Build Your SaaS Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/build-your-saas Interested in building your own SaaS company? Follow the journey of Transistor.fm as they bootstrap a podcast hosting startup. © 2025 Transistor, Inc. 778116ac-6b1e-5ae2-b037-26a7ff2aee64 yes Support this podcast on Patreon Chris Enns Jon Buda Justin Jackson Teaser: I don't want to get crushed by the VC monster What does Nathan Barry think of podcast hosting pricing? What does it take to build a SaaS these days? en Tue, 12 May 2026 23:00:08 -0700 Tue, 12 May 2026 23:01:10 -0700 https://saas.transistor.fm https://img.transistorcdn.com/An4UnCBXf-0MXzTVM7zHAs8am60aE1-MC7V16hltka0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE1LzE1MjEyMzc4/NDYtYXJ0d29yay5q/cGc.jpg Build Your SaaS https://saas.transistor.fm episodic Transistor.fm Interested in building your own SaaS company? Follow the journey of Transistor.fm as they bootstrap a podcast hosting startup. Interested in building your own SaaS company. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Transistor.fm shows@transistor.fm No Yes What is Transistor's secret weapon? 164 164 What is Transistor's secret weapon? full b34e7e5b-750f-43e1-ab2e-3cc93f7fb5fd https://share.transistor.fm/s/9c22a01c Justin sits down with Helen Ryles and Michael Green, the two people behind almost every chat, email, and demo call that comes into Transistor, to talk about the company's secret weapon: the thing that converts 75% of trials to paid and keeps people around for years.

Chapters:

  • (02:13) - What did Helen do before she joined Transistor?
  • (03:00) - What did Michael do before joining Transistor?
  • (05:05) - How does Transistor do customer support different?
  • (08:04) - What have we learned by doing demo calls with customers?
  • (12:32) - What are some of the emotions of starting a podcast?
  • (16:15) - What can startups learn from being a customer led company?
  • (18:44) - How do we approach AI in customer support?
  • (22:50) - How does customer support translate into sales?
  • (25:49) - What else does a customer support role do at a Saas?
  • (33:41) - How do future generations learn how to be on a team?

Quotes:

From Helen:"The bar with customer support is really quite low across the industry... If companies are setting the standard of getting back to people in three to five business days, we don't have to necessarily adopt that. We can set our own standards."

From Michael:

"There is an emotional side to podcasting, to using a product, to creation, and we help on that side as well. People are often excited or nervous or panicking or something feels urgent, and we can help alleviate all of that emotional side. It's not just about questions and answers."

Have feedback on this episode?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin sits down with Helen Ryles and Michael Green, the two people behind almost every chat, email, and demo call that comes into Transistor, to talk about the company's secret weapon: the thing that converts 75% of trials to paid and keeps people around for years.

Chapters:

  • (02:13) - What did Helen do before she joined Transistor?
  • (03:00) - What did Michael do before joining Transistor?
  • (05:05) - How does Transistor do customer support different?
  • (08:04) - What have we learned by doing demo calls with customers?
  • (12:32) - What are some of the emotions of starting a podcast?
  • (16:15) - What can startups learn from being a customer led company?
  • (18:44) - How do we approach AI in customer support?
  • (22:50) - How does customer support translate into sales?
  • (25:49) - What else does a customer support role do at a Saas?
  • (33:41) - How do future generations learn how to be on a team?

Quotes:

From Helen:"The bar with customer support is really quite low across the industry... If companies are setting the standard of getting back to people in three to five business days, we don't have to necessarily adopt that. We can set our own standards."

From Michael:

"There is an emotional side to podcasting, to using a product, to creation, and we help on that side as well. People are often excited or nervous or panicking or something feels urgent, and we can help alleviate all of that emotional side. It's not just about questions and answers."

Have feedback on this episode?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:26:43 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2486 Justin sits down with Helen Ryles and Michael Green, the two people behind almost every chat, email, and demo call that comes into Transistor, to talk about the company's secret weapon: the thing that converts 75% of trials to paid and keeps people around for years.

Chapters:

  • (02:13) - What did Helen do before she joined Transistor?
  • (03:00) - What did Michael do before joining Transistor?
  • (05:05) - How does Transistor do customer support different?
  • (08:04) - What have we learned by doing demo calls with customers?
  • (12:32) - What are some of the emotions of starting a podcast?
  • (16:15) - What can startups learn from being a customer led company?
  • (18:44) - How do we approach AI in customer support?
  • (22:50) - How does customer support translate into sales?
  • (25:49) - What else does a customer support role do at a Saas?
  • (33:41) - How do future generations learn how to be on a team?

Quotes:

From Helen:"The bar with customer support is really quite low across the industry... If companies are setting the standard of getting back to people in three to five business days, we don't have to necessarily adopt that. We can set our own standards."

From Michael:

"There is an emotional side to podcasting, to using a product, to creation, and we help on that side as well. People are often excited or nervous or panicking or something feels urgent, and we can help alleviate all of that emotional side. It's not just about questions and answers."

Have feedback on this episode?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Helen Ryles Michael Green An update from Justin and Jon 162 162 An update from Justin and Jon full c6463208-b61f-4373-a08e-cf4868e13ded https://share.transistor.fm/s/c19f1cb2 Justin and Jon reconnect after a two-year podcasting hiatus. What's happened since their last episode? Lots! They talk about big changes in their personal lives, and then move on to how they're thinking about Transistor as a business. These discuss burnout and motivation, the evolution of the podcasting industry, the pressure of being a leader, and the possibility of taking a sabbatical. The Transistor team is off to Banff for their annual retreat!

Quote:

"Working hard does not lead to burnout, but the lack of hope leads to burnout. So if you're working really really hard for something that you don't believe will pay off, it's super easy to lose motivation. And that has happened to me in the past! But! If you believe that the thing you're working on will have a payoff, the amount of work almost doesn’t matter." – Aaron Francis


Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (00:00) - Who remembers how to do this anyway?
  • (00:30) - Where has Jon been for the last 2 years?
  • (08:56) - What's Justin been up to?
  • (11:36) - Maybe there's more to burnout than we think
  • (24:40) - Should we build something else as a backup?
  • (27:31) - What need to be true for you to be happier?
  • (33:38) - Remote work kind of sucks
  • (39:06) - Brainstorming more ideas around connecting better
  • (42:32) - What about sabbaticals?
  • (51:03) - Thank you to our Patreon supporters
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Jon reconnect after a two-year podcasting hiatus. What's happened since their last episode? Lots! They talk about big changes in their personal lives, and then move on to how they're thinking about Transistor as a business. These discuss burnout and motivation, the evolution of the podcasting industry, the pressure of being a leader, and the possibility of taking a sabbatical. The Transistor team is off to Banff for their annual retreat!

Quote:

"Working hard does not lead to burnout, but the lack of hope leads to burnout. So if you're working really really hard for something that you don't believe will pay off, it's super easy to lose motivation. And that has happened to me in the past! But! If you believe that the thing you're working on will have a payoff, the amount of work almost doesn’t matter." – Aaron Francis


Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (00:00) - Who remembers how to do this anyway?
  • (00:30) - Where has Jon been for the last 2 years?
  • (08:56) - What's Justin been up to?
  • (11:36) - Maybe there's more to burnout than we think
  • (24:40) - Should we build something else as a backup?
  • (27:31) - What need to be true for you to be happier?
  • (33:38) - Remote work kind of sucks
  • (39:06) - Brainstorming more ideas around connecting better
  • (42:32) - What about sabbaticals?
  • (51:03) - Thank you to our Patreon supporters
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Sat, 13 Sep 2025 03:45:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3218 Justin and Jon reconnect after a two-year podcasting hiatus. What's happened since their last episode? Lots! They talk about big changes in their personal lives, and then move on to how they're thinking about Transistor as a business. These discuss burnout and motivation, the evolution of the podcasting industry, the pressure of being a leader, and the possibility of taking a sabbatical. The Transistor team is off to Banff for their annual retreat!

Quote:

"Working hard does not lead to burnout, but the lack of hope leads to burnout. So if you're working really really hard for something that you don't believe will pay off, it's super easy to lose motivation. And that has happened to me in the past! But! If you believe that the thing you're working on will have a payoff, the amount of work almost doesn’t matter." – Aaron Francis


Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (00:00) - Who remembers how to do this anyway?
  • (00:30) - Where has Jon been for the last 2 years?
  • (08:56) - What's Justin been up to?
  • (11:36) - Maybe there's more to burnout than we think
  • (24:40) - Should we build something else as a backup?
  • (27:31) - What need to be true for you to be happier?
  • (33:38) - Remote work kind of sucks
  • (39:06) - Brainstorming more ideas around connecting better
  • (42:32) - What about sabbaticals?
  • (51:03) - Thank you to our Patreon supporters
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Jon Buda Justin Jackson "Justin, I built a SaaS!" 161 161 "Justin, I built a SaaS!" full 5253b751-f0d9-4101-8ee1-5b6cd0dfd879 https://share.transistor.fm/s/437cd74a Harris Kenny was a long-time listener of the podcast, and dreamed about building his own software product. After multiple attempts, over 5 years, he finally did it. How? He shares his experiences transitioning from a corporate job to entrepreneurship. He also discusses the challenges of user engagement, the exploration of various SaaS ideas, and the importance of foundational work in entrepreneurship.

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (00:09) - I did it! I build my saas!
  • (02:59) - Why did Harris quit his job?
  • (11:03) - When you don't have a boss, do you have the drive to go get work?
  • (15:45) - How did you hear about saas businesses?
  • (27:02) - Recognizing a need and building something for it
  • (34:44) - So many opportunities in inventory software
  • (41:03) - The difficulty of getting people to just log in
  • (49:18) - The saas that worked
  • (01:01:01) - Where are you getting new customers from?
  • (01:06:47) - Using Tinyseed as a bridge
  • (01:11:02) - Going over the top on support is a key
  • (01:24:04) - Showing results helps agencies show value
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Harris Kenny was a long-time listener of the podcast, and dreamed about building his own software product. After multiple attempts, over 5 years, he finally did it. How? He shares his experiences transitioning from a corporate job to entrepreneurship. He also discusses the challenges of user engagement, the exploration of various SaaS ideas, and the importance of foundational work in entrepreneurship.

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (00:09) - I did it! I build my saas!
  • (02:59) - Why did Harris quit his job?
  • (11:03) - When you don't have a boss, do you have the drive to go get work?
  • (15:45) - How did you hear about saas businesses?
  • (27:02) - Recognizing a need and building something for it
  • (34:44) - So many opportunities in inventory software
  • (41:03) - The difficulty of getting people to just log in
  • (49:18) - The saas that worked
  • (01:01:01) - Where are you getting new customers from?
  • (01:06:47) - Using Tinyseed as a bridge
  • (01:11:02) - Going over the top on support is a key
  • (01:24:04) - Showing results helps agencies show value
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:00:22 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 5443 Harris Kenny was a long-time listener of the podcast, and dreamed about building his own software product. After multiple attempts, over 5 years, he finally did it. How? He shares his experiences transitioning from a corporate job to entrepreneurship. He also discusses the challenges of user engagement, the exploration of various SaaS ideas, and the importance of foundational work in entrepreneurship.

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (00:09) - I did it! I build my saas!
  • (02:59) - Why did Harris quit his job?
  • (11:03) - When you don't have a boss, do you have the drive to go get work?
  • (15:45) - How did you hear about saas businesses?
  • (27:02) - Recognizing a need and building something for it
  • (34:44) - So many opportunities in inventory software
  • (41:03) - The difficulty of getting people to just log in
  • (49:18) - The saas that worked
  • (01:01:01) - Where are you getting new customers from?
  • (01:06:47) - Using Tinyseed as a bridge
  • (01:11:02) - Going over the top on support is a key
  • (01:24:04) - Showing results helps agencies show value
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Harris Kenny Giuuunta! Motivating yourself when you're not in startup mode 160 160 Giuuunta! Motivating yourself when you're not in startup mode full dc76c741-71a3-44b1-999c-a2da23e21859 https://share.transistor.fm/s/486aad52 Bootstrapping a business is like getting a plane to lift off the ground. But what do you do once the plane is in the air?

Dave Giunta and Justin Jackson recorded a recent phone call about maintaining motivation after the initial startup phase. How does founder energy shift once you've achieved your early goals? Dave prods Justin to find new sources of motivation – whether through mentoring junior team members, connecting with customers in fresh ways, or knowing when it's time to explore new horizons.

They also discuss why Dave left Home Chef (after 8 years) and what he's doing next.

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • 00:00:17 - Giuuuuuunta
  • 00:01:15 - Chatting in Guatemala: maintaining motivation, remote work, career transitions
  • 00:02:12 - Motivation in early vs late stage startups
  • 00:06:00 - Challenges with maintaining motivation once the business is established
  • 00:15:35 - Working with different team member motivations
  • 00:26:42 - Importance of understanding individual team members
  • 00:29:20 - Remote work advantages and challenges
  • 00:35:35 - Working with junior team members and mentorship
  • 00:54:00 - Why Dave left Home Chef after 8+ years
  • 00:57:00 - Discussion of career transitions and giving yourself space to explore
  • 01:02:20 - Future plans and exploration after leaving long-term role

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Bootstrapping a business is like getting a plane to lift off the ground. But what do you do once the plane is in the air?

Dave Giunta and Justin Jackson recorded a recent phone call about maintaining motivation after the initial startup phase. How does founder energy shift once you've achieved your early goals? Dave prods Justin to find new sources of motivation – whether through mentoring junior team members, connecting with customers in fresh ways, or knowing when it's time to explore new horizons.

They also discuss why Dave left Home Chef (after 8 years) and what he's doing next.

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • 00:00:17 - Giuuuuuunta
  • 00:01:15 - Chatting in Guatemala: maintaining motivation, remote work, career transitions
  • 00:02:12 - Motivation in early vs late stage startups
  • 00:06:00 - Challenges with maintaining motivation once the business is established
  • 00:15:35 - Working with different team member motivations
  • 00:26:42 - Importance of understanding individual team members
  • 00:29:20 - Remote work advantages and challenges
  • 00:35:35 - Working with junior team members and mentorship
  • 00:54:00 - Why Dave left Home Chef after 8+ years
  • 00:57:00 - Discussion of career transitions and giving yourself space to explore
  • 01:02:20 - Future plans and exploration after leaving long-term role

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:20:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4316 Bootstrapping a business is like getting a plane to lift off the ground. But what do you do once the plane is in the air?

Dave Giunta and Justin Jackson recorded a recent phone call about maintaining motivation after the initial startup phase. How does founder energy shift once you've achieved your early goals? Dave prods Justin to find new sources of motivation – whether through mentoring junior team members, connecting with customers in fresh ways, or knowing when it's time to explore new horizons.

They also discuss why Dave left Home Chef (after 8 years) and what he's doing next.

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • 00:00:17 - Giuuuuuunta
  • 00:01:15 - Chatting in Guatemala: maintaining motivation, remote work, career transitions
  • 00:02:12 - Motivation in early vs late stage startups
  • 00:06:00 - Challenges with maintaining motivation once the business is established
  • 00:15:35 - Working with different team member motivations
  • 00:26:42 - Importance of understanding individual team members
  • 00:29:20 - Remote work advantages and challenges
  • 00:35:35 - Working with junior team members and mentorship
  • 00:54:00 - Why Dave left Home Chef after 8+ years
  • 00:57:00 - Discussion of career transitions and giving yourself space to explore
  • 01:02:20 - Future plans and exploration after leaving long-term role

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Dave Giunta Adam Wathan: how small startups hire employees (Tailwind CSS) 159 159 Adam Wathan: how small startups hire employees (Tailwind CSS) full 1bd64602-a5b8-4d2e-b9f8-73e6cd301684 https://share.transistor.fm/s/928afd14 How do founders of small bootstrapped companies hire new employees?

Adam Wathan got over 1600 people who applied for two new roles at Tailwind Labs (a small team of six people). They ended up hiring two people, but neither of them actually applied. This wasn't how Adam expected (or hoped) this process would go. There were lots of surprising takeaways and lessons learned from the whole experience.

"If you figure we spend 5 minutes on every single application, that was like 133 hours straight reading applications. Processing these job applications was basically my full time job for 2 months." – Adam Wathan

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (03:40) - What's the size of Transistor and when did you last hire?
  • (05:24) - How did you meet or find your employees?
  • (07:12) - Adam's process for hiring
  • (12:44) - The energy required to process applications
  • (17:32) - What got people in to the 100 list?
  • (21:03) - Did Adam get any videos in applications?
  • (24:49) - Previous employment was a good indicator
  • (30:16) - Painting a picture of what the position looks like
  • (32:02) - The kinds of people who applied
  • (34:52) - How did the application process work out?
  • (38:52) - The kinds of questions we asked applicants
  • (42:25) - Does a great conversation impact a hiring decision or not?
  • (49:24) - Does having the position open in public help?
  • (51:36) - How Adam was connected to the people they hired
  • (59:31) - The importance of conference conversations
  • (01:02:20) - Finding ways to share your work in public
  • (01:06:11) - The process does work... just not this time
  • (01:12:30) - Could I ever get comfortable with a 70% success rate?
  • (01:20:53) - Bringing in someone you knew vs a fan
  • (01:26:45) - Keeping a tab in different areas to pull from

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> How do founders of small bootstrapped companies hire new employees?

Adam Wathan got over 1600 people who applied for two new roles at Tailwind Labs (a small team of six people). They ended up hiring two people, but neither of them actually applied. This wasn't how Adam expected (or hoped) this process would go. There were lots of surprising takeaways and lessons learned from the whole experience.

"If you figure we spend 5 minutes on every single application, that was like 133 hours straight reading applications. Processing these job applications was basically my full time job for 2 months." – Adam Wathan

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (03:40) - What's the size of Transistor and when did you last hire?
  • (05:24) - How did you meet or find your employees?
  • (07:12) - Adam's process for hiring
  • (12:44) - The energy required to process applications
  • (17:32) - What got people in to the 100 list?
  • (21:03) - Did Adam get any videos in applications?
  • (24:49) - Previous employment was a good indicator
  • (30:16) - Painting a picture of what the position looks like
  • (32:02) - The kinds of people who applied
  • (34:52) - How did the application process work out?
  • (38:52) - The kinds of questions we asked applicants
  • (42:25) - Does a great conversation impact a hiring decision or not?
  • (49:24) - Does having the position open in public help?
  • (51:36) - How Adam was connected to the people they hired
  • (59:31) - The importance of conference conversations
  • (01:02:20) - Finding ways to share your work in public
  • (01:06:11) - The process does work... just not this time
  • (01:12:30) - Could I ever get comfortable with a 70% success rate?
  • (01:20:53) - Bringing in someone you knew vs a fan
  • (01:26:45) - Keeping a tab in different areas to pull from

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 04 Jun 2024 14:12:21 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 5682 How do founders of small bootstrapped companies hire new employees?

Adam Wathan got over 1600 people who applied for two new roles at Tailwind Labs (a small team of six people). They ended up hiring two people, but neither of them actually applied. This wasn't how Adam expected (or hoped) this process would go. There were lots of surprising takeaways and lessons learned from the whole experience.

"If you figure we spend 5 minutes on every single application, that was like 133 hours straight reading applications. Processing these job applications was basically my full time job for 2 months." – Adam Wathan

Links:

Have feedback on this episode?

Timestamps:

  • (03:40) - What's the size of Transistor and when did you last hire?
  • (05:24) - How did you meet or find your employees?
  • (07:12) - Adam's process for hiring
  • (12:44) - The energy required to process applications
  • (17:32) - What got people in to the 100 list?
  • (21:03) - Did Adam get any videos in applications?
  • (24:49) - Previous employment was a good indicator
  • (30:16) - Painting a picture of what the position looks like
  • (32:02) - The kinds of people who applied
  • (34:52) - How did the application process work out?
  • (38:52) - The kinds of questions we asked applicants
  • (42:25) - Does a great conversation impact a hiring decision or not?
  • (49:24) - Does having the position open in public help?
  • (51:36) - How Adam was connected to the people they hired
  • (59:31) - The importance of conference conversations
  • (01:02:20) - Finding ways to share your work in public
  • (01:06:11) - The process does work... just not this time
  • (01:12:30) - Could I ever get comfortable with a 70% success rate?
  • (01:20:53) - Bringing in someone you knew vs a fan
  • (01:26:45) - Keeping a tab in different areas to pull from

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Adam Wathan Is ONCE enough? 158 158 Is ONCE enough? full de6e8475-b86a-439d-b5f3-bf3de9fa9a82 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0b397ae3 A panel discussion on 37signals' first ONCE product, the launch of Campfire ("pay for it once, install it, and run it on your own server"). Ian Landsman, Tyler Tringas, and Justin Jackson share what they expected to happen before the launch, what did happen, and what it means for indie hackers and bootstrappers who want to launch SaaS companies. Is this the end of SaaS?

Links:

I want to hear your thoughts:

If you listen to the episode, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts:

  • Can you think of a low-price, pay-once, on-prem software product that's succeeded? (The only one I could think of was ​Statamic CMS​)
  • Do you think a different Once product might have made more sales? What kinds of products do you think might work?
  • Did you buy Campfire? What did you buy it for? Are you using it as a chat tool for your company?
  • Other thoughts on our discussion.

👉 ​Leave a voicemail here​

🐦 Reply on Twitter


Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - "I appreciate that 37signals exists."
  • (00:01:58) - 37signals' influence in the bootstrapped startup space
  • (00:03:58) - What did we expect from the Campfire/Once launch?
  • (00:06:23) - DHH's tweet on Campfire sales – is that what we expected?
  • (00:09:49) - The Once model, philosophy, and Campfire's history
  • (00:17:21) - Misconceptions about what IT Managers want
  • (00:19:49) - How Campfire was marketed and positioned
  • (00:26:01) - Basecamp's PR, virality, and audience 
  • (00:28:29) - Can you do customer research to validate demand?
  • (00:32:01) - The volume of sales as a success metric
  • (00:33:33) - The Potential for Campfire's expansion
  • (00:37:37) - Distribution opportunities with hosting providers
  • 00:39:31) - The intuition behind HEY Email's success
  • (00:43:42) - The Value of an Audience and Customer Overlap
  • (00:45:12) - The Compounding Advantage of Longevity
  • (00:49:54) - Scorecard

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> A panel discussion on 37signals' first ONCE product, the launch of Campfire ("pay for it once, install it, and run it on your own server"). Ian Landsman, Tyler Tringas, and Justin Jackson share what they expected to happen before the launch, what did happen, and what it means for indie hackers and bootstrappers who want to launch SaaS companies. Is this the end of SaaS?

Links:

I want to hear your thoughts:

If you listen to the episode, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts:

  • Can you think of a low-price, pay-once, on-prem software product that's succeeded? (The only one I could think of was ​Statamic CMS​)
  • Do you think a different Once product might have made more sales? What kinds of products do you think might work?
  • Did you buy Campfire? What did you buy it for? Are you using it as a chat tool for your company?
  • Other thoughts on our discussion.

👉 ​Leave a voicemail here​

🐦 Reply on Twitter


Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - "I appreciate that 37signals exists."
  • (00:01:58) - 37signals' influence in the bootstrapped startup space
  • (00:03:58) - What did we expect from the Campfire/Once launch?
  • (00:06:23) - DHH's tweet on Campfire sales – is that what we expected?
  • (00:09:49) - The Once model, philosophy, and Campfire's history
  • (00:17:21) - Misconceptions about what IT Managers want
  • (00:19:49) - How Campfire was marketed and positioned
  • (00:26:01) - Basecamp's PR, virality, and audience 
  • (00:28:29) - Can you do customer research to validate demand?
  • (00:32:01) - The volume of sales as a success metric
  • (00:33:33) - The Potential for Campfire's expansion
  • (00:37:37) - Distribution opportunities with hosting providers
  • 00:39:31) - The intuition behind HEY Email's success
  • (00:43:42) - The Value of an Audience and Customer Overlap
  • (00:45:12) - The Compounding Advantage of Longevity
  • (00:49:54) - Scorecard

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:59:14 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4258 A panel discussion on 37signals' first ONCE product, the launch of Campfire ("pay for it once, install it, and run it on your own server"). Ian Landsman, Tyler Tringas, and Justin Jackson share what they expected to happen before the launch, what did happen, and what it means for indie hackers and bootstrappers who want to launch SaaS companies. Is this the end of SaaS?

Links:

I want to hear your thoughts:

If you listen to the episode, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts:

  • Can you think of a low-price, pay-once, on-prem software product that's succeeded? (The only one I could think of was ​Statamic CMS​)
  • Do you think a different Once product might have made more sales? What kinds of products do you think might work?
  • Did you buy Campfire? What did you buy it for? Are you using it as a chat tool for your company?
  • Other thoughts on our discussion.

👉 ​Leave a voicemail here​

🐦 Reply on Twitter


Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - "I appreciate that 37signals exists."
  • (00:01:58) - 37signals' influence in the bootstrapped startup space
  • (00:03:58) - What did we expect from the Campfire/Once launch?
  • (00:06:23) - DHH's tweet on Campfire sales – is that what we expected?
  • (00:09:49) - The Once model, philosophy, and Campfire's history
  • (00:17:21) - Misconceptions about what IT Managers want
  • (00:19:49) - How Campfire was marketed and positioned
  • (00:26:01) - Basecamp's PR, virality, and audience 
  • (00:28:29) - Can you do customer research to validate demand?
  • (00:32:01) - The volume of sales as a success metric
  • (00:33:33) - The Potential for Campfire's expansion
  • (00:37:37) - Distribution opportunities with hosting providers
  • 00:39:31) - The intuition behind HEY Email's success
  • (00:43:42) - The Value of an Audience and Customer Overlap
  • (00:45:12) - The Compounding Advantage of Longevity
  • (00:49:54) - Scorecard

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Tyler Tringas Ian Landsman How Ben and David bootstrapped the Acquired podcast 157 157 How Ben and David bootstrapped the Acquired podcast bonus a10da205-8e3b-4c9a-a5b4-016fa29ded9c https://share.transistor.fm/s/e85b13ce Fast Company called Acquired "the #1 tech podcast sensation." I've been a huge fan of the show for years. So, I was surprised when they contacted me and wanted to switch to Transistor for podcast hosting!

Since switching, they've had a breakout year. Their clips started showing up everywhere on my social media feed; they had chart-topping episodes on Nintendo, Nike, and Costco, and they interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger. 

And this was the year that Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (the co-hosts) both went full-time on the podcast. Podcasting is now their job.

With all of that activity, I thought Build your SaaS listeners would be interested in hearing my interview with David about their entire story:

  • How they got started, how they built momentum over time,
  • how they were able to double their audience every single year since 2015, 
  • And how that momentum ended up Attracting an incredibly valuable audience that they've now monetized through sponsorships. 

This interview has so much that podcasters, creators, and indie entrepreneurs will find super helpful and inspirational.

🔥 Key moments:

  • (0:00:00) – A breakout year for Acquired
  • (0:01:45) – What is the Acquired podcast about?
  • (0:02:40) – How the Acquired podcast got started (origin story)
  • (0:07:23) – How Ben and David's co-hosting relationship works
  • (0:09:00) – The 3 big goals that made them want to start Acquired
  • (0:11:38) – How did listeners respond to the first episodes?
  • (0:14:55) – The best reason to start a podcast
  • (0:15:30) – The secret to how Acquired attracts new listeners
  • (0:18:13) – How they got featured in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Spotify
  • (0:24:18) – How they got their first podcast sponsors (and why it wasn't about making money)
  • (0:27:58) – Why they give their sponsors a white glove, 11-star experience
  • (0:34:13) – How to get more word-of-mouth referrals for your podcast
  • (0:37:00) – Acquired's unconventional approach to podcast ads
  • (0:41:54) – How the Acquired podcast's growth machine works
  • (0:48:05) – Why their NVIDIA podcast episode went viral
  • (0:50:48) – Why they switched from Libsyn to Transistor for podcast hosting
  • (0:57:18) – The rise of the "independent, boutique podcaster."
  • (1:02:27) – "The future of podcasting doesn't belong to Gimlet, NYT, NPR..."
  • (1:06:22) – David Rosenthal's advice to aspiring podcasters

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Fast Company called Acquired "the #1 tech podcast sensation." I've been a huge fan of the show for years. So, I was surprised when they contacted me and wanted to switch to Transistor for podcast hosting!

Since switching, they've had a breakout year. Their clips started showing up everywhere on my social media feed; they had chart-topping episodes on Nintendo, Nike, and Costco, and they interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger. 

And this was the year that Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (the co-hosts) both went full-time on the podcast. Podcasting is now their job.

With all of that activity, I thought Build your SaaS listeners would be interested in hearing my interview with David about their entire story:

  • How they got started, how they built momentum over time,
  • how they were able to double their audience every single year since 2015, 
  • And how that momentum ended up Attracting an incredibly valuable audience that they've now monetized through sponsorships. 

This interview has so much that podcasters, creators, and indie entrepreneurs will find super helpful and inspirational.

🔥 Key moments:

  • (0:00:00) – A breakout year for Acquired
  • (0:01:45) – What is the Acquired podcast about?
  • (0:02:40) – How the Acquired podcast got started (origin story)
  • (0:07:23) – How Ben and David's co-hosting relationship works
  • (0:09:00) – The 3 big goals that made them want to start Acquired
  • (0:11:38) – How did listeners respond to the first episodes?
  • (0:14:55) – The best reason to start a podcast
  • (0:15:30) – The secret to how Acquired attracts new listeners
  • (0:18:13) – How they got featured in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Spotify
  • (0:24:18) – How they got their first podcast sponsors (and why it wasn't about making money)
  • (0:27:58) – Why they give their sponsors a white glove, 11-star experience
  • (0:34:13) – How to get more word-of-mouth referrals for your podcast
  • (0:37:00) – Acquired's unconventional approach to podcast ads
  • (0:41:54) – How the Acquired podcast's growth machine works
  • (0:48:05) – Why their NVIDIA podcast episode went viral
  • (0:50:48) – Why they switched from Libsyn to Transistor for podcast hosting
  • (0:57:18) – The rise of the "independent, boutique podcaster."
  • (1:02:27) – "The future of podcasting doesn't belong to Gimlet, NYT, NPR..."
  • (1:06:22) – David Rosenthal's advice to aspiring podcasters

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Thu, 25 Jan 2024 13:50:29 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4070 Fast Company called Acquired "the #1 tech podcast sensation." I've been a huge fan of the show for years. So, I was surprised when they contacted me and wanted to switch to Transistor for podcast hosting!

Since switching, they've had a breakout year. Their clips started showing up everywhere on my social media feed; they had chart-topping episodes on Nintendo, Nike, and Costco, and they interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger. 

And this was the year that Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (the co-hosts) both went full-time on the podcast. Podcasting is now their job.

With all of that activity, I thought Build your SaaS listeners would be interested in hearing my interview with David about their entire story:

  • How they got started, how they built momentum over time,
  • how they were able to double their audience every single year since 2015, 
  • And how that momentum ended up Attracting an incredibly valuable audience that they've now monetized through sponsorships. 

This interview has so much that podcasters, creators, and indie entrepreneurs will find super helpful and inspirational.

🔥 Key moments:

  • (0:00:00) – A breakout year for Acquired
  • (0:01:45) – What is the Acquired podcast about?
  • (0:02:40) – How the Acquired podcast got started (origin story)
  • (0:07:23) – How Ben and David's co-hosting relationship works
  • (0:09:00) – The 3 big goals that made them want to start Acquired
  • (0:11:38) – How did listeners respond to the first episodes?
  • (0:14:55) – The best reason to start a podcast
  • (0:15:30) – The secret to how Acquired attracts new listeners
  • (0:18:13) – How they got featured in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Spotify
  • (0:24:18) – How they got their first podcast sponsors (and why it wasn't about making money)
  • (0:27:58) – Why they give their sponsors a white glove, 11-star experience
  • (0:34:13) – How to get more word-of-mouth referrals for your podcast
  • (0:37:00) – Acquired's unconventional approach to podcast ads
  • (0:41:54) – How the Acquired podcast's growth machine works
  • (0:48:05) – Why their NVIDIA podcast episode went viral
  • (0:50:48) – Why they switched from Libsyn to Transistor for podcast hosting
  • (0:57:18) – The rise of the "independent, boutique podcaster."
  • (1:02:27) – "The future of podcasting doesn't belong to Gimlet, NYT, NPR..."
  • (1:06:22) – David Rosenthal's advice to aspiring podcasters

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson David Rosenthal Joseph Pinheiro Nashville team retreat: scary birds, country music, and a photo shoot 156 156 Nashville team retreat: scary birds, country music, and a photo shoot full e90c5d35-d8ef-41ae-a7be-cd7668af04ce https://share.transistor.fm/s/0aa603bd The whole team is on the show! Jon, Helen, Jason, Josh, and Justin are on the mics to discuss our recent team retreat to Nashville, Tennessee. If you're wondering what a retreat looks like for a remote team, you'll get a lot out of this episode. We also reveal some of our exploits in Music City:

"Going to a Tiki Bar is usually a mistake."

Highlights

  • (00:10) - Welcome
  • (01:10) - Highlights of our retreat in Nashville
  • (12:55) - It's not easy to get everyone together
  • (20:26) - Our schedule for the retreat
  • (26:24) - Electrolytes are a good idea
  • (31:49) - Things to improve or tips for other teams
"For 51 weeks, our small team works efficiently. Our team retreat week is a culmination of celebrations, milestones, birthdays, and holidays we might have missed. It's special to condense these moments into one week and see everyone in person to celebrate our achievements from the previous year." – Helen

Links:

Takeaways:

  • The city you choose for your retreat will significantly influence the team's productivity and leisure activities.
  • Be intentional and set aside time for planning and product discussions.
  • A retreat is a great time for a remote team to celebrate milestones and achievements.
  • Have a balance between work activities and fun activities.
  • Simple activities like games or cards can be as fulfilling as fancy events.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> The whole team is on the show! Jon, Helen, Jason, Josh, and Justin are on the mics to discuss our recent team retreat to Nashville, Tennessee. If you're wondering what a retreat looks like for a remote team, you'll get a lot out of this episode. We also reveal some of our exploits in Music City:

"Going to a Tiki Bar is usually a mistake."

Highlights

  • (00:10) - Welcome
  • (01:10) - Highlights of our retreat in Nashville
  • (12:55) - It's not easy to get everyone together
  • (20:26) - Our schedule for the retreat
  • (26:24) - Electrolytes are a good idea
  • (31:49) - Things to improve or tips for other teams
"For 51 weeks, our small team works efficiently. Our team retreat week is a culmination of celebrations, milestones, birthdays, and holidays we might have missed. It's special to condense these moments into one week and see everyone in person to celebrate our achievements from the previous year." – Helen

Links:

Takeaways:

  • The city you choose for your retreat will significantly influence the team's productivity and leisure activities.
  • Be intentional and set aside time for planning and product discussions.
  • A retreat is a great time for a remote team to celebrate milestones and achievements.
  • Have a balance between work activities and fun activities.
  • Simple activities like games or cards can be as fulfilling as fancy events.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Sep 2023 11:44:16 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2675 The whole team is on the show! Jon, Helen, Jason, Josh, and Justin are on the mics to discuss our recent team retreat to Nashville, Tennessee. If you're wondering what a retreat looks like for a remote team, you'll get a lot out of this episode. We also reveal some of our exploits in Music City:

"Going to a Tiki Bar is usually a mistake."

Highlights

  • (00:10) - Welcome
  • (01:10) - Highlights of our retreat in Nashville
  • (12:55) - It's not easy to get everyone together
  • (20:26) - Our schedule for the retreat
  • (26:24) - Electrolytes are a good idea
  • (31:49) - Things to improve or tips for other teams
"For 51 weeks, our small team works efficiently. Our team retreat week is a culmination of celebrations, milestones, birthdays, and holidays we might have missed. It's special to condense these moments into one week and see everyone in person to celebrate our achievements from the previous year." – Helen

Links:

Takeaways:

  • The city you choose for your retreat will significantly influence the team's productivity and leisure activities.
  • Be intentional and set aside time for planning and product discussions.
  • A retreat is a great time for a remote team to celebrate milestones and achievements.
  • Have a balance between work activities and fun activities.
  • Simple activities like games or cards can be as fulfilling as fancy events.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Chris Enns Justin Jackson Jon Buda Helen Ryles Jason Pearl Joshua Anderton Paul Jarvis: gaining freedom by building an indie business 155 155 Paul Jarvis: gaining freedom by building an indie business full 74b6f797-d06d-4b8b-b95e-0d7d197a88eb https://share.transistor.fm/s/e83b42d0 Justin catches up with his old internet friend Paul Jarvis. Today, Paul co-founded Fathom Analytics with Jack Ellis: a simple alternative to Google Analytics. Paul is also the author of the book "Company of One," which has influenced a whole generation of indie entrepreneurs (and has been reviewed by Cal Newport, Chris Guillebeau, Ben Chestnut, Tiago Forte, and more). Previously, Justin and Paul did a weekly mastermind, where they supported and encouraged each other around our indie businesses. They decided to do a catch-up call and recorded it so you could listen in. 👍

Highlights:

  • (00:10) - Intro
  • (02:15) - Being off the internet
  • (03:53) - What's a typical day for Paul?
  • (06:16) - Looking back at our Mastermind call
  • (08:03) - There's no beginning and no end
  • (10:31) - Things that are out of your control affect your business
  • (13:03) - Does Justin's surfing metaphor make sense to a surfer?
  • (16:06) - How would you start an indie business in 2023?
  • (22:00) - You've got to get in motion
  • (25:03) - Using products in your category for a long time
  • (27:48) - Is there still any room in Saas?
  • (31:51) - The act of making the bet
  • (38:40) - Is freelancing still viable in 2023?
  • (42:50) - Company design is lifestyle design
  • (44:55) - Worrying about being stagnant
  • (47:15) - How do you handle customer feature requests?
  • (52:03) - It's ok to be late to a shift in the market
  • (58:19) - Caring is an indie advantage
  • (01:05:00) - Collaboration is what gets us anywhere

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!


Links:


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin catches up with his old internet friend Paul Jarvis. Today, Paul co-founded Fathom Analytics with Jack Ellis: a simple alternative to Google Analytics. Paul is also the author of the book "Company of One," which has influenced a whole generation of indie entrepreneurs (and has been reviewed by Cal Newport, Chris Guillebeau, Ben Chestnut, Tiago Forte, and more). Previously, Justin and Paul did a weekly mastermind, where they supported and encouraged each other around our indie businesses. They decided to do a catch-up call and recorded it so you could listen in. 👍

Highlights:

  • (00:10) - Intro
  • (02:15) - Being off the internet
  • (03:53) - What's a typical day for Paul?
  • (06:16) - Looking back at our Mastermind call
  • (08:03) - There's no beginning and no end
  • (10:31) - Things that are out of your control affect your business
  • (13:03) - Does Justin's surfing metaphor make sense to a surfer?
  • (16:06) - How would you start an indie business in 2023?
  • (22:00) - You've got to get in motion
  • (25:03) - Using products in your category for a long time
  • (27:48) - Is there still any room in Saas?
  • (31:51) - The act of making the bet
  • (38:40) - Is freelancing still viable in 2023?
  • (42:50) - Company design is lifestyle design
  • (44:55) - Worrying about being stagnant
  • (47:15) - How do you handle customer feature requests?
  • (52:03) - It's ok to be late to a shift in the market
  • (58:19) - Caring is an indie advantage
  • (01:05:00) - Collaboration is what gets us anywhere

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!


Links:


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:50:11 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4240 Justin catches up with his old internet friend Paul Jarvis. Today, Paul co-founded Fathom Analytics with Jack Ellis: a simple alternative to Google Analytics. Paul is also the author of the book "Company of One," which has influenced a whole generation of indie entrepreneurs (and has been reviewed by Cal Newport, Chris Guillebeau, Ben Chestnut, Tiago Forte, and more). Previously, Justin and Paul did a weekly mastermind, where they supported and encouraged each other around our indie businesses. They decided to do a catch-up call and recorded it so you could listen in. 👍

Highlights:

  • (00:10) - Intro
  • (02:15) - Being off the internet
  • (03:53) - What's a typical day for Paul?
  • (06:16) - Looking back at our Mastermind call
  • (08:03) - There's no beginning and no end
  • (10:31) - Things that are out of your control affect your business
  • (13:03) - Does Justin's surfing metaphor make sense to a surfer?
  • (16:06) - How would you start an indie business in 2023?
  • (22:00) - You've got to get in motion
  • (25:03) - Using products in your category for a long time
  • (27:48) - Is there still any room in Saas?
  • (31:51) - The act of making the bet
  • (38:40) - Is freelancing still viable in 2023?
  • (42:50) - Company design is lifestyle design
  • (44:55) - Worrying about being stagnant
  • (47:15) - How do you handle customer feature requests?
  • (52:03) - It's ok to be late to a shift in the market
  • (58:19) - Caring is an indie advantage
  • (01:05:00) - Collaboration is what gets us anywhere

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!


Links:


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Paul Jarvis How Tim worked on side-projects for 10+ years, and finally went full-time (with kids) 154 154 How Tim worked on side-projects for 10+ years, and finally went full-time (with kids) full aed7945a-8065-4cfa-a2f9-a3ef39d94386 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d445192a Tim reached out after the Aaron Francis episode: "I wanted to pitch you on the idea of coming on the podcast and sharing my journey of building side projects for the last decade while raising a family. I can also share the guardrails I put in place before finally going full-time on T.LY."

Highlights:

  • (00:12) - Welcome
  • (01:13) - Who is Tim Leland?
  • (03:20) - What guardrails did you put in place?
  • (06:24) - What's the sales funnel?
  • (08:13) - Family as a motivator
  • (16:21) - How would you describe your effort during this process?
  • (20:06) - What about family boundaries?
  • (23:25) - How do you manage your thoughts?
  • (31:15) - How have you been able to manage the effort level?
  • (34:44) - The pressure of cutting the cord from your job
  • (38:16) - What's it been like being full time on t.ly?
  • (39:59) - What's your SEO magic touch?

Links:


Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tim reached out after the Aaron Francis episode: "I wanted to pitch you on the idea of coming on the podcast and sharing my journey of building side projects for the last decade while raising a family. I can also share the guardrails I put in place before finally going full-time on T.LY."

Highlights:

  • (00:12) - Welcome
  • (01:13) - Who is Tim Leland?
  • (03:20) - What guardrails did you put in place?
  • (06:24) - What's the sales funnel?
  • (08:13) - Family as a motivator
  • (16:21) - How would you describe your effort during this process?
  • (20:06) - What about family boundaries?
  • (23:25) - How do you manage your thoughts?
  • (31:15) - How have you been able to manage the effort level?
  • (34:44) - The pressure of cutting the cord from your job
  • (38:16) - What's it been like being full time on t.ly?
  • (39:59) - What's your SEO magic touch?

Links:


Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 20 Jun 2023 00:40:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3254 Tim reached out after the Aaron Francis episode: "I wanted to pitch you on the idea of coming on the podcast and sharing my journey of building side projects for the last decade while raising a family. I can also share the guardrails I put in place before finally going full-time on T.LY."

Highlights:

  • (00:12) - Welcome
  • (01:13) - Who is Tim Leland?
  • (03:20) - What guardrails did you put in place?
  • (06:24) - What's the sales funnel?
  • (08:13) - Family as a motivator
  • (16:21) - How would you describe your effort during this process?
  • (20:06) - What about family boundaries?
  • (23:25) - How do you manage your thoughts?
  • (31:15) - How have you been able to manage the effort level?
  • (34:44) - The pressure of cutting the cord from your job
  • (38:16) - What's it been like being full time on t.ly?
  • (39:59) - What's your SEO magic touch?

Links:


Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Tim Leland Startup coaching: helping founders and team members realize their full potential 153 153 Startup coaching: helping founders and team members realize their full potential full 714980e9-a5b3-4ab6-b54b-aff455edd8c2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/67292a41 This week Jon and Justin are joined by Marcella Chamorro. Previously, she worked in startup marketing but has recently transitioned to coaching founders and teams. We discussed how startup founders and their team members can realize their full potential.

Here are some highlights:

  • (00:24) - Introducing Marcella
  • (03:03) - How do you define your coaching?
  • (05:10) - What do you see with rising stars?
  • (09:37) - Do you navigate team dynamics or individual work?
  • (14:40) - Any advice for founder's stress
  • (23:22) - Personal lives do come to work
  • (32:44) - The ability to have difficult conversations
  • (47:05) - A lot of value in speaking to someone who's not you
  • (50:26) - How can people reach out Marcella?

Quote:"I think people who choose to do coaching want to be really good at what they do and they want to have a really good life. They are looking to optimize their time on planet Earth."  – Marcella


Links:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Jon and Justin are joined by Marcella Chamorro. Previously, she worked in startup marketing but has recently transitioned to coaching founders and teams. We discussed how startup founders and their team members can realize their full potential.

Here are some highlights:

  • (00:24) - Introducing Marcella
  • (03:03) - How do you define your coaching?
  • (05:10) - What do you see with rising stars?
  • (09:37) - Do you navigate team dynamics or individual work?
  • (14:40) - Any advice for founder's stress
  • (23:22) - Personal lives do come to work
  • (32:44) - The ability to have difficult conversations
  • (47:05) - A lot of value in speaking to someone who's not you
  • (50:26) - How can people reach out Marcella?

Quote:"I think people who choose to do coaching want to be really good at what they do and they want to have a really good life. They are looking to optimize their time on planet Earth."  – Marcella


Links:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 06 Jun 2023 17:55:16 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3362 This week Jon and Justin are joined by Marcella Chamorro. Previously, she worked in startup marketing but has recently transitioned to coaching founders and teams. We discussed how startup founders and their team members can realize their full potential.

Here are some highlights:

  • (00:24) - Introducing Marcella
  • (03:03) - How do you define your coaching?
  • (05:10) - What do you see with rising stars?
  • (09:37) - Do you navigate team dynamics or individual work?
  • (14:40) - Any advice for founder's stress
  • (23:22) - Personal lives do come to work
  • (32:44) - The ability to have difficult conversations
  • (47:05) - A lot of value in speaking to someone who's not you
  • (50:26) - How can people reach out Marcella?

Quote:"I think people who choose to do coaching want to be really good at what they do and they want to have a really good life. They are looking to optimize their time on planet Earth."  – Marcella


Links:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Jon Buda Marcella Chamorro Michele Hansen update: Section 174 and bootstrapping with kids 152 152 Michele Hansen update: Section 174 and bootstrapping with kids full 5742df0c-d554-420a-bd65-36e585a01ed4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/29077f0b In this podcast episode, Michele Hansen (Geocodio) gives us an update on Section 174 and provides her take on "bootstrapping with kids."

Michele explains you can be a part of the Small Software Business Alliance, and fight Section 174. If you're in the USA, please contact Congress!

In the second half of the episode, Justin and Michele talk about the challenges of balancing starting a business while you have young kids. For more on this topic, check out the last episode with Aaron Francis.

For more context on Section 174, check out our previous episode with Michele.

  • (00:12) - Welcome
  • (01:39) - Quick refresher on section 174
  • (05:37) - Updates since last episode
  • (09:04) - You can still help raise awareness
  • (13:58) - What's happening next?
  • (17:30) - How does this work on the accounting side?
  • (20:19) - Anything else people can do?
  • (22:36) - What advice do you give to people with families wanting to start a business?
  • (26:25) - Did you try a few things on the side?
  • (28:46) - Definition of success at the start
  • (31:01) - Developing a business while raising a baby
  • (34:54) - Survivorship bias in stories from new parents
  • (37:34) - What should you consider when starting a business?
  • (45:21) - Avoid magical thinking
  • (51:25) - Some things are hard to think about until you experience them

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this podcast episode, Michele Hansen (Geocodio) gives us an update on Section 174 and provides her take on "bootstrapping with kids."

Michele explains you can be a part of the Small Software Business Alliance, and fight Section 174. If you're in the USA, please contact Congress!

In the second half of the episode, Justin and Michele talk about the challenges of balancing starting a business while you have young kids. For more on this topic, check out the last episode with Aaron Francis.

For more context on Section 174, check out our previous episode with Michele.

  • (00:12) - Welcome
  • (01:39) - Quick refresher on section 174
  • (05:37) - Updates since last episode
  • (09:04) - You can still help raise awareness
  • (13:58) - What's happening next?
  • (17:30) - How does this work on the accounting side?
  • (20:19) - Anything else people can do?
  • (22:36) - What advice do you give to people with families wanting to start a business?
  • (26:25) - Did you try a few things on the side?
  • (28:46) - Definition of success at the start
  • (31:01) - Developing a business while raising a baby
  • (34:54) - Survivorship bias in stories from new parents
  • (37:34) - What should you consider when starting a business?
  • (45:21) - Avoid magical thinking
  • (51:25) - Some things are hard to think about until you experience them

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 16 May 2023 01:58:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3653 In this podcast episode, Michele Hansen (Geocodio) gives us an update on Section 174 and provides her take on "bootstrapping with kids."

Michele explains you can be a part of the Small Software Business Alliance, and fight Section 174. If you're in the USA, please contact Congress!

In the second half of the episode, Justin and Michele talk about the challenges of balancing starting a business while you have young kids. For more on this topic, check out the last episode with Aaron Francis.

For more context on Section 174, check out our previous episode with Michele.

  • (00:12) - Welcome
  • (01:39) - Quick refresher on section 174
  • (05:37) - Updates since last episode
  • (09:04) - You can still help raise awareness
  • (13:58) - What's happening next?
  • (17:30) - How does this work on the accounting side?
  • (20:19) - Anything else people can do?
  • (22:36) - What advice do you give to people with families wanting to start a business?
  • (26:25) - Did you try a few things on the side?
  • (28:46) - Definition of success at the start
  • (31:01) - Developing a business while raising a baby
  • (34:54) - Survivorship bias in stories from new parents
  • (37:34) - What should you consider when starting a business?
  • (45:21) - Avoid magical thinking
  • (51:25) - Some things are hard to think about until you experience them

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Michele Hansen Justin Jackson Chris Enns Should a parent with young kids try to bootstrap a new startup? 151 151 Should a parent with young kids try to bootstrap a new startup? full 15116afa-e685-4f77-915a-fff7f2a85b7f https://share.transistor.fm/s/29f428a9 In this episode, Justin speaks with Aaron Francis about being a new parent and trying to bootstrap a startup. Aaron argued the other side of Justin's tweet thread: "Wait until your kids are older to start a company." Aaron is well-positioned to talk about this because he has twins and is also bootstrapping Hammerstone with his co-founder Colleen. The whole conversation is a nuanced take on the topic and full of important insights, especially on:

  • the risks involved (especially if you're not working a full-time job)
  • the kind of foundation (mentally, financially, emotionally, relationally) you need to be able to take the risk

Highlights from this episode:

  • (00:12) - Welcome Aaron
  • (01:05) - Topic introduction
  • (02:17) - What's Aaron's story?
  • (05:23) - What is a maximum effort era?
  • (10:51) - What are you willing to sacrifice?
  • (15:12) - What's your daily routine like?
  • (17:25) - Context matters in all of this
  • (27:56) - Are you sacrificing social connections?
  • (30:48) - Blind spots can affect you on your journey
  • (33:18) - Pain vs risk
  • (37:38) - Being on the same page as your partner
  • (41:42) - Going to therapy sooner
  • (43:46) - Building a good foundation
  • (48:46) - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
  • (53:49) - Sometimes it's easier to try getting a better job
  • (01:02:37) - Where can people reach Aaron?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this episode, Justin speaks with Aaron Francis about being a new parent and trying to bootstrap a startup. Aaron argued the other side of Justin's tweet thread: "Wait until your kids are older to start a company." Aaron is well-positioned to talk about this because he has twins and is also bootstrapping Hammerstone with his co-founder Colleen. The whole conversation is a nuanced take on the topic and full of important insights, especially on:

  • the risks involved (especially if you're not working a full-time job)
  • the kind of foundation (mentally, financially, emotionally, relationally) you need to be able to take the risk

Highlights from this episode:

  • (00:12) - Welcome Aaron
  • (01:05) - Topic introduction
  • (02:17) - What's Aaron's story?
  • (05:23) - What is a maximum effort era?
  • (10:51) - What are you willing to sacrifice?
  • (15:12) - What's your daily routine like?
  • (17:25) - Context matters in all of this
  • (27:56) - Are you sacrificing social connections?
  • (30:48) - Blind spots can affect you on your journey
  • (33:18) - Pain vs risk
  • (37:38) - Being on the same page as your partner
  • (41:42) - Going to therapy sooner
  • (43:46) - Building a good foundation
  • (48:46) - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
  • (53:49) - Sometimes it's easier to try getting a better job
  • (01:02:37) - Where can people reach Aaron?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 09 May 2023 12:45:41 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3881 In this episode, Justin speaks with Aaron Francis about being a new parent and trying to bootstrap a startup. Aaron argued the other side of Justin's tweet thread: "Wait until your kids are older to start a company." Aaron is well-positioned to talk about this because he has twins and is also bootstrapping Hammerstone with his co-founder Colleen. The whole conversation is a nuanced take on the topic and full of important insights, especially on:

  • the risks involved (especially if you're not working a full-time job)
  • the kind of foundation (mentally, financially, emotionally, relationally) you need to be able to take the risk

Highlights from this episode:

  • (00:12) - Welcome Aaron
  • (01:05) - Topic introduction
  • (02:17) - What's Aaron's story?
  • (05:23) - What is a maximum effort era?
  • (10:51) - What are you willing to sacrifice?
  • (15:12) - What's your daily routine like?
  • (17:25) - Context matters in all of this
  • (27:56) - Are you sacrificing social connections?
  • (30:48) - Blind spots can affect you on your journey
  • (33:18) - Pain vs risk
  • (37:38) - Being on the same page as your partner
  • (41:42) - Going to therapy sooner
  • (43:46) - Building a good foundation
  • (48:46) - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
  • (53:49) - Sometimes it's easier to try getting a better job
  • (01:02:37) - Where can people reach Aaron?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Aaron Francis Why we hired someone new 150 150 Why we hired someone new full db4c9df9-69a9-47c8-8055-4406e48ee100 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fa16476f Jon and Justin welcome Joshua Anderton to the Transistor team! Josh is an amazingly talented full-stack web developer (Laravel, Rails, Tailwind CSS, Alpine, and more!) He's been helping us as a part-time contractor since Oct 2022, and we're excited to have him on board full-time! In this episode, we discuss why we hired another person and how we think about hiring at Transistor.

  • (00:28) - 150!
  • (01:27) - Trials into paid customers
  • (09:17) - Hiring philosophy
  • (27:40) - Hiring Josh
  • (31:34) - Hiring people you know
  • (40:30) - Product updates
  • (43:49) - Patreon supporter thanks

Links: Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin welcome Joshua Anderton to the Transistor team! Josh is an amazingly talented full-stack web developer (Laravel, Rails, Tailwind CSS, Alpine, and more!) He's been helping us as a part-time contractor since Oct 2022, and we're excited to have him on board full-time! In this episode, we discuss why we hired another person and how we think about hiring at Transistor.

  • (00:28) - 150!
  • (01:27) - Trials into paid customers
  • (09:17) - Hiring philosophy
  • (27:40) - Hiring Josh
  • (31:34) - Hiring people you know
  • (40:30) - Product updates
  • (43:49) - Patreon supporter thanks

Links: Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:51:10 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2726 Jon and Justin welcome Joshua Anderton to the Transistor team! Josh is an amazingly talented full-stack web developer (Laravel, Rails, Tailwind CSS, Alpine, and more!) He's been helping us as a part-time contractor since Oct 2022, and we're excited to have him on board full-time! In this episode, we discuss why we hired another person and how we think about hiring at Transistor.

  • (00:28) - 150!
  • (01:27) - Trials into paid customers
  • (09:17) - Hiring philosophy
  • (27:40) - Hiring Josh
  • (31:34) - Hiring people you know
  • (40:30) - Product updates
  • (43:49) - Patreon supporter thanks

Links: Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Chris Enns Justin Jackson Jon Buda Act now before it's too late: Section 174 149 149 Act now before it's too late: Section 174 full db92c524-19f1-4299-8a7d-9ee916197340 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a52d9df2 Michele Hansen (co-founder of Geocodio) is raising the alarm about Section 174. This legislation could dramatically increase your tax bill this year if you're a small software company in the USA. Michele is organizing a response through the Small Software Business Alliance.

👉 ACT NOW:

  1. Sign up for Michele's list
  2. US citizens: tweet and call your Senators today. They need to know that this is a small business issue and that small businesses in their state are hurt by Section 174.
  3. Share the ssballiance.org URL with your founder friends.

In this episode:

  • (01:37) - What is section 174?
  • (04:37) - What's the benefit to the government for this change?
  • (08:58) - Section 174 is bad for every company that builds software
  • (11:23) - Disclaimer: We're not tax accountants
  • (12:16) - What is the SSB Alliance?
  • (14:00) - Small businesses are the cute puppies of the policy world
  • (22:00) - A practical example
  • (25:25) - This is going to impact small software businesses
  • (28:31) - What can we do?
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Michele Hansen (co-founder of Geocodio) is raising the alarm about Section 174. This legislation could dramatically increase your tax bill this year if you're a small software company in the USA. Michele is organizing a response through the Small Software Business Alliance.

👉 ACT NOW:

  1. Sign up for Michele's list
  2. US citizens: tweet and call your Senators today. They need to know that this is a small business issue and that small businesses in their state are hurt by Section 174.
  3. Share the ssballiance.org URL with your founder friends.

In this episode:

  • (01:37) - What is section 174?
  • (04:37) - What's the benefit to the government for this change?
  • (08:58) - Section 174 is bad for every company that builds software
  • (11:23) - Disclaimer: We're not tax accountants
  • (12:16) - What is the SSB Alliance?
  • (14:00) - Small businesses are the cute puppies of the policy world
  • (22:00) - A practical example
  • (25:25) - This is going to impact small software businesses
  • (28:31) - What can we do?
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1990 Michele Hansen (co-founder of Geocodio) is raising the alarm about Section 174. This legislation could dramatically increase your tax bill this year if you're a small software company in the USA. Michele is organizing a response through the Small Software Business Alliance.

👉 ACT NOW:

  1. Sign up for Michele's list
  2. US citizens: tweet and call your Senators today. They need to know that this is a small business issue and that small businesses in their state are hurt by Section 174.
  3. Share the ssballiance.org URL with your founder friends.

In this episode:

  • (01:37) - What is section 174?
  • (04:37) - What's the benefit to the government for this change?
  • (08:58) - Section 174 is bad for every company that builds software
  • (11:23) - Disclaimer: We're not tax accountants
  • (12:16) - What is the SSB Alliance?
  • (14:00) - Small businesses are the cute puppies of the policy world
  • (22:00) - A practical example
  • (25:25) - This is going to impact small software businesses
  • (28:31) - What can we do?
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Michele Hansen This would kill our company immediately 148 148 This would kill our company immediately full 55ce8684-97a6-40b8-81e5-bffa83505072 https://share.transistor.fm/s/91dbce21 Jon's back from his first real vacation in years. In this episode, we discuss how we've been removing inactive accounts on Transistor, SVB, Section 174, Revin is shutting down their Merchant of Record service, SaaS sales tax compliance:

  • (00:37) - Jon in vacation mode
  • (02:30) - Kicking off inactive accounts
  • (04:30) - Silicon Valley Bank
  • (06:06) - What is Mercury bank?
  • (13:16) - Section 174 in the USA
  • (19:05) - Sales tax compliance update
  • (25:56) - What could we do?
  • (32:13) - Patreon integration update
  • (34:57) - MyPodStudios
  • (36:33) - Patreon Thanks

Links:


From the Revin email:

“The most relevant reason [we are closing] is that the Merchant of Record model is too risky for both sellers and the MOR operator. Sellers bear the risk of platform shutdown (as seen in the example of Flurly & Stripe), and the MOR operator could potentially become involved in illicit or illegal activities quickly, which could lead to all sorts of problems.

Furthermore, it became increasingly clear that the Merchant of Record model primarily appeals to small-scale sellers or businesses with questionable and high-risk business models. This presents a significant challenge as we strive to move up the market.

The recent change in Stripe's risk behavior has caused us to experience issues with keeping Stripe accounts live.”

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon's back from his first real vacation in years. In this episode, we discuss how we've been removing inactive accounts on Transistor, SVB, Section 174, Revin is shutting down their Merchant of Record service, SaaS sales tax compliance:

  • (00:37) - Jon in vacation mode
  • (02:30) - Kicking off inactive accounts
  • (04:30) - Silicon Valley Bank
  • (06:06) - What is Mercury bank?
  • (13:16) - Section 174 in the USA
  • (19:05) - Sales tax compliance update
  • (25:56) - What could we do?
  • (32:13) - Patreon integration update
  • (34:57) - MyPodStudios
  • (36:33) - Patreon Thanks

Links:


From the Revin email:

“The most relevant reason [we are closing] is that the Merchant of Record model is too risky for both sellers and the MOR operator. Sellers bear the risk of platform shutdown (as seen in the example of Flurly & Stripe), and the MOR operator could potentially become involved in illicit or illegal activities quickly, which could lead to all sorts of problems.

Furthermore, it became increasingly clear that the Merchant of Record model primarily appeals to small-scale sellers or businesses with questionable and high-risk business models. This presents a significant challenge as we strive to move up the market.

The recent change in Stripe's risk behavior has caused us to experience issues with keeping Stripe accounts live.”

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 21 Mar 2023 01:06:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2311 Jon's back from his first real vacation in years. In this episode, we discuss how we've been removing inactive accounts on Transistor, SVB, Section 174, Revin is shutting down their Merchant of Record service, SaaS sales tax compliance:

  • (00:37) - Jon in vacation mode
  • (02:30) - Kicking off inactive accounts
  • (04:30) - Silicon Valley Bank
  • (06:06) - What is Mercury bank?
  • (13:16) - Section 174 in the USA
  • (19:05) - Sales tax compliance update
  • (25:56) - What could we do?
  • (32:13) - Patreon integration update
  • (34:57) - MyPodStudios
  • (36:33) - Patreon Thanks

Links:


From the Revin email:

“The most relevant reason [we are closing] is that the Merchant of Record model is too risky for both sellers and the MOR operator. Sellers bear the risk of platform shutdown (as seen in the example of Flurly & Stripe), and the MOR operator could potentially become involved in illicit or illegal activities quickly, which could lead to all sorts of problems.

Furthermore, it became increasingly clear that the Merchant of Record model primarily appeals to small-scale sellers or businesses with questionable and high-risk business models. This presents a significant challenge as we strive to move up the market.

The recent change in Stripe's risk behavior has caused us to experience issues with keeping Stripe accounts live.”

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Chris Enns Justin Jackson Jon Buda One pepperoni pizza please 147 147 One pepperoni pizza please bonus dd1e2363-9d69-4703-9869-0648b246afe2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4fc05b99 "I don't get it: if that money is for the government, how come the pizza place put it in their cash register?!?"

(Jon is on vacation - our next real episode is coming soon!)

Listen to our past episodes on the headache that is SaaS sales tax compliance:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> "I don't get it: if that money is for the government, how come the pizza place put it in their cash register?!?"

(Jon is on vacation - our next real episode is coming soon!)

Listen to our past episodes on the headache that is SaaS sales tax compliance:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:06:28 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 126 "I don't get it: if that money is for the government, how come the pizza place put it in their cash register?!?"

(Jon is on vacation - our next real episode is coming soon!)

Listen to our past episodes on the headache that is SaaS sales tax compliance:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Dusty Jackson Super Fun SaaS Sales Tax (Part Deux) 146 146 Super Fun SaaS Sales Tax (Part Deux) full 10a24600-ac8a-4d53-854b-27cc138210e7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0eaa3196 Last week's episode hit a nerve! "The idea that every small software company in the world will be able to be in perfect compliance will every foreign federal, provincial, state, and municipal government that imposes a sales tax is ridiculous. It's an impossible task.

  • (00:11) - Follow up to previous episode
  • (02:32) - Responses we got about sales tax
  • (06:20) - A brief history of sales tax
  • (08:56) - Many vendors aren't collecting sales tax
  • (10:41) - What about Stripe Tax?
  • (12:35) - It's new to North America
  • (16:12) - How it affects subscription based businesses
  • (19:30) - It's not clear who's liable
  • (24:28) - Make it easier and gov't make more money
  • (27:58) - What about Merchants of Record?
  • (30:28) - Where is Stripe going?
  • (35:17) - What are going to do now?
  • (44:45) - Patreon supporters

Broadly, there were a few different camps with the responses we received: 
  1. North American SaaS companies who have been using Stripe:  "Yes! Sales tax compliance for SaaS is brutal."
  2. European SaaS companies that have had to deal with VAT for a long time (many of whom use a Merchant of Record).
  3. Smaller North American solopreneurs and companies who had no idea they needed to collect and remit sales tax internationally.
  4. North American companies who have one-time sales and use Merchant of Record services.

Responses from indie hackers:

  • European: “Once again, I notice that the indie hacking community has a somewhat naïve approach to what running a business actually entails. As a European, not having a plan for sales tax is... mindboggling.”
  • Cooper: “I think it might be a European perspective; we are dealing with VAT from day 1, so it's just one of the parts of running a business from the start, it can't really be neglected.”
  • Edwin Saraccini: “To clarify, [for Canadians] this is absolutely new territory (Debated in parliament for years) and recently put to legislation in 2021.”
  • Daniel Vassallo: “It's impossible to be compliant everywhere. The Kingdom of Tonga could tomorrow come up with an internet tax and require you to remit 25% of your sales to the tax office in person in their local currency. And they won't tell you about it. It's just a cost/benefit analysis.”
  • Derrick Grigg: “How can they enforce tax collection on a business they have no jurisdiction over? Governments are shaking businesses down. I’m all for collecting and paying properly where you physically operate but collecting and remitting outside your province never mind nation is a stretch.”
  • Derrick Reimer: “Dear Stripe: We SaaS founders are desperate for a full-stack global tax compliance solution without having to leave you for a merchant-of-record. Are you planning to solve this?”

Did you know...

"There are actually several different types of sales tax systems in use throughout the United States. The biggest difference is whether the seller or the purchaser is the main taxpayer. In some states, the tax is imposed on sellers, who then have the option of passing the tax along to their purchasers. In other states, the tax is imposed on the purchaser, with the seller being responsible for collecting the tax and remitting it to the state. And then there are other states where the liability for the tax is shared by sellers and purchasers." 


(Source)


New thoughts on Sales tax compliance

  • I still haven’t heard from anyone who has successfully migrated a “mature” SaaS from Stripe to Paddle or LemonSqueezy. These are no-gos:
    • Can’t cause more churn.
    • Can’t require customers to re-enter information.
    • Can’t change our checkout experience.
  • We might consider Paddle / LemonSqueezy if:
    • Their fees were more affordable (compared to our existing fees it would be ~$63K year more, $5,250 per month more)
    • Their dev experience had a better rating from the folks we know.
    • I had heard from anybody who was at our stage and had actually migrated successfully.
  • A few folks suggested Revin, which promises “simple global sales tax compliance for Stripe for only $499/month,”  but:
    • They have to “create a new Stripe account for your brand.”
    • Do they own your Stripe account?
    • You’ll lose your historical stats and revenue analytics
  • The current solution we’re considering is Stripe Tax + TaxJar (and start with US and Canadian tax remittance)

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Last week's episode hit a nerve! "The idea that every small software company in the world will be able to be in perfect compliance will every foreign federal, provincial, state, and municipal government that imposes a sales tax is ridiculous. It's an impossible task.

  • (00:11) - Follow up to previous episode
  • (02:32) - Responses we got about sales tax
  • (06:20) - A brief history of sales tax
  • (08:56) - Many vendors aren't collecting sales tax
  • (10:41) - What about Stripe Tax?
  • (12:35) - It's new to North America
  • (16:12) - How it affects subscription based businesses
  • (19:30) - It's not clear who's liable
  • (24:28) - Make it easier and gov't make more money
  • (27:58) - What about Merchants of Record?
  • (30:28) - Where is Stripe going?
  • (35:17) - What are going to do now?
  • (44:45) - Patreon supporters

Broadly, there were a few different camps with the responses we received: 
  1. North American SaaS companies who have been using Stripe:  "Yes! Sales tax compliance for SaaS is brutal."
  2. European SaaS companies that have had to deal with VAT for a long time (many of whom use a Merchant of Record).
  3. Smaller North American solopreneurs and companies who had no idea they needed to collect and remit sales tax internationally.
  4. North American companies who have one-time sales and use Merchant of Record services.

Responses from indie hackers:

  • European: “Once again, I notice that the indie hacking community has a somewhat naïve approach to what running a business actually entails. As a European, not having a plan for sales tax is... mindboggling.”
  • Cooper: “I think it might be a European perspective; we are dealing with VAT from day 1, so it's just one of the parts of running a business from the start, it can't really be neglected.”
  • Edwin Saraccini: “To clarify, [for Canadians] this is absolutely new territory (Debated in parliament for years) and recently put to legislation in 2021.”
  • Daniel Vassallo: “It's impossible to be compliant everywhere. The Kingdom of Tonga could tomorrow come up with an internet tax and require you to remit 25% of your sales to the tax office in person in their local currency. And they won't tell you about it. It's just a cost/benefit analysis.”
  • Derrick Grigg: “How can they enforce tax collection on a business they have no jurisdiction over? Governments are shaking businesses down. I’m all for collecting and paying properly where you physically operate but collecting and remitting outside your province never mind nation is a stretch.”
  • Derrick Reimer: “Dear Stripe: We SaaS founders are desperate for a full-stack global tax compliance solution without having to leave you for a merchant-of-record. Are you planning to solve this?”

Did you know...

"There are actually several different types of sales tax systems in use throughout the United States. The biggest difference is whether the seller or the purchaser is the main taxpayer. In some states, the tax is imposed on sellers, who then have the option of passing the tax along to their purchasers. In other states, the tax is imposed on the purchaser, with the seller being responsible for collecting the tax and remitting it to the state. And then there are other states where the liability for the tax is shared by sellers and purchasers." 


(Source)


New thoughts on Sales tax compliance

  • I still haven’t heard from anyone who has successfully migrated a “mature” SaaS from Stripe to Paddle or LemonSqueezy. These are no-gos:
    • Can’t cause more churn.
    • Can’t require customers to re-enter information.
    • Can’t change our checkout experience.
  • We might consider Paddle / LemonSqueezy if:
    • Their fees were more affordable (compared to our existing fees it would be ~$63K year more, $5,250 per month more)
    • Their dev experience had a better rating from the folks we know.
    • I had heard from anybody who was at our stage and had actually migrated successfully.
  • A few folks suggested Revin, which promises “simple global sales tax compliance for Stripe for only $499/month,”  but:
    • They have to “create a new Stripe account for your brand.”
    • Do they own your Stripe account?
    • You’ll lose your historical stats and revenue analytics
  • The current solution we’re considering is Stripe Tax + TaxJar (and start with US and Canadian tax remittance)

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 21 Feb 2023 01:17:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2773 Last week's episode hit a nerve! "The idea that every small software company in the world will be able to be in perfect compliance will every foreign federal, provincial, state, and municipal government that imposes a sales tax is ridiculous. It's an impossible task.

  • (00:11) - Follow up to previous episode
  • (02:32) - Responses we got about sales tax
  • (06:20) - A brief history of sales tax
  • (08:56) - Many vendors aren't collecting sales tax
  • (10:41) - What about Stripe Tax?
  • (12:35) - It's new to North America
  • (16:12) - How it affects subscription based businesses
  • (19:30) - It's not clear who's liable
  • (24:28) - Make it easier and gov't make more money
  • (27:58) - What about Merchants of Record?
  • (30:28) - Where is Stripe going?
  • (35:17) - What are going to do now?
  • (44:45) - Patreon supporters

Broadly, there were a few different camps with the responses we received: 
  1. North American SaaS companies who have been using Stripe:  "Yes! Sales tax compliance for SaaS is brutal."
  2. European SaaS companies that have had to deal with VAT for a long time (many of whom use a Merchant of Record).
  3. Smaller North American solopreneurs and companies who had no idea they needed to collect and remit sales tax internationally.
  4. North American companies who have one-time sales and use Merchant of Record services.

Responses from indie hackers:

  • European: “Once again, I notice that the indie hacking community has a somewhat naïve approach to what running a business actually entails. As a European, not having a plan for sales tax is... mindboggling.”
  • Cooper: “I think it might be a European perspective; we are dealing with VAT from day 1, so it's just one of the parts of running a business from the start, it can't really be neglected.”
  • Edwin Saraccini: “To clarify, [for Canadians] this is absolutely new territory (Debated in parliament for years) and recently put to legislation in 2021.”
  • Daniel Vassallo: “It's impossible to be compliant everywhere. The Kingdom of Tonga could tomorrow come up with an internet tax and require you to remit 25% of your sales to the tax office in person in their local currency. And they won't tell you about it. It's just a cost/benefit analysis.”
  • Derrick Grigg: “How can they enforce tax collection on a business they have no jurisdiction over? Governments are shaking businesses down. I’m all for collecting and paying properly where you physically operate but collecting and remitting outside your province never mind nation is a stretch.”
  • Derrick Reimer: “Dear Stripe: We SaaS founders are desperate for a full-stack global tax compliance solution without having to leave you for a merchant-of-record. Are you planning to solve this?”

Did you know...

"There are actually several different types of sales tax systems in use throughout the United States. The biggest difference is whether the seller or the purchaser is the main taxpayer. In some states, the tax is imposed on sellers, who then have the option of passing the tax along to their purchasers. In other states, the tax is imposed on the purchaser, with the seller being responsible for collecting the tax and remitting it to the state. And then there are other states where the liability for the tax is shared by sellers and purchasers." 


(Source)


New thoughts on Sales tax compliance

  • I still haven’t heard from anyone who has successfully migrated a “mature” SaaS from Stripe to Paddle or LemonSqueezy. These are no-gos:
    • Can’t cause more churn.
    • Can’t require customers to re-enter information.
    • Can’t change our checkout experience.
  • We might consider Paddle / LemonSqueezy if:
    • Their fees were more affordable (compared to our existing fees it would be ~$63K year more, $5,250 per month more)
    • Their dev experience had a better rating from the folks we know.
    • I had heard from anybody who was at our stage and had actually migrated successfully.
  • A few folks suggested Revin, which promises “simple global sales tax compliance for Stripe for only $499/month,”  but:
    • They have to “create a new Stripe account for your brand.”
    • Do they own your Stripe account?
    • You’ll lose your historical stats and revenue analytics
  • The current solution we’re considering is Stripe Tax + TaxJar (and start with US and Canadian tax remittance)

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Chris Enns Justin Jackson Jon Buda Nobody wants to talk about this (SaaS sales tax) 145 145 Nobody wants to talk about this (SaaS sales tax) full 49a152d3-7b2c-46b2-b062-2812d6880fb4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4e602604 Sales tax compliance: nobody in SaaS wants to talk about it. Jon and Justin tried to do something about it and it turned into a nightmare. According to Stripe Tax, there are about 90 different regions that software companies may have to register in, and then calculate, collect, and remit sales tax on their behalf. But in North America, many SaaS companies don't seem to care: many that we looked at weren't collecting sales tax at all, while a few had just started collecting in the US states.

  • (00:13) - Welcome
  • (01:49) - Benefits of podcasting for a small business
  • (03:39) - New Year's update
  • (05:54) - Patreon integration feature
  • (10:18) - Dear listener... a request!
  • (10:45) - Exciting! Sales Tax! Discussion!
  • (28:56) - What have we tried
  • (40:07) - A new issue that we can't make progress on
  • (46:55) - Thanks to our Patreon supporters

If you've been wondering about how sales tax applies to SaaS, listen to this episode.

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Sales tax compliance: nobody in SaaS wants to talk about it. Jon and Justin tried to do something about it and it turned into a nightmare. According to Stripe Tax, there are about 90 different regions that software companies may have to register in, and then calculate, collect, and remit sales tax on their behalf. But in North America, many SaaS companies don't seem to care: many that we looked at weren't collecting sales tax at all, while a few had just started collecting in the US states.

  • (00:13) - Welcome
  • (01:49) - Benefits of podcasting for a small business
  • (03:39) - New Year's update
  • (05:54) - Patreon integration feature
  • (10:18) - Dear listener... a request!
  • (10:45) - Exciting! Sales Tax! Discussion!
  • (28:56) - What have we tried
  • (40:07) - A new issue that we can't make progress on
  • (46:55) - Thanks to our Patreon supporters

If you've been wondering about how sales tax applies to SaaS, listen to this episode.

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2023 08:12:38 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2947 Sales tax compliance: nobody in SaaS wants to talk about it. Jon and Justin tried to do something about it and it turned into a nightmare. According to Stripe Tax, there are about 90 different regions that software companies may have to register in, and then calculate, collect, and remit sales tax on their behalf. But in North America, many SaaS companies don't seem to care: many that we looked at weren't collecting sales tax at all, while a few had just started collecting in the US states.

  • (00:13) - Welcome
  • (01:49) - Benefits of podcasting for a small business
  • (03:39) - New Year's update
  • (05:54) - Patreon integration feature
  • (10:18) - Dear listener... a request!
  • (10:45) - Exciting! Sales Tax! Discussion!
  • (28:56) - What have we tried
  • (40:07) - A new issue that we can't make progress on
  • (46:55) - Thanks to our Patreon supporters

If you've been wondering about how sales tax applies to SaaS, listen to this episode.

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Chris Enns Justin Jackson Jon Buda The gang goes to Montréal 144 144 The gang goes to Montréal full 0f3134c7-68dd-42ff-bbd5-0cfc694aba7d https://share.transistor.fm/s/18b9cbf3 The whole Transistor team got together for a retreat in Montréal. Jon, Justin, Helen, and Jason chat about the experience. 

What should we talk about next? 

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  22. Check out Simon and Volkan’s new bootstrappers podcast: https://shipsaasfaster.com/ 

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> The whole Transistor team got together for a retreat in Montréal. Jon, Justin, Helen, and Jason chat about the experience. 

What should we talk about next? 

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  22. Check out Simon and Volkan’s new bootstrappers podcast: https://shipsaasfaster.com/ 

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 18 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2696 The whole Transistor team got together for a retreat in Montréal. Jon, Justin, Helen, and Jason chat about the experience. 

What should we talk about next? 

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  22. Check out Simon and Volkan’s new bootstrappers podcast: https://shipsaasfaster.com/ 

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Helen Ryles Jason Pearl Chris Enns Jon & Justin reveal everything (part 2) 143 143 Jon & Justin reveal everything (part 2) full c13271c7-b5b7-4813-a701-7d0859ad5585 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fbe73250 It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! This is part 2 of "Jon and Justin answer your questions."

  • (00:37) - When did you start paying yourself how much you wanted to make?
  • (01:34) - Any broad advice for startups?
  • (11:38) - How did you decide on your tech stack?
  • (14:16) - How did you prioritize features?
  • (15:49) - Were you embarrased by the first version you shipped?
  • (17:48) - How did you decide on pricing?
  • (21:07) - How would you have found employees without your network?
  • (27:25) - Do you have more or less freedom or stress in your lives?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! This is part 2 of "Jon and Justin answer your questions."

  • (00:37) - When did you start paying yourself how much you wanted to make?
  • (01:34) - Any broad advice for startups?
  • (11:38) - How did you decide on your tech stack?
  • (14:16) - How did you prioritize features?
  • (15:49) - Were you embarrased by the first version you shipped?
  • (17:48) - How did you decide on pricing?
  • (21:07) - How would you have found employees without your network?
  • (27:25) - Do you have more or less freedom or stress in your lives?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 16 Aug 2022 01:05:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2130 As a part of Transistor's 4-year anniversary, Jon and Justin answer your questions As a part of Transistor's 4-year anniversary, Jon and Justin answer your questions technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Jon & Justin reveal everything (part 1) 142 142 Jon & Justin reveal everything (part 1) full c1a64325-0cfb-4598-b39c-faf8252f0c2a https://share.transistor.fm/s/aed24420 It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! In this two-part series, Jon and Justin answer your questions.

  • 01:22 - Our history
  • 14:51 - What is the secret to running Transistor as a company? See our values here.
  • 21:19 - What was the most challenging aspect of the past 4 years?
  • 22:14 - Where do you see Transistor at 5 or 10 year?
  • 26:19 - Do you ever feel like you're not doing enough? Book: Running the Dream.
  • 32:09 - Have we reached peak podcast?
  • 34:36 - What's something you've gotten better at over the past 4 years?
  • 38:23 - What was the lowest point in Transistor's history?
  • 40:09 - What have you learned about partnership?
  • 43:17 - What has been the most fun memory of your journey?
  • 47:04 - What is the definition of enough for Transistor?
  • 50:49 - What are your thoughts on open startups vs private?
  • 52:25 - What are the most impactful decisions you've made?
  • 56:34 - How has your job changed year to year?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! In this two-part series, Jon and Justin answer your questions.

  • 01:22 - Our history
  • 14:51 - What is the secret to running Transistor as a company? See our values here.
  • 21:19 - What was the most challenging aspect of the past 4 years?
  • 22:14 - Where do you see Transistor at 5 or 10 year?
  • 26:19 - Do you ever feel like you're not doing enough? Book: Running the Dream.
  • 32:09 - Have we reached peak podcast?
  • 34:36 - What's something you've gotten better at over the past 4 years?
  • 38:23 - What was the lowest point in Transistor's history?
  • 40:09 - What have you learned about partnership?
  • 43:17 - What has been the most fun memory of your journey?
  • 47:04 - What is the definition of enough for Transistor?
  • 50:49 - What are your thoughts on open startups vs private?
  • 52:25 - What are the most impactful decisions you've made?
  • 56:34 - How has your job changed year to year?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:29:41 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3554 Transistor celebrates 4 years since the launch Transistor celebrates 4 years since the launch technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Bootstrapping in France (Baptiste Jamin from Crisp) 141 141 Bootstrapping in France (Baptiste Jamin from Crisp) full f351a8e3-4e0e-4894-932c-36b6717ce477 https://share.transistor.fm/s/db63d339 Baptiste Jamin co-founded Crisp with a friend he met in high school.

Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):

  • 1:42 – Crisp competes with massive companies: Zendesk, HelpScout, Intercom
  • 2:52 – How did Crisp get started? (they started young!)
  • 4:40 – The key insight that lead them to start Crisp 🔥
  • 7:03 – "Being young and in France, how much did you know about the startup ecosystem?"
  • 9:39 – How they bootstrapped Crisp in their twenties 🔥
  • 12:52 – Market insights and how they found their first customers 🔥
  • 16:02 – How they got a surge of new customers 🔥
  • 22:39 – Why Crisp charges LESS than their competitors 🔥
  • 30:14 – What it's like to have a customer base that is comprised of many niches 🔥
  • 32:30 – How does a small team ship such high-quality software? 🔥
  • 35:06 – Marketing strategy and tactics for small SaaS companies 🔥
  • 40:36 – Key insight on Crisp's "job to be done." 🔥
  • 45:52 – Crisp's simple sales trick for closing more deals 🔥
  • 50:58 – Why some EU countries have an advantage in product differentiation 🔥
  • 1:01:54 – Emerging global SaaS markets you might not have heard about

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Baptiste Jamin co-founded Crisp with a friend he met in high school.

Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):

  • 1:42 – Crisp competes with massive companies: Zendesk, HelpScout, Intercom
  • 2:52 – How did Crisp get started? (they started young!)
  • 4:40 – The key insight that lead them to start Crisp 🔥
  • 7:03 – "Being young and in France, how much did you know about the startup ecosystem?"
  • 9:39 – How they bootstrapped Crisp in their twenties 🔥
  • 12:52 – Market insights and how they found their first customers 🔥
  • 16:02 – How they got a surge of new customers 🔥
  • 22:39 – Why Crisp charges LESS than their competitors 🔥
  • 30:14 – What it's like to have a customer base that is comprised of many niches 🔥
  • 32:30 – How does a small team ship such high-quality software? 🔥
  • 35:06 – Marketing strategy and tactics for small SaaS companies 🔥
  • 40:36 – Key insight on Crisp's "job to be done." 🔥
  • 45:52 – Crisp's simple sales trick for closing more deals 🔥
  • 50:58 – Why some EU countries have an advantage in product differentiation 🔥
  • 1:01:54 – Emerging global SaaS markets you might not have heard about

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 12 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4007 An interview with Baptiste Jamin, the co-founder of Crisp. Crisp is affordable, high-quality customer support software. An interview with Baptiste Jamin, the co-founder of Crisp. Crisp is affordable, high-quality customer support software. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Baptiste Jamin Chris Enns What's it like getting acquired by Spotify? (Dave Zohrob from Chartable) 140 140 What's it like getting acquired by Spotify? (Dave Zohrob from Chartable) full f6c9b4d3-46ee-45a0-ba73-db816c7aab71 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d818fde6 Dave Zohrob is the co-founder of Chartable (a podcast analytics startup), talks about selling his company to Spotify in February 2022.

Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):

  • 1:00 – What's the Spotify office in New York like?
  • 5:24 – Dave's first startup: he started an indie record label (Tellall Records)
  • 7:12 – Founding in Chartable in 2017
  • 8:00 – Behind the scenes: talking to Chris Enns (our editor at Lemon Productions)
  • 9:50 – Dave's first business as a kid: publishing programming tutorials on the internet (Qbasic.com)
  • 12:25 – What made you want to make money on the internet?
  • 14:25 – Do all geeks have the intuition to start a business? (Justin's tweet) 🔥
  • 19:23 – What's your real motivation for building a startup? 🔥
  • 24:28 – Side-projects vs Bootstrapping vs Venture Funding (VC) 🔥
  • 30:12 – Once you choose the VC-funded path, what's it like? 🔥
  • 32:00 – The huge risk/cost for founders with families 🔥
  • 34:30 – Public health insurance is the best way to boost entrepreneurship
  • 36:30 – Bootstrappers and VC-funded founders have this same anxiety 🔥
  • 40:00 – What it's like joining a massive company as a small 11-person company? 🔥
  • 48:10 – What's next in podcast ad tech, analytics, and attribution 🔥

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Dave Zohrob is the co-founder of Chartable (a podcast analytics startup), talks about selling his company to Spotify in February 2022.

Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):

  • 1:00 – What's the Spotify office in New York like?
  • 5:24 – Dave's first startup: he started an indie record label (Tellall Records)
  • 7:12 – Founding in Chartable in 2017
  • 8:00 – Behind the scenes: talking to Chris Enns (our editor at Lemon Productions)
  • 9:50 – Dave's first business as a kid: publishing programming tutorials on the internet (Qbasic.com)
  • 12:25 – What made you want to make money on the internet?
  • 14:25 – Do all geeks have the intuition to start a business? (Justin's tweet) 🔥
  • 19:23 – What's your real motivation for building a startup? 🔥
  • 24:28 – Side-projects vs Bootstrapping vs Venture Funding (VC) 🔥
  • 30:12 – Once you choose the VC-funded path, what's it like? 🔥
  • 32:00 – The huge risk/cost for founders with families 🔥
  • 34:30 – Public health insurance is the best way to boost entrepreneurship
  • 36:30 – Bootstrappers and VC-funded founders have this same anxiety 🔥
  • 40:00 – What it's like joining a massive company as a small 11-person company? 🔥
  • 48:10 – What's next in podcast ad tech, analytics, and attribution 🔥

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Adam DuVander
  20. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  21. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 14 Jun 2022 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3349 An interview with Dave Zohrob, co-founder of Chartable podcast analytics An interview with Dave Zohrob, co-founder of Chartable podcast analytics technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Dave Zohrob Chris Enns Patrick Campbell: why ProfitWell sold to Paddle for $200M 139 139 Patrick Campbell: why ProfitWell sold to Paddle for $200M full 5a5d9e0b-cb13-405a-b410-b9d7d5950386 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5a393478 Patrick Campbell just sold his startup, ProfitWell, to Paddle for $200 million.

Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):

  • 0:00 – "My problem is I'm always curious if other people are living a better dream than me."
  • 1:30 – The major downside to bootstrapping is the lack of network
  • 2:20 – Selling ProfitWell to Paddle, and integrating the two teams.
  • 4:15 – How ProfitWell got started (2012)
  • 6:00 – Initially three co-founders (Crunchbase)
  • 7:20 – Patrick's background (what he did before ProfitWell)
  • 10:10 – What did bootstrapping ProfitWell look like? (How much did each founder invest?)
  • 14:15 – Do you want to be a lifestyle company or a "big ass company?" 🔥
  • 15:55 – What salary did Patrick pay himself? (Tweet) 🔥
  • 18:25 – Differences between Patrick (ProfitWell) and Josh Pigford (Baremetrics) 🔥
  • 21:45 – Should bootstrapped companies go freemium and try to "win the market?" 🔥
  • 26:40 – The characteristics of your market determine most of your outcomes 🔥🔥
  • 29:24 – "Don't underestimate the velocity and size of your market." 🔥
  • 34:35 – What doe the average SaaS company spend on sales and marketing? 🔥
  • 37:39 – Pricing your SaaS discussion 🔥
  • 42:45 – Why competitors entering a new market can be better for your company. 🔥
  • 47:10 – Should bootstrapped companies try to "own the market?" 🔥
  • 52:10 – "We're in the second phase of SaaS: here's what's coming next." 🔥
  • 61:53 – Did ProfitWell employees have equity?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Patrick Campbell just sold his startup, ProfitWell, to Paddle for $200 million.

Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):

  • 0:00 – "My problem is I'm always curious if other people are living a better dream than me."
  • 1:30 – The major downside to bootstrapping is the lack of network
  • 2:20 – Selling ProfitWell to Paddle, and integrating the two teams.
  • 4:15 – How ProfitWell got started (2012)
  • 6:00 – Initially three co-founders (Crunchbase)
  • 7:20 – Patrick's background (what he did before ProfitWell)
  • 10:10 – What did bootstrapping ProfitWell look like? (How much did each founder invest?)
  • 14:15 – Do you want to be a lifestyle company or a "big ass company?" 🔥
  • 15:55 – What salary did Patrick pay himself? (Tweet) 🔥
  • 18:25 – Differences between Patrick (ProfitWell) and Josh Pigford (Baremetrics) 🔥
  • 21:45 – Should bootstrapped companies go freemium and try to "win the market?" 🔥
  • 26:40 – The characteristics of your market determine most of your outcomes 🔥🔥
  • 29:24 – "Don't underestimate the velocity and size of your market." 🔥
  • 34:35 – What doe the average SaaS company spend on sales and marketing? 🔥
  • 37:39 – Pricing your SaaS discussion 🔥
  • 42:45 – Why competitors entering a new market can be better for your company. 🔥
  • 47:10 – Should bootstrapped companies try to "own the market?" 🔥
  • 52:10 – "We're in the second phase of SaaS: here's what's coming next." 🔥
  • 61:53 – Did ProfitWell employees have equity?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 31 May 2022 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4129 Competing with ChartMogul and Baremetrics, whether you should "go big," and why the market is important Competing with ChartMogul and Baremetrics, whether you should "go big," and why the market is important technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Patrick Campbell Chris Enns Going from $0 to $2 million in ARR in 7 years (the Missive story) 138 138 Going from $0 to $2 million in ARR in 7 years (the Missive story) full 79f7678e-1890-420e-9991-9bb49e7217a0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/9164f98d Philippe Lehoux and his two co-founders started working on Missive around 2015, and just passed $2 million in annual recurring revenue.

  • 0:00 – Getting to know Philippe, and what it's like living in Quebec
  • 3:09 – How Missive got started: "how can we quickly collaborate on an email as a team?"
  • 8:15 – How they get most of their customers
  • 10:30 – How their first product (Conference Badge), funded the development of Missive
  • 13:55 – How the market dictates most of your success
  • 16:30 – How they deal with competitors
  • 28:00 – Another example: Crisp is competing head-to-head with Intercom
  • 30:25 – Why indie startups should compete on price

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Mitch
  8. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  9. Oleg Kulyk
  10. Ethan Gunderson
  11. Chris Willow
  12. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  13. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  14. Noah Prail
  15. Colin Gray
  16. Austin Loveless
  17. Michael Sitver
  18. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  19. Dan Buda
  20. Darby Frey
  21. Brad from Canada
  22. Adam DuVander
  23. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  24. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Philippe Lehoux and his two co-founders started working on Missive around 2015, and just passed $2 million in annual recurring revenue.

  • 0:00 – Getting to know Philippe, and what it's like living in Quebec
  • 3:09 – How Missive got started: "how can we quickly collaborate on an email as a team?"
  • 8:15 – How they get most of their customers
  • 10:30 – How their first product (Conference Badge), funded the development of Missive
  • 13:55 – How the market dictates most of your success
  • 16:30 – How they deal with competitors
  • 28:00 – Another example: Crisp is competing head-to-head with Intercom
  • 30:25 – Why indie startups should compete on price

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Jason Charnes
  2. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  3. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  4. Alex Payne
  5. Bill Condo
  6. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  7. Mitch
  8. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  9. Oleg Kulyk
  10. Ethan Gunderson
  11. Chris Willow
  12. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  13. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  14. Noah Prail
  15. Colin Gray
  16. Austin Loveless
  17. Michael Sitver
  18. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  19. Dan Buda
  20. Darby Frey
  21. Brad from Canada
  22. Adam DuVander
  23. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  24. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Apr 2022 01:01:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3603 Three French Canadians built a profitable indie SaaS Three French Canadians built a profitable indie SaaS technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Philippe Lehoux Chris Enns Taylor Otwell: the business of Laravel in 2022 137 137 Taylor Otwell: the business of Laravel in 2022 full af5adf6a-0b4a-403d-92c4-9eb9f73e8908 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0781a49f Taylor Otwell, is the founder of Laravel, a programming framework for PHP. But he's also one of the most successful indie SaaS operators I know. In this episode we discuss:

  • 0:30 – Taylor is changing how he hires and manages people at Laravel
  • 6:01 – How Taylor is finding new employees to work on Forge, Vapor, and his other products
  • 7:34 – The Laravel ecosystem has incubated incredible talent: Miguel Piedrafita, Caleb Porzio, Adam Wathan, Aaron Francis, Jack Ellis...
  • 10:03 – More and more indie SaaS apps are being built in Laravel
  • 10:48 – When is the next Laracon conference?
  • 13:11 – Taylor Otwell has the classic bootstrap success story
  • 14:28 – Laravel has been running too lean
  • 17:00 – What's it like to work as a developer at Laravel? (pair programming)
  • 18:33 – How Taylor does product development
  • 22:08 – "I haven't told anyone this yet, but I actually considered selling Laravel this past year." Here's why Taylor decided not to sell.
  • 26:30 – How do you deal with internet fame, and being a "known person?" 
  • 28:59 – Dealing with haters on Twitter
  • 31:50 – What is the future of web development, and the full-stack developer? What is the future of Ruby on Rails and Laravel?
  • 35:53 – Building excitement around PHP and Laravel with young people.
  • 42:13 – What inspires kids to get into programming? When it's fun, easy, accessible. This is why so many people started with Hypercard, Microsoft Access, PHP, Adobe Flash...

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Taylor Otwell, is the founder of Laravel, a programming framework for PHP. But he's also one of the most successful indie SaaS operators I know. In this episode we discuss:

  • 0:30 – Taylor is changing how he hires and manages people at Laravel
  • 6:01 – How Taylor is finding new employees to work on Forge, Vapor, and his other products
  • 7:34 – The Laravel ecosystem has incubated incredible talent: Miguel Piedrafita, Caleb Porzio, Adam Wathan, Aaron Francis, Jack Ellis...
  • 10:03 – More and more indie SaaS apps are being built in Laravel
  • 10:48 – When is the next Laracon conference?
  • 13:11 – Taylor Otwell has the classic bootstrap success story
  • 14:28 – Laravel has been running too lean
  • 17:00 – What's it like to work as a developer at Laravel? (pair programming)
  • 18:33 – How Taylor does product development
  • 22:08 – "I haven't told anyone this yet, but I actually considered selling Laravel this past year." Here's why Taylor decided not to sell.
  • 26:30 – How do you deal with internet fame, and being a "known person?" 
  • 28:59 – Dealing with haters on Twitter
  • 31:50 – What is the future of web development, and the full-stack developer? What is the future of Ruby on Rails and Laravel?
  • 35:53 – Building excitement around PHP and Laravel with young people.
  • 42:13 – What inspires kids to get into programming? When it's fun, easy, accessible. This is why so many people started with Hypercard, Microsoft Access, PHP, Adobe Flash...

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2022 01:05:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3091 Becoming a better leader, so that your product can grow and thrive. Becoming a better leader, so that your product can grow and thrive. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Taylor Otwell Chris Enns Why Customer Support = Startup Success 136 136 Why Customer Support = Startup Success full 5fdd2a12-e02c-4328-a726-fb4f3eb7c121 https://share.transistor.fm/s/36323b1b Helen and Justin talk about the importance of customer support for indie SaaS companies.

  • 1:08 The hardest part about podcasting is doing it every week
  • 1:38 We just launched the new podcast website themes feature.
  • 2:24 Getting feedback, or seeing people use your product, is fuel for indie makers
  • 6:08 Helen's experience doing Customer Success for other companies: education, ConvertKit, MakerPad.
  • 8:53 Justin's tweet: "Customer Support is the most under-appreciated role in SaaS."
  • 10:00 The different forms of customer support: pre-sales, in-depth bug fixing, answering questions.
  • 12:45 How does the Transistor team differ when we do support?
  • 14:39 What Justin's learned from Helen in terms of giving better customer service
  • 17:25 People expect us to be bots
  • 17:45 The number of tickets we get each week: it's about ~100 conversations per week:
    • 60-70% of those are new conversations,
    • 30-40% is us responding to existing threads.
  • 18:55 How we manage live chat so we can answer people fairly quickly
  • 29:10 More tips for indie hackers who are doing customer support

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  2. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  3. Alex Payne
  4. Bill Condo
  5. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  6. Mitch
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Chris Willow
  11. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  12. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  13. Noah Prail
  14. Colin Gray
  15. Austin Loveless
  16. Michael Sitver
  17. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  18. Dan Buda
  19. Darby Frey
  20. Brad from Canada
  21. Adam DuVander
  22. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  23. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Helen and Justin talk about the importance of customer support for indie SaaS companies.

  • 1:08 The hardest part about podcasting is doing it every week
  • 1:38 We just launched the new podcast website themes feature.
  • 2:24 Getting feedback, or seeing people use your product, is fuel for indie makers
  • 6:08 Helen's experience doing Customer Success for other companies: education, ConvertKit, MakerPad.
  • 8:53 Justin's tweet: "Customer Support is the most under-appreciated role in SaaS."
  • 10:00 The different forms of customer support: pre-sales, in-depth bug fixing, answering questions.
  • 12:45 How does the Transistor team differ when we do support?
  • 14:39 What Justin's learned from Helen in terms of giving better customer service
  • 17:25 People expect us to be bots
  • 17:45 The number of tickets we get each week: it's about ~100 conversations per week:
    • 60-70% of those are new conversations,
    • 30-40% is us responding to existing threads.
  • 18:55 How we manage live chat so we can answer people fairly quickly
  • 29:10 More tips for indie hackers who are doing customer support

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Mitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.au
  2. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  3. Alex Payne
  4. Bill Condo
  5. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  6. Mitch
  7. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  8. Oleg Kulyk
  9. Ethan Gunderson
  10. Chris Willow
  11. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  12. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  13. Noah Prail
  14. Colin Gray
  15. Austin Loveless
  16. Michael Sitver
  17. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  18. Dan Buda
  19. Darby Frey
  20. Brad from Canada
  21. Adam DuVander
  22. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  23. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 22 Mar 2022 01:07:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2896 "Customer Support may be the most under-appreciated role in SaaS." "Customer Support may be the most under-appreciated role in SaaS." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Helen Ryles Chris Enns What's it really like to work at Transistor? 135 135 What's it really like to work at Transistor? full 78198668-a48c-4ae4-be51-62ecf1e45476 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d563d414 We got the whole band together: Helen and Jason join Jon and Justin to talk about what it's really like to work at Transistor

Helen, Jason, Jon, Justin, all squeezed into the podcasting closet to make an episode

  • 0:55 Jason's first podcast ever
  • 1:12 Helen's been on other podcasts: Startups for the Rest of Us, Indie Bites, Indie Worldwide
  • 3:06 Should we invest in the "auto publish to YouTube" feature?
  • 13:32 The best features the ones that feel like "magic" when a customer uses them
  • 18:46 The "wait and see" product development philosophy
  • 20:15 A new podcast website builder CMS and website designs
  • 23:34 Writing a new templating language in Liquid (Shopify)
  • 26:23 Our new CLI tool: receiver (built with Go)
  • 31:30 Making a few new podcast website themes
  • 31:57 Adding language localization for podcast websites (English, French, Spanish)
  • 34:30 How we run our weekly team meetings
  • 35:44 New podcast website themes are out! (YouTube demo)
  • 40:39 For next week: what questions do you have for @jsonpearl and @helenryles?
  • 42:16 Patreon shout outs

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> We got the whole band together: Helen and Jason join Jon and Justin to talk about what it's really like to work at Transistor

Helen, Jason, Jon, Justin, all squeezed into the podcasting closet to make an episode

  • 0:55 Jason's first podcast ever
  • 1:12 Helen's been on other podcasts: Startups for the Rest of Us, Indie Bites, Indie Worldwide
  • 3:06 Should we invest in the "auto publish to YouTube" feature?
  • 13:32 The best features the ones that feel like "magic" when a customer uses them
  • 18:46 The "wait and see" product development philosophy
  • 20:15 A new podcast website builder CMS and website designs
  • 23:34 Writing a new templating language in Liquid (Shopify)
  • 26:23 Our new CLI tool: receiver (built with Go)
  • 31:30 Making a few new podcast website themes
  • 31:57 Adding language localization for podcast websites (English, French, Spanish)
  • 34:30 How we run our weekly team meetings
  • 35:44 New podcast website themes are out! (YouTube demo)
  • 40:39 For next week: what questions do you have for @jsonpearl and @helenryles?
  • 42:16 Patreon shout outs

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 15 Mar 2022 01:06:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2594 We got the whole band together: Helen and Jason join Jon and Justin to talk about what it's really like to work at Transistor

Helen, Jason, Jon, Justin, all squeezed into the podcasting closet to make an episode

  • 0:55 Jason's first podcast ever
  • 1:12 Helen's been on other podcasts: Startups for the Rest of Us, Indie Bites, Indie Worldwide
  • 3:06 Should we invest in the "auto publish to YouTube" feature?
  • 13:32 The best features the ones that feel like "magic" when a customer uses them
  • 18:46 The "wait and see" product development philosophy
  • 20:15 A new podcast website builder CMS and website designs
  • 23:34 Writing a new templating language in Liquid (Shopify)
  • 26:23 Our new CLI tool: receiver (built with Go)
  • 31:30 Making a few new podcast website themes
  • 31:57 Adding language localization for podcast websites (English, French, Spanish)
  • 34:30 How we run our weekly team meetings
  • 35:44 New podcast website themes are out! (YouTube demo)
  • 40:39 For next week: what questions do you have for @jsonpearl and @helenryles?
  • 42:16 Patreon shout outs

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jason Pearl Jon Buda Justin Jackson Helen Ryles Chris Enns Founders' retreat 134 134 Founders' retreat full aa2ac7ed-7fad-408e-9a80-1c4cb9289f2a https://share.transistor.fm/s/789d57df Jon and Justin recorded this episode sitting on the same couch!

  • Photo of the Coeur de Boeuf
  • The last time we were together in person: April 30, 2019 [Photo]
  • 2022 roadmap planning. We're exploring what we'd like to accomplish this year. 
    • Update and improve the podcast website builder
    • Build new podcast website templates based on Liquid
    • Add tools that help podcasters promote their show
    • Continue to improve our Dynamic Audio Insertion features
    • Create new features that help podcasters monetize their show
  • Sales/marketing planning:
    • Reaching out to major affiliates to see how we can better partner with them
    • Looking at ways of rewarding our customers for referring through Rewardful
    • Freemium?
  • Employees/company stuff 
    • Options: Carta
    • Benefits
    • Possible hiring
  • Future:
    • Long-term, we’re looking at an acquisition: what do we need to do to build up to that?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  2. Alex Payne
  3. Bill Condo
  4. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  5. Mitch
  6. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  7. Oleg Kulyk
  8. Ethan Gunderson
  9. Chris Willow
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Brad from Canada
  20. Adam DuVander
  21. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  22. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin recorded this episode sitting on the same couch!

  • Photo of the Coeur de Boeuf
  • The last time we were together in person: April 30, 2019 [Photo]
  • 2022 roadmap planning. We're exploring what we'd like to accomplish this year. 
    • Update and improve the podcast website builder
    • Build new podcast website templates based on Liquid
    • Add tools that help podcasters promote their show
    • Continue to improve our Dynamic Audio Insertion features
    • Create new features that help podcasters monetize their show
  • Sales/marketing planning:
    • Reaching out to major affiliates to see how we can better partner with them
    • Looking at ways of rewarding our customers for referring through Rewardful
    • Freemium?
  • Employees/company stuff 
    • Options: Carta
    • Benefits
    • Possible hiring
  • Future:
    • Long-term, we’re looking at an acquisition: what do we need to do to build up to that?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  1. Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  2. Alex Payne
  3. Bill Condo
  4. Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  5. Mitch
  6. Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  7. Oleg Kulyk
  8. Ethan Gunderson
  9. Chris Willow
  10. Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  11. Russell Brown, Photivo.com
  12. Noah Prail
  13. Colin Gray
  14. Austin Loveless
  15. Michael Sitver
  16. Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom
  17. Dan Buda
  18. Darby Frey
  19. Brad from Canada
  20. Adam DuVander
  21. Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  22. Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 01:10:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1132 Jon and Justin are reunited in the COVID capital of British Columbia Jon and Justin are reunited in the COVID capital of British Columbia technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Jon Buda Chris Enns Reflecting on 2021 133 133 Reflecting on 2021 full a2657937-929e-4d32-a288-570560b8b639 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4e65d084 Jon and Justin reflect on 2021 and get excited about 2022:

What happened in 2021?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin reflect on 2021 and get excited about 2022:

What happened in 2021?

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Marcel Fahle, ​​wearebold.af
  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Fri, 24 Dec 2021 12:08:02 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3474 Jon and Justin record one last episode for 2021 Jon and Justin record one last episode for 2021 technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Brian Casel, of Bootstrapped Web, chats about his new app 132 132 Brian Casel, of Bootstrapped Web, chats about his new app full e3b7ba1a-90c3-4a1a-8d4b-9afa4a86b35e https://share.transistor.fm/s/30b3973e In this guest episode, Justin chats with Brian Casel.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this guest episode, Justin chats with Brian Casel.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 07 Dec 2021 08:51:22 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 5162 Brian talks about why ZipMessage feels different than his other SaaS projects Brian talks about why ZipMessage feels different than his other SaaS projects technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Brian Casel Chris Enns What does my daughter think of the podcast industry? 131 131 What does my daughter think of the podcast industry? bonus f4bf4265-4798-47eb-8e67-83fa4fdf906e https://share.transistor.fm/s/e8114be1 In this bonus episode, Justin interviews his 18-year-old daughter, Sadie, about:

  • A Gen Z perspective on podcasting
  • Why women are the future of podcasting: Edison Research
    • "Now, look at the rookies – 47% are men, but the majority, 53% are women."
    • "Most women get their podcast recommendations from Spotify, social media, or their friends."
  • We talk a lot about podcast advertising, podcast ads, and how the adtech industry should think differently about how they target women.
    • "Most podcast ads are just men talking to men."

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this bonus episode, Justin interviews his 18-year-old daughter, Sadie, about:

  • A Gen Z perspective on podcasting
  • Why women are the future of podcasting: Edison Research
    • "Now, look at the rookies – 47% are men, but the majority, 53% are women."
    • "Most women get their podcast recommendations from Spotify, social media, or their friends."
  • We talk a lot about podcast advertising, podcast ads, and how the adtech industry should think differently about how they target women.
    • "Most podcast ads are just men talking to men."

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:01:53 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1704 Justin interviews his daughter about podcast ads, women in podcasting, and how to attract more young listeners. Justin interviews his daughter about podcast ads, women in podcasting, and how to attract more young listeners. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Sadie Jackson Chris Enns A few questions 130 130 A few questions full 6e435b1e-a12b-45f8-a98a-7f6fe302a64c https://share.transistor.fm/s/d6aa5b9c This week Jon and Justin discussed:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Jon and Justin discussed:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 12 Oct 2021 10:30:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3065 We answer listener questions about bootstrapping, SaaS, and partnerships We answer listener questions about bootstrapping, SaaS, and partnerships technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Why should we care about our customers' feelings? 129 129 Why should we care about our customers' feelings? full 0eec7005-06a4-4857-b4c8-02bbf4c21e14 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7f7408bc This week Justin chats with Michele Hansen, founder of Geocodio. I got fired up about interviewing customers! 

  • Get Michele's new book! Deploy Empathy
  • Listen to Michele's podcast: Software Social
  • "Empathy is a skill you can learn."
  • Get Michele's newsletter
  • "There's so much shame in the tech community."
  • What are the boundaries for deploying empathy? When, and how, do we deliver critiques?
  • Podcast: a respectful interview with a flat-earther 
  • "This book isn't just about deploying empathy to customers, it's also about learning to be more empathetic to your family, friends, coworkers."
  • 31:30 – we start discussing customer interviews
  • "It was easier for me to learn how to have empathy for customers than it was to have empathy for myself."
  • 42:27 – "how does empathy help businesses attract new customers, build better products?"
  • 46:53 - "Why don't you bring Jon in on those interviews?"

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Justin chats with Michele Hansen, founder of Geocodio. I got fired up about interviewing customers! 

  • Get Michele's new book! Deploy Empathy
  • Listen to Michele's podcast: Software Social
  • "Empathy is a skill you can learn."
  • Get Michele's newsletter
  • "There's so much shame in the tech community."
  • What are the boundaries for deploying empathy? When, and how, do we deliver critiques?
  • Podcast: a respectful interview with a flat-earther 
  • "This book isn't just about deploying empathy to customers, it's also about learning to be more empathetic to your family, friends, coworkers."
  • 31:30 – we start discussing customer interviews
  • "It was easier for me to learn how to have empathy for customers than it was to have empathy for myself."
  • 42:27 – "how does empathy help businesses attract new customers, build better products?"
  • 46:53 - "Why don't you bring Jon in on those interviews?"

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.com
  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler, Memberspace
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2021 16:14:24 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4050 Get inspired to interview customers (with Michele Hansen) Get inspired to interview customers (with Michele Hansen) technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Chris Enns Michele Hansen This is a big step for us 128 128 This is a big step for us full 04beeb96-f504-469a-8a8b-f55d84aa18ff https://share.transistor.fm/s/4b6f37b6 This week Jon and Justin discussed:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Jon and Justin discussed:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Aug 2021 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3037 Plus, what's with this summer SaaS slowdown? Plus, what's with this summer SaaS slowdown? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Is venture capital bad? 127 127 Is venture capital bad? full 1337f894-17d2-4cb0-a0aa-6379c5d43a3f https://share.transistor.fm/s/a88b7af2 This week Spencer Fry, founder of Podia.com, joins Justin Jackson to talk about venture capital and bootstrapping.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Spencer Fry, founder of Podia.com, joins Justin Jackson to talk about venture capital and bootstrapping.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 03 Aug 2021 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3800 Talking about venture capital with guest Spencer Fry (Podia) Talking about venture capital with guest Spencer Fry (Podia) technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Spencer Fry Basecamp | Hiring | How to have a calm company 126 126 Basecamp | Hiring | How to have a calm company full 5af2844f-c133-4201-934f-273d7b54b549 https://share.transistor.fm/s/bd028787 This week Jon and Justin discussed:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Jon and Justin discussed:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Mitch
  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 04 May 2021 09:25:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2891 What happened at Basecamp? We announce our first full-time team member. And: cost/benefit analysis. What happened at Basecamp? We announce our first full-time team member. And: cost/benefit analysis. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns A good business will change your life (for real) 125 125 A good business will change your life (for real) full e07ed345-0052-4936-b16e-5d0104e766f3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8e9cad21 This we, we chatted about:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This we, we chatted about:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Harris Kenny, Intro CRM podcast
  • Oleg Kulyk
  • Violette Du Geneville
  • Take It EV podcast
  • Ethan Gunderson
  • Diogo
  • Chris Willow
  • Borja Soler
  • Ward Sandler
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers)
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Colin Gray
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, 
  • Dan Buda 
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2021 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2944 And, evil crypto Teletubbies And, evil crypto Teletubbies technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns We're doing this and it's weird 124 124 We're doing this and it's weird full e88d28d9-5a73-49da-a08f-be7a5a1ce7fc https://share.transistor.fm/s/dc2df725 Real humans making a business together:

  • Taking the leap
  • Why is Justin jealous of Ben?
  • Pros and cons of building a remote company in 2021
  • Limited exposure to your co-founder
  • What would take to get Jon to move to Canada?
  • Story: confronting a burglar with a crowbar
  • The algorithm rewards you for being early
  • Spending a lot of time on Clubhouse
  • How are we going to scale our SaaS?
  • How does investing $500,000 in the podcast ecosystem change the ecosystem?
  • Justin's talk with Jason Calacanis

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Real humans making a business together:

  • Taking the leap
  • Why is Justin jealous of Ben?
  • Pros and cons of building a remote company in 2021
  • Limited exposure to your co-founder
  • What would take to get Jon to move to Canada?
  • Story: confronting a burglar with a crowbar
  • The algorithm rewards you for being early
  • Spending a lot of time on Clubhouse
  • How are we going to scale our SaaS?
  • How does investing $500,000 in the podcast ecosystem change the ecosystem?
  • Justin's talk with Jason Calacanis

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2021 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2267 Just the weirdness of it Just the weirdness of it technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Podcast companies losing money? 123 123 Podcast companies losing money? full 814c3d92-ee49-4e96-b01f-48734d4b36df https://share.transistor.fm/s/4e2424aa Jon's back! He and Justin share their feelings/thoughts about the new year:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon's back! He and Justin share their feelings/thoughts about the new year:

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 19 Jan 2021 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2647 2021 and still no flying cars 2021 and still no flying cars technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Jason Fried – you can't control the market 122 122 Jason Fried – you can't control the market full 6366155e-6518-4392-998a-34d4c4e18119 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a71289d9 This week, Justin and Jason discuss the dynamics of market demand.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Justin and Jason discuss the dynamics of market demand.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 29 Dec 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3218 A disagreement on Twitter leads to a Skype call A disagreement on Twitter leads to a Skype call technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Jason Fried What happened after Simon went full time on his SaaS? 121 121 What happened after Simon went full time on his SaaS? full b44e4a3e-2e3b-4521-81a4-1a88c28ac5b8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/77f56fc6 This week, Justin catches up with Simon Bennett of Snapshooter:

  • Every once in a while, we highlight one of our listeners who are building their own SaaS.
  • This week: Simon Bennett, comes back to tell us what's happened since he left his full-time job 7 months ago.
  • Looking for automatic backups for Digital Ocean, AWS, WordPress, or Laravel? Check out https://snapshooter.io.
  • Simon had just put his kids to bed (he's in the UK) and sat down in his office to have a chat with Justin.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Justin catches up with Simon Bennett of Snapshooter:

  • Every once in a while, we highlight one of our listeners who are building their own SaaS.
  • This week: Simon Bennett, comes back to tell us what's happened since he left his full-time job 7 months ago.
  • Looking for automatic backups for Digital Ocean, AWS, WordPress, or Laravel? Check out https://snapshooter.io.
  • Simon had just put his kids to bed (he's in the UK) and sat down in his office to have a chat with Justin.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2020 14:11:37 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3171 Spoiler: he doubled revenue! Spoiler: he doubled revenue! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Simon Bennett Landsman on software 120 120 Landsman on software full a325fb93-a0fa-41aa-8673-fa04d7a5a5d3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/874a5cfe Justin is joined by everybody's favorite Twitter Uncle: Ian Landsman (founder of HelpSpot).

  • Ian's encounter with his internet hero Joel Spolsky
  • Do you get worried that this all going to go away?
  • How scared should we be of the competition?
  • How do you hedge your bets?
  • We prognosticate about what our bootstrapper friends' blind spots are. 🤣
  • We both ask for investors live, on air.
  • How founders should manage their personal finances.
  • How our past experience can make us blind to opportunities.
  • How can devs connect with marketers?
  • Which startups would we invest in.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin is joined by everybody's favorite Twitter Uncle: Ian Landsman (founder of HelpSpot).

  • Ian's encounter with his internet hero Joel Spolsky
  • Do you get worried that this all going to go away?
  • How scared should we be of the competition?
  • How do you hedge your bets?
  • We prognosticate about what our bootstrapper friends' blind spots are. 🤣
  • We both ask for investors live, on air.
  • How founders should manage their personal finances.
  • How our past experience can make us blind to opportunities.
  • How can devs connect with marketers?
  • Which startups would we invest in.

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:12:06 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2806 Ian Landsman talks about his 15-year history of building HelpSpot Ian Landsman talks about his 15-year history of building HelpSpot technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Ian Landsman How fragile is the prosumer SaaS market? 119 119 How fragile is the prosumer SaaS market? full e90cbd47-6686-4b30-b469-ecac71fe0c53 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2c906f7d We're back! 

  • Justin's voice sounds terrible (sorry!)
  • When is the next wave of economic despair going to happen?
  • The maker/creator market is on 🔥 right now. How long will it last?
  • How "soft" is the prosumer market? How fragile is it?
  • A BUNCH OF NEW TRANSISTOR FEATURES:
  • How do you work on your startup when you're feeling down?
    • "There were weeks when I got almost nothing done because I was stressed out about the state of the world."
    • "It's hard to force yourself to do creative work if you're not feeling good emotionally."

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> We're back! 

  • Justin's voice sounds terrible (sorry!)
  • When is the next wave of economic despair going to happen?
  • The maker/creator market is on 🔥 right now. How long will it last?
  • How "soft" is the prosumer market? How fragile is it?
  • A BUNCH OF NEW TRANSISTOR FEATURES:
  • How do you work on your startup when you're feeling down?
    • "There were weeks when I got almost nothing done because I was stressed out about the state of the world."
    • "It's hard to force yourself to do creative work if you're not feeling good emotionally."

What should we talk about next?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:27:16 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1776 Justin lost his voice and sounds like Steve-O. Justin lost his voice and sounds like Steve-O. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What it takes to launch a SaaS 118 118 What it takes to launch a SaaS bonus 7a72bd5d-f1e6-47d7-9913-913928f25cd6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/11a408d1 We have a bonus episode for you this week!

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> We have a bonus episode for you this week!

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 22 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4137 Justin was a guest on the Framework podcast Justin was a guest on the Framework podcast technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Tom Creighton Rob Hayes THE FEAR 117 117 THE FEAR full 36095a7b-df59-4979-8c99-9d4cf8452985 https://share.transistor.fm/s/bac42d57 Jon and Justin talk about "optionality" in bootstrapping. (Justin is concerned, Jon thinks we should just enjoy the moment).

  • DHH: "Part of what gave us the confidence to turn down the whole world of venture capital was a small sale of equity to Jeff Bezos. That gave our personal bank accounts just enough ballast that the big numbers touted by VCs and acquisition hunters lost their lure."
  • Are we at peak podcasting? Things are good right now - will they be good for 10 years? 20 years? 
  • Fred Wilson: "Taking money off the table."
  • How much did the founders of Buffer, Robinhood, etc. take off the table? Article.
  • Des Traynor: "A founder is spending 60 months of their best years in their startup (instead of their career). That is a substantial upfront investment; it's like a seed round, but instead of money, it's your life."
  • How much richer than us is Jeff Bezos?

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk about "optionality" in bootstrapping. (Justin is concerned, Jon thinks we should just enjoy the moment).

  • DHH: "Part of what gave us the confidence to turn down the whole world of venture capital was a small sale of equity to Jeff Bezos. That gave our personal bank accounts just enough ballast that the big numbers touted by VCs and acquisition hunters lost their lure."
  • Are we at peak podcasting? Things are good right now - will they be good for 10 years? 20 years? 
  • Fred Wilson: "Taking money off the table."
  • How much did the founders of Buffer, Robinhood, etc. take off the table? Article.
  • Des Traynor: "A founder is spending 60 months of their best years in their startup (instead of their career). That is a substantial upfront investment; it's like a seed round, but instead of money, it's your life."
  • How much richer than us is Jeff Bezos?

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2402 Justin is worried. Jon says "chill." Justin is worried. Jon says "chill." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Do you really need to build an audience? 116 116 Do you really need to build an audience? full 6479e160-6548-45a0-ad5c-d9220ae999bb https://share.transistor.fm/s/e9173fb9 Late-summer update! This week on the program, we bring you a super spicy interview that Justin did on the TechZing podcast.

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Late-summer update! This week on the program, we bring you a super spicy interview that Justin did on the TechZing podcast.

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 08 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4885 Reverse engineering success Reverse engineering success technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Justin Vincent Break out 115 115 Break out full b311054c-04bb-4815-9fdc-58dec2120c97 https://share.transistor.fm/s/42e05e8e Mid-summer update! This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

  • If you're bootstrapping SaaS, how many monthly trials do you need?
  • Tweet: "You probably need more trials than you think."
  • Breaking out of your own way of thinking
  • "All it took was someone talking to me to have a different way of thinking about it."

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Mid-summer update! This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

  • If you're bootstrapping SaaS, how many monthly trials do you need?
  • Tweet: "You probably need more trials than you think."
  • Breaking out of your own way of thinking
  • "All it took was someone talking to me to have a different way of thinking about it."

Want to reply to something we said?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 04 Aug 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2752 What do you do when you can't solve a problem on your own? What do you do when you can't solve a problem on your own? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Talking about an acquisition 114 114 Talking about an acquisition full 47251d0e-cf00-4514-bafc-81f196df4c72 https://share.transistor.fm/s/6324fa53 This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

  • Updates on Transistor: new API is almost done, static site generator, growth slowed in June?
  • Questioning whether we should slow down for the summer
  • Talking about the Simplecast acquisition
    • What would sell for? Mike: “Anything that’s a life-changing amount.”

Want to reply to something we said?

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

  • Updates on Transistor: new API is almost done, static site generator, growth slowed in June?
  • Questioning whether we should slow down for the summer
  • Talking about the Simplecast acquisition
    • What would sell for? Mike: “Anything that’s a life-changing amount.”

Want to reply to something we said?

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3111 One of our competitors was acquired; what does that mean for us? One of our competitors was acquired; what does that mean for us? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns It's just too much 113 113 It's just too much full 83a7e700-193e-47ca-98ba-5f14b14d9204 https://share.transistor.fm/s/61d3e961 This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

  • A friend, whose SaaS has grown 300% since the beginning of the quarantine. They just hit $6k in MRR.
  • At that stage, he's in the "almost but not yet."
  • You're either:
    • Brainstorming how to make money faster
    • Brainstorming how to work less
  • Different stages:
    • Pre-launch stage: you're working on your product on the side. It's fun! There's nothing stealing your time and attention because you don't have customers yet.
    • The beta stage: still pretty fun! You have a few customers who are using your product, and maybe paying you money.
    • The "launched" stage: now, you have way more users. Now you're doing way more customer support, responding to feature requests.
  • How much did we work when we were building Transistor?
    • Jon figures we spent 45 to 60 hours a week (each).
  • Jason Calacanis’ tweet: "It takes 100 hours per week to build a business!"
  • “Good businesses have margin."
  • Josh Wood: "At Honeybadger, we work 30 hours per week."
  • Margin gives you the opportunity, as a founder, to live beyond your keyboard. To engage with the world.
  • Sandy Hudson (Sandra & Nora podcast): "The quarantine gave people the time and space to wrestle with the current moment."
  • The Dept of Veteran Affairs
  • "As your little baby Rails app grows up, you can't just run everything on the same service."
  • "The whole internet is just patchwork of pipes and duct tape." 

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

  • LessAccounting
  • https://www.lessaccounting.com/
  • Cloud base accounting software and services for non-accountants. This used to be owned by Allan Branch (Paul Kogan owns it now). It’s specifically designed for small businesses with 1-25 employees and contractors

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

  • A friend, whose SaaS has grown 300% since the beginning of the quarantine. They just hit $6k in MRR.
  • At that stage, he's in the "almost but not yet."
  • You're either:
    • Brainstorming how to make money faster
    • Brainstorming how to work less
  • Different stages:
    • Pre-launch stage: you're working on your product on the side. It's fun! There's nothing stealing your time and attention because you don't have customers yet.
    • The beta stage: still pretty fun! You have a few customers who are using your product, and maybe paying you money.
    • The "launched" stage: now, you have way more users. Now you're doing way more customer support, responding to feature requests.
  • How much did we work when we were building Transistor?
    • Jon figures we spent 45 to 60 hours a week (each).
  • Jason Calacanis’ tweet: "It takes 100 hours per week to build a business!"
  • “Good businesses have margin."
  • Josh Wood: "At Honeybadger, we work 30 hours per week."
  • Margin gives you the opportunity, as a founder, to live beyond your keyboard. To engage with the world.
  • Sandy Hudson (Sandra & Nora podcast): "The quarantine gave people the time and space to wrestle with the current moment."
  • The Dept of Veteran Affairs
  • "As your little baby Rails app grows up, you can't just run everything on the same service."
  • "The whole internet is just patchwork of pipes and duct tape." 

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

  • LessAccounting
  • https://www.lessaccounting.com/
  • Cloud base accounting software and services for non-accountants. This used to be owned by Allan Branch (Paul Kogan owns it now). It’s specifically designed for small businesses with 1-25 employees and contractors

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2347 What happens when your SaaS grows 300% over the quarantine? What happens when your SaaS grows 300% over the quarantine? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Waking up 112 112 Waking up full 80fadd00-a0e8-4d34-a536-80759ddc08a9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/af554807 Structural racism affects every part of the economic system. It affects bootstrappers too! It defines:

  • Who we hire
  • Who we invest in
  • Who we promote
  • Who we chat with
  • Who sees our numbers
  • Who we invite to speak
  • Who gets access to our platform
"It's not just about being oppressed or being an oppressor, it's about resisting oppression and resisting being an oppressor; being an ally, being an advocate for social justice." – Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (clip)

Right now, in cities across America, people are protesting systemic violence and oppression against Black people.

We (Jon and Justin) are waking up to how complicit we are in the system. We're seeing our privilege. We're humbled and motivated by the words of Dr. Erin Thomas:

"You can directly impact the extent to which your organization counters historical inequity, inequality & injustice."

The bootstrapping, SaaS, and startup ecosystems need to wrestle with these issues.

"How can you help? By working to dismantle a system of racism from which you reap the benefits. If you are not working to do that then you don’t actually want to help." – Kristina Daniels

Instead of Patreon shout outs, we're shouting out these causes:

Want to take the next step?

Things to read, listen to, and watch:

This podcast was recorded on June 4, 2020.

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Structural racism affects every part of the economic system. It affects bootstrappers too! It defines:

  • Who we hire
  • Who we invest in
  • Who we promote
  • Who we chat with
  • Who sees our numbers
  • Who we invite to speak
  • Who gets access to our platform
"It's not just about being oppressed or being an oppressor, it's about resisting oppression and resisting being an oppressor; being an ally, being an advocate for social justice." – Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (clip)

Right now, in cities across America, people are protesting systemic violence and oppression against Black people.

We (Jon and Justin) are waking up to how complicit we are in the system. We're seeing our privilege. We're humbled and motivated by the words of Dr. Erin Thomas:

"You can directly impact the extent to which your organization counters historical inequity, inequality & injustice."

The bootstrapping, SaaS, and startup ecosystems need to wrestle with these issues.

"How can you help? By working to dismantle a system of racism from which you reap the benefits. If you are not working to do that then you don’t actually want to help." – Kristina Daniels

Instead of Patreon shout outs, we're shouting out these causes:

Want to take the next step?

Things to read, listen to, and watch:

This podcast was recorded on June 4, 2020.

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1551 Resisting oppression and resisting being an oppressor Resisting oppression and resisting being an oppressor technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Why there's no episode today 111 111 Why there's no episode today full 7032e7a5-b082-4931-8d95-8cbeefc8bdda https://share.transistor.fm/s/5c4c35b6 👋 Justin here. This episode is to let you know why there's no episode today. (I've had a few DMs from folks that were worried!)

We're good; we had some server trouble this morning that took all our time and attention today. We're hoping to be back next Tuesday with a full episode.

Thanks everyone; we appreciate your support! ✌️

Special thanks to Dean Layton James, from CloudPeriscope and Benedikt Evans from UserList for giving us ideas on how to fix our issues today! ❤️

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

  • SeekWell.io
  • "Send SQL (MySQL, Postgres, Snowflake, Redshift, and SQL Server) to Google Sheets, Excel, Slack, or email"

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> 👋 Justin here. This episode is to let you know why there's no episode today. (I've had a few DMs from folks that were worried!)

We're good; we had some server trouble this morning that took all our time and attention today. We're hoping to be back next Tuesday with a full episode.

Thanks everyone; we appreciate your support! ✌️

Special thanks to Dean Layton James, from CloudPeriscope and Benedikt Evans from UserList for giving us ideas on how to fix our issues today! ❤️

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

  • SeekWell.io
  • "Send SQL (MySQL, Postgres, Snowflake, Redshift, and SQL Server) to Google Sheets, Excel, Slack, or email"

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 May 2020 16:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 219 A quick update from Justin A quick update from Justin technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Building software for 2030 110 110 Building software for 2030 full 81e5661b-b7b7-4afd-891c-16fefc616077 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ceb9cb89 This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

  • ScrapingBee
  • "A web-scraping API that takes care of proxies and headless browsing for you so you'll never get blocked again while scraping."
  • Used by companies like SAP and Zapier!

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:

  • ScrapingBee
  • "A web-scraping API that takes care of proxies and headless browsing for you so you'll never get blocked again while scraping."
  • Used by companies like SAP and Zapier!

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 19 May 2020 16:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2748 Will we still be supporting Internet Explorer in a decade? Will we still be supporting Internet Explorer in a decade? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Simon is going full-time 109 109 Simon is going full-time full b6d46d95-932b-4a18-b823-ac82129c4cb3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b8e02311 This week on the program:

  • As requested, we're going to start highlighting our listeners who are building their own SaaS.
  • This week: Simon Bennett, a long-time Patreon supporter and a friend of the show.
  • He just went full time on his project https://snapshooter.io, which does automatic backups for Digital Ocean. 
  • Simon had just put his kids to bed (he's in the UK) and sat down in his office to have a chat with Justin.

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week on the program:

  • As requested, we're going to start highlighting our listeners who are building their own SaaS.
  • This week: Simon Bennett, a long-time Patreon supporter and a friend of the show.
  • He just went full time on his project https://snapshooter.io, which does automatic backups for Digital Ocean. 
  • Simon had just put his kids to bed (he's in the UK) and sat down in his office to have a chat with Justin.

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 12 May 2020 17:30:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3388 Simon is quitting his job and going full-time on SnapShooter Simon is quitting his job and going full-time on SnapShooter technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Simon Bennett They stole our idea! 108 108 They stole our idea! full ae4161a3-61ed-4d0d-a784-2fc1cdf76289 https://share.transistor.fm/s/abbf9166 What do you do when a competitor steals your idea? (plus: Justin and Jon have the giggles).

  • People in tech get bent out of shape about who owns certain ideas, UI patterns, and business models.
    • “They ripped off my idea”
    • "They copied us!"
  • This blog post by Justin Mitchell:
  • Good Stackexchange thread:
    • “In the history of science, this is known as "Railroad time". I.e, when the economy has reached a certain state of infrastructure (coal, steel, and land available, plus steam engines and demand for transportation), it's "Railroad time", and the idea of building railroads occurs to many people naturally at the same time.”
  • Documentary: https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/
  • Multiple discovery (simultaneous invention): “the hypothesis that most scientific discoveries and inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors”
  • Synchronicity: “the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.”
  • Collective consciousness.
  • How to respond if a competitor rips of your idea: 
    • Paul Jarvis tweet: "fathom copycats pop up so often that i've lost count. we honestly don't mind them... they STOKE THE FIRE 🔥 to make our product even better."
  • Hedge against the competition:
    • Build your brand: the way people perceive your company; how “top of mind” are you?
    • Build your audience: competitors can't easily replicate who you know, and who knows you.
    • Customer service: how well you take care of people; how responsive you are
    • Continued product improvement: you don’t have to be the most novel; you just have to show continuous improvement in vectors that customers care about.
    • Last longer than your competition: don’t hire too many people, keep your costs low; if you can outlast your competition, you don’t have to worry about them stealing your stuff.

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What do you do when a competitor steals your idea? (plus: Justin and Jon have the giggles).

  • People in tech get bent out of shape about who owns certain ideas, UI patterns, and business models.
    • “They ripped off my idea”
    • "They copied us!"
  • This blog post by Justin Mitchell:
  • Good Stackexchange thread:
    • “In the history of science, this is known as "Railroad time". I.e, when the economy has reached a certain state of infrastructure (coal, steel, and land available, plus steam engines and demand for transportation), it's "Railroad time", and the idea of building railroads occurs to many people naturally at the same time.”
  • Documentary: https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/
  • Multiple discovery (simultaneous invention): “the hypothesis that most scientific discoveries and inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors”
  • Synchronicity: “the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.”
  • Collective consciousness.
  • How to respond if a competitor rips of your idea: 
    • Paul Jarvis tweet: "fathom copycats pop up so often that i've lost count. we honestly don't mind them... they STOKE THE FIRE 🔥 to make our product even better."
  • Hedge against the competition:
    • Build your brand: the way people perceive your company; how “top of mind” are you?
    • Build your audience: competitors can't easily replicate who you know, and who knows you.
    • Customer service: how well you take care of people; how responsive you are
    • Continued product improvement: you don’t have to be the most novel; you just have to show continuous improvement in vectors that customers care about.
    • Last longer than your competition: don’t hire too many people, keep your costs low; if you can outlast your competition, you don’t have to worry about them stealing your stuff.

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 05 May 2020 13:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2907 What do you do when a competitor steals your idea? (plus: Justin and Jon have the giggles).

  • People in tech get bent out of shape about who owns certain ideas, UI patterns, and business models.
    • “They ripped off my idea”
    • "They copied us!"
  • This blog post by Justin Mitchell:
  • Good Stackexchange thread:
    • “In the history of science, this is known as "Railroad time". I.e, when the economy has reached a certain state of infrastructure (coal, steel, and land available, plus steam engines and demand for transportation), it's "Railroad time", and the idea of building railroads occurs to many people naturally at the same time.”
  • Documentary: https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/
  • Multiple discovery (simultaneous invention): “the hypothesis that most scientific discoveries and inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors”
  • Synchronicity: “the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.”
  • Collective consciousness.
  • How to respond if a competitor rips of your idea: 
    • Paul Jarvis tweet: "fathom copycats pop up so often that i've lost count. we honestly don't mind them... they STOKE THE FIRE 🔥 to make our product even better."
  • Hedge against the competition:
    • Build your brand: the way people perceive your company; how “top of mind” are you?
    • Build your audience: competitors can't easily replicate who you know, and who knows you.
    • Customer service: how well you take care of people; how responsive you are
    • Continued product improvement: you don’t have to be the most novel; you just have to show continuous improvement in vectors that customers care about.
    • Last longer than your competition: don’t hire too many people, keep your costs low; if you can outlast your competition, you don’t have to worry about them stealing your stuff.

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Starting over again on our SaaS 107 107 Starting over again on our SaaS full 770f21ad-3734-492d-aca8-767b66842e62 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b834c715 Justin and Justin talk about where they're at.

  • Podcasts like the Project Journey show, are at the beginning of their journey.
  • Marie Poulin is a good example of an entrepreneur who's experienced a breakthrough this year; we should celebrate those!
  • Justin's tweet: "What are we doing this for? Is the purpose of life to "Start business. Make most money. Die." We want to engage with an audience that wants more out of life."
  • "Stay in your lane." The people who listen to this show aren't one-dimensional. We all live in a social, economic, and political context. We have feelings, families, histories. "Business" exists within these contexts. If our ideas about business are divorced from their human context, how helpful are they really?
  • 22:18 – the Tailwind CSS project is plumbing. 
  • 23:15 – what kind of SaaS projects would we start right now?
  • 27:10 – how much money does Nathan Barry have in the bank?
  • 28:50 – you could still build this kind of app (Carrd competitor)
  • 29:30 – Miguel's new product SiteSauce.app

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Justin talk about where they're at.

  • Podcasts like the Project Journey show, are at the beginning of their journey.
  • Marie Poulin is a good example of an entrepreneur who's experienced a breakthrough this year; we should celebrate those!
  • Justin's tweet: "What are we doing this for? Is the purpose of life to "Start business. Make most money. Die." We want to engage with an audience that wants more out of life."
  • "Stay in your lane." The people who listen to this show aren't one-dimensional. We all live in a social, economic, and political context. We have feelings, families, histories. "Business" exists within these contexts. If our ideas about business are divorced from their human context, how helpful are they really?
  • 22:18 – the Tailwind CSS project is plumbing. 
  • 23:15 – what kind of SaaS projects would we start right now?
  • 27:10 – how much money does Nathan Barry have in the bank?
  • 28:50 – you could still build this kind of app (Carrd competitor)
  • 29:30 – Miguel's new product SiteSauce.app

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:20:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3519 Catching up with the real-life stuff that's going on Catching up with the real-life stuff that's going on technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What should we build next? 106 106 What should we build next? full a193e52d-c605-4e3a-93fa-61124d858dea https://share.transistor.fm/s/1cc7a208 This week on the show:

  • Jon baked bread. Got some sunshine. Avoiding social media, the other disease
  • Justin WAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 
  • What does the future hold?
    • Dan Price tweet: "After the most recent 15 deadly outbreaks, wages grew over the ensuing 3 decades by a lot."
    • Jamie Lawrence tweet: "What I’d like to see small local businesses come out of this crisis with."
  • Can we give ourselves a deadline for the Tailwind project? What should it be?
  • What should we think about shaping next?
    • API
    • Helping podcasters make money
    • Analytics
    • Private podcasting feature
    • Podcast websites

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week on the show:

  • Jon baked bread. Got some sunshine. Avoiding social media, the other disease
  • Justin WAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 
  • What does the future hold?
    • Dan Price tweet: "After the most recent 15 deadly outbreaks, wages grew over the ensuing 3 decades by a lot."
    • Jamie Lawrence tweet: "What I’d like to see small local businesses come out of this crisis with."
  • Can we give ourselves a deadline for the Tailwind project? What should it be?
  • What should we think about shaping next?
    • API
    • Helping podcasters make money
    • Analytics
    • Private podcasting feature
    • Podcast websites

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 21 Apr 2020 08:35:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2933 Bake that bread! Bake that bread! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How coronavirus is impacting revenue 105 105 How coronavirus is impacting revenue full 05b0d853-268b-43c0-9457-e2d800bd4a89 https://share.transistor.fm/s/61aa463f This week, Justin called up Josh Pigford, founder of Baremetrics:

  • Baremetrics does analytics for SaaS companies
  • I called him up just to get a sense of how this pandemic (and looming recession) has already started to affect different SaaS companies
  • He's already noticing some trends: "A lot of SaaS companies are seeing the biggest loss they've seen in the past 4 weeks. I've heard from some companies that are seeing a 10-20% decrease in MRR."
  • "Payroll is the biggest challenge over the next year. Payroll is our biggest expense."
  • How are you going to ride this out?
  • "We use Flight Path + Baremetrics to forecast revenue and expenses."
  • Justin's tweet: "here are the companies doing well right now."
  • A preview of a new feature that Baremetrics is building: automated email messaging for SaaS companies.
  • Josh's side-projects: Cedar + Sail, Lasertweets

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Justin called up Josh Pigford, founder of Baremetrics:

  • Baremetrics does analytics for SaaS companies
  • I called him up just to get a sense of how this pandemic (and looming recession) has already started to affect different SaaS companies
  • He's already noticing some trends: "A lot of SaaS companies are seeing the biggest loss they've seen in the past 4 weeks. I've heard from some companies that are seeing a 10-20% decrease in MRR."
  • "Payroll is the biggest challenge over the next year. Payroll is our biggest expense."
  • How are you going to ride this out?
  • "We use Flight Path + Baremetrics to forecast revenue and expenses."
  • Justin's tweet: "here are the companies doing well right now."
  • A preview of a new feature that Baremetrics is building: automated email messaging for SaaS companies.
  • Josh's side-projects: Cedar + Sail, Lasertweets

You can reply to this podcast here:

★ Need a podcast?

  • Transistor allows you to host all of your podcasts in one place.
  • We also offer private podcasts: use them with your team, or on your membership site.
  • Get a 14-day trial here.

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3745 Josh Pigford sees a lot of SaaS revenue analytics; what's he seeing that we're not? Josh Pigford sees a lot of SaaS revenue analytics; what's he seeing that we're not? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Josh Pigford Giuuuuuuuunta 104 104 Giuuuuuuuunta full e86219a4-f88d-405a-986c-d301d315e4b5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e70718b7 Today, we are joined by a very special guest: Dave Giunta! 

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Today, we are joined by a very special guest: Dave Giunta! 

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2020 09:55:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4544 "This is like unveiling Banksy." "This is like unveiling Banksy." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Dave Giunta Pants-driven development 103 103 Pants-driven development full 5a058e3e-7cbf-43c0-b180-c821d2353a3f https://share.transistor.fm/s/8aa072a9 Jon and Justin, still making sense of life (and business) in a pandemic:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin, still making sense of life (and business) in a pandemic:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2628 We're still in it We're still in it technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How are founders handling the pandemic? 102 102 How are founders handling the pandemic? full 096e50b0-dcb5-46e3-9e58-65a135f3e2ce https://share.transistor.fm/s/748afd38 Jon and Justin are hunkered down, and reeling from COVID-19:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are hunkered down, and reeling from COVID-19:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2650 Waking up to the coronavirus Waking up to the coronavirus covid19, coronavirus, saas, bootstrapping, business No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Marie Poulin: Maybe you shouldn't start a software company 101 101 Marie Poulin: Maybe you shouldn't start a software company full b44b196b-e8e2-4a14-9e0e-6f41f47247b9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/524bc79f This week, Justin is joined by Marie Poulin, co-founder of Oki Doki. They discuss:

Chatting with Marie Poulin, Oki Doki

  • 3:40 – "I used to be in the 'Ra Ra! Everyone should build a web app' crowd."
  • 4:18 – "Now there's this feeling that maybe everyone shouldn't start a SaaS?"
  • 9:30 – When you're starting a business, there are so many dynamics you need to get right.
  • 13:40 – Why so many people fail to go from zero to one in business.
  • 16:20 – Why are you starting a business in the first place? What's driving you?
  • 23:41 – There's a company called Tighten that gives their employees mental-health days.
  • 26:00 – What is the most efficient way for you to improve your life?
  • 27:00 – Sometimes folks try to make a part-time business into a full-time business.
  • 33:00 – Is it possible for a business to be lucrative, easy, and fun?
  • 42:00 – Having money does solve a lot of life's problems.
  • Marie's super-secret Notion course

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Justin is joined by Marie Poulin, co-founder of Oki Doki. They discuss:

Chatting with Marie Poulin, Oki Doki

  • 3:40 – "I used to be in the 'Ra Ra! Everyone should build a web app' crowd."
  • 4:18 – "Now there's this feeling that maybe everyone shouldn't start a SaaS?"
  • 9:30 – When you're starting a business, there are so many dynamics you need to get right.
  • 13:40 – Why so many people fail to go from zero to one in business.
  • 16:20 – Why are you starting a business in the first place? What's driving you?
  • 23:41 – There's a company called Tighten that gives their employees mental-health days.
  • 26:00 – What is the most efficient way for you to improve your life?
  • 27:00 – Sometimes folks try to make a part-time business into a full-time business.
  • 33:00 – Is it possible for a business to be lucrative, easy, and fun?
  • 42:00 – Having money does solve a lot of life's problems.
  • Marie's super-secret Notion course

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3108 This week, Justin is joined by Marie Poulin, co-founder of Oki Doki. They discuss:

Chatting with Marie Poulin, Oki Doki

  • 3:40 – "I used to be in the 'Ra Ra! Everyone should build a web app' crowd."
  • 4:18 – "Now there's this feeling that maybe everyone shouldn't start a SaaS?"
  • 9:30 – When you're starting a business, there are so many dynamics you need to get right.
  • 13:40 – Why so many people fail to go from zero to one in business.
  • 16:20 – Why are you starting a business in the first place? What's driving you?
  • 23:41 – There's a company called Tighten that gives their employees mental-health days.
  • 26:00 – What is the most efficient way for you to improve your life?
  • 27:00 – Sometimes folks try to make a part-time business into a full-time business.
  • 33:00 – Is it possible for a business to be lucrative, easy, and fun?
  • 42:00 – Having money does solve a lot of life's problems.
  • Marie's super-secret Notion course

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Marie Poulin All that he wants 100 100 All that he wants full 301534f4-abf7-497f-a3c4-a2938a683b27 https://share.transistor.fm/s/9d23ac6a This week, Jon and Justin celebrate 100 episodes:

  • Jon was on the Cody Story podcast awhile back.
  • Justin, on the other hand, loves writing testimonials:
  • "We are in our mid-life crisis of SaaS building. I think, for me, the problem is not quite knowing what's next."
  • Is this the time we hire a business coach? 
  • Where does your personal motivation for work come from?
  • What difference are we trying to make in the world?
  • Derek Sivers: "You've got to take off the old clothes in order to put on the new clothes."
  • Organizational cadence: what team retreats do we do each year?
  • Inertia: "things don't move unless you apply an external force to them."
  • "Brian Rhea seems thoughtful about this kind of stuff."
  • Jon has been using AlpineJS by Caleb Porzio – it's really nice.
  • Vampire movie recommendation: Let the Right One In
  • Justin is contacting our winners from the contest. (We used ContestKit.com for this)
    • 410 registrations
    • 64 people were already on our MailChimp list.
    • 55 of these people have been a customer at some point (trial + paid)
  • Printing and sending t-shirts via Printful.

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Jon and Justin celebrate 100 episodes:

  • Jon was on the Cody Story podcast awhile back.
  • Justin, on the other hand, loves writing testimonials:
  • "We are in our mid-life crisis of SaaS building. I think, for me, the problem is not quite knowing what's next."
  • Is this the time we hire a business coach? 
  • Where does your personal motivation for work come from?
  • What difference are we trying to make in the world?
  • Derek Sivers: "You've got to take off the old clothes in order to put on the new clothes."
  • Organizational cadence: what team retreats do we do each year?
  • Inertia: "things don't move unless you apply an external force to them."
  • "Brian Rhea seems thoughtful about this kind of stuff."
  • Jon has been using AlpineJS by Caleb Porzio – it's really nice.
  • Vampire movie recommendation: Let the Right One In
  • Justin is contacting our winners from the contest. (We used ContestKit.com for this)
    • 410 registrations
    • 64 people were already on our MailChimp list.
    • 55 of these people have been a customer at some point (trial + paid)
  • Printing and sending t-shirts via Printful.

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 10 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2702 "Sorry for the delay" "Sorry for the delay" technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Should you start a startup with your spouse? 99 99 Should you start a startup with your spouse? full a29dca12-4b48-4e9e-9a5d-3cb8a89dcc77 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e32f9a8d This week, Justin is joined by Michele Hansen (co-founder of Geocodio). We explore a bunch of questions:

  • What it's like to bootstrap with your spouse
  • 6:30 – where Michele and Mathias found the idea for their company
  • 7:00 – when you have kids you need diapers at 1am
  • Why people start companies
  • 7:55 – how getting pregnant motivated them to build a product
  • 10:15 – Matthias initially built a really basic geocoder for their purposes
  • 11:30 – a lot of bootstrappers get motivated to start a business after they have their first kid
  • Tyler Tringas: "Building, Owning (& possibly Selling) a profitable remote SaaS business is the new American Dream."
  • 13:20 – "we were so surprised that people wanted to pay us."

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Justin is joined by Michele Hansen (co-founder of Geocodio). We explore a bunch of questions:

  • What it's like to bootstrap with your spouse
  • 6:30 – where Michele and Mathias found the idea for their company
  • 7:00 – when you have kids you need diapers at 1am
  • Why people start companies
  • 7:55 – how getting pregnant motivated them to build a product
  • 10:15 – Matthias initially built a really basic geocoder for their purposes
  • 11:30 – a lot of bootstrappers get motivated to start a business after they have their first kid
  • Tyler Tringas: "Building, Owning (& possibly Selling) a profitable remote SaaS business is the new American Dream."
  • 13:20 – "we were so surprised that people wanted to pay us."

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 03 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3121 Michele and Mathias started their company with a hope for a better future Michele and Mathias started their company with a hope for a better future technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Michele Hansen What's driving you now? 98 98 What's driving you now? full c87b6398-39b3-4eb4-b534-c02e493a6dcc https://share.transistor.fm/s/e1193df0 This week, Justin is joined by Ward Sandler from MemberSpace (launched in 2015). We explore a bunch of questions:

  • How do you find a cofounder?
  • Ward explains to Justin (a Canadian) what a fraternity is.
  • What it's like doing enterprise sales.
  • How two sales guys ended up learning design and programming.
  • "Everybody needs to build a website for Uncle Larry"
  • Justin and Ward go through a sample sales phone call.
  • How they found the idea for MemberSpace through their consulting company.
  • How Ward knew there was a lot of interest in the product.
  • The unconventional reason Ward and Ryan took money from Ernest.
  • 47:25 – what to do about that feeling of dissatisfaction and listlessness. 
  • 48:45 – "You have to ask yourself: why are you constantly running? What are you trying to achieve?"
  • 49:50 – "Don't succumb to the ennui."

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Justin is joined by Ward Sandler from MemberSpace (launched in 2015). We explore a bunch of questions:

  • How do you find a cofounder?
  • Ward explains to Justin (a Canadian) what a fraternity is.
  • What it's like doing enterprise sales.
  • How two sales guys ended up learning design and programming.
  • "Everybody needs to build a website for Uncle Larry"
  • Justin and Ward go through a sample sales phone call.
  • How they found the idea for MemberSpace through their consulting company.
  • How Ward knew there was a lot of interest in the product.
  • The unconventional reason Ward and Ryan took money from Ernest.
  • 47:25 – what to do about that feeling of dissatisfaction and listlessness. 
  • 48:45 – "You have to ask yourself: why are you constantly running? What are you trying to achieve?"
  • 49:50 – "Don't succumb to the ennui."

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 25 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3521 "Everybody needs to build a website for Uncle Larry" "Everybody needs to build a website for Uncle Larry" technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Ward Sandler Clearing the air 97 97 Clearing the air full 1e1b3166-7b78-4b4c-9583-213f0ae52504 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c00c1a75 This week, Jon and Justin discuss:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Jon and Justin discuss:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 18 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2389 Should you rebuild your app? Should you rebuild your app? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Anxiety about what might happen with the business 96 96 Anxiety about what might happen with the business full 9666ec3d-d553-47eb-9c80-d9be98c68568 https://share.transistor.fm/s/72b4a97d This week, Jon and Justin discuss:

  • What makes a good podcast for product people?
  • New American Dream: building, owning, selling a SaaS (Tyler Tringas)
  • What do you worry about when you own your own software company?
  • How would we handle an economic downturn?
  • Why do software founders not sleep well at night?

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Jon and Justin discuss:

  • What makes a good podcast for product people?
  • New American Dream: building, owning, selling a SaaS (Tyler Tringas)
  • What do you worry about when you own your own software company?
  • How would we handle an economic downturn?
  • Why do software founders not sleep well at night?

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 11 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2130 What do you worry about when you own a software company? What do you worry about when you own a software company? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns A cloudy feeling of dread 95 95 A cloudy feeling of dread full 31c4ead7-789b-4bfb-b356-ee2b4722d681 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5030c6c9 This week, Jon and Justin discuss:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Jon and Justin discuss:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 04 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1857 You need to get out of town You need to get out of town technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Who gets paid, and who doesn't? 94 94 Who gets paid, and who doesn't? full b0c0ab47-a51c-4af8-b9f9-48640952daf4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f0578fcf Jon is back! This week, we discuss:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon is back! This week, we discuss:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 28 Jan 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2426 "In our universe, the parts that people pay for is interesting." "In our universe, the parts that people pay for is interesting." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What's your sustainable competitive advantage? 93 93 What's your sustainable competitive advantage? full c69868d4-4cc9-4730-84f3-2fa59ec1e74c https://share.transistor.fm/s/4b1c9609 Justin is interviewed by Nathan Baschez to talk about business strategy:

"Every strategy is really just a theory: “We bet if we do x, then y will happen. In business, the 'y' that people are usually aiming for is some sort of sustainable competitive advantage." – Nathan Baschez


This is a long episode, but it's a good one!

  • What made Jon and Justin feel like they had an advantage in podcasting?
  • Original hypothesis: "Maybe we could be to podcasting, what WPengine was to WordPress hosting. Or what Wistia was to video hosting." How did that work out?
  • Nathan's take on the podcast industry from his experience working for Gimlet.
  • When should you focus on a niche?

Links:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers) with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from NiceThings.io 
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD), pradyumna.dev
  • Noah Prail, eventOneHQ.com
  • Robert Simplicio, Simplicio.com
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith, hellosift.com
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith, dev.transistor.fm
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett, saasreality.com
  • Michael Sitver, letterjoy.co
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, usefathom.com 
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto, thebicrowd.com
  • Dave Young, magnusrush.com
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)

We are sponsored by:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin is interviewed by Nathan Baschez to talk about business strategy:

"Every strategy is really just a theory: “We bet if we do x, then y will happen. In business, the 'y' that people are usually aiming for is some sort of sustainable competitive advantage." – Nathan Baschez


This is a long episode, but it's a good one!

  • What made Jon and Justin feel like they had an advantage in podcasting?
  • Original hypothesis: "Maybe we could be to podcasting, what WPengine was to WordPress hosting. Or what Wistia was to video hosting." How did that work out?
  • Nathan's take on the podcast industry from his experience working for Gimlet.
  • When should you focus on a niche?

Links:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers) with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from NiceThings.io 
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD), pradyumna.dev
  • Noah Prail, eventOneHQ.com
  • Robert Simplicio, Simplicio.com
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith, hellosift.com
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith, dev.transistor.fm
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett, saasreality.com
  • Michael Sitver, letterjoy.co
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, usefathom.com 
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto, thebicrowd.com
  • Dave Young, magnusrush.com
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)

We are sponsored by:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 21 Jan 2020 10:40:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4304 A chat with Nathan Baschez (Substack, Gimlet, Product Hunt) A chat with Nathan Baschez (Substack, Gimlet, Product Hunt) technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Chris Enns Nathan Baschez The challenges of being in (the wrong) business 92 92 The challenges of being in (the wrong) business full 532a0b6d-f851-4edf-89b7-01d7147755fb https://share.transistor.fm/s/bb31e2ad Justin is joined by podcast producer Chris Enns to talk about:

  • How do you get Alexis Ohanian (cofounder of Reddit, married to Serena Williams) as a client?
  • Getting out of the wrong business, into something better.
  • Why you should get out of your comfort zone (and your town!)
  • "We're all running the same race; how come that person is so far ahead of me?"

Links:

Ladybug podcast: https://www.ladybug.dev/

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers) with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from NiceThings.io 
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD), pradyumna.dev
  • Noah Prail, eventOneHQ.com
  • Robert Simplicio, Simplicio.com
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith, hellosift.com
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith, dev.transistor.fm
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett, saasreality.com
  • Michael Sitver, letterjoy.co
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, usefathom.com 
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto, thebicrowd.com
  • Dave Young, magnusrush.com/
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin is joined by podcast producer Chris Enns to talk about:

  • How do you get Alexis Ohanian (cofounder of Reddit, married to Serena Williams) as a client?
  • Getting out of the wrong business, into something better.
  • Why you should get out of your comfort zone (and your town!)
  • "We're all running the same race; how come that person is so far ahead of me?"

Links:

Ladybug podcast: https://www.ladybug.dev/

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers (like Flowers) with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from NiceThings.io 
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD), pradyumna.dev
  • Noah Prail, eventOneHQ.com
  • Robert Simplicio, Simplicio.com
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith, hellosift.com
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith, dev.transistor.fm
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett, saasreality.com
  • Michael Sitver, letterjoy.co
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, usefathom.com 
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto, thebicrowd.com
  • Dave Young, magnusrush.com/
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 14 Jan 2020 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3066 Don't optimize for the horse you're riding if you're riding the wrong horse Don't optimize for the horse you're riding if you're riding the wrong horse technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns What happens tomorrow? 91 91 What happens tomorrow? full 226fa4f7-eccf-4582-bb07-8b6d91da05b4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/74912852 Justin does a solo New Year's Eve episode where he shares:

  • Then (Jan 1, 2019) vs now (Jan 1, 2020)
  • Justin's tweet: "Going all-in on Transistor in 2019!"
  • Advice for new founders: "What products get bought every day?"
  • Every day, millions of people wake up and buy a cup of coffee.
  • Every day, there are people who wake up and sign up for web hosting.
  • Will there be people lining up tomorrow morning to buy your product? And the next day?
  • What's still going to be true tomorrow, six months from now, three years from now?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin does a solo New Year's Eve episode where he shares:

  • Then (Jan 1, 2019) vs now (Jan 1, 2020)
  • Justin's tweet: "Going all-in on Transistor in 2019!"
  • Advice for new founders: "What products get bought every day?"
  • Every day, millions of people wake up and buy a cup of coffee.
  • Every day, there are people who wake up and sign up for web hosting.
  • Will there be people lining up tomorrow morning to buy your product? And the next day?
  • What's still going to be true tomorrow, six months from now, three years from now?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 31 Dec 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 891 Advice for new software founders going into 2020 Advice for new software founders going into 2020 technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Chris Enns A Christmas Eve SEO scare 90 90 A Christmas Eve SEO scare full 974f7f52-93fd-4270-8820-24c273abce59 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0f4eedd9 Justin and Jon talk about:

  • What's happened this year.
  • "You shouldn't be worried about that, but you should be worried about THIS."
  • The SaaS gold rush: “Building, Owning (& possibly Selling) a profitable remote SaaS business is the new American Dream.” – Tyler Tringas
  • It’s harder to get the American Dream these days. “Productivity has increased by 80 per cent, but median compensation (that's wages plus benefits) has risen by just 11 per cent during that time. The middle-income jobs of the nation's postwar boom years have disproportionately vanished. Low-wage jobs have disproportionately burgeoned.” – Harold Meyerson, 40-year slump
  • More companies will take a stand on privacy: they’ll stop using Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, etc...
  • Privacy-focused companies like Fathom Analytics will become more popular.
  • Profitable SaaS companies + wealth founders will turn their attention to climate change
  • Less open startups.
  • Simon Bennett tweet: "Unfortunately, I am stopping publishing SnapShooter numbers from now on."
  • Small retreats > conferences

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Jon talk about:

  • What's happened this year.
  • "You shouldn't be worried about that, but you should be worried about THIS."
  • The SaaS gold rush: “Building, Owning (& possibly Selling) a profitable remote SaaS business is the new American Dream.” – Tyler Tringas
  • It’s harder to get the American Dream these days. “Productivity has increased by 80 per cent, but median compensation (that's wages plus benefits) has risen by just 11 per cent during that time. The middle-income jobs of the nation's postwar boom years have disproportionately vanished. Low-wage jobs have disproportionately burgeoned.” – Harold Meyerson, 40-year slump
  • More companies will take a stand on privacy: they’ll stop using Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, etc...
  • Privacy-focused companies like Fathom Analytics will become more popular.
  • Profitable SaaS companies + wealth founders will turn their attention to climate change
  • Less open startups.
  • Simon Bennett tweet: "Unfortunately, I am stopping publishing SnapShooter numbers from now on."
  • Small retreats > conferences

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 24 Dec 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2299 Predictions for 2020 Predictions for 2020 technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Should you build an audience first? 89 89 Should you build an audience first? full 5d830c41-7a15-4ec9-b21e-3e5fa7d2f493 https://share.transistor.fm/s/dd34bb38 Justin is interviewed by Noah and Ben from the Product Journey podcast:

  • Should you build an audience first?
  • Why finding the right market is the first filter you should use on your idea.
  • Justin also shares some stuff he's changed his mind about this past year.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin is interviewed by Noah and Ben from the Product Journey podcast:

  • Should you build an audience first?
  • Why finding the right market is the first filter you should use on your idea.
  • Justin also shares some stuff he's changed his mind about this past year.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Dec 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2515 Some unpopular opinions on bootstrapping Some unpopular opinions on bootstrapping technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Noah Bragg Ben Mann How did we do on last year's predictions? 88 88 How did we do on last year's predictions? full 3fbeeb24-ad23-4387-8d3b-e6e50774883d https://share.transistor.fm/s/ed245027 Jon and Justin talk about:

  • The new corporate condo in the french alps,
  • Crazy to think about where we were last year when we recorded this episode.
  • Spotify's growing market share
  • What happened to our dynamic content feature?
  • A big rant about Apple Podcasts

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk about:

  • The new corporate condo in the french alps,
  • Crazy to think about where we were last year when we recorded this episode.
  • Spotify's growing market share
  • What happened to our dynamic content feature?
  • A big rant about Apple Podcasts

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 10 Dec 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2644 We tried to see the future We tried to see the future technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What should we do in 2020? 87 87 What should we do in 2020? full 4ff870ae-b3b4-4600-96a6-004775e8b2ab https://share.transistor.fm/s/c040d539 Jon and Justin talk about:

  • American Thanksgiving
  • Is it better for a product to be simple?
  • The benefits of having a "smaller menu."
  • Why we started a private podcast for our advisors and trusted friends
  • "My opinion is you need to grow fast and become THE platform for managing your podcast. Consider raising venture money."
  • But, if we add investment money and a bunch of employees, and then our company is no longer simple.
  • Tired before the holidays; a break will be good.
  • What should we do with this show in 2020?
  • Should we rebuild the customer dashboard using Tailwind?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk about:

  • American Thanksgiving
  • Is it better for a product to be simple?
  • The benefits of having a "smaller menu."
  • Why we started a private podcast for our advisors and trusted friends
  • "My opinion is you need to grow fast and become THE platform for managing your podcast. Consider raising venture money."
  • But, if we add investment money and a bunch of employees, and then our company is no longer simple.
  • Tired before the holidays; a break will be good.
  • What should we do with this show in 2020?
  • Should we rebuild the customer dashboard using Tailwind?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 03 Dec 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2288 Tired turkey talk Tired turkey talk technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Why we stopped sharing our revenue numbers 86 86 Why we stopped sharing our revenue numbers full cbeedce6-944c-4b89-81cf-dc25b59e4d83 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d62c6df3 Jon and Justin talk about:

  • New albums from DJ Shadow and Beck
  • Why we aren't sharing our revenue metrics publicly anymore
  • "Sometimes, you can worry more about your public image, more than actually focusing on the problem in a safe place."
  • Why did Buffer stop sharing their revenue numbers?
  • Three questions we ask:
    • Who is this for?
    • What is it for?
    • How will we evaluate success?
  • New podcast analytics features
  • "The numbers on their own don't really mean anything."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk about:

  • New albums from DJ Shadow and Beck
  • Why we aren't sharing our revenue metrics publicly anymore
  • "Sometimes, you can worry more about your public image, more than actually focusing on the problem in a safe place."
  • Why did Buffer stop sharing their revenue numbers?
  • Three questions we ask:
    • Who is this for?
    • What is it for?
    • How will we evaluate success?
  • New podcast analytics features
  • "The numbers on their own don't really mean anything."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Nov 2019 02:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2375 Should you be an "open startup?" Should you be an "open startup?" technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Throwing computers off a tall building 85 85 Throwing computers off a tall building full 83dc796a-ad86-4349-8698-03dd3299d572 https://share.transistor.fm/s/71af8cfb Jon and Justin talk about:

  • A stressful Rails 6 upgrade (and how it broke the app).
  • We often use data to make decisions, but we don't often examine the underlying data we're using to make decisions.
  • How do we know if our marketing efforts are effective?
  • "What's happened to your data since last quarter?"
  • "If a billion people are listening, but not reacting, does it matter?"

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk about:

  • A stressful Rails 6 upgrade (and how it broke the app).
  • We often use data to make decisions, but we don't often examine the underlying data we're using to make decisions.
  • How do we know if our marketing efforts are effective?
  • "What's happened to your data since last quarter?"
  • "If a billion people are listening, but not reacting, does it matter?"

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 19 Nov 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2479 What happens when you get a bug before bedtime What happens when you get a bug before bedtime technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Why did this take so long? 84 84 Why did this take so long? full 08e4718c-0bb4-4d73-8752-591530460699 https://share.transistor.fm/s/11907e0f Jon and Justin talk about:

  • The launch of the new marketing site: transistor.fm
  • Built using Statamic CMS and with Tailwind CSS
  • Got tons of help from Jack McDade, Adam Wathan, Ben Furfie
  • "Tailwind is really nice. I have to hand it to Adam."
  • Why working in tandem is better than working independently.
  • DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. NO.
  • What's the next thing we're going to focus on?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • New: Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk about:

  • The launch of the new marketing site: transistor.fm
  • Built using Statamic CMS and with Tailwind CSS
  • Got tons of help from Jack McDade, Adam Wathan, Ben Furfie
  • "Tailwind is really nice. I have to hand it to Adam."
  • Why working in tandem is better than working independently.
  • DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. NO.
  • What's the next thing we're going to focus on?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • New: Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Get one month free when you use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS. postmarkapp.com/loves/buildyoursaas
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 12 Nov 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2438 First commit was six months ago!!! First commit was six months ago!!! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Desktop life 83 83 Desktop life full e742af6a-81c3-4059-b128-d77999753c29 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f5fadeb8 What's new with the Transistor team?

  • Justin has a Halloween candy hangover.
  • Desktops vs laptops for dev work.
  • Transitioning from your personal equipment and software to stuff the business pays for.
  • Where are we in our Shape-Up cycles?
  • Our new marketing website is suffering because it's "un-shaped work."
  • The benefits of working with a partner.
  • "I'm realizing how single-threaded human beings are."
  • What does Jon think of Tailwind CSS?
  • At what stage of a customer's business lifecycle should you get them as a customer?
  • How many customers did we get because Basecamp switched to us?
  • "Make software that will be worth using for ten years."
  • New features - how should we communicate those to customers?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • New: Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Check out their new podcast: postmarkapp.com/podcast
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • New: Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What's new with the Transistor team?

  • Justin has a Halloween candy hangover.
  • Desktops vs laptops for dev work.
  • Transitioning from your personal equipment and software to stuff the business pays for.
  • Where are we in our Shape-Up cycles?
  • Our new marketing website is suffering because it's "un-shaped work."
  • The benefits of working with a partner.
  • "I'm realizing how single-threaded human beings are."
  • What does Jon think of Tailwind CSS?
  • At what stage of a customer's business lifecycle should you get them as a customer?
  • How many customers did we get because Basecamp switched to us?
  • "Make software that will be worth using for ten years."
  • New features - how should we communicate those to customers?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • New: Postmark. Postmark delivers your transactional email to customers on time, every time. You'll love their lightning-fast email delivery and developer-friendly features. Check out their new podcast: postmarkapp.com/podcast
  • Clubhouse. Guess who's back? Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Now it's free for teams up to 10 people. clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • New: Eric Lima
  • James Sowers with UserInput.io
  • Travis Fischer
  • Matt Buckley, from Nice Things
  • Russell Brown
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Pradyumna Shembekar (PD)
  • Noah Prail
  • David Colgan
  • Robert Simplicio
  • Colin Gray alitu.com
  • Josh Smith
  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea (Pronounced “Ray”)
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda danbuda.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Kyle Fox GetRewardful.com
  • ProfitWell
  • Postmark – use coupon code BUILDYOURSAAS to get a free month of sending
  • Clubhouse
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 05 Nov 2019 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2522 What does Jon think of Tailwind CSS? What does Jon think of Tailwind CSS? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Limitless growth! 82 82 Limitless growth! full 8fdec877-34e1-4d59-a758-5aa24898c0d8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/47829a40 This is a heavy one! Let us know at @buildyoursaas if you listen to the whole thing.

  • On a micro-scale many folks believe "how much MRR is enough?" is a silly question, because, in our current global economic model, your business has to keep growing (or it will eventually die). (CHURN will kill you)
  • But on a macro-scale, our economic system relies on perpetually increasing:
    • resource extraction
    • population growth
    • energy usage
    • (Not sustainable)
  • As founders, it's hard enough to wrestle with the "normal" issues, much less wrestle with existential questions. But this is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night...
  • "To succeed is to destroy ourselves. To fail is to destroy ourselves. That is the bind we have created." – George Monbiot (Guardian article)
  • A remember Paul Hawken having a brighter take when I read "The Ecology of Commerce" years ago while I was taking my undergrad. I should read it again.
  • “Social theorists often take just one of these moments and view it as the “silver bullet” that causes all change. We have technological determinists (Tom Friedman), environmental determinists (Jared Diamond), daily life determinists (Paul Hawken), labor process determinists (the autonomistas), class struggle determinists (most Marxist political parties), institutionalists, and so on and so forth.”
  • Budgeting over time:
    • Early: we spent as little as we could
    • When we went full-time (April and July): still be lean, but investing in more tools
    • Now: realizing (maybe) its better for us to invest in tools, infrastructure, equipment? Also: better to pay ourselves more?
  • Profit first:
    • We started with: 50% salaries, 15% saved for taxes, 5% profit, the rest expenses
    • Maybe we need to move to: 60% - 70% salaries?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This is a heavy one! Let us know at @buildyoursaas if you listen to the whole thing.

  • On a micro-scale many folks believe "how much MRR is enough?" is a silly question, because, in our current global economic model, your business has to keep growing (or it will eventually die). (CHURN will kill you)
  • But on a macro-scale, our economic system relies on perpetually increasing:
    • resource extraction
    • population growth
    • energy usage
    • (Not sustainable)
  • As founders, it's hard enough to wrestle with the "normal" issues, much less wrestle with existential questions. But this is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night...
  • "To succeed is to destroy ourselves. To fail is to destroy ourselves. That is the bind we have created." – George Monbiot (Guardian article)
  • A remember Paul Hawken having a brighter take when I read "The Ecology of Commerce" years ago while I was taking my undergrad. I should read it again.
  • “Social theorists often take just one of these moments and view it as the “silver bullet” that causes all change. We have technological determinists (Tom Friedman), environmental determinists (Jared Diamond), daily life determinists (Paul Hawken), labor process determinists (the autonomistas), class struggle determinists (most Marxist political parties), institutionalists, and so on and so forth.”
  • Budgeting over time:
    • Early: we spent as little as we could
    • When we went full-time (April and July): still be lean, but investing in more tools
    • Now: realizing (maybe) its better for us to invest in tools, infrastructure, equipment? Also: better to pay ourselves more?
  • Profit first:
    • We started with: 50% salaries, 15% saved for taxes, 5% profit, the rest expenses
    • Maybe we need to move to: 60% - 70% salaries?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 29 Oct 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3325 Wrestling with capitalism, SSO, and our spending Wrestling with capitalism, SSO, and our spending technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns "Launched" with quotation marks 81 81 "Launched" with quotation marks full 1f81b77d-629d-4807-b3f2-badf389e36fb https://share.transistor.fm/s/91a7e1c3 We shipped our new feature!

  • American Express called Justin twice at 5am
  • The new enhanced podcasts feed is live.
  • Pete Marcano: “I’ll be honest, when I listened to the Build Your SaaS episode on this feature being launched, I didn’t really think much of it. Listening to this episode connected the dots. This is awesomely game changing.”
  • Now we’re technically in a “cool down” cycle” - is this how this should feel?
  • When should you push back on customers' feature requests?
  • We're looking into SSO - what a rabbit hole!
  • What happened to Spots.fm?
  • How could we help indie podcasts?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> We shipped our new feature!

  • American Express called Justin twice at 5am
  • The new enhanced podcasts feed is live.
  • Pete Marcano: “I’ll be honest, when I listened to the Build Your SaaS episode on this feature being launched, I didn’t really think much of it. Listening to this episode connected the dots. This is awesomely game changing.”
  • Now we’re technically in a “cool down” cycle” - is this how this should feel?
  • When should you push back on customers' feature requests?
  • We're looking into SSO - what a rabbit hole!
  • What happened to Spots.fm?
  • How could we help indie podcasts?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 22 Oct 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2607 Are we flailing now that our first cycle has ended? Are we flailing now that our first cycle has ended? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What's threatening our business? 80 80 What's threatening our business? full 18ca08d4-6b6c-41df-95fd-6c5f759e5258 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2d11b45e Jon and Justin talk turkey:

  • "I'm not used to all this attention. it’s weird. not bad, just…not used to it."
  • "If you're doing anything interesting out in the world, you're gonna have people get mad about something at some point." – Rob Walling
  • "There's a bit of imposter syndrome; like, do we deserve this?"
  • It's more about the way you orient yourself than setting a specific destination.
  • Bootstrapping podcasts: Art of Product, Bootstrapping SaaS, Slow & Steady, Bright & Early, Build your SaaS, Bootstrapping Web, Startups for the Rest of Us, Getting to Ramen, Bootstrapping Digest, Product Journey.
  • How big is podcasting really?
  • (29:11) – This new season of Gimlet's "Startup" podcast is fascinating: it reveals info about the podcast industry that we just didn't know before. 
  • Halt and Catch Fire – is this show too weird?
  • Podcasting has always grown slowly.
  • What are some of the risks, or threats, to our business?
  • How do podcasters build an audience?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin talk turkey:

  • "I'm not used to all this attention. it’s weird. not bad, just…not used to it."
  • "If you're doing anything interesting out in the world, you're gonna have people get mad about something at some point." – Rob Walling
  • "There's a bit of imposter syndrome; like, do we deserve this?"
  • It's more about the way you orient yourself than setting a specific destination.
  • Bootstrapping podcasts: Art of Product, Bootstrapping SaaS, Slow & Steady, Bright & Early, Build your SaaS, Bootstrapping Web, Startups for the Rest of Us, Getting to Ramen, Bootstrapping Digest, Product Journey.
  • How big is podcasting really?
  • (29:11) – This new season of Gimlet's "Startup" podcast is fascinating: it reveals info about the podcast industry that we just didn't know before. 
  • Halt and Catch Fire – is this show too weird?
  • Podcasting has always grown slowly.
  • What are some of the risks, or threats, to our business?
  • How do podcasters build an audience?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:30:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3269 "All of these eyeballs are giving me anxiety." "All of these eyeballs are giving me anxiety." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns $30k in MRR – how does this feel? 79 79 $30k in MRR – how does this feel? full fe0c1703-7bf1-4f86-9423-a181d2634a1f https://share.transistor.fm/s/8ae07c10 Jon and Justin have a bunch of hot topics this week:

  • Podcast advertising, user tracking, turning away customers?
  • Basecamp switched their podcast (Rework) to us
  • Why Marco Arment gave up on his #1 app
  • $30k in MRR – how does this feel?
  • Shape Up updates: “Small enough to wing it” 

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin have a bunch of hot topics this week:

  • Podcast advertising, user tracking, turning away customers?
  • Basecamp switched their podcast (Rework) to us
  • Why Marco Arment gave up on his #1 app
  • $30k in MRR – how does this feel?
  • Shape Up updates: “Small enough to wing it” 

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 08 Oct 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3074 Hot topics Hot topics technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How do you even sleep at night? 78 78 How do you even sleep at night? full 9f25b0b8-c066-4b65-b751-a5b9f568e110 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e07cd0b3 Sleep. We never get enough:

  • Justin consistently wakes up between 2am-4am and can’t get back to sleep.
  • Jon woke up at 4am. Often reports bad sleeps.
  • Justin asked on Twitter and got tips:
    • Josh Pigford, Baremetrics, says: “CBD oil. Previously I was a very "active" sleeper...talking, getting up, etc. It'd also take me upwards of 30 minutes to get to sleep and I'd regularly wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep. Haven't had any of those issues since using CBD oil.”
    • Scott Bolinger:
      • no caffeine after 10am
      • no work after dinner
      • non-fiction books only at bedtime
      • dark lighting in house hours before bed
      • same schedule every night
      • don’t use alcohol to fall asleep (it’s a sedative, not a sleep inducer)
      • weed blocks REM sleep 
      • I know you’re not drinking, but alcohol and marijuana affect REM sleep.
    • Steven Kovar: "A-Z gratitude" routine. Name something you're grateful for that starts with the letter A. Move on to B. Etc. Never gotten past K.”
    • Wailin Wong, Basecamp: “One small thing that's really helped me is getting a sleep mask (Alaska Bear brand). Temperature of room and limiting blue light exposure.”
    • Resource: Matt Walker, Why We Sleep
      • Regularity: go to bed at the same time, and wake up at the same time.
      • Light: in the last hour before bed, switch off half the lights, no screens
      • Keep it cool: your brain needs to drop its temperature by 2-3 degrees to sleep. The cold pads might work. Warm bath before sleep helps too.
      • Siesta in the afternoon

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Sleep. We never get enough:

  • Justin consistently wakes up between 2am-4am and can’t get back to sleep.
  • Jon woke up at 4am. Often reports bad sleeps.
  • Justin asked on Twitter and got tips:
    • Josh Pigford, Baremetrics, says: “CBD oil. Previously I was a very "active" sleeper...talking, getting up, etc. It'd also take me upwards of 30 minutes to get to sleep and I'd regularly wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep. Haven't had any of those issues since using CBD oil.”
    • Scott Bolinger:
      • no caffeine after 10am
      • no work after dinner
      • non-fiction books only at bedtime
      • dark lighting in house hours before bed
      • same schedule every night
      • don’t use alcohol to fall asleep (it’s a sedative, not a sleep inducer)
      • weed blocks REM sleep 
      • I know you’re not drinking, but alcohol and marijuana affect REM sleep.
    • Steven Kovar: "A-Z gratitude" routine. Name something you're grateful for that starts with the letter A. Move on to B. Etc. Never gotten past K.”
    • Wailin Wong, Basecamp: “One small thing that's really helped me is getting a sleep mask (Alaska Bear brand). Temperature of room and limiting blue light exposure.”
    • Resource: Matt Walker, Why We Sleep
      • Regularity: go to bed at the same time, and wake up at the same time.
      • Light: in the last hour before bed, switch off half the lights, no screens
      • Keep it cool: your brain needs to drop its temperature by 2-3 degrees to sleep. The cold pads might work. Warm bath before sleep helps too.
      • Siesta in the afternoon

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 01 Oct 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2789 A lot of business owners have a hard time sleeping; what can be done about it? A lot of business owners have a hard time sleeping; what can be done about it? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Bootstrapping loneliness 77 77 Bootstrapping loneliness full f453f257-7681-49ff-a2f2-ec8920424637 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7534a93f Jon and Justin discuss a variety of things. Warning: Justin says the f-word twice.

  • 80s trampolines
  • Jon's new microphone: mic + pop filter = $65 USD
  • Transistor's history:
    • 💻 March 2017: first-line of code
    • ✍️ Feb 2018: signed partnership docs 
    • ✉️ March 2018: invited first paying (beta) customers
    • 🎉 Aug 2018: official launch
    • 👨‍💻 April 2019: I go full-time [kind of] ($10k MRR)
    • 👨‍💻 July 2019: Jon goes full-time ($19k MRR)
  • Bootstrapping loneliness. What do you do when you're independent and you're not working for a big company?
  • The risk of "relational churn." People you know will move away, and gradually you'll lose friendships over time.
  • We're starting the 3rd week of our 6-week dev cycle (inspired by Basecamp's "Shape Up"). Justin already wants to ship it. 😜
  • How we're managing new ideas / bug requests without a backlog

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin discuss a variety of things. Warning: Justin says the f-word twice.

  • 80s trampolines
  • Jon's new microphone: mic + pop filter = $65 USD
  • Transistor's history:
    • 💻 March 2017: first-line of code
    • ✍️ Feb 2018: signed partnership docs 
    • ✉️ March 2018: invited first paying (beta) customers
    • 🎉 Aug 2018: official launch
    • 👨‍💻 April 2019: I go full-time [kind of] ($10k MRR)
    • 👨‍💻 July 2019: Jon goes full-time ($19k MRR)
  • Bootstrapping loneliness. What do you do when you're independent and you're not working for a big company?
  • The risk of "relational churn." People you know will move away, and gradually you'll lose friendships over time.
  • We're starting the 3rd week of our 6-week dev cycle (inspired by Basecamp's "Shape Up"). Justin already wants to ship it. 😜
  • How we're managing new ideas / bug requests without a backlog

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 24 Sep 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2277 No safety nets – there's going to be some injuries No safety nets – there's going to be some injuries technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Is it a good idea to be a transparent startup? 76 76 Is it a good idea to be a transparent startup? full 019d488e-b6f7-44e4-954d-6b4a3f6cbee7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b851f247 Jon and Justin discuss:

  • Good mics for podcasters. Justin recommends the Samson Q2U and the ATR2100. Make sure you get a pop filter!
  • Starting our 6-week cycle (based on Basecamp's Shape Up)
  • Working through unknowns for software projects: "Where do we start?"
  • What's it been like being a transparent startup? Is it still a good idea?
  • "It feels less and less comfortable, and I don't know why." – Jon
  • "All people see is the revenue numbers; they don't understand what's happening underneath those numbers." – Justin
  • "Wait a second. Bootstrapped startups are different: the goal isn't to change the way people behave, it's to recognize where people are already in motion."
  • How long should you work on an idea before you quit?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin discuss:

  • Good mics for podcasters. Justin recommends the Samson Q2U and the ATR2100. Make sure you get a pop filter!
  • Starting our 6-week cycle (based on Basecamp's Shape Up)
  • Working through unknowns for software projects: "Where do we start?"
  • What's it been like being a transparent startup? Is it still a good idea?
  • "It feels less and less comfortable, and I don't know why." – Jon
  • "All people see is the revenue numbers; they don't understand what's happening underneath those numbers." – Justin
  • "Wait a second. Bootstrapped startups are different: the goal isn't to change the way people behave, it's to recognize where people are already in motion."
  • How long should you work on an idea before you quit?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Sep 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2679 We've started our 6-week dev cycle. We've started our 6-week dev cycle. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How much MRR is enough? 75 75 How much MRR is enough? full 4e82c429-b333-4e0c-88dd-6f6c14842887 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d55cd13f This week Jon and Justin answer a few questions:

  • From Jason Zook: "How much MRR is enough for Transistor?"
  • From Yaz: "What do you think of this new Supercast thing that helps podcasters start a paid podcast?"
  • How many people are really asking for this?
  • Looking for evidence:
    • "I just bought X."
    • "I just started doing X."
    • "I just switched from X to Y."
    • "My friend uses X, so I tried it."
    • "Using X, but want something like Y."
    • "X is better than anything else I've tried."
    • "It seems like everyone in my Slack is using X."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week Jon and Justin answer a few questions:

  • From Jason Zook: "How much MRR is enough for Transistor?"
  • From Yaz: "What do you think of this new Supercast thing that helps podcasters start a paid podcast?"
  • How many people are really asking for this?
  • Looking for evidence:
    • "I just bought X."
    • "I just started doing X."
    • "I just switched from X to Y."
    • "My friend uses X, so I tried it."
    • "Using X, but want something like Y."
    • "X is better than anything else I've tried."
    • "It seems like everyone in my Slack is using X."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 10 Sep 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2667 Also: will paid podcast feeds be a thing? Also: will paid podcast feeds be a thing? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Change is in the air 74 74 Change is in the air full 8fac852a-6da1-4b1d-a263-cbf3f802432c https://share.transistor.fm/s/c087a4f8 Hear what's new from Jon and Justin on their bootstrapping journey:

  • Nothing like throwing yourself down a mountain when you're tired
  • We're seeing a big increase in support tickets here at the end of August
  • Justin has a theory: more support tickets is leading indicator for an increase in revenue
  • "When people have 'summer brain' they don't want to think about work."
  • Jon's learned some things about how enterprise sales really work
  • Listener Sarah McMullin gave us some great advice on enterprise sales as well
  • Jon tells us about doing the Ironman in Traverse City and how much time he spent in the penalty box
  • How does Slack and Tuple do enterprise billing?
  • We're going to try to use the "Shape Up" philosophy for making business decisions too.
  • Justin's thinking about how Transistor can clarify its positioning: “Who is this for?” “What challenge are they facing?” “How does your product help overcome the challenge?”
  • April Dunford on positioning: the market categories we choose make it easier to market the product. "People make decisions based on what they already know."
  • Dark mode player coming soon!
  • "Unix came about because Bell Labs hired smart people and gave them the freedom to amuse themselves, trusting that their projects would be useful more often than not." – Unix at 50

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Hear what's new from Jon and Justin on their bootstrapping journey:

  • Nothing like throwing yourself down a mountain when you're tired
  • We're seeing a big increase in support tickets here at the end of August
  • Justin has a theory: more support tickets is leading indicator for an increase in revenue
  • "When people have 'summer brain' they don't want to think about work."
  • Jon's learned some things about how enterprise sales really work
  • Listener Sarah McMullin gave us some great advice on enterprise sales as well
  • Jon tells us about doing the Ironman in Traverse City and how much time he spent in the penalty box
  • How does Slack and Tuple do enterprise billing?
  • We're going to try to use the "Shape Up" philosophy for making business decisions too.
  • Justin's thinking about how Transistor can clarify its positioning: “Who is this for?” “What challenge are they facing?” “How does your product help overcome the challenge?”
  • April Dunford on positioning: the market categories we choose make it easier to market the product. "People make decisions based on what they already know."
  • Dark mode player coming soon!
  • "Unix came about because Bell Labs hired smart people and gave them the freedom to amuse themselves, trusting that their projects would be useful more often than not." – Unix at 50

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ActiveCampaign. Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!
  • New: Honeybadger. A web developer's secret weapon! Modern error management that gives you more than an email and a backtrace. They also have an amazing podcast: FounderQuest.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2854 Do you feel it? Do you feel it? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns The constant feature release cycle 73 73 The constant feature release cycle full 555ae2d8-cf61-4d32-87de-b8b88a453c53 https://share.transistor.fm/s/267f822e Jon and Justin share their SaaS journey:

  • "There's so many great feature ideas, but we can't do them all."
  • Jon's wondering about the constant feature request/release cycle
  • “You’re doing a good job if you’re enjoying the journey” - Jason Cohen (on Art of Product)
  • Tweet: “Any other SaaS companies seeing that revenue generally drops in the summer? I thought it was just me.”
  • Nathan Barry: “The summer is historically really slow for us.”
  • Justin is wondering: are enterprise customers worth it? (Des Traynor from Intercom says: "yes")

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell. If you’re earning recurring revenue from Stripe, you need this tool. It will show you all of your business metrics: MRR, LTV, churn. Sign up for free: profitwell.com 
  • ActiveCampaign! Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin share their SaaS journey:

  • "There's so many great feature ideas, but we can't do them all."
  • Jon's wondering about the constant feature request/release cycle
  • “You’re doing a good job if you’re enjoying the journey” - Jason Cohen (on Art of Product)
  • Tweet: “Any other SaaS companies seeing that revenue generally drops in the summer? I thought it was just me.”
  • Nathan Barry: “The summer is historically really slow for us.”
  • Justin is wondering: are enterprise customers worth it? (Des Traynor from Intercom says: "yes")

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell. If you’re earning recurring revenue from Stripe, you need this tool. It will show you all of your business metrics: MRR, LTV, churn. Sign up for free: profitwell.com 
  • ActiveCampaign! Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Mon, 26 Aug 2019 23:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2474 How could we enjoy the journey more? How could we enjoy the journey more? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns WHO DELETED MY CODE?!?! 72 72 WHO DELETED MY CODE?!?! full da0435ec-fe86-4360-a96b-94defe3e6784 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fed343e5 Jon and Justin are tracking a bunch of stuff this week:

  • We're moving from WordPress to Statamic CMS
  • "I had no idea how to set up PHP on my laptop."
  • We want to treat our marketing site the same way we work on our product
  • We're trying to optimize our PageSpeed (our current mobile score is 63, we want to get over 90)
  • "And then you came in a like a magician and lazyloaded the JavaScript"
  • "Collaborative software work is egalitarian. It doesn’t matter who did what, as long as the team is collectively accomplishing something greater than any one person could have done alone." – Jonas Downey
  • Why the pull request is a great social technology.
  • Revenue update: August has been our slowest month (for growth) thus far. Is this a seasonal slow down?
  • Our churn numbers (compared to other SaaS)

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell. If you’re earning recurring revenue from Stripe, you need this tool. It will show you all of your business metrics: MRR, LTV, churn. Sign up for free: profitwell.com 
  • ActiveCampaign! Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are tracking a bunch of stuff this week:

  • We're moving from WordPress to Statamic CMS
  • "I had no idea how to set up PHP on my laptop."
  • We want to treat our marketing site the same way we work on our product
  • We're trying to optimize our PageSpeed (our current mobile score is 63, we want to get over 90)
  • "And then you came in a like a magician and lazyloaded the JavaScript"
  • "Collaborative software work is egalitarian. It doesn’t matter who did what, as long as the team is collectively accomplishing something greater than any one person could have done alone." – Jonas Downey
  • Why the pull request is a great social technology.
  • Revenue update: August has been our slowest month (for growth) thus far. Is this a seasonal slow down?
  • Our churn numbers (compared to other SaaS)

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell. If you’re earning recurring revenue from Stripe, you need this tool. It will show you all of your business metrics: MRR, LTV, churn. Sign up for free: profitwell.com 
  • ActiveCampaign! Get the world's most advanced marketing & sales automation platform. Use the code activecampaign.com/buildyoursaas and get two months free + 2 free One-on-Ones!

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 20 Aug 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2687 Two peanut butter banana sandwiches at 2am Two peanut butter banana sandwiches at 2am technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How we're Shaping Up 71 71 How we're Shaping Up full 2043171b-383f-46f5-8406-982e5d8fb9eb https://share.transistor.fm/s/1ed5d0f4 Justin and Jon have started the process of implementing Shape Up.

  • Lots of folks feel like it’d be hard to implement in their team
    • "This would be hard at my agency."
    • “What about feature requests? Is the idea that you also don't write those down?”
    • “Hmm no backlogs? Maybe I am not understanding some backstory/context? Where do they put ideas, comments, quick bits that they might look at later on”
  • Some backlash against the “cult of Basecamp”
  • But the majority of folks were really interested in Jason’s approach.
  • See how our first "shaping" experiment went.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Jon have started the process of implementing Shape Up.

  • Lots of folks feel like it’d be hard to implement in their team
    • "This would be hard at my agency."
    • “What about feature requests? Is the idea that you also don't write those down?”
    • “Hmm no backlogs? Maybe I am not understanding some backstory/context? Where do they put ideas, comments, quick bits that they might look at later on”
  • Some backlash against the “cult of Basecamp”
  • But the majority of folks were really interested in Jason’s approach.
  • See how our first "shaping" experiment went.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 13 Aug 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2178 Lots of feedback on our last episode with Jason Fried Lots of feedback on our last episode with Jason Fried technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Jason Fried wants to delete our backlog 70 70 Jason Fried wants to delete our backlog full bb933120-8a4c-4da4-95c0-dc66320a2f91 https://share.transistor.fm/s/dd0dc644 Justin and Jon are joined by Jason Fried to talk about:

  • The philosophy behind their new book Shape Up.
  • Does Basecamp's approach to 6-week cycles differ for smaller teams?
  • "Long projects destroy morale. When things don't ship, you get frustrated." – Jason Fried
  • Why projects ship late (it's human nature).
  • Why work is like a hill.
  • How they make product decisions at Basecamp.
  • How do you know what you should work on next?
  • Why they don't believe in backlogs.
  • "That feeling of 'there's nothing to do, but there's everything to do' shouldn't be happening." – Jason Fried
  • "You need a system at some point. When you have two people, you can hack your way to anything. But as soon as you grow, you'll need a system." – Jason Fried
  • "What we have is not a perfect system. And even if it was, we don't execute these things perfectly." – Jason Fried

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Jon are joined by Jason Fried to talk about:

  • The philosophy behind their new book Shape Up.
  • Does Basecamp's approach to 6-week cycles differ for smaller teams?
  • "Long projects destroy morale. When things don't ship, you get frustrated." – Jason Fried
  • Why projects ship late (it's human nature).
  • Why work is like a hill.
  • How they make product decisions at Basecamp.
  • How do you know what you should work on next?
  • Why they don't believe in backlogs.
  • "That feeling of 'there's nothing to do, but there's everything to do' shouldn't be happening." – Jason Fried
  • "You need a system at some point. When you have two people, you can hack your way to anything. But as soon as you grow, you'll need a system." – Jason Fried
  • "What we have is not a perfect system. And even if it was, we don't execute these things perfectly." – Jason Fried

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 06 Aug 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3024 Also: it's our 1-year launchiversary! Also: it's our 1-year launchiversary! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Jason Fried No sleep 'till Brooklyn (what we learned in New York) 69 69 No sleep 'till Brooklyn (what we learned in New York) full e0d59ec4-136c-4c52-969c-7836958848c1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/15699d46 Big week. Justin was in New York and Jon found an office!

  • Justin lost his voice.
  • Jon doesn't work from home or coffee shops anymore.
  • Jon found an office: "It’s inexpensive, but quiet, with nice people in a nice area. Inexpensive enough to where I won’t feel bad if I do want to work elsewhere once in a while."
  • Justin's Spotify visit (very interesting).
  • Laracon conference on Times Square (Justin was the MC and gave a talk)
  • Met with a few customers:
  • Justin also met with his friend Nathan who now works at Happy Cog and went out with a mutual friend (Mike) who introduced him to someone who works for Amazon, and another fellow who does BizDev & Strategy for Sony Music Global.
  • Jon: “This all would have exhausted me!” ;)

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Big week. Justin was in New York and Jon found an office!

  • Justin lost his voice.
  • Jon doesn't work from home or coffee shops anymore.
  • Jon found an office: "It’s inexpensive, but quiet, with nice people in a nice area. Inexpensive enough to where I won’t feel bad if I do want to work elsewhere once in a while."
  • Justin's Spotify visit (very interesting).
  • Laracon conference on Times Square (Justin was the MC and gave a talk)
  • Met with a few customers:
  • Justin also met with his friend Nathan who now works at Happy Cog and went out with a mutual friend (Mike) who introduced him to someone who works for Amazon, and another fellow who does BizDev & Strategy for Sony Music Global.
  • Jon: “This all would have exhausted me!” ;)

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 30 Jul 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3004 Justin visits Spotify, Chartable, and many others. Jon found an office! Justin visits Spotify, Chartable, and many others. Jon found an office! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Once you launch, you're immediately behind 68 68 Once you launch, you're immediately behind full f9d5ffb4-4877-441f-ac01-5cd01407f761 https://share.transistor.fm/s/023c8d87 Justin and Jon are starting to feel that stress.

  • We start with an unscripted bit.
  • Our backlog and todo list are still stressing us out.
  • We want to improve the app, but we get stuck fixing bugs.
  • Justin is going to be at Laracon, NYC.
  • Should we fly less?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Jon are starting to feel that stress.

  • We start with an unscripted bit.
  • Our backlog and todo list are still stressing us out.
  • We want to improve the app, but we get stuck fixing bugs.
  • Justin is going to be at Laracon, NYC.
  • Should we fly less?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 23 Jul 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2626 We want to improve the app, but we're stuck fixing bugs! We want to improve the app, but we're stuck fixing bugs! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Your backlog is making me thirsty 67 67 Your backlog is making me thirsty full d24e6100-dda6-4980-b81b-2219697dca64 https://share.transistor.fm/s/455ec7b9 Justin and Jon dive into the growing backlog of features, bugs and tasks, and talk about how they might better manage it as a two-person team. A big new milestone is reached!

  • Jon had a bit of anxiety over the growing backlog in Clubhouse
  • New ideas were being thrown into an unscheduled list, but weren't yet actionable.
  • Some ideas can be left alone for awhile and revisited to see if they're still worthwhile.
  • Ben Orenstein wants to delete your entire backlog.
  • 6 week cycles like Basecamp does might help out - but what does that mean for a tiny team?
  • We hit $20K in MRR in under a year!

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

  • Basecamp's new online book: Shape Up
  • Ben Orenstein's tweet: "My new consulting engagement: you pay me $10,000 and I delete your project’s backlog while explaining that nothing of value has been lost."

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin and Jon dive into the growing backlog of features, bugs and tasks, and talk about how they might better manage it as a two-person team. A big new milestone is reached!

  • Jon had a bit of anxiety over the growing backlog in Clubhouse
  • New ideas were being thrown into an unscheduled list, but weren't yet actionable.
  • Some ideas can be left alone for awhile and revisited to see if they're still worthwhile.
  • Ben Orenstein wants to delete your entire backlog.
  • 6 week cycles like Basecamp does might help out - but what does that mean for a tiny team?
  • We hit $20K in MRR in under a year!

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

  • Basecamp's new online book: Shape Up
  • Ben Orenstein's tweet: "My new consulting engagement: you pay me $10,000 and I delete your project’s backlog while explaining that nothing of value has been lost."

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 16 Jul 2019 14:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2723 Jon had a bit of anxiety about a growing backlog of new features and ideas. Jon had a bit of anxiety about a growing backlog of new features and ideas. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What if there's an accident? 66 66 What if there's an accident? full df977245-c839-45bf-812c-99ca53c87274 https://share.transistor.fm/s/645bcd04 Now, Justin and Jon share are both focused full-time on Transistor. This week they discuss: 

  • Emotionally processing what it's like leaving a full-time job.
  • What was it like working at the Cards Against Humanity office? What's it like now?
  • Contextual zones: “I noticed that when I entered the library, I was already thinking about reading and writing.” - Kunal Shandilya.
  • Why you need local and online community.
  • What happens if one of us goes hiking in the woods, and there's an accident?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Now, Justin and Jon share are both focused full-time on Transistor. This week they discuss: 

  • Emotionally processing what it's like leaving a full-time job.
  • What was it like working at the Cards Against Humanity office? What's it like now?
  • Contextual zones: “I noticed that when I entered the library, I was already thinking about reading and writing.” - Kunal Shandilya.
  • Why you need local and online community.
  • What happens if one of us goes hiking in the woods, and there's an accident?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 09 Jul 2019 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3212 Also: tips for working on your own. Also: tips for working on your own. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Jon's big announcement 65 65 Jon's big announcement full 808b5892-a24c-4142-b57e-c0c60e688650 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1bdf1087 Jon had some personal news for Justin this week. This week they discuss:

  • What does this mean for the product?
  • What does this mean for us as a team?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon had some personal news for Justin this week. This week they discuss:

  • What does this mean for the product?
  • What does this mean for us as a team?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 02 Jul 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2884 Jon makes an overdue announcement about the future of Transistor. Jon makes an overdue announcement about the future of Transistor. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns I want to work at Transistor.fm 64 64 I want to work at Transistor.fm full d720c00b-d2e4-4ef0-8dee-c6c889e63ac5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e6db10e1 Jon is away, so Justin is tackling these questions:

  • "When you were early on and desperate, were you tempted to take investor money?"
  • "How do you position yourself in a crowded market? What's your marketing plan look like?"
  • "How do you prioritize feature development? Are new features coming from customer feedback, intuition, or some combination of both?"
  • "Are you planning on experimenting with paid acquisition channels?"
  • "How can I get a job at Transistor.fm?"

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon is away, so Justin is tackling these questions:

  • "When you were early on and desperate, were you tempted to take investor money?"
  • "How do you position yourself in a crowded market? What's your marketing plan look like?"
  • "How do you prioritize feature development? Are new features coming from customer feedback, intuition, or some combination of both?"
  • "Are you planning on experimenting with paid acquisition channels?"
  • "How can I get a job at Transistor.fm?"

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 25 Jun 2019 12:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2604 Bootstrapping, starting a software company, getting traction, finding cofounders? Bootstrapping, starting a software company, getting traction, finding cofounders? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns We took funding (from our customers) 63 63 We took funding (from our customers) full fc382aac-30ee-4fce-8941-fbd3fb7dd0db https://share.transistor.fm/s/3d659243 This week, Jon and Justin talk about new developments with Transistor:

  • We've taken over $100,000 in funding (from our customers!)
  • We harken back to July of 2018 (right before our official launch), when Justin was stressed about money.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Jon and Justin talk about new developments with Transistor:

  • We've taken over $100,000 in funding (from our customers!)
  • We harken back to July of 2018 (right before our official launch), when Justin was stressed about money.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2019 12:10:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2817 How we're going to use investment to fuel Transistor's growth How we're going to use investment to fuel Transistor's growth technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns "I can't believe you're using that in production" 62 62 "I can't believe you're using that in production" full dda41eec-925c-40ba-853a-514c660e5a3d https://share.transistor.fm/s/db37db7e More honest updates from Jon and Justin on what it's like to be building Transistor.fm:

  • People can't believe that we're using this in production.
  • Why SaaS feels better than other businesses we've been involved with.
  • "Kubernetes sounds like a Russian swat squad."
  • There's a temptation to over-engineer things; but there's only two of us working on Transistor!
  • The enterprise sales process seems like it's too much for our small bootstrapped company.
  • Looking back, we were wrong about who are customers were going to be.
  • You won't believe what Justin's been sending to customers. 😳

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> More honest updates from Jon and Justin on what it's like to be building Transistor.fm:

  • People can't believe that we're using this in production.
  • Why SaaS feels better than other businesses we've been involved with.
  • "Kubernetes sounds like a Russian swat squad."
  • There's a temptation to over-engineer things; but there's only two of us working on Transistor!
  • The enterprise sales process seems like it's too much for our small bootstrapped company.
  • Looking back, we were wrong about who are customers were going to be.
  • You won't believe what Justin's been sending to customers. 😳

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 11 Jun 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2754 Also: we were wrong about our target market. Also: we were wrong about our target market. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How big of a market should you target? 61 61 How big of a market should you target? full 7a45c10d-d19f-4013-b49f-5cf366f2cf65 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f11dceb1 Jon and Justin share some honest updates about as they continue to build their SaaS (Transistor.fm):

  • Justin swears in this episode.
  • We're half way through 2019!?!
  • Jon is wondering if donuts are big in Canada.
  • Official Transistor start dates:
    • May 2017: actual incorporation date
    • January 2018: Jon and Justin sign partnership documents
    • August 2018: official launch
    • "Some days I feel like I've been doing 
  • Justin thinks business is a lot like fishing.
    • "Transistor's launch has felt different than other products I've been involved with."
  • Jon is debating whether some integrations are worth it: "The nature of the web and APIs are amazing but it sure does take up a lot of resources."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Need to report on your weekly goals and metrics? Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea
  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • ProfitWell.com
  • Redash.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin share some honest updates about as they continue to build their SaaS (Transistor.fm):

  • Justin swears in this episode.
  • We're half way through 2019!?!
  • Jon is wondering if donuts are big in Canada.
  • Official Transistor start dates:
    • May 2017: actual incorporation date
    • January 2018: Jon and Justin sign partnership documents
    • August 2018: official launch
    • "Some days I feel like I've been doing 
  • Justin thinks business is a lot like fishing.
    • "Transistor's launch has felt different than other products I've been involved with."
  • Jon is debating whether some integrations are worth it: "The nature of the web and APIs are amazing but it sure does take up a lot of resources."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.
  • Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Need to report on your weekly goals and metrics? Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.io

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea
  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • ProfitWell.com
  • Redash.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 04 Jun 2019 11:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2953 Transistor's launch has felt different than other products we've been involved with Transistor's launch has felt different than other products we've been involved with technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Four different git branches in various unfinished states 60 60 Four different git branches in various unfinished states full 394a5db7-476b-47e7-9060-aeff50803b29 https://share.transistor.fm/s/75ecf763 Jon and Justin share some honest updates about as they continue to build their SaaS (Transistor.fm):

  • Jon asks: "how do you prioritize with limited resources?"
  • "Working on something for an hour only isn’t really feasible. it takes about 20 minutes just to back into it."
  • Justin is thinking about "the myth of the niche market"
  • This latest revenue update has Jon and Justin scared. 😱

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq is giving a shout out to their ADMIN team members. They are the unsung heroes of any well-run software business, and rarely get any spotlight. Without their tireless work, none of it would be possible. Anna, Joy, Amanda and Natalie: thanks for everything you do. You're the "oil" that keeps our engine running smoothly, but you’re also the oil that completes our Balsamiq dressing! balsamiq.com/company
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea
  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin share some honest updates about as they continue to build their SaaS (Transistor.fm):

  • Jon asks: "how do you prioritize with limited resources?"
  • "Working on something for an hour only isn’t really feasible. it takes about 20 minutes just to back into it."
  • Justin is thinking about "the myth of the niche market"
  • This latest revenue update has Jon and Justin scared. 😱

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq is giving a shout out to their ADMIN team members. They are the unsung heroes of any well-run software business, and rarely get any spotlight. Without their tireless work, none of it would be possible. Anna, Joy, Amanda and Natalie: thanks for everything you do. You're the "oil" that keeps our engine running smoothly, but you’re also the oil that completes our Balsamiq dressing! balsamiq.com/company
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea
  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 28 May 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2741 How do you prioritize with limited resources? How do you prioritize with limited resources? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns You can't put me in a box 59 59 You can't put me in a box full fb172393-343d-4a76-9952-e78868ce585a https://share.transistor.fm/s/55bb5290 Happy Two-Four ya hosers! After a Canadian long weekend, Jon and Justin convene to talk about:

  • Justin thinks non-alcoholic drinks are going to be huge.
  • Jon just shipped an update that puts RSS feeds on a CDN.
  • We're still struggling to "find the time" to work on big features.
  • Building things slowly vs BEING IN A RUSH!

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: You can meet the support team at balsamiq.com/support - they're awesome people.
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea
  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Happy Two-Four ya hosers! After a Canadian long weekend, Jon and Justin convene to talk about:

  • Justin thinks non-alcoholic drinks are going to be huge.
  • Jon just shipped an update that puts RSS feeds on a CDN.
  • We're still struggling to "find the time" to work on big features.
  • Building things slowly vs BEING IN A RUSH!

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: You can meet the support team at balsamiq.com/support - they're awesome people.
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Ivan Curkovic
  • Brian Rhea
  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett 
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 21 May 2019 14:35:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2166 Software engineer? Marketing? Product person? Software engineer? Marketing? Product person? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Wrestling with our company's growth 58 58 Wrestling with our company's growth full 6035f9f7-4c48-4db8-a3ef-fc1568acaa65 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7c3e38a3 Jon and Justin are wrestling with thoughts about growth:

  • "Our current rate of growth is nice: it feels sustainable." – Justin
  • "It feels less sustainable for me, because I'm working a full-time job." – Jon
  • We’re able to keep up with demand, and enjoy the process.
  • There are all these stories about folks whose companies are growing like crazy. They’re just always adding more people, more process, more stress. Do we want that?
  • Peldi tells this story about starting Balsamiq. He said his launch was like “holding on to a rocket ship with his fingernails.”
  • Some folks would say we should be capturing more of the market. There’s this idea that you can’t be satisfied with what you have. That you have to juice every bit of growth you can.
  • But then you’re building all of these dependencies that you have to keep up even when the market goes down.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: If you’d like to help in make Balsamiq Wireframes better, and help them shape the future of wireframing, join their Customer Advisory Board at balsamiq.com/support/makeusbetter
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are wrestling with thoughts about growth:

  • "Our current rate of growth is nice: it feels sustainable." – Justin
  • "It feels less sustainable for me, because I'm working a full-time job." – Jon
  • We’re able to keep up with demand, and enjoy the process.
  • There are all these stories about folks whose companies are growing like crazy. They’re just always adding more people, more process, more stress. Do we want that?
  • Peldi tells this story about starting Balsamiq. He said his launch was like “holding on to a rocket ship with his fingernails.”
  • Some folks would say we should be capturing more of the market. There’s this idea that you can’t be satisfied with what you have. That you have to juice every bit of growth you can.
  • But then you’re building all of these dependencies that you have to keep up even when the market goes down.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: If you’d like to help in make Balsamiq Wireframes better, and help them shape the future of wireframing, join their Customer Advisory Board at balsamiq.com/support/makeusbetter
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 14 May 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2622 Should we aggressively go after the market? Should we aggressively go after the market? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Burn it all to the ground 57 57 Burn it all to the ground full 434f625f-3da5-45a7-b7ec-6028caa753cf https://share.transistor.fm/s/a47b2385 Jon and Justin are back from Portland and wrestling with ideas, bots, and CMSes:

  • Justin's spouse wants to know why we wouldn't sell for $5 million (and each get $2.5 million)
  • Jon found some bot traffic that we need to eliminate from our analytics, and it's giving him a Postgres headache.
  • Justin is trying a bunch of different CMS options: Vapid, Statamic in an effort to get off WordPress.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are back from Portland and wrestling with ideas, bots, and CMSes:

  • Justin's spouse wants to know why we wouldn't sell for $5 million (and each get $2.5 million)
  • Jon found some bot traffic that we need to eliminate from our analytics, and it's giving him a Postgres headache.
  • Justin is trying a bunch of different CMS options: Vapid, Statamic in an effort to get off WordPress.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Miguel Piedrafita
  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 07 May 2019 14:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2940 Would you take $5 million? Would you take $5 million? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Keeping the dream alive in Portland 56 56 Keeping the dream alive in Portland full 1e54e1aa-a58a-4557-8319-19b22605aedd https://share.transistor.fm/s/77d12b19 Jon and Justin do a founder retreat in Portland with Darby Frey and Shay Howe (Lead Honestly). We hashed out some ideas for:

  • How do you start building a really big feature?
  • What does version 1 of our "dynamic content" feature look like?
  • Setting up Mixpanel: creating event triggers, funnels, and onboarding.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin do a founder retreat in Portland with Darby Frey and Shay Howe (Lead Honestly). We hashed out some ideas for:

  • How do you start building a really big feature?
  • What does version 1 of our "dynamic content" feature look like?
  • Setting up Mixpanel: creating event triggers, funnels, and onboarding.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2240 We visit Oregon to answer some big questions about our business. We visit Oregon to answer some big questions about our business. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns The "charge more" debate 55 55 The "charge more" debate full 9ec0f3af-0fb7-4895-9642-11044dbb1ad1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0b5860bd If you're struggling with pricing your app, listen to this episode! Ben Orenstein, Jordan Gal, Patrick Campbell, and I discussed whether "charge more" is always the right answer.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> If you're struggling with pricing your app, listen to this episode! Ben Orenstein, Jordan Gal, Patrick Campbell, and I discussed whether "charge more" is always the right answer.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Shane Smith
  • Austin Loveless
  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 23 Apr 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3536 Ben Orenstein, Jordan Gal, Patrick Campbell, and I discuss SaaS pricing Ben Orenstein, Jordan Gal, Patrick Campbell, and I discuss SaaS pricing technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Ben Orenstein Jordan Gal Taylor Otwell: "PHP (and a cheap laptop) changed my life" 54 54 Taylor Otwell: "PHP (and a cheap laptop) changed my life" full 0eb2c16a-6e52-4d9f-aa2f-f6be4a7249e6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1493e91f Jon is away so Justin called up Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel. In this episode we covered:

  • How Laravel become the most popular backend framework on GitHub.
  • Surprise! Taylor wasn't really into computers before he created Laravel.
  • What was Taylor's motivation? Why did he create this, even though there were other alternatives?
  • What's Laravel's secret? Why did it succeed?
  • How is Laravel a business? How does it earn revenue?
"Before Laravel, there were a lot of programmers that were burnt out on PHP. These folks hated their job. But after Laravel, they enjoyed their job more. It helped them in a personal way."


Here's the timeline we discussed:

  • 2010: Taylor starts working on Laravel.
  • 2011: Taylor launched version 1.0 of Laravel.
  • 2013: Taylor launches an ebook
  • 2013: Start working on Forge
  • 2013: First Laracon conference (90 people)
  • 2014: Launches Forge at Laracon (240 people)
  • 2014: after a month he had 1000 customers, $90k / ARR almost right from launch. (He thought it would maybe make $2-$3k / month). Plans started at $10 / month.
  • End of 2014: decided to go full-time on Laravel.
  • 2015: Full-time on Laravel, developed a competitive nature, really driven to see Laravel 
  • 2015: Launched Envoyer.io 
  • 2016: Launched Spark, as a “SaaS starter kit.”
  • 2016: First full-time employee, Mohamed Said.
  • 2017: Launched Laravel Echo, Passport, Notifications. 
  • 2017: Second hire, 
  • 2018: Laravel Nova.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon is away so Justin called up Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel. In this episode we covered:

  • How Laravel become the most popular backend framework on GitHub.
  • Surprise! Taylor wasn't really into computers before he created Laravel.
  • What was Taylor's motivation? Why did he create this, even though there were other alternatives?
  • What's Laravel's secret? Why did it succeed?
  • How is Laravel a business? How does it earn revenue?
"Before Laravel, there were a lot of programmers that were burnt out on PHP. These folks hated their job. But after Laravel, they enjoyed their job more. It helped them in a personal way."


Here's the timeline we discussed:

  • 2010: Taylor starts working on Laravel.
  • 2011: Taylor launched version 1.0 of Laravel.
  • 2013: Taylor launches an ebook
  • 2013: Start working on Forge
  • 2013: First Laracon conference (90 people)
  • 2014: Launches Forge at Laracon (240 people)
  • 2014: after a month he had 1000 customers, $90k / ARR almost right from launch. (He thought it would maybe make $2-$3k / month). Plans started at $10 / month.
  • End of 2014: decided to go full-time on Laravel.
  • 2015: Full-time on Laravel, developed a competitive nature, really driven to see Laravel 
  • 2015: Launched Envoyer.io 
  • 2016: Launched Spark, as a “SaaS starter kit.”
  • 2016: First full-time employee, Mohamed Said.
  • 2017: Launched Laravel Echo, Passport, Notifications. 
  • 2017: Second hire, 
  • 2018: Laravel Nova.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Simon Bennett - SnapShooter
  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 16 Apr 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3468 How Taylor earns a living from a free, open-source PHP framework called Laravel How Taylor earns a living from a free, open-source PHP framework called Laravel technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Taylor Otwell The market for your startup matters 53 53 The market for your startup matters full f4c494a6-bd8e-45ab-89b8-8a152d238bf1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e2a3bf9a Jon's away! Today I talked to Spencer Fry, from Podia about:

  • How do you find a good startup idea?
  • What are the worst types of companies to start?
  • Should you raise money or bootstrap?
  • Why the target market for your product matters.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon's away! Today I talked to Spencer Fry, from Podia about:

  • How do you find a good startup idea?
  • What are the worst types of companies to start?
  • Should you raise money or bootstrap?
  • Why the target market for your product matters.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

  • Corey Haines
  • Michael Sitver
  • Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis
  • Dan Buda
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Balsamiq.cloud
  • Clubhouse.io
  • GetRewardful.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 09 Apr 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2804 I phoned up Spencer Fry, founder of Podia I phoned up Spencer Fry, founder of Podia technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Spencer Fry When should bootstrappers get paid? 52 52 When should bootstrappers get paid? full f5d58aa4-e775-4cdc-ae8b-deb9bfc2889d https://share.transistor.fm/s/1f2f05ce Recorded on April fools day! Here's what we covered:

  • If you're bootstrapping, when should you get a salary?
  • An update on the worst day ever. (We're fine now)
  • A SPECIAL SURPRISE
  • "It feels like there is this convergence in podcasting and I don’t know what to do about it."
  • Anxiety and insecurity about "missing out on better opportunities."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Recorded on April fools day! Here's what we covered:

  • If you're bootstrapping, when should you get a salary?
  • An update on the worst day ever. (We're fine now)
  • A SPECIAL SURPRISE
  • "It feels like there is this convergence in podcasting and I don’t know what to do about it."
  • Anxiety and insecurity about "missing out on better opportunities."

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.com
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2019 11:10:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2722 When should you take a salary from your startup? When should you take a salary from your startup? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Worst day ever 51 51 Worst day ever full 6f93ce81-21fa-4af8-a810-0c884c837e34 https://share.transistor.fm/s/9b74a8ff On Sunday, we had a service outage. Jon and Justin talk about what happened:

  • TLS / SSL day of horror
  • Sunday morning Justin started getting messages from a few Android users that they couldn’t download episodes.
  • Then, the afternoon hits, and we started getting a flood of tweets, DMs, text messages, and support requests.
  • We talk about how we fixed it, and what we'd like to change for next time.
  • Also: how we're earning 29% of our SaaS revenue. (A channel we didn't expect)

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.
  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> On Sunday, we had a service outage. Jon and Justin talk about what happened:

  • TLS / SSL day of horror
  • Sunday morning Justin started getting messages from a few Android users that they couldn’t download episodes.
  • Then, the afternoon hits, and we started getting a flood of tweets, DMs, text messages, and support requests.
  • We talk about how we fixed it, and what we'd like to change for next time.
  • Also: how we're earning 29% of our SaaS revenue. (A channel we didn't expect)

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.
  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3069 What happens when your app breaks on a Sunday What happens when your app breaks on a Sunday technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Pro athletes are mocking me on the internet 50 50 Pro athletes are mocking me on the internet full ac4f56b0-e4d5-4d58-b980-f0aba74b115c https://share.transistor.fm/s/3ceed2ae Lots of interesting items this week:

  • Justin got a personal message from an NFL player
  • Jon moved everyone over to the new CDN
  • Podcasting has a lot of confusing paradigms for users
  • It took two days of transferring files (just under 1TB)
  • Justin signed up for the Transistor as if he was a customer
  • He live-streamed the whole thing (got tons of good input from live chat)
  • Jon is wondering how we're going to handle hate speech on the platform

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.
  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Lots of interesting items this week:

  • Justin got a personal message from an NFL player
  • Jon moved everyone over to the new CDN
  • Podcasting has a lot of confusing paradigms for users
  • It took two days of transferring files (just under 1TB)
  • Justin signed up for the Transistor as if he was a customer
  • He live-streamed the whole thing (got tons of good input from live chat)
  • Jon is wondering how we're going to handle hate speech on the platform

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.
  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2019 02:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2918 Also: have you signed up for your app with your own credit card? Also: have you signed up for your app with your own credit card? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Do startups need specialists or generalists? 49 49 Do startups need specialists or generalists? full 70fad3a8-fcd1-454e-b8eb-c82cd5dc1e3e https://share.transistor.fm/s/cad84e51 Good stuff this week:

  • Justin wants to know: when's the last time you changed your business' homepage?
  • Jon does a deep dive into Apple's podcasting docs.
  • Justin built a status (uptime) page for Transistor using Tailwind.
  • Jon thinks there is enterprise demand for private podcasts.
  • Justin chats about Startup Kung-Fu.
  • They both chat about specialists vs generalists.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.
  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Good stuff this week:

  • Justin wants to know: when's the last time you changed your business' homepage?
  • Jon does a deep dive into Apple's podcasting docs.
  • Justin built a status (uptime) page for Transistor using Tailwind.
  • Jon thinks there is enterprise demand for private podcasts.
  • Justin chats about Startup Kung-Fu.
  • They both chat about specialists vs generalists.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.
  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:25:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2751 Startup Kung-Fu, enterprise customers, status page, podcasting docs Startup Kung-Fu, enterprise customers, status page, podcasting docs technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Full-on sweatpants mode 48 48 Full-on sweatpants mode full 7270cfd5-025f-42c2-9403-9c20707baac8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ce964e91 Good stuff this week:

  • Jon ran into Myke Hurley at the Cards Against Humanity office.
  • Whether you should work from home or the office.
  • Spotify analytics update in Transistor.
  • How do you feel about "walled gardens?"
  • Sometimes the best plan is to do nothing. Just wait and see what happens.
  • Billing updates for delinquent customers
  • Did someone try to phish us on-air?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Good stuff this week:

  • Jon ran into Myke Hurley at the Cards Against Humanity office.
  • Whether you should work from home or the office.
  • Spotify analytics update in Transistor.
  • How do you feel about "walled gardens?"
  • Sometimes the best plan is to do nothing. Just wait and see what happens.
  • Billing updates for delinquent customers
  • Did someone try to phish us on-air?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.
  • Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 05 Mar 2019 04:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2799 Jon ran into a famous podcasting man Jon ran into a famous podcasting man technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Did we solve our bandwidth cost crisis? 47 47 Did we solve our bandwidth cost crisis? full 08cfdd46-12b5-4e50-aada-fdb20bdab652 https://share.transistor.fm/s/eb44dd2d Jon and Justin share their progress on:

  • The bandwidth / CDN cost problem (and how it might affect our profitability).
  • Marco Arment: "It would cost them probably thousands of dollars a month in bandwidth and CDN costs to host our show."
  • We made a decision on whether we'll take investment now. (Hats off to Earnest Capital, TinySeed, and Indie.VC for offering such great options!)
  • Should founders use their savings to fund their company? What about credit cards?
  • When should we start hiring people?
  • What about government-funded community loans for startups? ~9% interest.
  • Nathan Barry: "You should get a loan when you don’t need it because once you do it won’t be available."
  • Our accountant might be a socialist. ;)
  • Can you really "build something out of nothing?"

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin share their progress on:

  • The bandwidth / CDN cost problem (and how it might affect our profitability).
  • Marco Arment: "It would cost them probably thousands of dollars a month in bandwidth and CDN costs to host our show."
  • We made a decision on whether we'll take investment now. (Hats off to Earnest Capital, TinySeed, and Indie.VC for offering such great options!)
  • Should founders use their savings to fund their company? What about credit cards?
  • When should we start hiring people?
  • What about government-funded community loans for startups? ~9% interest.
  • Nathan Barry: "You should get a loan when you don’t need it because once you do it won’t be available."
  • Our accountant might be a socialist. ;)
  • Can you really "build something out of nothing?"

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Feb 2019 11:50:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2650 And, our accountant might be a socialist ;) And, our accountant might be a socialist ;) technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Counting beans and getting hit by a bus 46 46 Counting beans and getting hit by a bus full cd017b09-299b-43cd-94b9-cf1dfe096a7a https://share.transistor.fm/s/a36d03eb This week, Jon and Justin are wrestling with some heavy startup founder topics:

  • What should your SaaS company's gross margins be?
  • How much is bandwidth going to cost us? How does it affect our margins?
  • Example: [Account A] does 495,000 downloads in a month, average file size is 8 MB, that’s 3960 GB of bandwidth in a month. If bandwidth is $0.01 per GB, that’s $39.60 just for bandwidth for that one account. And that’s if we can get it that cheap. Otherwise, we’d pay $198 on AWS, or Azure. If we used Google Cloud it’d be $316.
  • The burden of keeping our service up rests on Jon's shoulders. How can we reduce the risk?
  • How can we increase platform resiliency, automation, and improve our internal customer service tools?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • GetRewardful.com: Guess what? Affiliates is providing almost 30% of our revenue. Rewardful makes it easy for SaaS companies to start an affiliate program on Stripe.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This week, Jon and Justin are wrestling with some heavy startup founder topics:

  • What should your SaaS company's gross margins be?
  • How much is bandwidth going to cost us? How does it affect our margins?
  • Example: [Account A] does 495,000 downloads in a month, average file size is 8 MB, that’s 3960 GB of bandwidth in a month. If bandwidth is $0.01 per GB, that’s $39.60 just for bandwidth for that one account. And that’s if we can get it that cheap. Otherwise, we’d pay $198 on AWS, or Azure. If we used Google Cloud it’d be $316.
  • The burden of keeping our service up rests on Jon's shoulders. How can we reduce the risk?
  • How can we increase platform resiliency, automation, and improve our internal customer service tools?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • GetRewardful.com: Guess what? Affiliates is providing almost 30% of our revenue. Rewardful makes it easy for SaaS companies to start an affiliate program on Stripe.

Show notes:

You can reply to this podcast here:

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:20:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2914 Justin is worried about bandwidth costs and Jon is worried about getting hit by a bus. Justin is worried about bandwidth costs and Jon is worried about getting hit by a bus. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Is this the best time to start a podcasting startup? 45 45 Is this the best time to start a podcasting startup? full 508613ab-bb33-4ccb-af06-ab1038213767 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f1cffe33 Dave Zohrob, the CEO of Chartable, chats with Justin about bootstrapping a startup in the podcast space. We cover:

  • Why Jon and Justin started Transistor
  • Navigating co-founder relationships
  • How to stand out and build a podcast audience in 2019
  • Our thoughts on Anchor (this was recorded pre-acquisition)

This is a re-broadcast of the Chartable Radio podcast.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Dave Zohrob, the CEO of Chartable, chats with Justin about bootstrapping a startup in the podcast space. We cover:

  • Why Jon and Justin started Transistor
  • Navigating co-founder relationships
  • How to stand out and build a podcast audience in 2019
  • Our thoughts on Anchor (this was recorded pre-acquisition)

This is a re-broadcast of the Chartable Radio podcast.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3079 The CEO of Chartable calls up Justin to talk about bootstrapping and podcasting The CEO of Chartable calls up Justin to talk about bootstrapping and podcasting technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Chris Enns Dave Zohrob Getting real: sharing our founder struggles 44 44 Getting real: sharing our founder struggles full a2cb340d-728a-41f3-86d7-7efceedb2160 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8a919c16 In this episode:

  • Jon and Justin open up about the challenges of bootstrapping "on the side." 
  • How things have gotten harder (in some ways) now that we have customers.
  • Jon is finding it hard to juggle his day job, and getting time to build the "big features."
  • Justin flip-flips back and forth about investment. Would investors and advisors meddle too much?
  • We also discuss the Spotify rumors: buying Gimlet for $200 - $230 million?
  • Also, a theory about why Apple should have made Gimlet an offer.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this episode:

  • Jon and Justin open up about the challenges of bootstrapping "on the side." 
  • How things have gotten harder (in some ways) now that we have customers.
  • Jon is finding it hard to juggle his day job, and getting time to build the "big features."
  • Justin flip-flips back and forth about investment. Would investors and advisors meddle too much?
  • We also discuss the Spotify rumors: buying Gimlet for $200 - $230 million?
  • Also, a theory about why Apple should have made Gimlet an offer.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our monthly supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 05 Feb 2019 14:10:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2596 It's a struggle when you're bootstrapping, but you're not yet full-time. Also: Spotify buying Gimlet for $200 million? It's a struggle when you're bootstrapping, but you're not yet full-time. Also: Spotify buying Gimlet for $200 million? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How to grow your audience 43 43 How to grow your audience full 15d41c27-a550-4b24-b010-ac5080bfbc29 https://share.transistor.fm/s/54fae8b5 In this episode, Jon and Justin discuss the golden rule for growing your audience. This could mean:

  • How to get more paying customers for your software product.
  • How to get more followers on Twitter.
  • How to get more podcast listeners.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Alitu.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Podcastinsights.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this episode, Jon and Justin discuss the golden rule for growing your audience. This could mean:

  • How to get more paying customers for your software product.
  • How to get more followers on Twitter.
  • How to get more podcast listeners.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Alitu.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Dan Ericson
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Podcastinsights.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 29 Jan 2019 10:20:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2543 Want more paying subscribers? More Twitter followers? More podcast listeners? Want more paying subscribers? More Twitter followers? More podcast listeners? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Should startups worry about their competition? 42 42 Should startups worry about their competition? full 63fbb456-5bf7-47e0-b16b-cd2cf154dbf4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ee4263a0 In this episode Jon and Justin discuss talk about how you should think about your software product's competition.

Why you shouldn’t focus on the competition

  • It’s a distraction. The main point by many folks is: “when you focus too much on the competition, it means you’re not focusing enough on your customers.”
  • It causes anxiety.“Last summer, I stopped[reading industry news]. I had just reached the point at which I could feel an unhealthy level of toxicity piling up inside of me. I felt myself getting too involved, too absorbed, and a bit too anxious about what I was missing, and about what I knew or didn't know, but thought I should know. I was checking Twitter too often and reloading sites too often. If someone told me about something I hadn't heard of, I felt like I should have already known about it. Industry news was becoming an addiction.” - Jason Fried
  • It’s too tempting to copy features. “Copying skips understanding. Understanding is how you grow. You have to understand why something works or why something is how it is. When you copy it, you miss that. You just repurpose the last layer instead of understanding all the layers underneath.” – Jason Fried
  • It can lead to feature creep. company A is doing this, company B is doing that, so let’s do them all. also, paralyzing indecision and no real thought about why you’d be building a feature.
“I wouldn’t advocate spending much time worrying about the competition — you really shouldn’t waste attention worrying about things you can’t control — but if it helps make the point relatable, the best way to beat the competition is to last longer than they do.” – Jason Fried


Why you should focus on the competition

  • It’s a way of understanding your customers. You should be aware of why customers are choosing (or not choosing) the competition. 
  • It’s more competitive now. I wrote a post about this.  “It's getting more expensive to build SaaS companies and exits are weak.” Mattermark, 2016. “We're not building these basic CRUD apps like we used to be able to. The stuff's too competitive now.” – Rob Walling. "No one wants to admit it, but the old ‘your product must be 10x better than existing solutions’ trope is dead. I think this is one of the most hostile times for startups that we’ve had, really. Products are better, and competition is enormous." – Zach Holman
  • It’s a way of revealing opportunities. “Everybody's drilling for oil in the same spot because some other guy found oil there already.” – Nick Quah. What’s everyone else missing? Where’s the untapped well?
  • You’re stealing time, attention, and money from somebody, and it’s not always who you think!(Article) When Uber launched, they stole customers from the taxi industry. When the iPhone launched, Apple took customers from Kodak and the film industry.

How to think about the competition

  • SWOT. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What are their opportunities? What are their threats? Do SWOT on yourself too!
  • User interviews. One of the best ways to do user research is to interview folks who are actively using the competition! What brought them to start using it? How’d they find it? What was going on in their life at that time? Why do they keep using it?
  • When people switch. If people switch away from you to a competitor, that’s a great time to ask questions. "The only two people who can give you real feedback about your product are people who just purchased it and people who just canceled.” – Jason Fried
  • Think about how you can outlast them. What are practices you can put in place that will help you outlast the competition? “Whenever a startup goes out of business, the first thing I get curious about are their costs, not their revenues.” – Jason Fried
  • Figure out how you can make things easier.How can you make your app easier to use than the competition?
  • Look for unmet desires. What are the unmet needs of users using competitors’ products? Search Twitter, support forums, etc for instances of people complaining. What are they complaining about?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

]]> In this episode Jon and Justin discuss talk about how you should think about your software product's competition.

Why you shouldn’t focus on the competition

  • It’s a distraction. The main point by many folks is: “when you focus too much on the competition, it means you’re not focusing enough on your customers.”
  • It causes anxiety.“Last summer, I stopped[reading industry news]. I had just reached the point at which I could feel an unhealthy level of toxicity piling up inside of me. I felt myself getting too involved, too absorbed, and a bit too anxious about what I was missing, and about what I knew or didn't know, but thought I should know. I was checking Twitter too often and reloading sites too often. If someone told me about something I hadn't heard of, I felt like I should have already known about it. Industry news was becoming an addiction.” - Jason Fried
  • It’s too tempting to copy features. “Copying skips understanding. Understanding is how you grow. You have to understand why something works or why something is how it is. When you copy it, you miss that. You just repurpose the last layer instead of understanding all the layers underneath.” – Jason Fried
  • It can lead to feature creep. company A is doing this, company B is doing that, so let’s do them all. also, paralyzing indecision and no real thought about why you’d be building a feature.
“I wouldn’t advocate spending much time worrying about the competition — you really shouldn’t waste attention worrying about things you can’t control — but if it helps make the point relatable, the best way to beat the competition is to last longer than they do.” – Jason Fried


Why you should focus on the competition

  • It’s a way of understanding your customers. You should be aware of why customers are choosing (or not choosing) the competition. 
  • It’s more competitive now. I wrote a post about this.  “It's getting more expensive to build SaaS companies and exits are weak.” Mattermark, 2016. “We're not building these basic CRUD apps like we used to be able to. The stuff's too competitive now.” – Rob Walling. "No one wants to admit it, but the old ‘your product must be 10x better than existing solutions’ trope is dead. I think this is one of the most hostile times for startups that we’ve had, really. Products are better, and competition is enormous." – Zach Holman
  • It’s a way of revealing opportunities. “Everybody's drilling for oil in the same spot because some other guy found oil there already.” – Nick Quah. What’s everyone else missing? Where’s the untapped well?
  • You’re stealing time, attention, and money from somebody, and it’s not always who you think!(Article) When Uber launched, they stole customers from the taxi industry. When the iPhone launched, Apple took customers from Kodak and the film industry.

How to think about the competition

  • SWOT. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What are their opportunities? What are their threats? Do SWOT on yourself too!
  • User interviews. One of the best ways to do user research is to interview folks who are actively using the competition! What brought them to start using it? How’d they find it? What was going on in their life at that time? Why do they keep using it?
  • When people switch. If people switch away from you to a competitor, that’s a great time to ask questions. "The only two people who can give you real feedback about your product are people who just purchased it and people who just canceled.” – Jason Fried
  • Think about how you can outlast them. What are practices you can put in place that will help you outlast the competition? “Whenever a startup goes out of business, the first thing I get curious about are their costs, not their revenues.” – Jason Fried
  • Figure out how you can make things easier.How can you make your app easier to use than the competition?
  • Look for unmet desires. What are the unmet needs of users using competitors’ products? Search Twitter, support forums, etc for instances of people complaining. What are they complaining about?

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

]]> Tue, 22 Jan 2019 09:30:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2652 Are your SaaS competitors keeping you up at night? Are your SaaS competitors keeping you up at night? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Marketing tactics for your SaaS: how to get the word out 41 41 Marketing tactics for your SaaS: how to get the word out full d5ee13f7-8575-44d8-b7da-99b7a6c1da6c https://share.transistor.fm/s/39110ed6 We received some product marketing questions from Nirav Mehta: 

  • How to get the word out about your SaaS?
  • Should you pursue partnerships?
  • How can you get distribution for your software product?
  • What marketing channels work best?

Build anticipation before you launch

One big opportunity many folks miss is building up anticipation before they launch. Examples:

  • Adam Wathan and Steve Schoger shared design tips on Twitter and on their blog for 6 months before they released their book, Refactoring UI.
  • Derick Reimer allowed people to “Claim their username” for Level.App before he launched. So far 5,787 people have registered.
  • Ben Orenstein talked about Tuple.app, his new product, on podcasts for months before they launched. 

Build a reputation for being helpful

  • Adam, Steve, Derrick, and Ben also have something else in common: they were consistently helpful to their respective audiences for years before they launched anything.
  • Being helpful now, in forums, on Twitter, in podcasts, on your blog, in your mailing list, at conferences, at meetups, in email, is an investment in your future.
  • It’s an advantage that can’t be easily copied or replicated.

Bake SEO into everything you do

  • The most underrated, and often under-pursued, grow strategy is investing in Search Engine Optimization.
  • “SEO is the biggest growth lever that you have and it's something that you should prioritize." - Ryan Hoover, Product Hunt”
  • Think about it, when people have a desire to solve a problem, what do they do? They Google it! If your product is the answer to people’s question, you want to make sure they can find it on Google. 

Quick SEO tips: 

  1. Explore what questions are asking on: Answerthepublic.com.
  2. Use a tools like Ahrefs.com on your competitors’ sites! See what keywords people are using to find their site, and what their most popular pages are.
  3. Make sure you have Google Search Console set up for your website. They have a new “Performance Report” that will show you what keywords people are using to find your site, and where you could rank better.
  4. Focus on what matters on each page:
    1. Main title - should feature the focus keywords, preferably at the beginning of the title.
    2. Subheader or first paragraph – expanded description, should also feature the focus keywords.
    3. Alt text in images – alt text was designed to show text when an image is not loading properly, or if someone has to use a screen reader. This text is read by Google as any other content.
    4. Meta description – a short, concise (usually 300 characters or less) description of a webpage, shown in search results.
  5. Keep a document on “blog post title ideas.” For example, I can see, through all my research, that “podcast distribution” is a good keyword combination to pursue. So I could write a blog post with the title: “Podcast distribution made easy - 5 steps.”
  6. Write these authoritative guide on a topic. Ben Orenstein noticed that there weren’t any good pair programming guides, so he wrote one! http://learntopair.com. These guides typically get shared a lot, which means you’ll get high quality backlinks to your site (which is important for SEO).
  7. People will also search for “[competitor name] alternatives.” Those are great keywords to target.

The big list of marketing channels:

  • Ads: Facebook Ads, Adwords, LinkedIn ads, etc. 
  • Partnerships: finding influencers that have a similar audience to you, and cross-promoting
  • SEO: getting backlinks to your landing page from other sites, and ranking for certain keywords
  • Content marketing: blogging, infographics, viral videos
  • Platform marketing: engaging in Facebook Groups, on forums, in comments threads
  • Direct mail: sending your prospects stickers, postcards, or letters by post
  • Events: attending tradeshows, conferences, and meetups and handing out business cards (or other swag) with your website address

Things to remember:

  • Marketing doesn't work like a jackpot. You're not going to hit that "one thing" that works and creates an avalanche of sales. Instead of "putting it all on black," it'd be better for you to diversify your marketing investments: you'll get customers from a variety of channels and tactics
  • Marketing is a lot like physical fitness. Small gains every week give you biggest gains in the long term. It's like hitting the gym once on January 1st and expecting to look like Arnold Schwartnegger. You've got to do something every week to get good results overall.
  • Last: for many of you, marketing is a big, hairy, ugly problem. And what's the best way to deal with a big overwhelming problem? Break it into smaller pieces.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

]]> We received some product marketing questions from Nirav Mehta: 

  • How to get the word out about your SaaS?
  • Should you pursue partnerships?
  • How can you get distribution for your software product?
  • What marketing channels work best?

Build anticipation before you launch

One big opportunity many folks miss is building up anticipation before they launch. Examples:

  • Adam Wathan and Steve Schoger shared design tips on Twitter and on their blog for 6 months before they released their book, Refactoring UI.
  • Derick Reimer allowed people to “Claim their username” for Level.App before he launched. So far 5,787 people have registered.
  • Ben Orenstein talked about Tuple.app, his new product, on podcasts for months before they launched. 

Build a reputation for being helpful

  • Adam, Steve, Derrick, and Ben also have something else in common: they were consistently helpful to their respective audiences for years before they launched anything.
  • Being helpful now, in forums, on Twitter, in podcasts, on your blog, in your mailing list, at conferences, at meetups, in email, is an investment in your future.
  • It’s an advantage that can’t be easily copied or replicated.

Bake SEO into everything you do

  • The most underrated, and often under-pursued, grow strategy is investing in Search Engine Optimization.
  • “SEO is the biggest growth lever that you have and it's something that you should prioritize." - Ryan Hoover, Product Hunt”
  • Think about it, when people have a desire to solve a problem, what do they do? They Google it! If your product is the answer to people’s question, you want to make sure they can find it on Google. 

Quick SEO tips: 

  1. Explore what questions are asking on: Answerthepublic.com.
  2. Use a tools like Ahrefs.com on your competitors’ sites! See what keywords people are using to find their site, and what their most popular pages are.
  3. Make sure you have Google Search Console set up for your website. They have a new “Performance Report” that will show you what keywords people are using to find your site, and where you could rank better.
  4. Focus on what matters on each page:
    1. Main title - should feature the focus keywords, preferably at the beginning of the title.
    2. Subheader or first paragraph – expanded description, should also feature the focus keywords.
    3. Alt text in images – alt text was designed to show text when an image is not loading properly, or if someone has to use a screen reader. This text is read by Google as any other content.
    4. Meta description – a short, concise (usually 300 characters or less) description of a webpage, shown in search results.
  5. Keep a document on “blog post title ideas.” For example, I can see, through all my research, that “podcast distribution” is a good keyword combination to pursue. So I could write a blog post with the title: “Podcast distribution made easy - 5 steps.”
  6. Write these authoritative guide on a topic. Ben Orenstein noticed that there weren’t any good pair programming guides, so he wrote one! http://learntopair.com. These guides typically get shared a lot, which means you’ll get high quality backlinks to your site (which is important for SEO).
  7. People will also search for “[competitor name] alternatives.” Those are great keywords to target.

The big list of marketing channels:

  • Ads: Facebook Ads, Adwords, LinkedIn ads, etc. 
  • Partnerships: finding influencers that have a similar audience to you, and cross-promoting
  • SEO: getting backlinks to your landing page from other sites, and ranking for certain keywords
  • Content marketing: blogging, infographics, viral videos
  • Platform marketing: engaging in Facebook Groups, on forums, in comments threads
  • Direct mail: sending your prospects stickers, postcards, or letters by post
  • Events: attending tradeshows, conferences, and meetups and handing out business cards (or other swag) with your website address

Things to remember:

  • Marketing doesn't work like a jackpot. You're not going to hit that "one thing" that works and creates an avalanche of sales. Instead of "putting it all on black," it'd be better for you to diversify your marketing investments: you'll get customers from a variety of channels and tactics
  • Marketing is a lot like physical fitness. Small gains every week give you biggest gains in the long term. It's like hitting the gym once on January 1st and expecting to look like Arnold Schwartnegger. You've got to do something every week to get good results overall.
  • Last: for many of you, marketing is a big, hairy, ugly problem. And what's the best way to deal with a big overwhelming problem? Break it into smaller pieces.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2019 10:30:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2007 Looking for ideas on how to promote your software product? Looking for ideas on how to promote your software product? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Our predictions for 2019 40 40 Our predictions for 2019 full 8e1aac80-0dd1-464f-97a5-733935785cac https://share.transistor.fm/s/ff9f0f7b Jon Buda and Justin Jackson make predictions for the tech industry, the podcasting space, and the startup ecosystem.

Predictions for 2019

  • There will be a global economic downturn. Companies will be looking for more affordable marketing spend. Brands that don't have a strong relationship with their audience will lose.
    • This could be increase the number of companies who invest in podcasting. Audio is still a "good deal" compared to other communication channels.
    • Related: will we see the big “5” (Squarespace, etc) advertising less?
  • 2019 will be the year of non-gaming livestreaming. More programmers, business people, podcasters will be livestreaming. Plus: more audio-livestreaming.
  • Related: Podcasting without editing will become more popular. No intro music. Just recorded live with an outline, and published immediately.
  • Podcasting will grow to 800,000 shows. (Currently ~619,000 in Apple Podcasts)
  • In 2018 Spotify went from 10-25% marketshare of the podcast player market. I think it will grow again to 35%. (Justin admits he was wrong about this tweet).
  • Continued focus on "mindful technology." Very possible that iPhone will have a "dumb phone" mode: only texting, phone calls, and GPS. All other apps will disappear from your homescreen when enabled. 
  • Smart speakers will not have a big effect on podcast consumption. I think they will become more popular, but I don’t see people using them to listen to podcasts. (These folks think it will be big, I disagree. Currently 1% of listenership) 
  • Apple is going to make a big media move to challenge Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It will finally break iTunes apart on desktop. Maybe we'll see a standalone desktop Apple Podcasts app?
  • More branded podcasts and production companies. (example)
  • Dynamic content (outside of advertising) will be bigger.
  • More traditional media brands will buy podcast related IP. Podcasts turning into → TV shows. For example: Homecoming on Amazon Video.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Alitu.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young (new)
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Brand Shouter
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Podcastinsights.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon Buda and Justin Jackson make predictions for the tech industry, the podcasting space, and the startup ecosystem.

Predictions for 2019

  • There will be a global economic downturn. Companies will be looking for more affordable marketing spend. Brands that don't have a strong relationship with their audience will lose.
    • This could be increase the number of companies who invest in podcasting. Audio is still a "good deal" compared to other communication channels.
    • Related: will we see the big “5” (Squarespace, etc) advertising less?
  • 2019 will be the year of non-gaming livestreaming. More programmers, business people, podcasters will be livestreaming. Plus: more audio-livestreaming.
  • Related: Podcasting without editing will become more popular. No intro music. Just recorded live with an outline, and published immediately.
  • Podcasting will grow to 800,000 shows. (Currently ~619,000 in Apple Podcasts)
  • In 2018 Spotify went from 10-25% marketshare of the podcast player market. I think it will grow again to 35%. (Justin admits he was wrong about this tweet).
  • Continued focus on "mindful technology." Very possible that iPhone will have a "dumb phone" mode: only texting, phone calls, and GPS. All other apps will disappear from your homescreen when enabled. 
  • Smart speakers will not have a big effect on podcast consumption. I think they will become more popular, but I don’t see people using them to listen to podcasts. (These folks think it will be big, I disagree. Currently 1% of listenership) 
  • Apple is going to make a big media move to challenge Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It will finally break iTunes apart on desktop. Maybe we'll see a standalone desktop Apple Podcasts app?
  • More branded podcasts and production companies. (example)
  • Dynamic content (outside of advertising) will be bigger.
  • More traditional media brands will buy podcast related IP. Podcasts turning into → TV shows. For example: Homecoming on Amazon Video.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Alitu.com
  • Darby Frey
  • Samori Augusto
  • Dave Young (new)
  • Brad from Canada
  • Kevin Markham
  • Sammy Schuckert
  • Brand Shouter
  • Mike Walker
  • Adam DuVander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Podcastinsights.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2019 11:15:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3506 Why we're not drinking booze this year, and some new year's predictions for tech, podcasting, and startups Why we're not drinking booze this year, and some new year's predictions for tech, podcasting, and startups technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes How to find the right customers for your software business 39 39 How to find the right customers for your software business full 0a6b9fa0-339a-449c-a532-c90eaee2319f https://share.transistor.fm/s/27831803 In this episode, we talk about the different types of customers for a SaaS:

  • B to C: selling to consumers. Here, we'd think of products and services like Verizon, iPhone apps, etc...
  • B to Prosumer: selling to prosumers. Prosumers are power users; serious hobbyists. Sometimes, they earn a bit of money from their hobby. Examples: a photographer who shoots a few weddings a year, a painter who sells a few paintings on the side, or a podcaster who has a few supporters on Patreon.
  • B to Aspirational: selling to aspirational business owners. Rob Walling uses Pat Flynn's "Smart Passive Income" audience as an example. Sometimes called "wantrepreneurs," these are folks who are willing to invest money in their business startup. 
  • B to very small business: selling to solopreneurs, or teams of 2-3.
  • B to small business: this is selling to regular small businesses. Loosely defined as teams of 10-100.
  • B to enterprise: depending on the industry, "enterprise" might mean any company with more than 250 people. However, "large enterprise" is probably 5,000+.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this episode, we talk about the different types of customers for a SaaS:

  • B to C: selling to consumers. Here, we'd think of products and services like Verizon, iPhone apps, etc...
  • B to Prosumer: selling to prosumers. Prosumers are power users; serious hobbyists. Sometimes, they earn a bit of money from their hobby. Examples: a photographer who shoots a few weddings a year, a painter who sells a few paintings on the side, or a podcaster who has a few supporters on Patreon.
  • B to Aspirational: selling to aspirational business owners. Rob Walling uses Pat Flynn's "Smart Passive Income" audience as an example. Sometimes called "wantrepreneurs," these are folks who are willing to invest money in their business startup. 
  • B to very small business: selling to solopreneurs, or teams of 2-3.
  • B to small business: this is selling to regular small businesses. Loosely defined as teams of 10-100.
  • B to enterprise: depending on the industry, "enterprise" might mean any company with more than 250 people. However, "large enterprise" is probably 5,000+.

★ Thanks to our sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.
  • Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2018 22:10:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1908 There are different tiers of customers: B2C, B2B, B2Enterprise. Which is right for you? There are different tiers of customers: B2C, B2B, B2Enterprise. Which is right for you? podcasting, saas, customers, software business, startup, startups, bootstrapping No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Let's chat about the podcast industry 38 38 Let's chat about the podcast industry full 82a8ce0f-7728-4d68-9e29-1cf6235b528f https://share.transistor.fm/s/535e8ab5 Justin gets interviewed by Harry Duran on the Podcast Junkies show, and answers questions about:

  • Is podcasting really having it's moment now?
  • Is now a good time to invest in the podcasting industry?
  • How is Transistor going to be different than other competitors?
  • Who should be starting podcasts right now?
  • Can anyone be a podcaster?
  • Is podcasting a "mindful technology?"

★ Thanks to our two sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Justin gets interviewed by Harry Duran on the Podcast Junkies show, and answers questions about:

  • Is podcasting really having it's moment now?
  • Is now a good time to invest in the podcasting industry?
  • How is Transistor going to be different than other competitors?
  • Who should be starting podcasts right now?
  • Can anyone be a podcaster?
  • Is podcasting a "mindful technology?"

★ Thanks to our two sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2018 18:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2565 Justin is interviewed by Harry Duran on the Podcast Junkies show. Justin is interviewed by Harry Duran on the Podcast Junkies show. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Justin Jackson Chris Enns Harry Duran Why does Jon need a co-founder? 37 37 Why does Jon need a co-founder? full 079f1754-f070-405a-9dd3-f634267d6df2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d0704090 In this episode Jon talks about why he decided to partner with Justin (even though he'd already built the product).

★ Thanks to our two sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In this episode Jon talks about why he decided to partner with Justin (even though he'd already built the product).

★ Thanks to our two sponsors:

  • Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.
  • Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 04 Dec 2018 22:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2553 Jon is tired from all the Black Friday madness. Justin is drinking flavored light beer. Jon is tired from all the Black Friday madness. Justin is drinking flavored light beer. startups, bootstrapping, business No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How did you split equity in Transistor? 36 36 How did you split equity in Transistor? full 0a48969a-15a8-49ca-ae16-c920df07825d https://share.transistor.fm/s/0cf98be3 How did you split equity in Transistor? How do I start a podcast? How do you say Adam's name?

★ Thanks to our sponsor: podcastinsights.com

If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Colin Gray
  • Samori Augusto
  • Mike Walker
  • Brad (from Canada)
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Podcastinsights.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> How did you split equity in Transistor? How do I start a podcast? How do you say Adam's name?

★ Thanks to our sponsor: podcastinsights.com

If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Colin Gray
  • Samori Augusto
  • Mike Walker
  • Brad (from Canada)
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
  • Podcastinsights.com
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2018 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1229 Justin answers listener questions on founder equity splits and more! Justin answers listener questions on founder equity splits and more! technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Interesting ways you can use a podcast 35 35 Interesting ways you can use a podcast full 3db13a56-7cb6-4494-a7cb-474c47a4b34c https://share.transistor.fm/s/f89b377c Why do you want to start a podcast?

Ideas on how you can use your podcast to reach your goals:

  • Private feed just for your team / employees
  • Q&A: get users, customers, audience to leave you a voicemail. Answer 1 question per week.
  • Interview your customers: interview 1 customer per week. Ask them about their business, how they’re using your product.
  • Expert tips: if you’re a professional (lawyer, accountant, coach), give your listeners an actionable piece of advice every week. Give them one thing to improve every week.
  • Read your blog posts: already writing a blog post ever week? Just read it “audible” style for your audience.
  • Recycle your best talks / videos.
  • Conferences: give attendees a private feed of all the talks!
  • Share your journey.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Colin Gray – Alitu.com
  • Samori Augusto
  • Mike Walker
  • Brad (from Canada)
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Why do you want to start a podcast?

Ideas on how you can use your podcast to reach your goals:

  • Private feed just for your team / employees
  • Q&A: get users, customers, audience to leave you a voicemail. Answer 1 question per week.
  • Interview your customers: interview 1 customer per week. Ask them about their business, how they’re using your product.
  • Expert tips: if you’re a professional (lawyer, accountant, coach), give your listeners an actionable piece of advice every week. Give them one thing to improve every week.
  • Read your blog posts: already writing a blog post ever week? Just read it “audible” style for your audience.
  • Recycle your best talks / videos.
  • Conferences: give attendees a private feed of all the talks!
  • Share your journey.

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Colin Gray – Alitu.com
  • Samori Augusto
  • Mike Walker
  • Brad (from Canada)
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta (JOOnta)
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2018 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2735 Ideas on why you should podcast, and how you can use your podcast to reach your goals Ideas on why you should podcast, and how you can use your podcast to reach your goals technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Insulating our recording studio 34 34 Insulating our recording studio full 671f6dda-e568-4c0c-8959-4ed54a0e558d https://share.transistor.fm/s/e02a81aa Jon and Justin respond to the new funding options available for bootstrappers, mainly Earnest Capital.

The GP, Tyler Tringas, told us what types of companies he's looking to invest in:

  1. Organic customer acquisition channels
  2. Low levels of structural churn (ready to stay customers for a long period of time)
  3. Founder is a good fit
  4. Product launched and has revenue
  5. In a space that Tyler feels comfortable with

They're looking for a 3x-5x return from their investment; which they'll take from founder earnings. (Read more about that here)

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Samori Augusto - thebicrowd.com
  • Mike Walker
  • Brad (from Canada)
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin respond to the new funding options available for bootstrappers, mainly Earnest Capital.

The GP, Tyler Tringas, told us what types of companies he's looking to invest in:

  1. Organic customer acquisition channels
  2. Low levels of structural churn (ready to stay customers for a long period of time)
  3. Founder is a good fit
  4. Product launched and has revenue
  5. In a space that Tyler feels comfortable with

They're looking for a 3x-5x return from their investment; which they'll take from founder earnings. (Read more about that here)

Show notes:

What do you think?

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Samori Augusto - thebicrowd.com
  • Mike Walker
  • Brad (from Canada)
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 13 Nov 2018 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2423 Bootstrappers are extending their runway with a new type of funding. Bootstrappers are extending their runway with a new type of funding. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns There's a new funding option for bootstrapped founders 33 33 There's a new funding option for bootstrapped founders full b293fc58-8bad-425e-a3ed-76e3988313a9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/cea77007 Tyler Tringas recently announced Earnest Capital; a new way for bootstrappers to raise money for their startups. 


Should Jon and Justin consider this type of funding for Transistor?

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Mike Walker
  • Brad from Canada
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tyler Tringas recently announced Earnest Capital; a new way for bootstrappers to raise money for their startups. 


Should Jon and Justin consider this type of funding for Transistor?

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Mike Walker
  • Brad from Canada
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 06 Nov 2018 01:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2862 Jon and Justin consider a new early-stage fund called Earnest Capital Jon and Justin consider a new early-stage fund called Earnest Capital technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Tyler Tringas Your startup's expenses are too high 32 32 Your startup's expenses are too high full 863f6b66-b774-403c-8cbe-90d7b6ac56f7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/67219971 How much does it cost to run a SaaS in 2018? We take a look at our bootstrap expenses.

Every business accrues monthly expenses. The danger? Business owners can get in the habit of spending money, believing that "you gotta spend money to make money."

Transistor's expenses

  • Start up:
    • Logo and branding: $2,500 
    • Stripe Atlas: $500
    • Legal: $366.45  
  • Monthly expenses:
    • Editing: $320 / month
    • AWS: $300 / month
    • Media: $60 / month
  • Yearly expenses:
    • Domain: $100 / year
    • Incorporation: $200 / year
    • Accounting: $2k / year

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Brad from Canada
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> How much does it cost to run a SaaS in 2018? We take a look at our bootstrap expenses.

Every business accrues monthly expenses. The danger? Business owners can get in the habit of spending money, believing that "you gotta spend money to make money."

Transistor's expenses

  • Start up:
    • Logo and branding: $2,500 
    • Stripe Atlas: $500
    • Legal: $366.45  
  • Monthly expenses:
    • Editing: $320 / month
    • AWS: $300 / month
    • Media: $60 / month
  • Yearly expenses:
    • Domain: $100 / year
    • Incorporation: $200 / year
    • Accounting: $2k / year

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Brad from Canada
  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2018 04:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3417 It's easy to get carried away with the "you gotta spend money to make money" meme. It's easy to get carried away with the "you gotta spend money to make money" meme. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How'd you get into computers? (Apple II, PC clones, BBSes, CYBERSPACE) 31 31 How'd you get into computers? (Apple II, PC clones, BBSes, CYBERSPACE) full a39b1159-67d9-48b1-a049-e3fb84009073 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5742bfa3 If you used computers in the 80s and 90s you're going to love this episode.

  • Apple IIe in the school computer lab
  • The original Macintosh
  • "I wanted an Amiga so bad!"
  • The BBS scene: Wildcat, Roboboard/FX, being a SySop
  • Compuserve and AOL
  • Tandy 1000, 386, 486, building your own Pentium
  • Fave games: Commander Keen, King’s Quest, Wolfenstein, Doom, Duke Nukem, Raptor, Apogee Games
  • Our first websites: high school swim team website, snowboarding website (with a guestbook)
  • Our first computer businesses

It's a fun one. ;)

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> If you used computers in the 80s and 90s you're going to love this episode.

  • Apple IIe in the school computer lab
  • The original Macintosh
  • "I wanted an Amiga so bad!"
  • The BBS scene: Wildcat, Roboboard/FX, being a SySop
  • Compuserve and AOL
  • Tandy 1000, 386, 486, building your own Pentium
  • Fave games: Commander Keen, King’s Quest, Wolfenstein, Doom, Duke Nukem, Raptor, Apogee Games
  • Our first websites: high school swim team website, snowboarding website (with a guestbook)
  • Our first computer businesses

It's a fun one. ;)

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Darby Frey
  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 4364 Nostalgia! Jon and Justin talk about their "tech origin stories." Nostalgia! Jon and Justin talk about their "tech origin stories." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns You forgot $20,000 in your snowboard pocket 30 30 You forgot $20,000 in your snowboard pocket full 810aaab4-26dd-4f7a-948f-be4b3aced0ad https://share.transistor.fm/s/1ef453e4 Here we are at episode 30! Just found this old 2012 interview with the founder of MailChimp, before they became a $4.2 billion company. This quotes is awesome:


Back in 2001, we had multiple customers who needed help sending their email newsletters. They were using really big, expensive, bloated software. We had some “scrap code” lying around, so we modified the code and turned it into an email newsletter app for them. We opened it up to the public, set up some Google Adwords, and basically forgot about it. Then, in 2005, we noticed it was a better business than our web-dev agency so we decided to take all of 2006 to wind down the agency business and beef up MailChimp’s features. We officially hit the “reset button” in 2007 and became a product company.


More recently, MailChimp was in Forbes:


Ben Chestnut and his cofounder, Dan Kurzius, have both profited richly from their patience. With $600 million in revenue, Mailchimp is in the black and has more than doubled its estimated valuation to $4.2 billion in the last two years, giving Chestnut, 44, and Kurzius, 46, its sole owners, stakes worth $2.1 billion each.


Even more interesting for us:


Mailchimp, launched in 2001 and remained a side project for several years, earning a few thousand dollars a month. Then in 2007, when it hit 10,000 users, the two decided to commit full-time. 


This was the part that surprised me: MailChimp was a side-project for 6 years (earning just a few thousand to start).


Especially interesting in light of this DHH quote I shared in a previous episode:


If it takes five years to get to the point where the business can pay two salaries, it's possible that the business isn't destined for that long-term.


Bootstrappers need to be more patient! (And maybe keep their day job)

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Here we are at episode 30! Just found this old 2012 interview with the founder of MailChimp, before they became a $4.2 billion company. This quotes is awesome:


Back in 2001, we had multiple customers who needed help sending their email newsletters. They were using really big, expensive, bloated software. We had some “scrap code” lying around, so we modified the code and turned it into an email newsletter app for them. We opened it up to the public, set up some Google Adwords, and basically forgot about it. Then, in 2005, we noticed it was a better business than our web-dev agency so we decided to take all of 2006 to wind down the agency business and beef up MailChimp’s features. We officially hit the “reset button” in 2007 and became a product company.


More recently, MailChimp was in Forbes:


Ben Chestnut and his cofounder, Dan Kurzius, have both profited richly from their patience. With $600 million in revenue, Mailchimp is in the black and has more than doubled its estimated valuation to $4.2 billion in the last two years, giving Chestnut, 44, and Kurzius, 46, its sole owners, stakes worth $2.1 billion each.


Even more interesting for us:


Mailchimp, launched in 2001 and remained a side project for several years, earning a few thousand dollars a month. Then in 2007, when it hit 10,000 users, the two decided to commit full-time. 


This was the part that surprised me: MailChimp was a side-project for 6 years (earning just a few thousand to start).


Especially interesting in light of this DHH quote I shared in a previous episode:


If it takes five years to get to the point where the business can pay two salaries, it's possible that the business isn't destined for that long-term.


Bootstrappers need to be more patient! (And maybe keep their day job)

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Wed, 10 Oct 2018 13:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3513 Want to hear a crazy story? Here's a crazy story. Want to hear a crazy story? Here's a crazy story. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns You drew a prototype on that napkin from Portland 29 29 You drew a prototype on that napkin from Portland full 5bd36ce2-634d-4799-b9d0-00cf85ddfcef https://share.transistor.fm/s/b5532384 After one failed attempt, we're back with a new episode. Sorry it's late!

"We, as the customer, are paying people who make apps so that their good work continues."

Responses from last week's episode: "What should our one main metric be for our SaaS?"

  • Adam: “Don’t focus on MRR. That’s a cop out. Focus on increasing downloads.”
  • Daniel: “Justin should get out and sell like crazy.”
  • Colin and others said: “Re-examine your pricing.”

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> After one failed attempt, we're back with a new episode. Sorry it's late!

"We, as the customer, are paying people who make apps so that their good work continues."

Responses from last week's episode: "What should our one main metric be for our SaaS?"

  • Adam: “Don’t focus on MRR. That’s a cop out. Focus on increasing downloads.”
  • Daniel: “Justin should get out and sell like crazy.”
  • Colin and others said: “Re-examine your pricing.”

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 02 Oct 2018 04:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3015 Follow-up on "what's the best metric for a new web app?" Follow-up on "what's the best metric for a new web app?" technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What's the most important metric for a web app? 28 28 What's the most important metric for a web app? full b135d716-343d-4392-a6cc-87c6d2a95254 https://share.transistor.fm/s/394f3d60 What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our Patreon supporters:

  • Kevin Markham
  • Adam Duvander
  • Dave Giunta
Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 25 Sep 2018 05:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2784 When you're building a SaaS, you don't have the bandwidth to focus on everything. So what's the one thing you should focus on? When you're building a SaaS, you don't have the bandwidth to focus on everything. So what's the one thing you should focus on? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns We have some explaining to do 27 27 We have some explaining to do full 7c04f7b4-9209-450f-883c-bfa6ad15293c https://share.transistor.fm/s/1ea30259 Jon and Justin are back from Portland and the XOXO festival.

In the last few weeks we've had a chance to interact with many of our customers in-person:

  • Nate Smoyer – "I’ve been using the podcast as a prospecting tool. Signed one dreams client two weeks ago. Interviewed with one yesterday. Got invited to lead a panel and live podcast for an industry event."
  • Kyle Marshall – Kyle's creating multiple shows for MediaLab in Calgary.
  • Matt Cassinelli and Alex Cox have a new podcast called Supercomputer.
  • Jaime Macías has a great show called Open Tabs.

How big is the podcast market?

  • How many podcasts are there? Over 550,000 shows on iTunes and over 18.5 million episodes.
  • 64% of the US population is familiar with the term “podcasting” – up from 60% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)
  • 44% (124 million) of the US population has listened to a podcast – up from 40% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)
  • 26% (73 million) listen to podcasts at least every month – up from 24% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)
  • 17% (48 million) listen to podcasts weekly – up from 15% in 2017

We recorded this episode live

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are back from Portland and the XOXO festival.

In the last few weeks we've had a chance to interact with many of our customers in-person:

  • Nate Smoyer – "I’ve been using the podcast as a prospecting tool. Signed one dreams client two weeks ago. Interviewed with one yesterday. Got invited to lead a panel and live podcast for an industry event."
  • Kyle Marshall – Kyle's creating multiple shows for MediaLab in Calgary.
  • Matt Cassinelli and Alex Cox have a new podcast called Supercomputer.
  • Jaime Macías has a great show called Open Tabs.

How big is the podcast market?

  • How many podcasts are there? Over 550,000 shows on iTunes and over 18.5 million episodes.
  • 64% of the US population is familiar with the term “podcasting” – up from 60% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)
  • 44% (124 million) of the US population has listened to a podcast – up from 40% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)
  • 26% (73 million) listen to podcasts at least every month – up from 24% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)
  • 17% (48 million) listen to podcasts weekly – up from 15% in 2017

We recorded this episode live

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 18 Sep 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2712 Making software in public – how big is your market? Making software in public – how big is your market? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Your revenue forecast is wrong 26 26 Your revenue forecast is wrong full 65b66a83-3829-43da-bc75-5d1e15d85503 https://share.transistor.fm/s/3d513109 What does "bootstrapping" mean really?

For most folks, bootstrapping means self-funding your business from revenues. It means not taking Venture Capital, not taking Angel funding. It's a little bit of a religion and like so many religions different people have different definitions of what it takes to "fit in." Some people say you can't even take money from friends and family. If you take any outside money, you're no longer a part of the bootstrappers club.

We recorded this episode live

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What does "bootstrapping" mean really?

For most folks, bootstrapping means self-funding your business from revenues. It means not taking Venture Capital, not taking Angel funding. It's a little bit of a religion and like so many religions different people have different definitions of what it takes to "fit in." Some people say you can't even take money from friends and family. If you take any outside money, you're no longer a part of the bootstrappers club.

We recorded this episode live

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2747 Responses from Des Traynor, Jason Cohen, Natalie Nagele, on the Bootstrapper's Paradox. Responses from Des Traynor, Jason Cohen, Natalie Nagele, on the Bootstrapper's Paradox. bootstrapping, bootstrapper No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns The problem with podcasts 25 25 The problem with podcasts full 07f513e4-1113-4a57-ac04-c29880e1e0bf https://share.transistor.fm/s/a69e7ebb Nick Quah shared this in his recent newsletter, commenting about podcasts:

[I have] this feeling that everybody’s drilling for oil in the same spot because some other guy found oil there already.


Nick thinks podcasters have two options:

  1. Build something that does the same thing for the same audience, but do it better. If this is the case, he says, “you better bring it.”
  2. Or, “identify and pursue a pocket of pent-up demand that has yet to be unleashed.”

Note: apologies about Justin's audio in this episode! We'll fix that for next time.

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Nick Quah shared this in his recent newsletter, commenting about podcasts:

[I have] this feeling that everybody’s drilling for oil in the same spot because some other guy found oil there already.


Nick thinks podcasters have two options:

  1. Build something that does the same thing for the same audience, but do it better. If this is the case, he says, “you better bring it.”
  2. Or, “identify and pursue a pocket of pent-up demand that has yet to be unleashed.”

Note: apologies about Justin's audio in this episode! We'll fix that for next time.

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 21 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3196 To make our customers successful we have to help them create entertaining audio. Is that even possible? To make our customers successful we have to help them create entertaining audio. Is that even possible? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What's a good conversion rate for a web app? 24 24 What's a good conversion rate for a web app? full 81e966bb-fed4-4b3b-a76d-89f9ba68925b https://share.transistor.fm/s/064ffcfa SaaS conversation rate cheatsheet:

Credit card upfront:

  • Visitor to trial: 0.75% - 1%
  • Trial to paid: 40% - 60%

No credit card upfront:

  • Visitor to trial: 5%+
  • Trial to paid: 8% - 20%

Transistor's conversion rates since launch:

  • Total traffic since launch: 40,162 unique pageviews, 11,614 visitors
  • Total new trials since launch: 32 (out of 49 active trials total)
  • Conversion %(visitor to trial): 0.3% (should be 0.75% - 1%)
  • Conversion %(trial to paid): 8.9% - 16.7% (should be 40% - 60%)
    • July was 17.9%
    • June was 29.6%
    • May was 48.7%

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> SaaS conversation rate cheatsheet:

Credit card upfront:

  • Visitor to trial: 0.75% - 1%
  • Trial to paid: 40% - 60%

No credit card upfront:

  • Visitor to trial: 5%+
  • Trial to paid: 8% - 20%

Transistor's conversion rates since launch:

  • Total traffic since launch: 40,162 unique pageviews, 11,614 visitors
  • Total new trials since launch: 32 (out of 49 active trials total)
  • Conversion %(visitor to trial): 0.3% (should be 0.75% - 1%)
  • Conversion %(trial to paid): 8.9% - 16.7% (should be 40% - 60%)
    • July was 17.9%
    • June was 29.6%
    • May was 48.7%

What do you think?

Show notes:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 14 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1827 Also: should you ask for credit card upfront? How many signups have we had since launch? Also: should you ask for credit card upfront? How many signups have we had since launch? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Launch week hangover 23 23 Launch week hangover full d29083cf-65fc-4a3d-b96c-27a8428002de https://share.transistor.fm/s/800fb92f What do you think?

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What do you think?

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1672 Still overwhelmed from their launch week hustle, Jon and Justin recorded a phone call to talk about their experience. Still overwhelmed from their launch week hustle, Jon and Justin recorded a phone call to talk about their experience. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns The opposite of bored money 22 22 The opposite of bored money bonus 91ee0128-f329-41f0-b653-a5e062a93a1f https://share.transistor.fm/s/8140d13d In 2013, I interviewed Jason Calacanis, the angel investor.

One of the things I asked him: "Why do venture capital investors take these big risks with their money?" 

"There's a lot of money in the world. There are trillions of dollars just sitting around, and people are bored. The money is bored! Money wants to burn! Money does not want to sit in a safe."


Uh. What an interesting idea: "the money is bored."

Jon Buda and I are bootstrapping Transistor.fm and Spots.fm. We've invested our own money into both of these projects.

When you're self-funding a startup, your money is the opposite of bored. Your money is stressed. You're caught between these two realities: you're investing real time and money into the product, but the product isn't yet giving you anything back.

For example, we're launching Transistor.fm on August 1st.

Right now we have 51 early access customers and $781 in MRR.

Let's say that when we launch on August 1st, we double MRR to $1,500.

To get to $21,000 in MRR (enough for Jon and me to focus on Transistor full-time), it will take five years (assuming 10.0% exponential growth and 5.0% churn).

Five years. 60 months. That's a long time to wait for a paycheque.

There's this tricky tension when you're bootstrapping a SaaS. On one side, you're investing in this product that could be an incredible asset.

If Transistor hits $20,000 a month, that's dependable, recurring revenue.

But on the hand, investing all that time and money in something that isn't a sure bet is a risk.

It's easy to see why bootstrapped founders get stressed. It's easy to see why many experience burnout and have to quit.

That's something Mike and Fred talked about on their podcast, Hit Reply.

Bootstrappers who are building something new have to walk this fine line:

  • We need to invest a considerable amount of effort to launch our product.
  • But we also need money to live, and it can be years before a SaaS can support you full-time.

Which has me thinking about Basecamp.

What Jason Fried and DHH achieved with Basecamp is what most bootstrappers aspire for. Heck, most of us would be happy for even a fraction of their success.

They've long been the example of how you can self-fund a product, bring it to market, grow it, and have it succeed.

But the story many of us are telling ourselves about how they achieved that success isn't quite right.

Yes, they've bootstrapped Basecamp since 2004.

But in 2006 they didn't something a lot of us bootstrappers haven't paid a lot of attention to.

They took investment!

I recently read this interview with DHH on Startup.co. The interviewer asked:

"As you’ve built Basecamp you’ve been very vocal about resisting the temptation of unicorn culture. How have your perspectives changed?"


David's answer is interesting:

It wasn’t without temptation or struggle to stay like this. Especially in the early years, before our bombastic views on venture capital, the IPO rat-race, and other ills of funding were known. We had, I think, close to 50 different VCs get in contact. 

Ironically, part of what did give us the confidence to turn down that whole world was a small sale of equity to Jeff Bezos. That gave our personal bank accounts just enough ballast that the big numbers touted by VCs and acquisition hunters lost their lure.


This is something the bootstrapping culture doesn't think about a lot.

37signals, the poster child of the bootstrapped world, took investment two years after they launched the product.

That Bezos money didn't go into the company. It went into their personal bank accounts.

Jason and David were able to hedge their bets. That Bezos investment removed a lot of the stress and risk that comes from bootstrapping a product.

Bootstrappers have created a religion out of building something from scratch and self-funding the entire thing.

But what if that ideology leads to burnout? Or bankruptcy? Or not being able to go the distance?

Here's David again:

"I really wish that more founders who are on to something could find ways to diversify their accounts just enough to dare go the distance."


It's something we need to think about.

What do you think?

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> In 2013, I interviewed Jason Calacanis, the angel investor.

One of the things I asked him: "Why do venture capital investors take these big risks with their money?" 

"There's a lot of money in the world. There are trillions of dollars just sitting around, and people are bored. The money is bored! Money wants to burn! Money does not want to sit in a safe."


Uh. What an interesting idea: "the money is bored."

Jon Buda and I are bootstrapping Transistor.fm and Spots.fm. We've invested our own money into both of these projects.

When you're self-funding a startup, your money is the opposite of bored. Your money is stressed. You're caught between these two realities: you're investing real time and money into the product, but the product isn't yet giving you anything back.

For example, we're launching Transistor.fm on August 1st.

Right now we have 51 early access customers and $781 in MRR.

Let's say that when we launch on August 1st, we double MRR to $1,500.

To get to $21,000 in MRR (enough for Jon and me to focus on Transistor full-time), it will take five years (assuming 10.0% exponential growth and 5.0% churn).

Five years. 60 months. That's a long time to wait for a paycheque.

There's this tricky tension when you're bootstrapping a SaaS. On one side, you're investing in this product that could be an incredible asset.

If Transistor hits $20,000 a month, that's dependable, recurring revenue.

But on the hand, investing all that time and money in something that isn't a sure bet is a risk.

It's easy to see why bootstrapped founders get stressed. It's easy to see why many experience burnout and have to quit.

That's something Mike and Fred talked about on their podcast, Hit Reply.

Bootstrappers who are building something new have to walk this fine line:

  • We need to invest a considerable amount of effort to launch our product.
  • But we also need money to live, and it can be years before a SaaS can support you full-time.

Which has me thinking about Basecamp.

What Jason Fried and DHH achieved with Basecamp is what most bootstrappers aspire for. Heck, most of us would be happy for even a fraction of their success.

They've long been the example of how you can self-fund a product, bring it to market, grow it, and have it succeed.

But the story many of us are telling ourselves about how they achieved that success isn't quite right.

Yes, they've bootstrapped Basecamp since 2004.

But in 2006 they didn't something a lot of us bootstrappers haven't paid a lot of attention to.

They took investment!

I recently read this interview with DHH on Startup.co. The interviewer asked:

"As you’ve built Basecamp you’ve been very vocal about resisting the temptation of unicorn culture. How have your perspectives changed?"


David's answer is interesting:

It wasn’t without temptation or struggle to stay like this. Especially in the early years, before our bombastic views on venture capital, the IPO rat-race, and other ills of funding were known. We had, I think, close to 50 different VCs get in contact. 

Ironically, part of what did give us the confidence to turn down that whole world was a small sale of equity to Jeff Bezos. That gave our personal bank accounts just enough ballast that the big numbers touted by VCs and acquisition hunters lost their lure.


This is something the bootstrapping culture doesn't think about a lot.

37signals, the poster child of the bootstrapped world, took investment two years after they launched the product.

That Bezos money didn't go into the company. It went into their personal bank accounts.

Jason and David were able to hedge their bets. That Bezos investment removed a lot of the stress and risk that comes from bootstrapping a product.

Bootstrappers have created a religion out of building something from scratch and self-funding the entire thing.

But what if that ideology leads to burnout? Or bankruptcy? Or not being able to go the distance?

Here's David again:

"I really wish that more founders who are on to something could find ways to diversify their accounts just enough to dare go the distance."


It's something we need to think about.

What do you think?

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 562 We're 7 days away from the launch of Transistor. Justin is reflecting on bootstrapping. We're 7 days away from the launch of Transistor. Justin is reflecting on bootstrapping. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Startup advice from Justin Kan, Stephanie Hulburt, and Naval 21 21 Startup advice from Justin Kan, Stephanie Hulburt, and Naval full 9af5d8c2-1461-4bdf-9654-571377dcc4c6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/323e0e16 Three tweets Tuesday

Justin Kan: 


"B2C is a gamble while B2B is (more) within your control."


Stephanie Hulburt: 


"We have a philosophy of “no hard sells” and it has served us well. If someone’s not convinced we move on; we don’t hang on trying to convince one person. It’s tempting to defend yourself, but not good for business."


Naval on making decisions:


"If you can’t decide, the answer is no. If two equally difficult paths, choose the one more painful in the short term. Choose the path that leaves you more equanimous in the long term."

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Three tweets Tuesday

Justin Kan: 


"B2C is a gamble while B2B is (more) within your control."


Stephanie Hulburt: 


"We have a philosophy of “no hard sells” and it has served us well. If someone’s not convinced we move on; we don’t hang on trying to convince one person. It’s tempting to defend yourself, but not good for business."


Naval on making decisions:


"If you can’t decide, the answer is no. If two equally difficult paths, choose the one more painful in the short term. Choose the path that leaves you more equanimous in the long term."

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2018 05:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1790 Which is better: B2C or B2B? When should you walk away from a sale? How do you make difficult decisions? Which is better: B2C or B2B? When should you walk away from a sale? How do you make difficult decisions? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Meet me in Chicago 20 20 Meet me in Chicago full 39bb8fc7-1a22-4056-a325-de40af7172a0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b664390b How to build anticipation for your product launch

  • Have a mailing list! Email them consistently during development.
  • The week of launch you should send the following emails:
    • Pre-launch announcement: "We're launching in a week!"
    • Day before announcement: "The launch is tomorrow. Here's how much it will cost."
    • Launch day email: "We're launched! Sign up here"
    • Day after email: "You've still got time to sign up."
    • Launch discount is ending email: "This is your last chance to register"
  • Use services like Product Hunt, Product Hunt Ship, BetaList, to build anticipation.
  • On Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Instagram: constantly send out product updates.
Building anticipation before you launch is the most underrated tool you have for your product launch.

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Check out these new shows on Transistor:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> How to build anticipation for your product launch

  • Have a mailing list! Email them consistently during development.
  • The week of launch you should send the following emails:
    • Pre-launch announcement: "We're launching in a week!"
    • Day before announcement: "The launch is tomorrow. Here's how much it will cost."
    • Launch day email: "We're launched! Sign up here"
    • Day after email: "You've still got time to sign up."
    • Launch discount is ending email: "This is your last chance to register"
  • Use services like Product Hunt, Product Hunt Ship, BetaList, to build anticipation.
  • On Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Instagram: constantly send out product updates.
Building anticipation before you launch is the most underrated tool you have for your product launch.

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Check out these new shows on Transistor:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 10 Jul 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2158 A change of plans. And, Jon and Justin go over their launch strategy for Transistor. A change of plans. And, Jon and Justin go over their launch strategy for Transistor. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns I see Spots 19 19 I see Spots full 3f6e2540-561a-49cd-92a7-c1e879ae55b6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1d1af46f Jon and Justin are still moving forward with Transistor. We're planning to launch in July. But we're being realistic: this could be a slow-growing business. The good news? We're both okay with that. We talked through different funding scenarios – VCs, fund-strapping, bootstrapping – and realized what really matters is building something meaningful with people we like. In the meantime, Justin is exploring a side project called Spots.fm (think Calendly for podcast sponsorships). The plan is to start manually, helping a few podcaster friends fill their ad slots, before we build any software.

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Check out these new shows on Transistor:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are still moving forward with Transistor. We're planning to launch in July. But we're being realistic: this could be a slow-growing business. The good news? We're both okay with that. We talked through different funding scenarios – VCs, fund-strapping, bootstrapping – and realized what really matters is building something meaningful with people we like. In the meantime, Justin is exploring a side project called Spots.fm (think Calendly for podcast sponsorships). The plan is to start manually, helping a few podcaster friends fill their ad slots, before we build any software.

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Check out these new shows on Transistor:

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2494 After last week's cliffhanger ending, here's the follow-up. What's going to happen next with Transistor? After last week's cliffhanger ending, here's the follow-up. What's going to happen next with Transistor? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Our Voltron needs fuel 18 18 Our Voltron needs fuel full cf455e09-c8c3-4d9f-a86e-f1224685616b https://share.transistor.fm/s/fe34a2fb Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 26 Jun 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1897 Is the honeymoon over? Jon and Justin talk about what's not working with their new startup. Is the honeymoon over? Jon and Justin talk about what's not working with their new startup. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Teaser: I don't want to get crushed by the VC monster 17 17 Teaser: I don't want to get crushed by the VC monster trailer 456bfacc-8607-42a2-a106-8352c8c02cab https://share.transistor.fm/s/cd78d193 Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2018 12:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 68 Next week: Justin and Jon have a hard conversation about startup funding. Next week: Justin and Jon have a hard conversation about startup funding. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Bonus: building a SaaS on the side is hard! 16 16 Bonus: building a SaaS on the side is hard! bonus 0a678572-101c-45c7-b16b-9ab5b97116cf https://share.transistor.fm/s/3f59361f Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 12 Jun 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 1928 Ben Orenstein, Derrick Reimer, and Justin Jackson discuss anxiety, increasing app usage, and tricks for building anticipation. Ben Orenstein, Derrick Reimer, and Justin Jackson discuss anxiety, increasing app usage, and tricks for building anticipation. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Ben Orenstein Derrick Reimer SaaS pricing advice from Rob Walling and Patrick Campbell 15 15 SaaS pricing advice from Rob Walling and Patrick Campbell full c24ebd6b-c960-4835-8971-df16b71de104 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7beca1fd Jon and Justin are probably 1-2 months away from the launch of Transistor.fm. That means we need to figure out pricing.

“In your early stage two things are essential: your customer focus, and your value metric. If you can nail these two things (even if you get everything else wrong) you’re typically fine." – Patrick Campbell


We've both worked in SaaS before, but we're trying to not pretend we know everything. We want to do this right, so we reached out to two experts this week: Patrick Campbell (from Price Intelligently) and Rob Walling (from Drip).

"I can only think of a couple ways to charge more than your competitors. First, have features that no one else has (that people are willing to pay for). Or, you can position yourself differently by saying: 'we are the podcast host for businesses.' Or, you can do high-touch sales. The sales process allows you to charge more." – Rob Walling

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin are probably 1-2 months away from the launch of Transistor.fm. That means we need to figure out pricing.

“In your early stage two things are essential: your customer focus, and your value metric. If you can nail these two things (even if you get everything else wrong) you’re typically fine." – Patrick Campbell


We've both worked in SaaS before, but we're trying to not pretend we know everything. We want to do this right, so we reached out to two experts this week: Patrick Campbell (from Price Intelligently) and Rob Walling (from Drip).

"I can only think of a couple ways to charge more than your competitors. First, have features that no one else has (that people are willing to pay for). Or, you can position yourself differently by saying: 'we are the podcast host for businesses.' Or, you can do high-touch sales. The sales process allows you to charge more." – Rob Walling

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 05 Jun 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2892 We asked Patrick Campbell (Price Intelligently) and Rob Walling (Drip) to help us with our pricing tiers. We asked Patrick Campbell (Price Intelligently) and Rob Walling (Drip) to help us with our pricing tiers. saas, pricing, web app, pricing plans, startup, startups, startup pricing Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Rob Walling Patrick Campbell What does Nathan Barry think of podcast hosting pricing? 14 14 What does Nathan Barry think of podcast hosting pricing? trailer 5b033a65-868d-461c-83ab-5e6e80d1e95a https://share.transistor.fm/s/1b8db7a0 Today's show is not a full episode!

Jon and I have been busy with our day jobs, plus Memorial Day, and didn't have time to record a show.

But, to be honest, this pricing discussion isn't something we can solve in a 30-minute conversation. We've realized it's going to require more research. We need to talk to folks who know more than us.

So that's what we've been doing. This week, I have a call booked with Patrick from Price intelligently, as well as Rob Walling (who just his company Drip).

I'm hoping to get some useful insights on pricing from these folks. Mostly so we don't make the same mistakes that other SaaS companies have made. These chats will also benefit you, the listener, because we'll be sharing as much as we can in future episodes.

As a teaser, I'm going to share a phone call I had with Nathan Barry.  He has one of the fastest growing SaaS products in existence right now: ConvertKit.

They just crossed 1 million dollars in MRR. That's an Annual Run Rate of $12.8 million! They've grown fast, and Nathan's had to learn fast. 

So here are some of his thoughts on the pricing of podcast hosting. 

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Today's show is not a full episode!

Jon and I have been busy with our day jobs, plus Memorial Day, and didn't have time to record a show.

But, to be honest, this pricing discussion isn't something we can solve in a 30-minute conversation. We've realized it's going to require more research. We need to talk to folks who know more than us.

So that's what we've been doing. This week, I have a call booked with Patrick from Price intelligently, as well as Rob Walling (who just his company Drip).

I'm hoping to get some useful insights on pricing from these folks. Mostly so we don't make the same mistakes that other SaaS companies have made. These chats will also benefit you, the listener, because we'll be sharing as much as we can in future episodes.

As a teaser, I'm going to share a phone call I had with Nathan Barry.  He has one of the fastest growing SaaS products in existence right now: ConvertKit.

They just crossed 1 million dollars in MRR. That's an Annual Run Rate of $12.8 million! They've grown fast, and Nathan's had to learn fast. 

So here are some of his thoughts on the pricing of podcast hosting. 

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 29 May 2018 01:05:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 692 Justin shares a phone call he had with Nathan, the founder of ConvertKit. Justin shares a phone call he had with Nathan, the founder of ConvertKit. pricing Yes Justin Jackson Chris Enns Nathan Barry How should we price our SaaS? 13 13 How should we price our SaaS? full a0ca3571-713e-4236-9d2e-8917844a3592 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4b8d8c61 We're hoping to launch Transistor officially in July 2018.

And that means we need to figure out a pricing strategy. What types of tiers and plans should we offer?

SaaS pricing examples:

Patrick Campbell, from Price Intelligently, says there are three aspects of a pricing strategy:

  1. Positioning: who are the right customers for your product? How will you target and attract them?
  2. Packaging: what features are included in each tier? What value does each type of customer want from your product?
  3. Pricing: putting a price on your tiers that reflects the value your customer receives.

Where did we get stuck? Jon and I started by looking at who had signed up for early access to Transistor:

  • Hobbyists – podcasting for fun, two people talking, no advertising.
  • Prosumers – side-project podcasting, may have a bit of income, want to go pro.
  • Solopreneurs – solo founders building smaller tech products. 
  • Small tech teams – teams of 3-10 people building larger software products.
  • Bigger brands / enterprise companies.

This list brought up a question: how do we define our target customer? Is "podcast hosting and analytics for professionals" too broad?

Here's our homework for this week: we're going to let this simmer, we're going to talk to smart people about pricing, and we're going to come back to this next week.

Question of the week:

Tweet to @jon and @mijustin and let us know: how should we price our SaaS?

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> We're hoping to launch Transistor officially in July 2018.

And that means we need to figure out a pricing strategy. What types of tiers and plans should we offer?

SaaS pricing examples:

Patrick Campbell, from Price Intelligently, says there are three aspects of a pricing strategy:

  1. Positioning: who are the right customers for your product? How will you target and attract them?
  2. Packaging: what features are included in each tier? What value does each type of customer want from your product?
  3. Pricing: putting a price on your tiers that reflects the value your customer receives.

Where did we get stuck? Jon and I started by looking at who had signed up for early access to Transistor:

  • Hobbyists – podcasting for fun, two people talking, no advertising.
  • Prosumers – side-project podcasting, may have a bit of income, want to go pro.
  • Solopreneurs – solo founders building smaller tech products. 
  • Small tech teams – teams of 3-10 people building larger software products.
  • Bigger brands / enterprise companies.

This list brought up a question: how do we define our target customer? Is "podcast hosting and analytics for professionals" too broad?

Here's our homework for this week: we're going to let this simmer, we're going to talk to smart people about pricing, and we're going to come back to this next week.

Question of the week:

Tweet to @jon and @mijustin and let us know: how should we price our SaaS?

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes – T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 22 May 2018 01:05:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3433 Jon and Justin try to decide how much to charge for Transistor. Jon and Justin try to decide how much to charge for Transistor. saas, pricing, web app, pricing plans, startup, startups, startup pricing Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Should we make our revenue numbers public? 12 12 Should we make our revenue numbers public? full 2f457f29-6954-401e-9b2a-53c3c51bb012 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0a17498b How transparent of a startup do we want to be?

There's an app called Buffer that really kickstarted the "radical transparency" movement with startups. Over time, they've revealed almost everything: how much their employees make, their company's revenue metrics, their internal emails, and their hiring process.

But is this something that we want for Transistor.fm? Listen to the episode to hear what we decided. ;)

Show notes

T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
★ Please review us in iTunes ★


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> How transparent of a startup do we want to be?

There's an app called Buffer that really kickstarted the "radical transparency" movement with startups. Over time, they've revealed almost everything: how much their employees make, their company's revenue metrics, their internal emails, and their hiring process.

But is this something that we want for Transistor.fm? Listen to the episode to hear what we decided. ;)

Show notes

T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
★ Please review us in iTunes ★


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 15 May 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2781 Jon and Justin debate the pros and cons of being a "transparent startup." Jon and Justin debate the pros and cons of being a "transparent startup." technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How to validate your product idea 11 11 How to validate your product idea full eee15d63-1ff3-43e8-88b9-9059a0f68f49 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4f97cf03 Play this episode | Download MP3

Jon is busy launching our new podcast analytics feature, so this episode features Justin's talk from MicroConf 2018 in Las Vegas.

You need more than product/market fit. You need alignment between you as a founder, your market, and your product.


In this episode, you'll hear Justin's step-by-step approach for:

  1. Identifying who you are, and what you want
  2. Choosing a market
  3. Discovering what they want
  4. Shipping a (small) initial solution

Show notes

T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
★ Please review us in iTunes ★


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Play this episode | Download MP3

Jon is busy launching our new podcast analytics feature, so this episode features Justin's talk from MicroConf 2018 in Las Vegas.

You need more than product/market fit. You need alignment between you as a founder, your market, and your product.


In this episode, you'll hear Justin's step-by-step approach for:

  1. Identifying who you are, and what you want
  2. Choosing a market
  3. Discovering what they want
  4. Shipping a (small) initial solution

Show notes

T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
★ Please review us in iTunes ★


Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 08 May 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2265 Don't waste time and money building something people don't want! Don't waste time and money building something people don't want! saas, web apps, microconf, microconf 2018, justin jackson, justin jackson talk, tech talk, web app Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Live from Las Vegas 10 10 Live from Las Vegas full 7756d016-caba-453c-8fbc-12960d192499 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a30a18e5 Show notes

T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Show notes

T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Wed, 02 May 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2956 Justin shares with Jon what he's learning at MicroConf, a conference for self-funded startups. Justin shares with Jon what he's learning at MicroConf, a conference for self-funded startups. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How to organize your time when your startup is your side-hustle 9 9 How to organize your time when your startup is your side-hustle full ebaac6ca-32a8-4087-8127-d5a0cf8851e5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/573f7d0b What’s been happening?

  • New iTunes review from Shane Smith in Australia: "Keep up the great work. Love hearing the behind-the-scenes part of setting up your SaaS."
  • T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
  • New features inside Transistor:
    • Embeddable players
    • Shareable links
    • Direct MP3 download URL
    • File uploader
  • We've closed early access. Official launch coming soon!
  • Marketing website is almost done
  • We're working on a secret new thing - stay tuned to hear more.

Main topic: organizing your time

  • This will be interesting because we’re coming at it from two different perspectives:
    • Jon works full-time
    • Justin runs his own business
  • What’s hard about it?
    • Jon: I’m other people’s boss. Running the tech team at CAH/Blackbox. So people are depending on me. Blackbox is also a startup that requires a good deal of product decisions day to day. Both are exciting so it’s hard to juggle sometimes!
    • Justin: I’m my own boss. I tell myself what to do. The hardest part right now is Transistor isn’t making money, but it’s the funnest thing to work on.
  • How do you overcome those obstacles?
    • Jon: Two separate Pivotal Trackers and Apple Reminders lists. if I can think of something for Transistor during work I just throw in the list for later. I have to smart about not doing Transistor during the work day and letting my team down. Transistor is mostly relegated to after hours and weekends. 
    • Justin: notepad, I split it into two sections: “MegaMaker” and “Transistor.” I have a Trello for MegaMaker that tracks what my contractors are doing.
  • What does your ideal day look like?
    • Jon: ideally I’m only working on Transistor  in reality, wake up a bit early and see if I missed anything overnight for Transistor. errors, support emails, etc. Go do the fulltime thing. take a break after work to work out or make dinner and then work on Transistor at night a couple of times of week. Ideally I deploy at least something to Transistor everyday.
    • Justin: I’ve realized I really get energy from interacting with people. I recently did this “Strengths finder” test and activities like doing sales, doing demos, interacting with customers, writing, making videos and podcasts, hacking on ideas, building prototypes… these all play to my strengths.
  • Tips for listeners:
    • Define the end result first:“what does your ideal day look like” is a really important question. 
    • Distinguish between big milestones and daily tasks.
    • Have a way of organizing tasks. Try a bunch!
    • Contextual zones. Have a different place to work on your side-hustle.

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What’s been happening?

  • New iTunes review from Shane Smith in Australia: "Keep up the great work. Love hearing the behind-the-scenes part of setting up your SaaS."
  • T-shirt contest!  Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt!
  • New features inside Transistor:
    • Embeddable players
    • Shareable links
    • Direct MP3 download URL
    • File uploader
  • We've closed early access. Official launch coming soon!
  • Marketing website is almost done
  • We're working on a secret new thing - stay tuned to hear more.

Main topic: organizing your time

  • This will be interesting because we’re coming at it from two different perspectives:
    • Jon works full-time
    • Justin runs his own business
  • What’s hard about it?
    • Jon: I’m other people’s boss. Running the tech team at CAH/Blackbox. So people are depending on me. Blackbox is also a startup that requires a good deal of product decisions day to day. Both are exciting so it’s hard to juggle sometimes!
    • Justin: I’m my own boss. I tell myself what to do. The hardest part right now is Transistor isn’t making money, but it’s the funnest thing to work on.
  • How do you overcome those obstacles?
    • Jon: Two separate Pivotal Trackers and Apple Reminders lists. if I can think of something for Transistor during work I just throw in the list for later. I have to smart about not doing Transistor during the work day and letting my team down. Transistor is mostly relegated to after hours and weekends. 
    • Justin: notepad, I split it into two sections: “MegaMaker” and “Transistor.” I have a Trello for MegaMaker that tracks what my contractors are doing.
  • What does your ideal day look like?
    • Jon: ideally I’m only working on Transistor  in reality, wake up a bit early and see if I missed anything overnight for Transistor. errors, support emails, etc. Go do the fulltime thing. take a break after work to work out or make dinner and then work on Transistor at night a couple of times of week. Ideally I deploy at least something to Transistor everyday.
    • Justin: I’ve realized I really get energy from interacting with people. I recently did this “Strengths finder” test and activities like doing sales, doing demos, interacting with customers, writing, making videos and podcasts, hacking on ideas, building prototypes… these all play to my strengths.
  • Tips for listeners:
    • Define the end result first:“what does your ideal day look like” is a really important question. 
    • Distinguish between big milestones and daily tasks.
    • Have a way of organizing tasks. Try a bunch!
    • Contextual zones. Have a different place to work on your side-hustle.

Show notes

★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2910 We both work full-time. Here's how we find time to work on Transistor.fm. We both work full-time. Here's how we find time to work on Transistor.fm. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails Yes Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Startup money 8 8 Startup money full ebc957c1-30fb-4a91-8c29-fee7926991ea https://share.transistor.fm/s/0957e870 Recent news

Main topic: money

  • Should your startup get funding?
  • Quotes:
    • Joel Gascoigne, founder of Buffer: “Easy to sell away your ownership and control without realizing what it will mean. The industry seems to normalize and make people feel like it's a given that they can't grow with their company.”
    • John O’Nolan, founder of Ghost: “This is so important. I had the exact same experience in a startup accelerator. All these wealthy smart people telling me that there was no way to succeed without taking capital. They are VERY good at convincing people of that”
    • “Growing fast and health are nearly mutually exclusive”
  • Pros to funding: it’d be nice to move faster.
  • Cons to funding: you lose control, your forced to move faster than you might like (or need to).

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Recent news

Main topic: money

  • Should your startup get funding?
  • Quotes:
    • Joel Gascoigne, founder of Buffer: “Easy to sell away your ownership and control without realizing what it will mean. The industry seems to normalize and make people feel like it's a given that they can't grow with their company.”
    • John O’Nolan, founder of Ghost: “This is so important. I had the exact same experience in a startup accelerator. All these wealthy smart people telling me that there was no way to succeed without taking capital. They are VERY good at convincing people of that”
    • “Growing fast and health are nearly mutually exclusive”
  • Pros to funding: it’d be nice to move faster.
  • Cons to funding: you lose control, your forced to move faster than you might like (or need to).

Show notes:

★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 17 Apr 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2912 Money: how to get it (and how we spend it). Money: how to get it (and how we spend it). technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns We need to talk 7 7 We need to talk full bf871150-4f6c-4101-8040-92f72bc5b17e https://share.transistor.fm/s/f3e2f886 What’s been happening?

  • Is the Macbook Pro 2013 the best computer ever made?
    • Jon's review of the new Macbook Pro: the screen, the keyboard, the thinness are great. He doesn't like the touchbar, and it crashed a lot initially.
  • Thanks to Bill for the Spotify introduction!
  • We tried out Amazon Transcribe and it was hilarious

Main topic: Partner communication, making decisions

We got a question on Twitter from Dennis Martinez:


“How often do you both keep in touch with each other talking about the product in an average day/week? How important is daily communication?”


Jon and Justin have different decision making styles:

  • Justin is "quick start." He likes to make decisions quickly, and have a fast momentum.
  • Jon is more thoughtful and detail-oriented.


Having this balance is important!

How we communicate:

  • Daily communication: Slack
  • Weekly call: Skype
  • How we make decisions: consensus.

Takeaways

  • This is the benefit of doing a small project before you launch something bigger.
    • Example: where are we going for lunch? (XOXO), what source control are we going to use? (small project we did before Transistor)
  • Partner with someone who is trustworthy, autonomous.
  • Make sure there's enough overlap in your timezone.
  • Ensure your co-founder has enough time to dedicate to the project.

Show notes:


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> What’s been happening?

  • Is the Macbook Pro 2013 the best computer ever made?
    • Jon's review of the new Macbook Pro: the screen, the keyboard, the thinness are great. He doesn't like the touchbar, and it crashed a lot initially.
  • Thanks to Bill for the Spotify introduction!
  • We tried out Amazon Transcribe and it was hilarious

Main topic: Partner communication, making decisions

We got a question on Twitter from Dennis Martinez:


“How often do you both keep in touch with each other talking about the product in an average day/week? How important is daily communication?”


Jon and Justin have different decision making styles:

  • Justin is "quick start." He likes to make decisions quickly, and have a fast momentum.
  • Jon is more thoughtful and detail-oriented.


Having this balance is important!

How we communicate:

  • Daily communication: Slack
  • Weekly call: Skype
  • How we make decisions: consensus.

Takeaways

  • This is the benefit of doing a small project before you launch something bigger.
    • Example: where are we going for lunch? (XOXO), what source control are we going to use? (small project we did before Transistor)
  • Partner with someone who is trustworthy, autonomous.
  • Make sure there's enough overlap in your timezone.
  • Ensure your co-founder has enough time to dedicate to the project.

Show notes:


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2238 How to communicate (and make decisions) with your co-founder. How to communicate (and make decisions) with your co-founder. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns My teenager wants to play Dungeons & Dragons 6 6 My teenager wants to play Dungeons & Dragons full 5d5ffe6a-c0c1-4d3c-b0a3-7673811a8bdb https://share.transistor.fm/s/16b30641 Jon and Justin discuss "Why did we choose podcasting? And why now?" Picking the right idea, the right market, and having the right timing is crucial.

Current trends we've noticed:

  • Dungeons and Dragons is getting popular again. Maybe because of Stranger Things?
  • Podcasting, and branded podcasts, continue to grow in popularity. Increasingly, I'm hearing folks talk about the Tim Ferriss podcast in coffee shops. Instead of asking "What are you reading?" folks are asking "What podcasts are you listening to?"


Qualitative evidence almost always comes before quantitative evidence.


Show notes:


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon and Justin discuss "Why did we choose podcasting? And why now?" Picking the right idea, the right market, and having the right timing is crucial.

Current trends we've noticed:

  • Dungeons and Dragons is getting popular again. Maybe because of Stranger Things?
  • Podcasting, and branded podcasts, continue to grow in popularity. Increasingly, I'm hearing folks talk about the Tim Ferriss podcast in coffee shops. Instead of asking "What are you reading?" folks are asking "What podcasts are you listening to?"


Qualitative evidence almost always comes before quantitative evidence.


Show notes:


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3126 How do you know what product idea to pursue? How do you know what product idea to pursue? saas, web apps, web app, software, software as a service No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns Six screens and a power glove 5 5 Six screens and a power glove full 71576a9a-ecd1-4d26-88ae-68eb09bdfd92 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8714fb82 This episode is sponsored by Bullet Train. If you’re building a SaaS in Ruby on Rails stop what you’re doing right now, and visit BulletTrain.co.

You asked us:

"What's your tech stack for Transistor?"

In this episode, Jon goes into the nerd stuff. What programming language, frameworks, and infrastructure we're using to build our SaaS.

What we recommend:

  • Programming language: use what you know!
  • Make sure you can connect to the community (both local and on the web)
  • Hosting: use Heroku if you don’t have DevOps experience, AWS is great if you know how to configure it
  • Database: MySQL is fine, we use Postgres (good community + features)
  • Design framework: Semantic UI, or Bootstrap
  • Repos: GitHub
  • Most important: Get something running as quickly as you can (and into the hands of customers!).

Show notes:


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> This episode is sponsored by Bullet Train. If you’re building a SaaS in Ruby on Rails stop what you’re doing right now, and visit BulletTrain.co.

You asked us:

"What's your tech stack for Transistor?"

In this episode, Jon goes into the nerd stuff. What programming language, frameworks, and infrastructure we're using to build our SaaS.

What we recommend:

  • Programming language: use what you know!
  • Make sure you can connect to the community (both local and on the web)
  • Hosting: use Heroku if you don’t have DevOps experience, AWS is great if you know how to configure it
  • Database: MySQL is fine, we use Postgres (good community + features)
  • Design framework: Semantic UI, or Bootstrap
  • Repos: GitHub
  • Most important: Get something running as quickly as you can (and into the hands of customers!).

Show notes:


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 27 Mar 2018 01:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 3391 Why we’re using Ruby on Rails in 2018, and Justin's hilarious live chat experience. Why we’re using Ruby on Rails in 2018, and Justin's hilarious live chat experience. technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What are you scared of? 4 4 What are you scared of? full 2be7de9d-a526-48ef-9cdd-fd7a993bd400 https://share.transistor.fm/s/719c53da News


  • We’ve opened up early access! We’ve been inviting people by email.
  • We currently have 15 shows on our platform. In four months, we’ve served 2,335,033 downloads!
  • So far: great feedback and feature requests.
  • We have a bunch of folks in our trial funnel. We’ll start seeing whether people convert to paying accounts on April 6.
  • XOXO is back!


Top fears when you're building a SaaS


  • Can our servers handle the load? (So far, so good: over 2 million downloads)
  • Will the user experience be good?
  • Are we building the right tools?
  • Uptime. There's this added layer of stress, because you don't want to let users down.
  • Lack of time to build an app on the side.
  • Or, working too much and burning out!


Two co-founders can't go out drinking the same night, unless they're in the same room. 😜


How to get over your fears


  • Don't focus on your competition; focus on your customers!
  • Listen to your customers. Get on the phone with them. Read their emails. Do live chat.
  • Get paying customers as soon as you can. Listen to their feedback.
  • Your ego is the enemy. You're putting your product out into the world so people get value from it.
  • Put things in context: sure, this might not work out. But that's not the worst thing that could happen.


How to get over your fears?

Send us a tweet (@transistorfm), or email us: shows@transistor.fm. We'd love your audio clips as well!


Links


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> News


  • We’ve opened up early access! We’ve been inviting people by email.
  • We currently have 15 shows on our platform. In four months, we’ve served 2,335,033 downloads!
  • So far: great feedback and feature requests.
  • We have a bunch of folks in our trial funnel. We’ll start seeing whether people convert to paying accounts on April 6.
  • XOXO is back!


Top fears when you're building a SaaS


  • Can our servers handle the load? (So far, so good: over 2 million downloads)
  • Will the user experience be good?
  • Are we building the right tools?
  • Uptime. There's this added layer of stress, because you don't want to let users down.
  • Lack of time to build an app on the side.
  • Or, working too much and burning out!


Two co-founders can't go out drinking the same night, unless they're in the same room. 😜


How to get over your fears


  • Don't focus on your competition; focus on your customers!
  • Listen to your customers. Get on the phone with them. Read their emails. Do live chat.
  • Get paying customers as soon as you can. Listen to their feedback.
  • Your ego is the enemy. You're putting your product out into the world so people get value from it.
  • Put things in context: sure, this might not work out. But that's not the worst thing that could happen.


How to get over your fears?

Send us a tweet (@transistorfm), or email us: shows@transistor.fm. We'd love your audio clips as well!


Links


★ Please review us in iTunes ★

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 20 Mar 2018 01:05:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2675 When you're running a web app, there are worries that keep you up at night. When you're running a web app, there are worries that keep you up at night. saas, web apps, web app, software, software as a service No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns I want Castle Grayskull 3 3 I want Castle Grayskull full faa4e00d-a711-4414-829e-6d7cda2c0b29 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2d43e908 A story

In 1999, Basecamp started a blog called Signal vs Noise, which they billed as “Strong opinions and shared thoughts on design, business, and tech.”

It had a huge impact on their business. By 2009, over 100,000 people were subscribed. Later, in their best-selling book Rework, they said:

“When you build an audience, you don’t have to buy people’s attention – they give it to you. This is a huge advantage. So build an audience. Speak, write a blog, tweet, make videos – whatever.”


Nowadays, it’s harder than ever to get people’s attention. Channels are saturated. There’s enormous competition. And many folks are growing feel overwhelmed by all the content.

So what’s Basecamp doing in 2018 to build their audience? They're focusing a lot of their energy on their new podcast, also called Rework.

What we learned

Businesses like Basecamp, eBay, and Code Pen have discovered the power of having a branded podcast. There are lots of challenges: creating and syndicating the feed, creating a compelling podcast website, producing a regular show, and calculating ROI.

So we want to make Transistor the best way to create a podcast for your business.

We already have our first paying customer: Cards Against Humanity. Their show, The Good News Podcast, which is hosted on Transistor.

"Branded content" sounds like a really dirty word. But it doesn't have to be.

Focusing on businesses, rather than DIY or hobbyist podcasts, has some advantages:

  • Businesses have more money to spend, and they value their time more.
  • Many hobbyists are looking for the lowest price. Businesses don't mind paying more if there's value.
  • Businesses are highly motivated to spend money when it helps them make progress.


What We Urge You to Do

When you're building a new product, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Why would someone use my product over what's already out there in the market?
  2. What opportunities exist in this market?
  3. What advantages do I have?


Links

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> A story

In 1999, Basecamp started a blog called Signal vs Noise, which they billed as “Strong opinions and shared thoughts on design, business, and tech.”

It had a huge impact on their business. By 2009, over 100,000 people were subscribed. Later, in their best-selling book Rework, they said:

“When you build an audience, you don’t have to buy people’s attention – they give it to you. This is a huge advantage. So build an audience. Speak, write a blog, tweet, make videos – whatever.”


Nowadays, it’s harder than ever to get people’s attention. Channels are saturated. There’s enormous competition. And many folks are growing feel overwhelmed by all the content.

So what’s Basecamp doing in 2018 to build their audience? They're focusing a lot of their energy on their new podcast, also called Rework.

What we learned

Businesses like Basecamp, eBay, and Code Pen have discovered the power of having a branded podcast. There are lots of challenges: creating and syndicating the feed, creating a compelling podcast website, producing a regular show, and calculating ROI.

So we want to make Transistor the best way to create a podcast for your business.

We already have our first paying customer: Cards Against Humanity. Their show, The Good News Podcast, which is hosted on Transistor.

"Branded content" sounds like a really dirty word. But it doesn't have to be.

Focusing on businesses, rather than DIY or hobbyist podcasts, has some advantages:

  • Businesses have more money to spend, and they value their time more.
  • Many hobbyists are looking for the lowest price. Businesses don't mind paying more if there's value.
  • Businesses are highly motivated to spend money when it helps them make progress.


What We Urge You to Do

When you're building a new product, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Why would someone use my product over what's already out there in the market?
  2. What opportunities exist in this market?
  3. What advantages do I have?


Links

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 13 Mar 2018 09:00:00 -0700 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2026 Jon and Justin answer the question: how is Transistor.fm going to compete in the crowded podcasting market? Jon and Justin answer the question: how is Transistor.fm going to compete in the crowded podcasting market? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns How to find a cofounder (our story) 2 2 How to find a cofounder (our story) full c58a8676-f0a2-47e7-882f-54ac3970e786 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c0bf77b5 Who are we?

Jon is a Web Designer and Developer in Chicago. Justin is a Product Manager and Podcaster from Canada. 


How did we meet?

We met in 2014 at XOXO in Portland. At the end of the festival, we said to each other: “We should build something together someday.” 

How do you find a cofounder?

  • Go to events!
  • Build your own projects: make stuff, tell people.
  • Build long-term relationships (“I’m never going to team up with someone I just met”)


What should you look for in a cofounder?

  • Complimentary skills
  • They should have their own network
  • Trustworthy
  • Positivity
  • Values 


What we urge you to do

  • Sign real legal documents!
  • Use Stripe Atlas
  • Be really up-front about:
    • Your values
    • Your aspirations: what are you trying to get out of this?
  • Talk to a lawyer


Show notes

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Who are we?

Jon is a Web Designer and Developer in Chicago. Justin is a Product Manager and Podcaster from Canada. 


How did we meet?

We met in 2014 at XOXO in Portland. At the end of the festival, we said to each other: “We should build something together someday.” 

How do you find a cofounder?

  • Go to events!
  • Build your own projects: make stuff, tell people.
  • Build long-term relationships (“I’m never going to team up with someone I just met”)


What should you look for in a cofounder?

  • Complimentary skills
  • They should have their own network
  • Trustworthy
  • Positivity
  • Values 


What we urge you to do

  • Sign real legal documents!
  • Use Stripe Atlas
  • Be really up-front about:
    • Your values
    • Your aspirations: what are you trying to get out of this?
  • Talk to a lawyer


Show notes

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta

🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Tue, 06 Mar 2018 12:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 2239 When building a SaaS, going alone is a tough road. But finding someone to work with can be intimidating as well. Jon and Justin talk about how they found each other, the steps they took to safeguard each other in business, and making sure they're in alignment as they try to build and launch Transistor.fm. When building a SaaS, going alone is a tough road. But finding someone to work with can be intimidating as well. Jon and Justin talk about how they found each other, the steps they took to safeguard each other in business, and making sure they're in align technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns What does it take to build a SaaS these days? 1 1 What does it take to build a SaaS these days? trailer 5c53eb8c-70c2-483b-aad1-d596a478d0b2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/07d3a3b7 Jon Buda and Justin Jackson are building and launching a new product this year called Transistor.

You can follow along as we explore this question:

What does it take to build a SaaS business now? Is all of the low-hanging fruit gone?

You'll get to hear our real raw emotions:

"A lot of my time right now is spent trying to figure out how motivated the customer is to sign up."

If this sounds interesting, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to shows. 

Show notes

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Jon Buda and Justin Jackson are building and launching a new product this year called Transistor.

You can follow along as we explore this question:

What does it take to build a SaaS business now? Is all of the low-hanging fruit gone?

You'll get to hear our real raw emotions:

"A lot of my time right now is spent trying to figure out how motivated the customer is to sign up."

If this sounds interesting, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to shows. 

Show notes

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Rewardful.com
  • Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co
  • Bill Condo (@mavrck)
  • Ward from MemberSpace.com
  • Evandro Sasse
  • Austin Loveless
  • Michael Sitver
  • Dave Giunta
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ]]> Fri, 16 Feb 2018 17:00:00 -0800 Transistor.fm Transistor.fm 345 37signals started an indie SaaS revolution when they launched Basecamp and Ruby on Rails. But can you still succeed with something new? 37signals started an indie SaaS revolution when they launched Basecamp and Ruby on Rails. But can you still succeed with something new? technology, podcasting, business, saas, software, marketing, bootstrap, bootstrapping, rails, ruby on rails No Jon Buda Justin Jackson Chris Enns