Choosing the right features to build is one of the most important things we do as founders. But it’s also really hard.
Steve is currently co-writing a book on this topic. For research, he’s been talking to bootstrapped, stable, well-run, mature, profitable software companies of about 20-50 people, asking them how they go about feature prioritisation – how they did this in the early days, how that changed over time, and what they do now.
Steve will be sharing 5 unique and interesting approaches he’s discovered so far.
Steve McLeod
Founder & CEO, Feature Upvote
Feature Upvote, is a SaaS for collecting and centralising customer feedback that’s become unexpectedly popular in the video games industry. It’s Steve’s third software business.
The first business was a complete flop, only ever selling one license. Financial salvation came when the business morphed into a successful consultancy.
The second business was an old-school try-before-you-buy shareware-style desktop app, acquired after 10+ years.
After experiencing near burn-out with his first business, Steve is firmly in the “lifestyle business” camp. He intentionally aims to keep his business low-stress, aiming only for modest, manageable growth, so that he can keep mentally healthy while running it.
Originally from New Zealand, Steve now lives in Barcelona, Spain.
Next Events
BoS USA 2025 🇺🇸
🗓️ 6-8 October 2025
📍 Raleigh, NC
❗️Early bird tickets available
Learn how great software companies are built at an extraordinary conference run since 2007 to help you build long term, profitable, sustainable businesses.
The Road to Exit: A BoS Mastermind Group 🌐
🗓️ April 2025
📍Online
Exit from a position of power and join this mastermind group facilitated by Mr. Joe Leech. Join us for honest, frank conversations with founders on the same path as you and partake in Q&As with exited founders who share the real experience.