What does it really take to build a company that survives the hype cycle and still serves customers a decade later? We sit down with Jonathan Brun, founder and CEO of Nimonik, to explore how a vertically integrated compliance platform—combining both rich regulatory content and the software to manage it—can turn a “must-do” cost center into a durable growth engine. Jonathan shares the honest playbook: the messy shift from scrappy chaos to repeatable process, the power of lean principles to eliminate waste and smooth workloads, and the difference a few battle-tested senior hires can make in a bootstrapped environment.
We dig into hiring for character and drive—integrity, intelligence, initiative—before layering on domain skills. Jonathan explains why Nimonik’s roll-up strategy works only when culture and product meaningfully align, and why they’ve walked away from deals that looked great on paper but would have derailed focus. Along the way, he offers clear insight into long sales cycles, the hidden complexity of global standards and regulations, and how vertical integration creates defensibility and customer value in a space that rarely gets headlines.
Beneath the tactics sits a philosophy of endurance. With roughly 900 customers and steady growth, Jonathan isn’t chasing an exit; he’s committed to relevance, service, and survival—the quiet compounders of real businesses. If you’re scaling a B2B SaaS, wrestling with hiring, or weighing M&A, this conversation delivers practical wisdom you can use tomorrow.
Enjoyed the conversation? Follow and subscribe for more founder stories, share this episode with a teammate, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.