taking the leap
46:58 Roman’s advice for founders on the edge of their leap
49:37 How the journey has changed how he sees himself
51:29 Where to find Roman and wrap-up
52:10 Outro
Roman Galikov is a co-founder of Create Financial...
they help founders and business owners take control of their money with smart, personalised financial advice.
They specialise in wealth strategy, risk protection, and long-term planning - without the jargon. Think of them as the team that helps you build a financial engine strong enough to support your ambitions, not just your expenses.
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 in high-value SaaS sales, Gavin has cracked the code on why businesses stall in their sales cycle and how to fix it.
SMF aligns positioning, go-to-market strategy, and sales execution into a repeatable rhythm that wins more clients with less friction. Gavin is also the co-founder of SixSides, the event-community platform helping organisations turn one-off events into lasting momentum and stronger engagement.
Learn how to stop relying on hope and start winning with deliberate, proven strategies at salesmarketfit.co — and build connected communities with sixsides.co.
Links:
Founder Collective: https://founderscollective.com.au/founders-collective
FC's Newsletter: https://founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com/
Create Financial: https://createfinancial.com.au/
SixSides: https://www.sixsides.co/
DealBuddi: https://www.dealbuddi.com/
Connect with us:
Roman Galikov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romangalikov/
Gavin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintye/
In this episode of The Leap, Gavin sits down with Heroly, founder of Busable “an intelligent software platform built for bus and coach operators to bring control and clarity to their operations”
After years in government helping design programs for small businesses, Heroly saw the same pain points over and over: founders drowning in red tape, not knowing what support was actually out there. Instead of just writing another policy, he decided to fix the problem directly.
That decision kicked off the leap from the safety of the public sector into the chaos of startup life.
This episode digs deep into what it really takes to leave a stable job, deal with imposter syndrome, build something from scratch — and stay true to your purpose when the uncertainty hits hard.
💬 In This Episode:
🕒 Chapters
00:00 Welcome to The Leap
01:10 Meet Heroly and the story behind Busable
03:05 From Government to Startup — the transition
05:45 The idea that sparked Busable
08:20 Early lessons in risk and resilience
10:52 What leaving a safe job really feels like
13:30 Learning to move fast and break things
16:05 Bootstrapping Busable and building trust
19:40 Reconnecting with purpose when things get hard
22:55 Lessons learned from government life
26:00 Staying grounded and avoiding burnout
29:18 What Heroly wishes he knew before taking the leap
32:40 Advice for anyone thinking about making the jump
🔗 Links
About Founders Collective
Founders Collective is a community built to connect like-minded founders, creators, and builders who believe in sharing the real stories behind the journey, not just the highlight reel. Our mission is to spark honest conversations, build meaningful connections, and help founders grow through collaboration, courage, and shared experience.
- Substack: founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com
- Gavin Tye on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gavintye
In this episode, we dive into the raw and unfiltered story of Mark Sowerby, founder of Blue Sky Alternative Investments, once one of Australia’s most ambitious investment firms, and the devastating collapse that followed a brutal short-seller attack.
Mark opens up about how that loss shattered his identity, left him sitting on a bench in Burleigh contemplating walking into the ocean, and what it took to rebuild from the ground up.
He shares how the Ocean Seven swims became his lifeline, teaching him how to master fear, accept uncertainty, and rebuild his courage one stroke at a time. We talk about survival, justice, and what it really means to rebuild when everything you’ve worked for has been taken from you.
If you’ve ever questioned whether you can come back from your lowest point, this episode is proof that you can — but only if you’re willing to do the work.
💡 In this episode, we cover:
🕒 Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Leap
01:09 Meet Mark Sowerby
03:12 Building Blue Sky and early ambitions
07:10 The short-seller attack and collapse
10:24 Facing public scrutiny and burnout
13:48 The lowest point — sitting at Burleigh
16:42 Rebuilding through the Ocean Seven swims
20:30 Lessons on fear, resilience, and control
25:45 Standing up for what’s right — the class action
31:10 Redefining success and survival
36:24 Rebuilding courage and mental endurance
40:55 Preparation, judgment, and the founder’s mindset
45:03 What Mark wishes he knew earlier
49:40 The meaning behind “Don’t Be Pre-Film”
52:20 Closing thoughts and takeaways
Follow Mark's movie journey below;
🎥 Don't Be Prey: https://www.dontbeprey.film/
About Founders Collective
Founders Collective is a community built to connect like-minded founders, creators, and builders who believe in sharing the real stories behind the journey — not just the highlight reel. Our mission is to spark honest conversations, build meaningful connections, and help founders grow through collaboration, courage, and shared experience.
👉 Subscribe to Founders Collective on Substack: https://founderscollective.substack.com
🚀 Explore DealBuddi: https://www.dealbuddi.com/
💼 Learn more about Create Financial: https://createfinancial.com.au
In this episode, Gavin chats with Ali Stokes, a former nurse and Johnson & Johnson exec who left behind the safety of corporate life to build Beyond the Clinic — a virtual care platform reshaping how patients manage joint and muscle pain.
Ali shares her raw, honest journey of going from a well-paid healthcare role to bootstrapping a startup with zero income for two years. From burnout, imposter syndrome, and relationship strain to building a team of 12 and finding product-market fit, this episode pulls back the curtain on the real cost (and joy) of taking the leap into startup life.
Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped.
Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people!
In this episode, we cover:
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Leap 01:09 Meet Ali Stokes 03:42 Growing up in a small business family 06:18 Building Beyond the Clinic 07:20 Vision vs market direction 10:23 Disrupting healthcare without burning out 11:41 Life before becoming a founder 13:22 Making the leap and setting boundaries 16:10 Bootstrapping and early traction 19:08 The moment Ali knew she had to start 21:45 Navigating fear and self-doubt 25:40 Learning quickly and building capability 28:03 Facing the unknowns and pushing through 30:22 How Ali has changed through the journey 33:06 Endurance and motivation through hard times 36:25 Weekly habits to avoid burnout 39:08 What Ali wishes she knew earlier 42:52 The capital question and bootstrapping mindset 44:00 Where to find Ali
🔗 Links
- Ali Stokes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-stokes-66a464193/
- Beyond the Clinic: https://beyondtheclinic.io/
About Founders Collective
Founders Collective is a community built to connect like-minded founders, creators, and builders who believe in sharing the real stories behind the journey — not just the highlight reel. Our mission is to spark honest conversations, build meaningful connections, and help founders grow through collaboration, courage, and shared experience.
- Substack: founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com
- Gavin Tye on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gavintye