Minimal Viable Pricing: How to Stop Guessing and Start Learning (with Dan Balcauski)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
Release Date: 01/20/2026
Go Web First: How to Use AI Safely and Choose Mobile at the Right Time (with Angelo Zanetti)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
If you’re building software in the AI era, speed is everywhere—and that’s exactly why discipline matters more than ever. In Part 2 of our interview with Angelo Zanetti, one strategy keeps coming up as the smartest path for founders and product teams: go web first. You validate demand faster, avoid app-store friction, and you get a clearer signal before you spend real money on the mobile “tax.” About Angelo Zanetti Angelo Zanetti is the co-founder and CEO of Elemental, a South African-based software development agency helping startups and scaleups worldwide bring...
info_outline
Prove Your MVP: The Founder Playbook for a Strong First Launch (with Angelo Zanetti)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
If you’re building a new app or software product, your biggest risk usually isn’t “bad code.” It’s building the wrong thing, shipping it with a shaky first impression, and then wondering why growth never shows up. In this episode of Building Better Developers, Angelo Zanetti breaks it down into a simple founder goal: prove your MVP—prove the problem is real, prove the solution is worth paying for, and prove you can deliver value without burning your runway. About Angelo Zanetti Angelo Zanetti is the co-founder and CEO of Elemental, a South African-based software...
info_outline
Tiered Pricing in the AI Era: What Actually Works (with Dan Balcauski)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
Tiered pricing is becoming the simplest way to sell AI-powered SaaS without turning your pricing page into a technical explanation. In my interview with Dan Balcauski, founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, we talked about why AI is forcing new pricing decisions earlier than ever—and why “good, better, best” packaging often works because it keeps buying decisions clear while helping companies manage real AI costs. The AI era is making pricing margin-aware again. Tiered pricing helps you protect margins without forcing buyers to learn your cost...
info_outline
Minimal Viable Pricing: How to Stop Guessing and Start Learning (with Dan Balcauski)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
Minimal viable pricing is the fastest way to stop debating what your product should cost and start learning what customers will actually pay for. In my interview with Dan Balcauski, founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, we talked about how early-stage teams can set pricing that’s “good enough” to sell, validate value, and iterate—without getting stuck chasing the perfect number. Pricing can feel risky because it shapes perception, positioning, and revenue. But Dan’s message is practical: you don’t need perfect pricing to move forward—you need minimal viable...
info_outline
Workflow Efficiency Metrics: ROI Without Micromanaging (Michael Toguchi)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
If you want real improvement—not just more dashboards—workflow efficiency metrics have to start with something most teams avoid: visibility. In Part 2 of our interview with Michael Toguchi, we move from “big ideas” into the operational reality leaders face every day: shadow tools, duplicate systems, fuzzy ROI, and the pricing pressure that shows up when AI makes work faster. This conversation is a reality check for ops leaders, engineering leaders, and consultants trying to scale without drowning in tool sprawl—or measuring productivity in ways that break trust. Workflow...
info_outline
Process Before Tools: How to Scale Without Burnout (Michael Toguchi)
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
If you’ve ever felt like your team is running on duct tape and good intentions, you’re not alone. In this Building Better Developers interview, Michael Toguchi (Chief Strategy Officer at eResources) makes a simple point that changes how you approach growth: process before tools. Before you buy another platform, automate another workflow, or roll out a new system, you need clarity on how the work actually gets done—and who it’s meant to serve. You can’t tool your way out of chaos. The real fix starts upstream—before the migration, before the CRM, before the next sprint. It starts...
info_outline
Conversion Rate Optimization: Find Funnel Bottlenecks and Improve What Matters
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
You validated the idea. You built the page. Maybe you’re even getting traffic. And yet… the conversions don’t match the effort. In Part 2 of our interview with Samir ElKamouny, we shift from “prove the concept” to conversion rate optimization—the discipline of diagnosing what’s actually limiting growth and improving the parts of your funnel that matter most. This isn’t about chasing shiny marketing tactics. It’s about execution: the kind that turns a funnel from “pretty good” into “predictable.” About Samir ElKamouny Samir ElKamouny is an entrepreneur...
info_outline
Market Validation Strategy: Stop Building in the Dark—Validate Your Idea First
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
If you’re a developer or founder, you already know how to build. The hard part is building the right thing, for the right people, at the right time. In Part 1 of our interview with Samir ElKamouny, we dig into a practical market validation strategy that helps you avoid the most expensive mistake in software: investing months of effort into something the market didn’t ask for. Samir’s message is refreshingly grounded: big ideas are great, but execution is everything. And execution doesn’t start with code—it starts with clarity, research, and small tests that tell you whether...
info_outline
New Year, New Momentum: What Developers Can Look Forward to in 2026
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
New Year’s Day hits different when you’re recording with a live studio audience, passing the mic around, and starting the year with a mix of laughs, honest reflection, and big goals. In this Building Better Developers special episode, Rob Broadhead and Michael Meloche kick off 2026 by sharing a “good thing / bad thing” recap from a recent Christmas party—then opening the floor to the team to talk about the New Year developer goals. It’s casual, it’s real, and it’s a reminder that growth (personal and professional) usually starts with clarity. Michael’s 2026 New...
info_outline
2025 Year-End Reflection for Developers: AI Hype, Layoffs, and What’s Next
Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
It’s New Year’s Eve-Eve, and instead of recording from our usual virtual setups, we did something we’ve talked about for years: we hit record in the same room. If you’re watching on YouTube, you can actually see us together. If you’re listening on audio, you’ll just have to trust us—this one was in-person. In this special episode of Building Better Developers (our Building Better Foundations season), we keep it simple: a Year-End Reflection for Developers. What are we ready to leave behind from this year? What do we want to carry into the next one? And what’s the reality...
info_outlineMinimal viable pricing is the fastest way to stop debating what your product should cost and start learning what customers will actually pay for. In my interview with Dan Balcauski, founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, we talked about how early-stage teams can set pricing that’s “good enough” to sell, validate value, and iterate—without getting stuck chasing the perfect number.
Pricing can feel risky because it shapes perception, positioning, and revenue. But Dan’s message is practical: you don’t need perfect pricing to move forward—you need minimal viable pricing that creates clear decisions and real feedback loops.
Minimal viable pricing isn’t “cheap pricing.” It’s “clear pricing” that helps you test value and drive decisions.
About Dan Balcauski
Dan Balcauski is the founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, where he helps high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. A TopTal-certified Top 3% Product Management Professional, Dan also teaches in Kellogg Executive Education’s Product Strategy coursework. Over the last 15 years, he has led products across the full lifecycle—from concept incubation to launch, platform transitions, maintenance, and end-of-life—across both consumer and B2B markets. Before Product Tranquility, he served as Head of Product at LawnStarter and as a Principal Product Strategist at SolarWinds following its $4B acquisition.
What “minimal viable pricing” actually means
Dan’s approach starts with a mindset shift: early-stage companies rarely fail because their initial price was off by 10–20%. They fail because they haven’t found a repeatable customer problem, a clear value promise, or a reliable way to acquire customers.
Minimal viable pricing means:
- You set a price you can defend.
- You package it in a way customers can understand.
- You use real conversations and real deals to refine it.
It’s pricing as a learning tool—not a spreadsheet exercise.
Minimal viable pricing starts with your “free option”
One of the most actionable parts of the discussion was Dan’s breakdown of freemium vs free trial—and why it matters so much for minimal viable pricing.
A free trial creates urgency. There’s a natural deadline, which forces customers to evaluate value and decide. A freemium model can work, but it often creates a huge pool of users who never engage deeply enough to convert.
If your goal is to learn quickly, trials often generate clearer signals:
- Who gets value fast?
- What feature set drives adoption?
- What objections stop the purchase?
Minimal viable pricing works best when your go-to-market motion creates real decisions—not endless “maybe later.”
Trial length: don’t confuse “short” with “effective”
There’s a trend toward shorter trials (like 7 days), but Dan’s point is simple: a short clock doesn’t help if your customer can’t realistically experience value in that window.
In B2B especially, onboarding delays, competing priorities, and internal approvals can chew up days instantly. A minimal viable pricing approach asks: What’s the shortest trial that still allows a motivated customer to succeed?
If you’re selling to teams, the answer is often longer than you think.
Use minimal viable pricing to clarify positioning
Dan also shared a framing that sticks: are you selling a Timex or a Rolex? In other words, are you competing on affordability and simplicity—or premium value and outcomes?
Minimal viable pricing isn’t just about the number. It’s also about:
- The story your pricing tells
- The kind of customer you attract
- The expectations you set around results and support
You don’t need a dozen plans to communicate this. You need clarity.
If customers can’t tell who your product is for from the pricing page, your “pricing problem” might actually be a positioning problem.
The goal: learn faster, not argue longer
Minimal viable pricing gives you a way to move forward without pretending you have perfect information. Start with something simple, sell it, listen hard, and iterate.
If you want a practical takeaway from Dan’s perspective, it’s this: pricing is one of your best feedback loops. Use it early. Use it intentionally. And don’t let the hunt for “perfect” delay the real work—helping customers win.
Stay Connected: Join the Developreneur Community
We invite you to join our community and share your coding journey with us. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, there’s always room to learn and grow together. Contact us at info@develpreneur.com with your questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes. Together, let’s continue exploring the exciting world of software development.