Rachel Dove is the founder of Dungeons Not Dating, a platform helping players find tabletop parties. After setbacks and a beta year, she rebuilt, learned to code, and relaunched with a waitlist-first growth strategy.

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Guest Resources

Dungeons Not Dating – Check out Rachel’s website and join the waitlist.

Dungeons Not Dating Instagram – Follow Dungeons Not Dating on Instagram to stay updated on the relaunch.

Dungeons Not Dating LinkedIn – Follow Dungeons Not Dating on LinkedIn.

3 Value Bombs

1. Traction is behavior, not enthusiasm; likes and compliments don’t equal conversions or retention.

2. Setbacks are data; they reveal skill gaps and show you exactly what to improve before your next move.

3. Ownership is freedom; technical literacy changes your leverage, your confidence, and your outcomes.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: From Burned Once to Built Right: Relaunching a Tech Startup the Smart Way

[1:13] – Rachel shares something she believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

Traction is not enthusiasm; enthusiasm does not guarantee retention or referrals.
Real traction is measured by behavior patterns: subscriptions, deposits, usage and not applause.
Social media likes are not validation; conversion is.

[2:10] – Rachel talks about what her beta year reveal about validation versus vulnerability.

Early compliments created a false sense of product-market fit.
Community support was confused with real behavioral validation.
Vulnerability is powerful, but boundaries and data matter more than applause.

[3:55] – Rachel talks about what happened when she was taken advantage of early on.

Trusted a large development firm too quickly and outsourced too much ownership.
Faced delays, rising costs, and blame-shifting without having technical literacy to push back.
Reached a fork in the road: walk away embarrassed or take radical ownership.
Chose to rebuild and rebuild herself in the process.

[7:10] – Rachel tells why enrolling in a full-time coding bootcamp was the right decision.

Needed technical fluency and pattern recognition not senior-level engineering skills.
Coding literacy created leverage and confidence in developer conversations.
It didn’t just change the product; it changed her posture in the tech world.

[9:15] – A timeout to thank our sponsors.

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[12:36] – Rachel talks about what were the most important changes she made during the redesign.

Let go of the original development firm and hired a new aligned dev team.
Shifted from fantasy features to infrastructure-first, behavior-focused design.
Removed friction and simplified to core utility (true MVP).
Built with scalability in mind for long-term growth.

[14:31] – Rachel talks about why prioritize a waitlist and college gaming club outreach instead of mass adoption.

Platforms thrive on network density, not vanity user counts.
Early-stage founders need the right users; not just more users.
Building anticipation through a waitlist allows for feedback before scaling.
Focused communities create raving fans who give honest product input.

[15:56] – Rachel talks about what is Dungeons Not Dating.

A swipe-style platform designed to help people find their perfect Dungeons & Dragons party not a date.
Profiles focus on D&D characters and play style instead of romantic compatibility.
Built to connect tabletop players for epic adventures.

[16:43] – Rachel tells what mindset helped her stay in the game after a major setback.

Setbacks are data; they reveal the exact skill gap to close.
Upgrading the founder comes before upgrading the product.
Radical ownership builds long-term power and independence.

[18:19] – Rachel gives her one key takeaway for entrepreneurs rebuilding after failure.

Be radically unafraid to rebuild yourself and strengthen your community.
Focus on solving the real problem for real people not chasing applause or hype.

[19:08] – Call to action.

Dungeons Not Dating – Check out Rachel’s website and join the waitlist.
Dungeons Not Dating Instagram – Follow Dungeons Not Dating on Instagram to stay updated on the relaunch.
Dungeons Not Dating LinkedIn – Follow Dungeons Not Dating on LinkedIn.

[20:16] – Thank you to our Sponsors!

Shopify: Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world! Sign up for your $1-per-month trial today at Shopify.com/onfire!
HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!