Indie Bites Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/indie-bites Short, bite-sized conversations with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses. You'll learn how they come up with ideas, what they do to validate, find those first customers and make a sustainable income. Episodes every Tuesday. © 2023 Striqo 221c5e96-06ae-5cc0-998d-1e5edad2ab9e no James McKinven Indie Bites Trailer - what's it all about? en Thu, 30 Oct 2025 07:30:17 +0000 Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:38:51 +0000 https://indiebites.com https://img.transistor.fm/XtkeNKIuxhLXpIyqEh9RKjFceXpsIWJQTC1vhrl-hZw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzEzODc4LzE2Njg1/NTU4ODMtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg Indie Bites https://indiebites.com episodic James McKinven Short, bite-sized conversations with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses. You'll learn how they come up with ideas, what they do to validate, find those first customers and make a sustainable income. Episodes every Tuesday. Short, bite-sized conversations with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses. indie hackers, bootstrapping James McKinven No No Andrew Gazdecki on the best way to sell your indie SaaS business 130 130 Andrew Gazdecki on the best way to sell your indie SaaS business full 73e91b63-6de9-4788-b031-155df9697210 https://indiebites.com/130 Andrew Gazdecki is the founder of Acquire, previously known as MicroAcquire, the largest startup acquisition marketplace. I’ve spoken to many indie hackers about selling their businesses, many of whom have done so using Andrew’s platform. Before starting the Acquire, Andrew spent 8 years bootstrapping Bizness Apps to $10m ARR before being acquired by a private equity firm. You might also know of Boostrappers.com, the site Andrew started, sharing stories of bootstrappers. Finally, he also wrote a book called Getting Acquired, which tells his story and outlines exactly how you can sell your business.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:20 - Startup and acquisition trends Andrew is seeing
  • 03:34 - Ideal time to sell your business
  • 05:10 - Should you build to sell?
  • 07:19 - How to make your business look good to a potential acquirer
  • 08:59 - Twitter/X and bootstrapping
  • 10:24 - How would Andrew Gazdecki start a business today
  • 11:52 - The best marketing channel for a bootstrapped business
  • 12:56 - The most unlikely acquisition outcome
  • 13:35 - Which business types have the highest multiples
  • 15:26 - The future of acquire.com
  • 15:56 - Recommendations

Recommendations

]]> Andrew Gazdecki is the founder of Acquire, previously known as MicroAcquire, the largest startup acquisition marketplace. I’ve spoken to many indie hackers about selling their businesses, many of whom have done so using Andrew’s platform. Before starting the Acquire, Andrew spent 8 years bootstrapping Bizness Apps to $10m ARR before being acquired by a private equity firm. You might also know of Boostrappers.com, the site Andrew started, sharing stories of bootstrappers. Finally, he also wrote a book called Getting Acquired, which tells his story and outlines exactly how you can sell your business.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:20 - Startup and acquisition trends Andrew is seeing
  • 03:34 - Ideal time to sell your business
  • 05:10 - Should you build to sell?
  • 07:19 - How to make your business look good to a potential acquirer
  • 08:59 - Twitter/X and bootstrapping
  • 10:24 - How would Andrew Gazdecki start a business today
  • 11:52 - The best marketing channel for a bootstrapped business
  • 12:56 - The most unlikely acquisition outcome
  • 13:35 - Which business types have the highest multiples
  • 15:26 - The future of acquire.com
  • 15:56 - Recommendations

Recommendations

]]> Thu, 30 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 996 Andrew Gazdecki is the founder of Acquire, previously known as MicroAcquire, the largest startup acquisition marketplace. I’ve spoken to many indie hackers about selling their businesses, many of whom have done so using Andrew’s platform. Before starting the Acquire, Andrew spent 8 years bootstrapping Bizness Apps to $10m ARR before being acquired by a private equity firm. You might also know of Boostrappers.com, the site Andrew started, sharing stories of bootstrappers. Finally, he also wrote a book called Getting Acquired, which tells his story and outlines exactly how you can sell your business.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:20 - Startup and acquisition trends Andrew is seeing
  • 03:34 - Ideal time to sell your business
  • 05:10 - Should you build to sell?
  • 07:19 - How to make your business look good to a potential acquirer
  • 08:59 - Twitter/X and bootstrapping
  • 10:24 - How would Andrew Gazdecki start a business today
  • 11:52 - The best marketing channel for a bootstrapped business
  • 12:56 - The most unlikely acquisition outcome
  • 13:35 - Which business types have the highest multiples
  • 15:26 - The future of acquire.com
  • 15:56 - Recommendations

Recommendations

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Why you should build a sweaty startup instead of an indie SaaS - Flo Schirmer 129 129 Why you should build a sweaty startup instead of an indie SaaS - Flo Schirmer full a69ff58a-d144-494e-8786-6d782a339001 https://indiebites.com/129 Today I’m talking with Flo Schirmer about "sweaty startups", a term for old-fashioned, low-risk businesses that are often service based and unsexy. I’m talking window cleaning, car washing, self-storage, house moving and more. We’re going to discuss if you can do this as a side hustle, if you should do this over a regular software business, and what you need to do to get started with some ideas along the way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:38 What is a sweaty startup?
  • 03:18 From window cleaning to home security
  • 04:37 How to start a sweaty startup
  • 06:41 Growth for a sweaty startup
  • 07:26 Sweaty startup vs software - what is best for indie hackers?
  • 08:45 Injecting a tech edge into old fashioned businesses
  • 11:34 Examples of successful sweaty startup brands
  • 13:58 Two free sweaty startup ideas
  • 15:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m talking with Flo Schirmer about "sweaty startups", a term for old-fashioned, low-risk businesses that are often service based and unsexy. I’m talking window cleaning, car washing, self-storage, house moving and more. We’re going to discuss if you can do this as a side hustle, if you should do this over a regular software business, and what you need to do to get started with some ideas along the way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:38 What is a sweaty startup?
  • 03:18 From window cleaning to home security
  • 04:37 How to start a sweaty startup
  • 06:41 Growth for a sweaty startup
  • 07:26 Sweaty startup vs software - what is best for indie hackers?
  • 08:45 Injecting a tech edge into old fashioned businesses
  • 11:34 Examples of successful sweaty startup brands
  • 13:58 Two free sweaty startup ideas
  • 15:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1000 Today I’m talking with Flo Schirmer about "sweaty startups", a term for old-fashioned, low-risk businesses that are often service based and unsexy. I’m talking window cleaning, car washing, self-storage, house moving and more. We’re going to discuss if you can do this as a side hustle, if you should do this over a regular software business, and what you need to do to get started with some ideas along the way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:38 What is a sweaty startup?
  • 03:18 From window cleaning to home security
  • 04:37 How to start a sweaty startup
  • 06:41 Growth for a sweaty startup
  • 07:26 Sweaty startup vs software - what is best for indie hackers?
  • 08:45 Injecting a tech edge into old fashioned businesses
  • 11:34 Examples of successful sweaty startup brands
  • 13:58 Two free sweaty startup ideas
  • 15:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Flo Schirmer How Tally grew to $150k MRR in 5 years - Marie Martens 128 128 How Tally grew to $150k MRR in 5 years - Marie Martens full 2460d082-11da-4f8d-ba36-e4abd7e0315f https://indiebites.com/128 Marie Martens is the co-founder of Tally, a form builder she started with her partner Filip, now used by half a million people and are over $150k MRR. Marie was on the pod 3 years ago when they’d scaled to 16,000 users and $8k MRR in 1 year. In that episode we discussed the origin story, getting their first 100 users and how they’d grown so quickly. Today, we’re going to be finding out how they’ve built such a robust business over the past 3 years and 15x’d their revenue.

Listen to Marie's first episode:
https://indiebites.com/43

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:09 From small lifestyle business to larger sustainable business
  • 04:50 Retaining the fun in the business
  • 06:02 Struggles in hiring a remote team
  • 07:32 Building an in-person team in Belgium vs remote
  • 08:17 Running a startup as a parent
  • 10:06 How Tally has grown to $150k MRR
  • 13:07 The pros and cons of building in public
  • 15:08 Growing the product while keeping it simple
  • 15:49 The future of Tally
  • 16:43 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Marie Martens is the co-founder of Tally, a form builder she started with her partner Filip, now used by half a million people and are over $150k MRR. Marie was on the pod 3 years ago when they’d scaled to 16,000 users and $8k MRR in 1 year. In that episode we discussed the origin story, getting their first 100 users and how they’d grown so quickly. Today, we’re going to be finding out how they’ve built such a robust business over the past 3 years and 15x’d their revenue.

Listen to Marie's first episode:
https://indiebites.com/43

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:09 From small lifestyle business to larger sustainable business
  • 04:50 Retaining the fun in the business
  • 06:02 Struggles in hiring a remote team
  • 07:32 Building an in-person team in Belgium vs remote
  • 08:17 Running a startup as a parent
  • 10:06 How Tally has grown to $150k MRR
  • 13:07 The pros and cons of building in public
  • 15:08 Growing the product while keeping it simple
  • 15:49 The future of Tally
  • 16:43 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 23 May 2025 16:15:23 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1044 Marie Martens is the co-founder of Tally, a form builder she started with her partner Filip, now used by half a million people and are over $150k MRR. Marie was on the pod 3 years ago when they’d scaled to 16,000 users and $8k MRR in 1 year. In that episode we discussed the origin story, getting their first 100 users and how they’d grown so quickly. Today, we’re going to be finding out how they’ve built such a robust business over the past 3 years and 15x’d their revenue.

Listen to Marie's first episode:
https://indiebites.com/43

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:09 From small lifestyle business to larger sustainable business
  • 04:50 Retaining the fun in the business
  • 06:02 Struggles in hiring a remote team
  • 07:32 Building an in-person team in Belgium vs remote
  • 08:17 Running a startup as a parent
  • 10:06 How Tally has grown to $150k MRR
  • 13:07 The pros and cons of building in public
  • 15:08 Growing the product while keeping it simple
  • 15:49 The future of Tally
  • 16:43 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Marie Martens Why the Marketoonist is the dream indie business - Tom Fishburne 127 127 Why the Marketoonist is the dream indie business - Tom Fishburne full 3cd4eefb-06ea-4c6a-8493-b98b0e2d997b https://indiebites.com/127 Tom Fishburne is the founder of Marketoonist, a bootstrapped marketing cartoon business he started in 2010. He started drawing and sharing cartoons in 2002, and it took him 8 years to make the leap, despite having a successful career in marketing. 15 years later, Tom is still going strong, with the business making money from cartoon licensing, speaking gigs, brand deals, his book and more.

Listen to the extended version of the show here: https://indiebites.com/membership/

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:23 - Moving to Czech Republic out of college
  • 02:16 - From Czech Republic to MBA
  • 03:19 - Starting cartooning
  • 04:03 - Tom's first client
  • 04:37 - Imposter syndrome
  • 05:20 - Pricing too low
  • 06:01 - Making the leap to full time
  • 07:08 - The terrifying moment of taking the leap
  • 08:08 - How Tom executed on his plan as a full time cartoonist?
  • 09:20 - Marketoonist revenue breakdown
  • 10:45 - Why Tom still does client work
  • 12:45 - Dealing with sh*tty clients
  • 13:55- Dealing with AI and competition
  • 15:55 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Tom Fishburne is the founder of Marketoonist, a bootstrapped marketing cartoon business he started in 2010. He started drawing and sharing cartoons in 2002, and it took him 8 years to make the leap, despite having a successful career in marketing. 15 years later, Tom is still going strong, with the business making money from cartoon licensing, speaking gigs, brand deals, his book and more.

Listen to the extended version of the show here: https://indiebites.com/membership/

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:23 - Moving to Czech Republic out of college
  • 02:16 - From Czech Republic to MBA
  • 03:19 - Starting cartooning
  • 04:03 - Tom's first client
  • 04:37 - Imposter syndrome
  • 05:20 - Pricing too low
  • 06:01 - Making the leap to full time
  • 07:08 - The terrifying moment of taking the leap
  • 08:08 - How Tom executed on his plan as a full time cartoonist?
  • 09:20 - Marketoonist revenue breakdown
  • 10:45 - Why Tom still does client work
  • 12:45 - Dealing with sh*tty clients
  • 13:55- Dealing with AI and competition
  • 15:55 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 01 May 2025 07:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 998 Tom Fishburne is the founder of Marketoonist, a bootstrapped marketing cartoon business he started in 2010. He started drawing and sharing cartoons in 2002, and it took him 8 years to make the leap, despite having a successful career in marketing. 15 years later, Tom is still going strong, with the business making money from cartoon licensing, speaking gigs, brand deals, his book and more.

Listen to the extended version of the show here: https://indiebites.com/membership/

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:23 - Moving to Czech Republic out of college
  • 02:16 - From Czech Republic to MBA
  • 03:19 - Starting cartooning
  • 04:03 - Tom's first client
  • 04:37 - Imposter syndrome
  • 05:20 - Pricing too low
  • 06:01 - Making the leap to full time
  • 07:08 - The terrifying moment of taking the leap
  • 08:08 - How Tom executed on his plan as a full time cartoonist?
  • 09:20 - Marketoonist revenue breakdown
  • 10:45 - Why Tom still does client work
  • 12:45 - Dealing with sh*tty clients
  • 13:55- Dealing with AI and competition
  • 15:55 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Tom Fishburne Why Jack Ellis acquired Fathom Analytics from his co-founder 126 126 Why Jack Ellis acquired Fathom Analytics from his co-founder full 4b06a2a7-36aa-416f-8b17-9d6f15512684 https://indiebites.com/126 Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, a simple, privacy focused analytics tool launched in 2019. I last spoke to Jack on the podcast in 2021, where he talked about the inception and growth of Fathom, taking on a massive incumbent and why Jack loves working with a co-founder. In December 2024, Jack acquired his co-founder’s share in the business, making him the sole owner (i think). Today, we’re going to talk about why he made this unique move and what’s next for Fathom.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:20 Jack finds out about EmailOctopus
  • 02:34 Why Jack acquired Fathom
  • 05:03 How can Jack afford this?
  • 05:28 Why did they not get an external buyer?
  • 07:17 Back to being a solo founder
  • 08:19 Innovating the the crowded analytics space
  • 11:09 Fathom's marketing and growth in 2025
  • 12:34 How is Jack having fun?
  • 13:14 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, a simple, privacy focused analytics tool launched in 2019. I last spoke to Jack on the podcast in 2021, where he talked about the inception and growth of Fathom, taking on a massive incumbent and why Jack loves working with a co-founder. In December 2024, Jack acquired his co-founder’s share in the business, making him the sole owner (i think). Today, we’re going to talk about why he made this unique move and what’s next for Fathom.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:20 Jack finds out about EmailOctopus
  • 02:34 Why Jack acquired Fathom
  • 05:03 How can Jack afford this?
  • 05:28 Why did they not get an external buyer?
  • 07:17 Back to being a solo founder
  • 08:19 Innovating the the crowded analytics space
  • 11:09 Fathom's marketing and growth in 2025
  • 12:34 How is Jack having fun?
  • 13:14 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Wed, 16 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 850 Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, a simple, privacy focused analytics tool launched in 2019. I last spoke to Jack on the podcast in 2021, where he talked about the inception and growth of Fathom, taking on a massive incumbent and why Jack loves working with a co-founder. In December 2024, Jack acquired his co-founder’s share in the business, making him the sole owner (i think). Today, we’re going to talk about why he made this unique move and what’s next for Fathom.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:20 Jack finds out about EmailOctopus
  • 02:34 Why Jack acquired Fathom
  • 05:03 How can Jack afford this?
  • 05:28 Why did they not get an external buyer?
  • 07:17 Back to being a solo founder
  • 08:19 Innovating the the crowded analytics space
  • 11:09 Fathom's marketing and growth in 2025
  • 12:34 How is Jack having fun?
  • 13:14 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Typeshare's $34k MRR bootstrapped journey - Sam Shore 125 125 Typeshare's $34k MRR bootstrapped journey - Sam Shore full bab27d66-6ab9-4297-9043-d1d31537fdfc https://indiebites.com/125 Sam Shore is the co-founder of Typeshare, a writing platform made to create and publish text across the internet. Typeshare has made over $1m in revenue since it was started in 2021, with over 80,000 user, currently $34k MRR I’m speaking to Sam to find out how he started Typeshare as the first of 12 startups he was planning to build, and what made this stick.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:10 Sam's entrepreneurial background
  • 02:03 Failed past projects
  • 03:31 12 startups in 12 months
  • 04:16 The idea for Typeshare
  • 05:38 Getting traction with Typeshare
  • 06:50 Getting to $15k MRR in 1 year with infuential partnerships
  • 09:52 How is Sam making sure he has fun with the business
  • 12:18 How to get better at writing online
  • 14:09 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Sam Shore is the co-founder of Typeshare, a writing platform made to create and publish text across the internet. Typeshare has made over $1m in revenue since it was started in 2021, with over 80,000 user, currently $34k MRR I’m speaking to Sam to find out how he started Typeshare as the first of 12 startups he was planning to build, and what made this stick.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:10 Sam's entrepreneurial background
  • 02:03 Failed past projects
  • 03:31 12 startups in 12 months
  • 04:16 The idea for Typeshare
  • 05:38 Getting traction with Typeshare
  • 06:50 Getting to $15k MRR in 1 year with infuential partnerships
  • 09:52 How is Sam making sure he has fun with the business
  • 12:18 How to get better at writing online
  • 14:09 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 05 Mar 2025 18:36:32 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 910 Sam Shore is the co-founder of Typeshare, a writing platform made to create and publish text across the internet. Typeshare has made over $1m in revenue since it was started in 2021, with over 80,000 user, currently $34k MRR I’m speaking to Sam to find out how he started Typeshare as the first of 12 startups he was planning to build, and what made this stick.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:10 Sam's entrepreneurial background
  • 02:03 Failed past projects
  • 03:31 12 startups in 12 months
  • 04:16 The idea for Typeshare
  • 05:38 Getting traction with Typeshare
  • 06:50 Getting to $15k MRR in 1 year with infuential partnerships
  • 09:52 How is Sam making sure he has fun with the business
  • 12:18 How to get better at writing online
  • 14:09 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No Sam Shore James McKinven How Justin Duke is building Buttondown into the perfect bootstrapped business 124 124 How Justin Duke is building Buttondown into the perfect bootstrapped business full 59ecbeee-9536-45c2-a025-761a550370b7 https://indiebites.com/124 Justin Duke is the founder of Buttondown, a simple email tool he launched in 2017. Justin was last on the podcast 2 years ago when he’d hit $15k MRR and just left his role at Stripe to focus on Buttondown. I was struck by Justin’s well thought through approach to building. He makes calculated risks and shares a lot of his learnings on his blog, Applied Cartography (which is an essential read for any indie hackers).

This episode I catch up with Justin to hear how he’s grown the team to 8 people and his approach to building a company he loves. This is a cut down version of an hour long catch up I had with Justin available on the Indie Bites membership which is available at indiebites.com/membership, where we discuss his personal blog, how he structures his time as a new parent and we go deeper into hiring high agency unicorns.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:58 - Buttondown growth
  • 03:40 - How to build a company you don't hate
  • 07:16 - Marketing and positioning Buttondown
  • 11:17 - Buttondown's unique home page approach
  • 13:45 - Building a business you enjoy
  • 15:32 - Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Justin Duke is the founder of Buttondown, a simple email tool he launched in 2017. Justin was last on the podcast 2 years ago when he’d hit $15k MRR and just left his role at Stripe to focus on Buttondown. I was struck by Justin’s well thought through approach to building. He makes calculated risks and shares a lot of his learnings on his blog, Applied Cartography (which is an essential read for any indie hackers).

This episode I catch up with Justin to hear how he’s grown the team to 8 people and his approach to building a company he loves. This is a cut down version of an hour long catch up I had with Justin available on the Indie Bites membership which is available at indiebites.com/membership, where we discuss his personal blog, how he structures his time as a new parent and we go deeper into hiring high agency unicorns.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:58 - Buttondown growth
  • 03:40 - How to build a company you don't hate
  • 07:16 - Marketing and positioning Buttondown
  • 11:17 - Buttondown's unique home page approach
  • 13:45 - Building a business you enjoy
  • 15:32 - Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:44:35 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1037 Justin Duke is the founder of Buttondown, a simple email tool he launched in 2017. Justin was last on the podcast 2 years ago when he’d hit $15k MRR and just left his role at Stripe to focus on Buttondown. I was struck by Justin’s well thought through approach to building. He makes calculated risks and shares a lot of his learnings on his blog, Applied Cartography (which is an essential read for any indie hackers).

This episode I catch up with Justin to hear how he’s grown the team to 8 people and his approach to building a company he loves. This is a cut down version of an hour long catch up I had with Justin available on the Indie Bites membership which is available at indiebites.com/membership, where we discuss his personal blog, how he structures his time as a new parent and we go deeper into hiring high agency unicorns.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:58 - Buttondown growth
  • 03:40 - How to build a company you don't hate
  • 07:16 - Marketing and positioning Buttondown
  • 11:17 - Buttondown's unique home page approach
  • 13:45 - Building a business you enjoy
  • 15:32 - Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Justin Duke How to sell your indie business - Josh Peleg 123 123 How to sell your indie business - Josh Peleg full 5e3a5967-3b8e-485a-9113-4ba2fdc91621 https://indiebites.com/123 Today I’m not actually joined by an indie hacker, but by someone who can help a lot of indies out there. Josh Peleg is the Head of Biz Dev and Mergers and Acquisitions at BlueThrone. Essentially, he knows all about how to sell a business from the buyer's side.

In this episode we’re going to learn from Josh exactly what you need to know about selling your indie product. How you find an acquirer, what does the process look like and how you can get a deal over the line.

I’ve spoken to some indie hackers who have gone through exits, such as Rob Walling, Ramy Khuffash, Tibo Louis Lucas and more, but not so much from the other side. Let’s find out what it takes.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:56 What is BlueThrone
  • 02:13 How to find a potential acquirer
  • 04:41 How to set up your business to be sold
  • 06:33 Acquirer red flags
  • 08:31 Acquirer green flags
  • 10:04 The type of exits and what to choose
  • 13:48 Recommendations

Reccos

  • Book - The Master and The Margarita
  • Podcast - 20VC

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m not actually joined by an indie hacker, but by someone who can help a lot of indies out there. Josh Peleg is the Head of Biz Dev and Mergers and Acquisitions at BlueThrone. Essentially, he knows all about how to sell a business from the buyer's side.

In this episode we’re going to learn from Josh exactly what you need to know about selling your indie product. How you find an acquirer, what does the process look like and how you can get a deal over the line.

I’ve spoken to some indie hackers who have gone through exits, such as Rob Walling, Ramy Khuffash, Tibo Louis Lucas and more, but not so much from the other side. Let’s find out what it takes.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:56 What is BlueThrone
  • 02:13 How to find a potential acquirer
  • 04:41 How to set up your business to be sold
  • 06:33 Acquirer red flags
  • 08:31 Acquirer green flags
  • 10:04 The type of exits and what to choose
  • 13:48 Recommendations

Reccos

  • Book - The Master and The Margarita
  • Podcast - 20VC

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 22 Jan 2025 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 910 Today I’m not actually joined by an indie hacker, but by someone who can help a lot of indies out there. Josh Peleg is the Head of Biz Dev and Mergers and Acquisitions at BlueThrone. Essentially, he knows all about how to sell a business from the buyer's side.

In this episode we’re going to learn from Josh exactly what you need to know about selling your indie product. How you find an acquirer, what does the process look like and how you can get a deal over the line.

I’ve spoken to some indie hackers who have gone through exits, such as Rob Walling, Ramy Khuffash, Tibo Louis Lucas and more, but not so much from the other side. Let’s find out what it takes.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:56 What is BlueThrone
  • 02:13 How to find a potential acquirer
  • 04:41 How to set up your business to be sold
  • 06:33 Acquirer red flags
  • 08:31 Acquirer green flags
  • 10:04 The type of exits and what to choose
  • 13:48 Recommendations

Reccos

  • Book - The Master and The Margarita
  • Podcast - 20VC

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Josh Peleg Arvid Kahl on building a profitable SaaS (Podscan), calm funding and juggling a media business 122 122 Arvid Kahl on building a profitable SaaS (Podscan), calm funding and juggling a media business full 79daff06-63b0-4e09-9697-bc7976f581bb https://indiebites.com/122 Arvid Kahl is returning to the podcast for the third time. In 2019, he’d just sold Feedback Panda for a life changing amount of money and then wrote the book Zero to Sold. In 2023, he was in full-on creator mode with The Bootstrapped Founder and had just released The Embedded Entrepreneur. Now, he’s still producing the content but is also spending time on his SaaS Podscan, which is an extremely ambitious tool that transcribes every podcast and let’s you track mentions of your brand.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:27 Arvid's life as a SaaS founder
  • 02:48 Are people still building in public
  • 03:54 No longer being a solo founder
  • 05:24 Raising from Calm Fund
  • 09:17 Keeping The Bootstrapped Founder running
  • 12:10 Wins for 2024
  • 13:36 Parting advice
  • 15:08 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Arvid Kahl is returning to the podcast for the third time. In 2019, he’d just sold Feedback Panda for a life changing amount of money and then wrote the book Zero to Sold. In 2023, he was in full-on creator mode with The Bootstrapped Founder and had just released The Embedded Entrepreneur. Now, he’s still producing the content but is also spending time on his SaaS Podscan, which is an extremely ambitious tool that transcribes every podcast and let’s you track mentions of your brand.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:27 Arvid's life as a SaaS founder
  • 02:48 Are people still building in public
  • 03:54 No longer being a solo founder
  • 05:24 Raising from Calm Fund
  • 09:17 Keeping The Bootstrapped Founder running
  • 12:10 Wins for 2024
  • 13:36 Parting advice
  • 15:08 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 15 Jan 2025 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1004 Arvid Kahl is returning to the podcast for the third time. In 2019, he’d just sold Feedback Panda for a life changing amount of money and then wrote the book Zero to Sold. In 2023, he was in full-on creator mode with The Bootstrapped Founder and had just released The Embedded Entrepreneur. Now, he’s still producing the content but is also spending time on his SaaS Podscan, which is an extremely ambitious tool that transcribes every podcast and let’s you track mentions of your brand.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:27 Arvid's life as a SaaS founder
  • 02:48 Are people still building in public
  • 03:54 No longer being a solo founder
  • 05:24 Raising from Calm Fund
  • 09:17 Keeping The Bootstrapped Founder running
  • 12:10 Wins for 2024
  • 13:36 Parting advice
  • 15:08 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Arvid Kahl High Signal founder on the state of indie hacking and building in public in 2025 - Pete Codes 121 121 High Signal founder on the state of indie hacking and building in public in 2025 - Pete Codes full cc16dc59-79d5-4e7d-a65d-300534738ec0 https://indiebites.com/121 Recently I’ve been reviewing my catalogue of previous guests and have been intrigued to see where they are now, so expect to see a few more returning guests over the next few weeks.

Today is a chap who was last on the podcast 3 years ago, and is still ever present in the indie community. Pete Codes is writes the High Signal newsletter, sharing all the best indie hacking news every week. He’s making his main living through Ghostwriting for Twitter, Bluesky and LinkedIn, but he’s still launching new projects and keeping his previous projects live.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:25 How Pete stays up to date with indie hacking news
  • 03:21 Twitter, Bluesky or LinkedIn
  • 04:36 Is building in public dead?
  • 07:30 Who is still building in public
  • 09:40 Big news stories of 2024 / who has been successful
  • 12:06 Pete's plan for his newsletter, High Signal
  • 12:48 Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Recently I’ve been reviewing my catalogue of previous guests and have been intrigued to see where they are now, so expect to see a few more returning guests over the next few weeks.

Today is a chap who was last on the podcast 3 years ago, and is still ever present in the indie community. Pete Codes is writes the High Signal newsletter, sharing all the best indie hacking news every week. He’s making his main living through Ghostwriting for Twitter, Bluesky and LinkedIn, but he’s still launching new projects and keeping his previous projects live.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:25 How Pete stays up to date with indie hacking news
  • 03:21 Twitter, Bluesky or LinkedIn
  • 04:36 Is building in public dead?
  • 07:30 Who is still building in public
  • 09:40 Big news stories of 2024 / who has been successful
  • 12:06 Pete's plan for his newsletter, High Signal
  • 12:48 Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 08 Jan 2025 16:27:39 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 858 Recently I’ve been reviewing my catalogue of previous guests and have been intrigued to see where they are now, so expect to see a few more returning guests over the next few weeks.

Today is a chap who was last on the podcast 3 years ago, and is still ever present in the indie community. Pete Codes is writes the High Signal newsletter, sharing all the best indie hacking news every week. He’s making his main living through Ghostwriting for Twitter, Bluesky and LinkedIn, but he’s still launching new projects and keeping his previous projects live.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:25 How Pete stays up to date with indie hacking news
  • 03:21 Twitter, Bluesky or LinkedIn
  • 04:36 Is building in public dead?
  • 07:30 Who is still building in public
  • 09:40 Big news stories of 2024 / who has been successful
  • 12:06 Pete's plan for his newsletter, High Signal
  • 12:48 Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Pete How Podsqueeze grew to $16k MRR in 18 months - Tiago Ferreira 120 120 How Podsqueeze grew to $16k MRR in 18 months - Tiago Ferreira full 847f9cb7-6a3f-42b5-bdbb-db4c4d74c241 https://indiebites.com/120 Tiago Ferreira is the co-founder of Podsqueeze, an AI podcast tool that helps automate your podcast content. The tool, that helps you create show notes, newsletters, social posts and more, is currently doing $16k MRR and growing. You might also know Tiago from his podcast Wannabe Entrepreneur, where he’s interviewed impressive founders including Pieter Levels.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 120 - Tiago Ferreira
  • 01:06 - Tiago's background
  • 02:25 - Lessons from failures
  • 03:40 - Starting Podsqueeze - solving your own problem
  • 05:53 - How Podsqueeze had a successful launch
  • 06:40 - How to have a successful launch
  • 08:10 - Growth tactics for Podsqueeze - SEO
  • 13:03 - Future plans and exit
  • 14:28 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Tiago Ferreira is the co-founder of Podsqueeze, an AI podcast tool that helps automate your podcast content. The tool, that helps you create show notes, newsletters, social posts and more, is currently doing $16k MRR and growing. You might also know Tiago from his podcast Wannabe Entrepreneur, where he’s interviewed impressive founders including Pieter Levels.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 120 - Tiago Ferreira
  • 01:06 - Tiago's background
  • 02:25 - Lessons from failures
  • 03:40 - Starting Podsqueeze - solving your own problem
  • 05:53 - How Podsqueeze had a successful launch
  • 06:40 - How to have a successful launch
  • 08:10 - Growth tactics for Podsqueeze - SEO
  • 13:03 - Future plans and exit
  • 14:28 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 13 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 939 Tiago Ferreira is the co-founder of Podsqueeze, an AI podcast tool that helps automate your podcast content. The tool, that helps you create show notes, newsletters, social posts and more, is currently doing $16k MRR and growing. You might also know Tiago from his podcast Wannabe Entrepreneur, where he’s interviewed impressive founders including Pieter Levels.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 120 - Tiago Ferreira
  • 01:06 - Tiago's background
  • 02:25 - Lessons from failures
  • 03:40 - Starting Podsqueeze - solving your own problem
  • 05:53 - How Podsqueeze had a successful launch
  • 06:40 - How to have a successful launch
  • 08:10 - Growth tactics for Podsqueeze - SEO
  • 13:03 - Future plans and exit
  • 14:28 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven How Buy Me A Coffee grew to millions of users - Jijo Sunny 119 119 How Buy Me A Coffee grew to millions of users - Jijo Sunny full dda4bf2d-9e6d-4596-97be-95280daa16a7 https://indiebites.com/119 Today I’m joined by Jijo Sunny, who is the co-founder of Buy Me A Coffee, one of the most popular donation and membership platforms on the internet. They’ve processed 10’s of millions for creators and have built a 26 strong team. Since founding Buy Me A Coffee, Jijo has dabbled in all sorts of projects, including a stint in YC with a podcasting app. Now though, Jijo is back building a new product, Voicenotes, a voice driven AI note taking app.

👉 Listen to the full 1 hour conversation with Jijo here: indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:48 Background
  • 02:27 Buy Me a Coffee Origin Story
  • 03:37 How did Buy Me A Coffee grow
  • 05:35 Jijo on multiple products
  • 06:35 Making products cheap to run
  • 09:21 Starting voicenotes.com
  • 14:02 Parting advice
  • 15:56 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Jijo Sunny, who is the co-founder of Buy Me A Coffee, one of the most popular donation and membership platforms on the internet. They’ve processed 10’s of millions for creators and have built a 26 strong team. Since founding Buy Me A Coffee, Jijo has dabbled in all sorts of projects, including a stint in YC with a podcasting app. Now though, Jijo is back building a new product, Voicenotes, a voice driven AI note taking app.

👉 Listen to the full 1 hour conversation with Jijo here: indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:48 Background
  • 02:27 Buy Me a Coffee Origin Story
  • 03:37 How did Buy Me A Coffee grow
  • 05:35 Jijo on multiple products
  • 06:35 Making products cheap to run
  • 09:21 Starting voicenotes.com
  • 14:02 Parting advice
  • 15:56 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 23 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1001 Today I’m joined by Jijo Sunny, who is the co-founder of Buy Me A Coffee, one of the most popular donation and membership platforms on the internet. They’ve processed 10’s of millions for creators and have built a 26 strong team. Since founding Buy Me A Coffee, Jijo has dabbled in all sorts of projects, including a stint in YC with a podcasting app. Now though, Jijo is back building a new product, Voicenotes, a voice driven AI note taking app.

👉 Listen to the full 1 hour conversation with Jijo here: indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:48 Background
  • 02:27 Buy Me a Coffee Origin Story
  • 03:37 How did Buy Me A Coffee grow
  • 05:35 Jijo on multiple products
  • 06:35 Making products cheap to run
  • 09:21 Starting voicenotes.com
  • 14:02 Parting advice
  • 15:56 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven How focusing on customer happiness led to success for KnowledgeOwl - Marybeth Alexander 118 118 How focusing on customer happiness led to success for KnowledgeOwl - Marybeth Alexander full 38159a6e-43f1-473b-8af0-1f9a56a8a35a https://indiebites.com/118 Marybeth Alexander is the founder and Chief Executive Owl of KnowledgeOwl, a bootstrapped knowledge base software founded in 2015. Started as an idea within SurveyGizmo, where Marybeth was working at the time, the company has since flourished into a small, profitable, sustainable business ultimately being built to improve the lives of the founders, employees and customers. In this episode we talk about how Marybeth bought the company from her previous employers, how they grew through reviews and why more indie hackers should put customer happiness front and centre.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:26 Founding story of KnowledgeOwl (prev Help Gizmo)
  • 06:54 Marketing and Growth
  • 08:58 How to have happy customers
  • 10:54 KnowledgeOwl's appraoch to product development
  • 13:35 How important is the KnowledgeOwl brand
  • 15:07 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Marybeth Alexander is the founder and Chief Executive Owl of KnowledgeOwl, a bootstrapped knowledge base software founded in 2015. Started as an idea within SurveyGizmo, where Marybeth was working at the time, the company has since flourished into a small, profitable, sustainable business ultimately being built to improve the lives of the founders, employees and customers. In this episode we talk about how Marybeth bought the company from her previous employers, how they grew through reviews and why more indie hackers should put customer happiness front and centre.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:26 Founding story of KnowledgeOwl (prev Help Gizmo)
  • 06:54 Marketing and Growth
  • 08:58 How to have happy customers
  • 10:54 KnowledgeOwl's appraoch to product development
  • 13:35 How important is the KnowledgeOwl brand
  • 15:07 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:05:59 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 970 Marybeth Alexander is the founder and Chief Executive Owl of KnowledgeOwl, a bootstrapped knowledge base software founded in 2015. Started as an idea within SurveyGizmo, where Marybeth was working at the time, the company has since flourished into a small, profitable, sustainable business ultimately being built to improve the lives of the founders, employees and customers. In this episode we talk about how Marybeth bought the company from her previous employers, how they grew through reviews and why more indie hackers should put customer happiness front and centre.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:26 Founding story of KnowledgeOwl (prev Help Gizmo)
  • 06:54 Marketing and Growth
  • 08:58 How to have happy customers
  • 10:54 KnowledgeOwl's appraoch to product development
  • 13:35 How important is the KnowledgeOwl brand
  • 15:07 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Ranking #1 in Google with Lorem Ipsum and making a career out of scientific SEO - Kyle Roof 117 117 Ranking #1 in Google with Lorem Ipsum and making a career out of scientific SEO - Kyle Roof full 4c6e2b2a-1e20-406b-a632-f5409655fa25 https://indiebites.com/117 Kyle Roof is the co-founder of High Voltage SEO, PageOptimizer Pro and Internet Marketing Gold. An agency, software and course business respectively which all focus on mastering SEO. I’ve spoken at length on the podcast before about how SEO can be such an effective tool for indie hackers to use, so Kyle is the perfect guest to talk to today.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:58 How Kyle learned SEO
  • 04:31 Being Scientific with SEO
  • 05:47 Why you should try paid ads
  • 07:17 Ranking top of Google with Lorem Ipsum
  • 10:15 Where do people start with SEO
  • 12:13 Encouraging word of mouth growth
  • 13:56 Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Kyle Roof is the co-founder of High Voltage SEO, PageOptimizer Pro and Internet Marketing Gold. An agency, software and course business respectively which all focus on mastering SEO. I’ve spoken at length on the podcast before about how SEO can be such an effective tool for indie hackers to use, so Kyle is the perfect guest to talk to today.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:58 How Kyle learned SEO
  • 04:31 Being Scientific with SEO
  • 05:47 Why you should try paid ads
  • 07:17 Ranking top of Google with Lorem Ipsum
  • 10:15 Where do people start with SEO
  • 12:13 Encouraging word of mouth growth
  • 13:56 Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2024 08:52:17 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 891 Kyle Roof is the co-founder of High Voltage SEO, PageOptimizer Pro and Internet Marketing Gold. An agency, software and course business respectively which all focus on mastering SEO. I’ve spoken at length on the podcast before about how SEO can be such an effective tool for indie hackers to use, so Kyle is the perfect guest to talk to today.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:58 How Kyle learned SEO
  • 04:31 Being Scientific with SEO
  • 05:47 Why you should try paid ads
  • 07:17 Ranking top of Google with Lorem Ipsum
  • 10:15 Where do people start with SEO
  • 12:13 Encouraging word of mouth growth
  • 13:56 Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Finding success with a QR code app after selling his previous indie business - Ramy Khuffash 116 116 Finding success with a QR code app after selling his previous indie business - Ramy Khuffash full df00de85-617b-4db4-a8b1-f5042da32d68 https://indiebites.com/116 Ramy Khuffash is the founder of Hovercode, a QR code generator he’s working on full time. Previously, Ramy founded Page Flows, a library of inspiration videos for product designers that he sold last November.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:56 Email Octopus Sponsor
  • 02:30 Page Flows Acquisition
  • 05:03 What did Ramy buy after he sold his company
  • 05:56 Starting Hovercode
  • 08:05 Finding new business ideas
  • 09:32 Growth for Hovercode
  • 11:22 Working with a horizontal product
  • 12:20 The perfect indie business
  • 14:48 Ramy's future

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Ramy Khuffash is the founder of Hovercode, a QR code generator he’s working on full time. Previously, Ramy founded Page Flows, a library of inspiration videos for product designers that he sold last November.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:56 Email Octopus Sponsor
  • 02:30 Page Flows Acquisition
  • 05:03 What did Ramy buy after he sold his company
  • 05:56 Starting Hovercode
  • 08:05 Finding new business ideas
  • 09:32 Growth for Hovercode
  • 11:22 Working with a horizontal product
  • 12:20 The perfect indie business
  • 14:48 Ramy's future

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 31 May 2024 16:51:11 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 981 Ramy Khuffash is the founder of Hovercode, a QR code generator he’s working on full time. Previously, Ramy founded Page Flows, a library of inspiration videos for product designers that he sold last November.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:56 Email Octopus Sponsor
  • 02:30 Page Flows Acquisition
  • 05:03 What did Ramy buy after he sold his company
  • 05:56 Starting Hovercode
  • 08:05 Finding new business ideas
  • 09:32 Growth for Hovercode
  • 11:22 Working with a horizontal product
  • 12:20 The perfect indie business
  • 14:48 Ramy's future

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Ramy Khuffash From Tweet Hunter's 8 figure exit, to starting all over again - Tibo Louis-Lucas 115 115 From Tweet Hunter's 8 figure exit, to starting all over again - Tibo Louis-Lucas full be1b0b43-5fc5-47d5-ad3d-1d38649fcbc5 https://indiebites.com/115 Tibo Louis-Lucas is a serial founder, most well known for starting Tweet Hunter and Taplio in 2021, before selling the company in 2022 for 8 figures. Since then, Tibo has gone on to acquire an AI video creation tool, Typeframes, which he spun Revid.ai recently. He actually announced after recording this that he has left Tweethunter and is back to focusing on his early stage products, which we touch on in this episode. He’s also started a newsletter with over 50k subscribers and has over 115k Twitter followers. Tibo is a bit of a legend in the indie maker sphere right now.

Tibo and I covered so much ground in this episode I couldn’t fit it all in, so the the full 40 minute conversation available on the Indie Bites membership for $60 a year. Head to indiebites.com/membership to get access.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:46 - Why failing is important for indie hackers
  • 03:30 - 1 product every 2 weeks
  • 05:16 - From $3 to $20k MRR with influencer partnership
  • 06:41 - Selling Tweet Hunter to Lempire
  • 08:40 - What did Tibo buy with his money
  • 10:34 - Acquiring Typeframe
  • 16:16 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Tibo Louis-Lucas is a serial founder, most well known for starting Tweet Hunter and Taplio in 2021, before selling the company in 2022 for 8 figures. Since then, Tibo has gone on to acquire an AI video creation tool, Typeframes, which he spun Revid.ai recently. He actually announced after recording this that he has left Tweethunter and is back to focusing on his early stage products, which we touch on in this episode. He’s also started a newsletter with over 50k subscribers and has over 115k Twitter followers. Tibo is a bit of a legend in the indie maker sphere right now.

Tibo and I covered so much ground in this episode I couldn’t fit it all in, so the the full 40 minute conversation available on the Indie Bites membership for $60 a year. Head to indiebites.com/membership to get access.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:46 - Why failing is important for indie hackers
  • 03:30 - 1 product every 2 weeks
  • 05:16 - From $3 to $20k MRR with influencer partnership
  • 06:41 - Selling Tweet Hunter to Lempire
  • 08:40 - What did Tibo buy with his money
  • 10:34 - Acquiring Typeframe
  • 16:16 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 16 May 2024 12:57:33 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1039 Tibo Louis-Lucas is a serial founder, most well known for starting Tweet Hunter and Taplio in 2021, before selling the company in 2022 for 8 figures. Since then, Tibo has gone on to acquire an AI video creation tool, Typeframes, which he spun Revid.ai recently. He actually announced after recording this that he has left Tweethunter and is back to focusing on his early stage products, which we touch on in this episode. He’s also started a newsletter with over 50k subscribers and has over 115k Twitter followers. Tibo is a bit of a legend in the indie maker sphere right now.

Tibo and I covered so much ground in this episode I couldn’t fit it all in, so the the full 40 minute conversation available on the Indie Bites membership for $60 a year. Head to indiebites.com/membership to get access.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:46 - Why failing is important for indie hackers
  • 03:30 - 1 product every 2 weeks
  • 05:16 - From $3 to $20k MRR with influencer partnership
  • 06:41 - Selling Tweet Hunter to Lempire
  • 08:40 - What did Tibo buy with his money
  • 10:34 - Acquiring Typeframe
  • 16:16 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Tibo Louis-Lucas Building a $200k MRR bootstrapped maid software for a price sensitive niche - Amar Ghose, ZenMaid 114 114 Building a $200k MRR bootstrapped maid software for a price sensitive niche - Amar Ghose, ZenMaid full 2276f250-38cc-4e2f-acb2-17458ae8aeb6 https://indiebites.com/114 Amar Ghose is the founder of ZenMaid, a Maid Service software that has just hit $200k MRR. Amar is a seasoned bootstrapped entrepreneur, having started ZenMaid back in 2013. Amar’s story shows the power of sticking with something through the hard times, and having an unsexy niche (aka not selling to other indie hackers) can lead to a phenomenal indie business.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:53 Scaling in the first 2 years
  • 04:38 Growing an indie business in a price sensitive niche
  • 06:54 Travelling while indie hacking
  • 08:12 Losing 40% of revenue in 6 months
  • 13:23 Hustle Porn - Should indie hackers work harder?
  • 15:38 Recommendations

Reccos


My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Amar Ghose is the founder of ZenMaid, a Maid Service software that has just hit $200k MRR. Amar is a seasoned bootstrapped entrepreneur, having started ZenMaid back in 2013. Amar’s story shows the power of sticking with something through the hard times, and having an unsexy niche (aka not selling to other indie hackers) can lead to a phenomenal indie business.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:53 Scaling in the first 2 years
  • 04:38 Growing an indie business in a price sensitive niche
  • 06:54 Travelling while indie hacking
  • 08:12 Losing 40% of revenue in 6 months
  • 13:23 Hustle Porn - Should indie hackers work harder?
  • 15:38 Recommendations

Reccos


My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 10 May 2024 13:58:39 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1010 Amar Ghose is the founder of ZenMaid, a Maid Service software that has just hit $200k MRR. Amar is a seasoned bootstrapped entrepreneur, having started ZenMaid back in 2013. Amar’s story shows the power of sticking with something through the hard times, and having an unsexy niche (aka not selling to other indie hackers) can lead to a phenomenal indie business.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:53 Scaling in the first 2 years
  • 04:38 Growing an indie business in a price sensitive niche
  • 06:54 Travelling while indie hacking
  • 08:12 Losing 40% of revenue in 6 months
  • 13:23 Hustle Porn - Should indie hackers work harder?
  • 15:38 Recommendations

Reccos


My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Amar Ghose 🏝 Building WP Minute, a 5-figure side project without a huge audience - Matt Medeiros, WP Minute 113 113 Building WP Minute, a 5-figure side project without a huge audience - Matt Medeiros, WP Minute full 62fbb478-06cc-4248-adb6-d30a9a03351f https://indiebites.com/113 Matt Medeiros is the founder of WP Minute, a weekly podcast highlighting WordPress news in less than 5 minutes. He’s a podcasting expert, having previously worked as Director of Podcasting success at Castos and now hosts & produces Breakdown, a podcast by Gravity forms. This episode talks about how you can make a sustainable 5-figure side project, with a niche audience while working a full time job and increasing your opportunities as you do it.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:32 From the family car business to digital agency with his dad
  • 03:35 Becoming a Wordpress Expert and Starting Matt Report
  • 04:45 Using podcasting as a networking tool
  • 05:56 From Matt Report to WP Minute
  • 08:08 Monetizing WP Minute
  • 09:36 Making money from a small audience
  • 10:58 Having a profitable side project alongside a full time job
  • 12:08 Does Matt want to sell WP Minute?
  • 14:48 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Matt Medeiros is the founder of WP Minute, a weekly podcast highlighting WordPress news in less than 5 minutes. He’s a podcasting expert, having previously worked as Director of Podcasting success at Castos and now hosts & produces Breakdown, a podcast by Gravity forms. This episode talks about how you can make a sustainable 5-figure side project, with a niche audience while working a full time job and increasing your opportunities as you do it.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:32 From the family car business to digital agency with his dad
  • 03:35 Becoming a Wordpress Expert and Starting Matt Report
  • 04:45 Using podcasting as a networking tool
  • 05:56 From Matt Report to WP Minute
  • 08:08 Monetizing WP Minute
  • 09:36 Making money from a small audience
  • 10:58 Having a profitable side project alongside a full time job
  • 12:08 Does Matt want to sell WP Minute?
  • 14:48 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2024 15:09:10 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 988 Matt Medeiros is the founder of WP Minute, a weekly podcast highlighting WordPress news in less than 5 minutes. He’s a podcasting expert, having previously worked as Director of Podcasting success at Castos and now hosts & produces Breakdown, a podcast by Gravity forms. This episode talks about how you can make a sustainable 5-figure side project, with a niche audience while working a full time job and increasing your opportunities as you do it.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:32 From the family car business to digital agency with his dad
  • 03:35 Becoming a Wordpress Expert and Starting Matt Report
  • 04:45 Using podcasting as a networking tool
  • 05:56 From Matt Report to WP Minute
  • 08:08 Monetizing WP Minute
  • 09:36 Making money from a small audience
  • 10:58 Having a profitable side project alongside a full time job
  • 12:08 Does Matt want to sell WP Minute?
  • 14:48 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Matt Medeiros Building a $700k ARR newsletter - Manu Cinca, Stacked Marketer 112 112 Building a $700k ARR newsletter - Manu Cinca, Stacked Marketer full 3c79e47d-e58d-4964-9bd1-3aab93e424d5 https://indiebites.com/112 Manu Cinca is the founder of Stacked Marketer, a daily marketing newsletter he bootstrapped to $700k. In 2023, he acquired 2 newsletters to bring the subscriber count to 100k and raised a small 250k funding round to help boost growth.

]]> Manu Cinca is the founder of Stacked Marketer, a daily marketing newsletter he bootstrapped to $700k. In 2023, he acquired 2 newsletters to bring the subscriber count to 100k and raised a small 250k funding round to help boost growth.

]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2024 15:01:54 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 972 Manu Cinca is the founder of Stacked Marketer, a daily marketing newsletter he bootstrapped to $700k. In 2023, he acquired 2 newsletters to bring the subscriber count to 100k and raised a small 250k funding round to help boost growth.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Bootstrapping the 100DaysOfNoCode learning platform - Max Haining 111 111 Bootstrapping the 100DaysOfNoCode learning platform - Max Haining full 3b28c072-f055-4b97-99af-b78e538bc3b7 https://indiebites.com/111 Max Haining is the founder of 100DaysofNoCode and 100DaysofAI, which are bootcamps designed to help non-techies gain tech skills. Max wanted to be an entrepreneur from a young age and started 100DaysofNoCode as a challenge for himself to learn NoCode tools during covid, but as more people joined in, he realised he could bootstrap the challenge into a learning platform which he’s now working on full time.

Follow Max:

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:28 - Max early life
  • 03:31 - University student inspired by Zuck
  • 04:59 - Discovering indie hacking
  • 06:13 - Starting 100DaysofNoCode
  • 09:45 - Turning 100DaysofNoCode from a challenge to a business
  • 13:39 - What marketing tactics has Max used
  • 15:09 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Max Haining is the founder of 100DaysofNoCode and 100DaysofAI, which are bootcamps designed to help non-techies gain tech skills. Max wanted to be an entrepreneur from a young age and started 100DaysofNoCode as a challenge for himself to learn NoCode tools during covid, but as more people joined in, he realised he could bootstrap the challenge into a learning platform which he’s now working on full time.

Follow Max:

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:28 - Max early life
  • 03:31 - University student inspired by Zuck
  • 04:59 - Discovering indie hacking
  • 06:13 - Starting 100DaysofNoCode
  • 09:45 - Turning 100DaysofNoCode from a challenge to a business
  • 13:39 - What marketing tactics has Max used
  • 15:09 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 945 Max Haining is the founder of 100DaysofNoCode and 100DaysofAI, which are bootcamps designed to help non-techies gain tech skills. Max wanted to be an entrepreneur from a young age and started 100DaysofNoCode as a challenge for himself to learn NoCode tools during covid, but as more people joined in, he realised he could bootstrap the challenge into a learning platform which he’s now working on full time.

Follow Max:

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:28 - Max early life
  • 03:31 - University student inspired by Zuck
  • 04:59 - Discovering indie hacking
  • 06:13 - Starting 100DaysofNoCode
  • 09:45 - Turning 100DaysofNoCode from a challenge to a business
  • 13:39 - What marketing tactics has Max used
  • 15:09 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Max Haining 💯 Bouncing back from losing 70% revenue - Max Serrano, IGotAnOffer 110 110 Bouncing back from losing 70% revenue - Max Serrano, IGotAnOffer full 4d9b7c48-6949-4a71-bc85-0c994220f24a https://indiebites.com/110 Max Serrano is the founder of IGotAnOffer, a bootstrapped coaching platform focused on helping people get jobs and progress their career. Initially starting out in consulting, Max started IGotAnOffer on the side, creating digital products to help people land consulting jobs, but pivoted to coaching after they lost 70% of their revenue in the tech hiring freeze, having to lay off the majority of his staff. Now, with a profit first mentality, they are on a growth trajectory again.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 03:16 - What indie hackers can learn from management consulting
  • 04:42 - The idea for IGotAnOffer
  • 06:23 - Slicing pie method of splitting equity
  • 07:39 - From side project to full time
  • 08:29 - Fixing a revenue plateau
  • 10:49 - Losing 70% of revenue
  • 12:46 - Getting back to profitiability
  • 13:49 - Pay yourself
  • 14:46 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Max Serrano is the founder of IGotAnOffer, a bootstrapped coaching platform focused on helping people get jobs and progress their career. Initially starting out in consulting, Max started IGotAnOffer on the side, creating digital products to help people land consulting jobs, but pivoted to coaching after they lost 70% of their revenue in the tech hiring freeze, having to lay off the majority of his staff. Now, with a profit first mentality, they are on a growth trajectory again.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 03:16 - What indie hackers can learn from management consulting
  • 04:42 - The idea for IGotAnOffer
  • 06:23 - Slicing pie method of splitting equity
  • 07:39 - From side project to full time
  • 08:29 - Fixing a revenue plateau
  • 10:49 - Losing 70% of revenue
  • 12:46 - Getting back to profitiability
  • 13:49 - Pay yourself
  • 14:46 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:34:58 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 937 Max Serrano is the founder of IGotAnOffer, a bootstrapped coaching platform focused on helping people get jobs and progress their career. Initially starting out in consulting, Max started IGotAnOffer on the side, creating digital products to help people land consulting jobs, but pivoted to coaching after they lost 70% of their revenue in the tech hiring freeze, having to lay off the majority of his staff. Now, with a profit first mentality, they are on a growth trajectory again.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 03:16 - What indie hackers can learn from management consulting
  • 04:42 - The idea for IGotAnOffer
  • 06:23 - Slicing pie method of splitting equity
  • 07:39 - From side project to full time
  • 08:29 - Fixing a revenue plateau
  • 10:49 - Losing 70% of revenue
  • 12:46 - Getting back to profitiability
  • 13:49 - Pay yourself
  • 14:46 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Building and monetizing an audience as a software engineer - Randall Kanna Franson 109 109 Building and monetizing an audience as a software engineer - Randall Kanna Franson full 145e0e29-137e-4e01-bff1-c6fe5e1b5fa3 https://indiebites.com/109 Today I’m joined by Randall Kanna Franson. Randall is a senior software engineer who has written 3 books, including one published by O’Reilly and a self published one which made over $70k. She also created a course called Hack the Tech interview which made $20k in the first 24 hours and $50k in the first month. All of this has been through Randall’s efforts to share her learnings from almost a decade being a software engineer and growing her twitter audience to over 50,000 followers. She’s also dabbled in SaaS products, notably launching and growing CodeTutor which she sold after the birth of her first child.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:43 Randall's background
  • 03:33 Coding bootcamp to senior software engineer
  • 05:05 Getting a book published with O'Reilly
  • 06:37 Going hard on side projects in 2020
  • 08:01 Audience building and writing another book
  • 10:04 Randall's course
  • 11:42 Randalls advice to early stage entreprenuers
  • 13:13 Why Randall hasn't started a successful SaaS
  • 15:47 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Randall Kanna Franson. Randall is a senior software engineer who has written 3 books, including one published by O’Reilly and a self published one which made over $70k. She also created a course called Hack the Tech interview which made $20k in the first 24 hours and $50k in the first month. All of this has been through Randall’s efforts to share her learnings from almost a decade being a software engineer and growing her twitter audience to over 50,000 followers. She’s also dabbled in SaaS products, notably launching and growing CodeTutor which she sold after the birth of her first child.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:43 Randall's background
  • 03:33 Coding bootcamp to senior software engineer
  • 05:05 Getting a book published with O'Reilly
  • 06:37 Going hard on side projects in 2020
  • 08:01 Audience building and writing another book
  • 10:04 Randall's course
  • 11:42 Randalls advice to early stage entreprenuers
  • 13:13 Why Randall hasn't started a successful SaaS
  • 15:47 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 24 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1018 Today I’m joined by Randall Kanna Franson. Randall is a senior software engineer who has written 3 books, including one published by O’Reilly and a self published one which made over $70k. She also created a course called Hack the Tech interview which made $20k in the first 24 hours and $50k in the first month. All of this has been through Randall’s efforts to share her learnings from almost a decade being a software engineer and growing her twitter audience to over 50,000 followers. She’s also dabbled in SaaS products, notably launching and growing CodeTutor which she sold after the birth of her first child.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:43 Randall's background
  • 03:33 Coding bootcamp to senior software engineer
  • 05:05 Getting a book published with O'Reilly
  • 06:37 Going hard on side projects in 2020
  • 08:01 Audience building and writing another book
  • 10:04 Randall's course
  • 11:42 Randalls advice to early stage entreprenuers
  • 13:13 Why Randall hasn't started a successful SaaS
  • 15:47 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Randall Kanna Franson Can you really scale a No Code SaaS? - Kieran Ball, NoCodeLife 108 108 Can you really scale a No Code SaaS? - Kieran Ball, NoCodeLife full d32a3883-31bc-4b0a-90c9-2f066c95f2fc https://indiebites.com/108 Kieran Ball is the founder of NoCodeLife, a selection of case studies of those making successful businesses using NoCode. Kieran also has courses on how to become a NoCode SaaS founder, specifically using the Bubble platform. I wanted to get Kieran on the pod to discuss and challenge the NoCode movement and if you can actually create a scalable product using the tools available, or if NoCode serves a different purpose.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 108 - Kieran Ball
  • 02:07 Failing to learn how to code
  • 03:05 How Kieran discovered no code
  • 04:28 Are no code apps hacky?
  • 05:52 Who has been successful building no code tools?
  • 06:57 No code for MVPs or for actual startups
  • 09:28 Keiran's own blog, No Code Life
  • 10:19 Improving your marketing skillset
  • 12:49 Kieran's future with no code
  • 15:48 Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Book - The SaaS playbook
  • Podcast - The Bootstrapped Founder
  • Indie Hacker - Hazel Lim @byhazelim

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Kieran Ball is the founder of NoCodeLife, a selection of case studies of those making successful businesses using NoCode. Kieran also has courses on how to become a NoCode SaaS founder, specifically using the Bubble platform. I wanted to get Kieran on the pod to discuss and challenge the NoCode movement and if you can actually create a scalable product using the tools available, or if NoCode serves a different purpose.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 108 - Kieran Ball
  • 02:07 Failing to learn how to code
  • 03:05 How Kieran discovered no code
  • 04:28 Are no code apps hacky?
  • 05:52 Who has been successful building no code tools?
  • 06:57 No code for MVPs or for actual startups
  • 09:28 Keiran's own blog, No Code Life
  • 10:19 Improving your marketing skillset
  • 12:49 Kieran's future with no code
  • 15:48 Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Book - The SaaS playbook
  • Podcast - The Bootstrapped Founder
  • Indie Hacker - Hazel Lim @byhazelim

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 11 Jan 2024 15:45:39 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1005 Kieran Ball is the founder of NoCodeLife, a selection of case studies of those making successful businesses using NoCode. Kieran also has courses on how to become a NoCode SaaS founder, specifically using the Bubble platform. I wanted to get Kieran on the pod to discuss and challenge the NoCode movement and if you can actually create a scalable product using the tools available, or if NoCode serves a different purpose.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 108 - Kieran Ball
  • 02:07 Failing to learn how to code
  • 03:05 How Kieran discovered no code
  • 04:28 Are no code apps hacky?
  • 05:52 Who has been successful building no code tools?
  • 06:57 No code for MVPs or for actual startups
  • 09:28 Keiran's own blog, No Code Life
  • 10:19 Improving your marketing skillset
  • 12:49 Kieran's future with no code
  • 15:48 Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Book - The SaaS playbook
  • Podcast - The Bootstrapped Founder
  • Indie Hacker - Hazel Lim @byhazelim

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Kieran Ball B2C vs B2B SaaS as an indie hacker - Val Sopi, Blogstatic 107 107 B2C vs B2B SaaS as an indie hacker - Val Sopi, Blogstatic full f2d07b20-3cd0-474b-b101-20318706c74f https://indiebites.com/107 Today I’m joined by Val Sopi, the founder of Blogstatic, a lightweight blogging platform built to take on the likes of Ghost. Currently Val is sitting around $1k a month, but with a low-priced annual plans approach, he’s relying on new sign ups and plan upgrades instead of recurring subscriptions. So he’s at a crossroads of needing to pour fuel on the fire to grow his low-cost blogging platform, or attempt to build a B2B SaaS, which he believes is a much more sustainable option for an indie founder. Val has been hardened by business successes and failures, so I love his pragmatic approach to the decisions he’s making.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:39 Val's background - web design shop to failed SaaS
  • 04:10 Learning to code and starting Claritask
  • 04:53 Selling Claritask
  • 05:52 Launching Blogstatic
  • 06:42 Taking a loan to bet on himself
  • 07:40 The crossroads of stagnating growth
  • 08:39 Being a low cost alternative in a competitive market
  • 12:30 Why Val won't take VC
  • 14:06 Why Val is trying B2B instead of B2C
  • 15:45 Recommendations

Recommendations


My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Val Sopi, the founder of Blogstatic, a lightweight blogging platform built to take on the likes of Ghost. Currently Val is sitting around $1k a month, but with a low-priced annual plans approach, he’s relying on new sign ups and plan upgrades instead of recurring subscriptions. So he’s at a crossroads of needing to pour fuel on the fire to grow his low-cost blogging platform, or attempt to build a B2B SaaS, which he believes is a much more sustainable option for an indie founder. Val has been hardened by business successes and failures, so I love his pragmatic approach to the decisions he’s making.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:39 Val's background - web design shop to failed SaaS
  • 04:10 Learning to code and starting Claritask
  • 04:53 Selling Claritask
  • 05:52 Launching Blogstatic
  • 06:42 Taking a loan to bet on himself
  • 07:40 The crossroads of stagnating growth
  • 08:39 Being a low cost alternative in a competitive market
  • 12:30 Why Val won't take VC
  • 14:06 Why Val is trying B2B instead of B2C
  • 15:45 Recommendations

Recommendations


My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 03 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1020 Today I’m joined by Val Sopi, the founder of Blogstatic, a lightweight blogging platform built to take on the likes of Ghost. Currently Val is sitting around $1k a month, but with a low-priced annual plans approach, he’s relying on new sign ups and plan upgrades instead of recurring subscriptions. So he’s at a crossroads of needing to pour fuel on the fire to grow his low-cost blogging platform, or attempt to build a B2B SaaS, which he believes is a much more sustainable option for an indie founder. Val has been hardened by business successes and failures, so I love his pragmatic approach to the decisions he’s making.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:39 Val's background - web design shop to failed SaaS
  • 04:10 Learning to code and starting Claritask
  • 04:53 Selling Claritask
  • 05:52 Launching Blogstatic
  • 06:42 Taking a loan to bet on himself
  • 07:40 The crossroads of stagnating growth
  • 08:39 Being a low cost alternative in a competitive market
  • 12:30 Why Val won't take VC
  • 14:06 Why Val is trying B2B instead of B2C
  • 15:45 Recommendations

Recommendations


My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Val Sopi How VEED bootstrapped to $7m ARR - Sabba Keynejad, VEED.io (2020) 106 106 How VEED bootstrapped to $7m ARR - Sabba Keynejad, VEED.io (2020) full d1d541d6-0f76-40ef-bbcc-2c5d7ddf9169 https://indiebites.com/106 Today I'm revisiting one of my favourite episodes, from 2020, with Sabba Keynejad, co-founder and CEO of VEED.io, an online video editing platform. When I interviewed Sabba, VEED were at around $2m ARR, fully bootstrapped. Since this interview, they’ve gone on to bootstrap to about $7m ARR before raising a whopping $35m series A from Sequoia. And when I first met Sabba, years before this interview, VEED was just a small product that wasn't generating any revenue. This episode is special to me because I’ve followed VEED’s journey from the start and it’s been inspiring to see.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:46 VEED origins
  • 03:24 Differentiation
  • 03:58 Picking a market
  • 04:48 Hiring and learning new skills
  • 06:16 Inflection points in growth
  • 07:07 Quitting your job
  • 07:45 Why you should find a cofounder
  • 08:41 Getting the first users
  • 09:47 Free vs paid
  • 11:16 Growth tactics
  • 12:04 Advice to other founders
  • 13:01 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I'm revisiting one of my favourite episodes, from 2020, with Sabba Keynejad, co-founder and CEO of VEED.io, an online video editing platform. When I interviewed Sabba, VEED were at around $2m ARR, fully bootstrapped. Since this interview, they’ve gone on to bootstrap to about $7m ARR before raising a whopping $35m series A from Sequoia. And when I first met Sabba, years before this interview, VEED was just a small product that wasn't generating any revenue. This episode is special to me because I’ve followed VEED’s journey from the start and it’s been inspiring to see.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:46 VEED origins
  • 03:24 Differentiation
  • 03:58 Picking a market
  • 04:48 Hiring and learning new skills
  • 06:16 Inflection points in growth
  • 07:07 Quitting your job
  • 07:45 Why you should find a cofounder
  • 08:41 Getting the first users
  • 09:47 Free vs paid
  • 11:16 Growth tactics
  • 12:04 Advice to other founders
  • 13:01 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 27 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 863 Today I'm revisiting one of my favourite episodes, from 2020, with Sabba Keynejad, co-founder and CEO of VEED.io, an online video editing platform. When I interviewed Sabba, VEED were at around $2m ARR, fully bootstrapped. Since this interview, they’ve gone on to bootstrap to about $7m ARR before raising a whopping $35m series A from Sequoia. And when I first met Sabba, years before this interview, VEED was just a small product that wasn't generating any revenue. This episode is special to me because I’ve followed VEED’s journey from the start and it’s been inspiring to see.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:46 VEED origins
  • 03:24 Differentiation
  • 03:58 Picking a market
  • 04:48 Hiring and learning new skills
  • 06:16 Inflection points in growth
  • 07:07 Quitting your job
  • 07:45 Why you should find a cofounder
  • 08:41 Getting the first users
  • 09:47 Free vs paid
  • 11:16 Growth tactics
  • 12:04 Advice to other founders
  • 13:01 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Sabba Keynejad Lemon Squeezy CTO on why he still makes side projects - Gilbert Pellegrom 105 105 Lemon Squeezy CTO on why he still makes side projects - Gilbert Pellegrom full fae6445b-eb32-483d-b274-60599e478e71 https://indiebites.com/105 Gilbert Pellegrom, is co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, a platform for selling software and digital products online. Previously Gilbert created the Nivo Slider all in 2010, which grew to millions of users before selling it. He then went on to work with Orman Clark at ThemeZilla and Dunked, who he’s teamed up with again to build Lemon Squeezy. What’s interesting about Gilbert is that despite being the CTO of a rapidly scaling startup, he’s still making and shipping side projects, which we’ll talk about more on this episode.

If you want to hear more about Lemon Squeezy, I actually co-host their podcast called Make Lemonade, where I speak with their CEO JR Farr about the behind the scenes of building a bootstrapped company making millions.

Sign up to the Indie Bites membership for $60 a year to access the full conversation with Gilbert.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:57 Working with Orman Clark at Themezilla and Dunked
  • 06:11 Delicious Brains
  • 06:40 Starting Lemon Squeezy
  • 07:52 Why Gilbert makes side projects
  • 10:36 Should you charge money for your side projects
  • 12:58 Selling side projects
  • 14:59 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Gilbert Pellegrom, is co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, a platform for selling software and digital products online. Previously Gilbert created the Nivo Slider all in 2010, which grew to millions of users before selling it. He then went on to work with Orman Clark at ThemeZilla and Dunked, who he’s teamed up with again to build Lemon Squeezy. What’s interesting about Gilbert is that despite being the CTO of a rapidly scaling startup, he’s still making and shipping side projects, which we’ll talk about more on this episode.

If you want to hear more about Lemon Squeezy, I actually co-host their podcast called Make Lemonade, where I speak with their CEO JR Farr about the behind the scenes of building a bootstrapped company making millions.

Sign up to the Indie Bites membership for $60 a year to access the full conversation with Gilbert.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:57 Working with Orman Clark at Themezilla and Dunked
  • 06:11 Delicious Brains
  • 06:40 Starting Lemon Squeezy
  • 07:52 Why Gilbert makes side projects
  • 10:36 Should you charge money for your side projects
  • 12:58 Selling side projects
  • 14:59 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 20 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 972 Gilbert Pellegrom, is co-founder and CTO of Lemon Squeezy, a platform for selling software and digital products online. Previously Gilbert created the Nivo Slider all in 2010, which grew to millions of users before selling it. He then went on to work with Orman Clark at ThemeZilla and Dunked, who he’s teamed up with again to build Lemon Squeezy. What’s interesting about Gilbert is that despite being the CTO of a rapidly scaling startup, he’s still making and shipping side projects, which we’ll talk about more on this episode.

If you want to hear more about Lemon Squeezy, I actually co-host their podcast called Make Lemonade, where I speak with their CEO JR Farr about the behind the scenes of building a bootstrapped company making millions.

Sign up to the Indie Bites membership for $60 a year to access the full conversation with Gilbert.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:57 Working with Orman Clark at Themezilla and Dunked
  • 06:11 Delicious Brains
  • 06:40 Starting Lemon Squeezy
  • 07:52 Why Gilbert makes side projects
  • 10:36 Should you charge money for your side projects
  • 12:58 Selling side projects
  • 14:59 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Gilbert Pellegrom 🍋 Scaling and exiting a $65k MRR with meal planning app - Jeffrey Bunn, Mealime & Clearful 104 104 Scaling and exiting a $65k MRR with meal planning app - Jeffrey Bunn, Mealime & Clearful full 07255d82-0776-4341-be65-05d5b8e03ec2 https://indiebites.com/104 Today I’m joined by Jeffrey Bunn, who is the co-founder of Clearful, a digital journal app he built with his wife, Maria. Previously they co-founded Mealime, a meal planning app which grew to a whopping $65k MRR before they exited in 2018. In this episode we cover the story of founding both apps, how they utilised the app stores for growth and why they started a B2C app in a crowded market.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:30 Starting Mealime
07:07 Pivot to mobile and reducing prices
08:36 Mealime Growth
09:46 Private Equity Exit
10:38 Life post-exit and learning to code
12:24 Starting Clearful
13:31 Clearful growth through the app store
14:50 Runway and future

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Jeffrey Bunn, who is the co-founder of Clearful, a digital journal app he built with his wife, Maria. Previously they co-founded Mealime, a meal planning app which grew to a whopping $65k MRR before they exited in 2018. In this episode we cover the story of founding both apps, how they utilised the app stores for growth and why they started a B2C app in a crowded market.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:30 Starting Mealime
07:07 Pivot to mobile and reducing prices
08:36 Mealime Growth
09:46 Private Equity Exit
10:38 Life post-exit and learning to code
12:24 Starting Clearful
13:31 Clearful growth through the app store
14:50 Runway and future

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 13 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1034 Today I’m joined by Jeffrey Bunn, who is the co-founder of Clearful, a digital journal app he built with his wife, Maria. Previously they co-founded Mealime, a meal planning app which grew to a whopping $65k MRR before they exited in 2018. In this episode we cover the story of founding both apps, how they utilised the app stores for growth and why they started a B2C app in a crowded market.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:30 Starting Mealime
07:07 Pivot to mobile and reducing prices
08:36 Mealime Growth
09:46 Private Equity Exit
10:38 Life post-exit and learning to code
12:24 Starting Clearful
13:31 Clearful growth through the app store
14:50 Runway and future

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Jeffrey Bunn The slow and steady path to growth - Michael Christofides 103 103 The slow and steady path to growth - Michael Christofides full d45d4dfd-d106-4d4f-aa3a-1e7551f392a2 https://indiebites.com/103 Today I’m joined by Michael Christofides, who is the founder of PgMustard, a product which helps people speed up Postgres queries. Michael started out working for a Devtools company as a product manager and went on to run customer success at London based unicorn, GoCardless. Now, Michael might not be as well known and successful as other popular indie hackers, but he works on his own terms and has been committed to his project for years.

In this episode I want to unpack why Michael stays committed to his product despite slow growth, his unique approach to the indie lifestyle and where he wants to go in future.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 02:18 - Michael's early career
  • 03:09 - The PGMustard idea
  • 04:28 - Building for a market rather than scratching your own itch
  • 06:23 - Launching PGMustard
  • 08:15 - Going full time on PGMustard
  • 09:47 - Leaving well paid jobs at $0 MRR
  • 11:28 - Intentional slow growth
  • 15:43 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Michael Christofides, who is the founder of PgMustard, a product which helps people speed up Postgres queries. Michael started out working for a Devtools company as a product manager and went on to run customer success at London based unicorn, GoCardless. Now, Michael might not be as well known and successful as other popular indie hackers, but he works on his own terms and has been committed to his project for years.

In this episode I want to unpack why Michael stays committed to his product despite slow growth, his unique approach to the indie lifestyle and where he wants to go in future.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 02:18 - Michael's early career
  • 03:09 - The PGMustard idea
  • 04:28 - Building for a market rather than scratching your own itch
  • 06:23 - Launching PGMustard
  • 08:15 - Going full time on PGMustard
  • 09:47 - Leaving well paid jobs at $0 MRR
  • 11:28 - Intentional slow growth
  • 15:43 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 06 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1015 Today I’m joined by Michael Christofides, who is the founder of PgMustard, a product which helps people speed up Postgres queries. Michael started out working for a Devtools company as a product manager and went on to run customer success at London based unicorn, GoCardless. Now, Michael might not be as well known and successful as other popular indie hackers, but he works on his own terms and has been committed to his project for years.

In this episode I want to unpack why Michael stays committed to his product despite slow growth, his unique approach to the indie lifestyle and where he wants to go in future.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 02:18 - Michael's early career
  • 03:09 - The PGMustard idea
  • 04:28 - Building for a market rather than scratching your own itch
  • 06:23 - Launching PGMustard
  • 08:15 - Going full time on PGMustard
  • 09:47 - Leaving well paid jobs at $0 MRR
  • 11:28 - Intentional slow growth
  • 15:43 - Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Michael Christofides Arvid Kahl on side projects, hobbies and making money as a founder 102 102 Arvid Kahl on side projects, hobbies and making money as a founder full 367c5688-9611-4924-9725-34f9def44eb6 https://indiebites.com/102 Arvid Kahl runs The Bootstrapped Founder, a podcast, newsletter and educational resource to help founders grow successful bootstrapped businesses. He’s also written two books, Zero to Sold and The Embedded Entreprenuer. Arvid is a returning guest, having previously been on the show almost 3 years ago, to talk about his exit from FeedbackPanda, which he grew to $55k MRR with his partner, Danielle.


In this episode we talk about life as a creator and solopreneur, how Arvid is scratching his SaaS itch and how people can leave their jobs to work on their side projects.

👉 Get the full 55 minute conversation here.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:45 Turning hobbies into business
  • 02:51 Structuring how you spend your time
  • 05:14 Revenue for The Bootstrapped Founder
  • 07:13 Why do consulting when you have runway
  • 08:30 Scratching the coding itch
  • 12:07 How to make a side project a main project
  • 15:52 Recommendations

Recommendations

(Prev. the mom test, IH pod and Sergio Mattei)

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Arvid Kahl runs The Bootstrapped Founder, a podcast, newsletter and educational resource to help founders grow successful bootstrapped businesses. He’s also written two books, Zero to Sold and The Embedded Entreprenuer. Arvid is a returning guest, having previously been on the show almost 3 years ago, to talk about his exit from FeedbackPanda, which he grew to $55k MRR with his partner, Danielle.


In this episode we talk about life as a creator and solopreneur, how Arvid is scratching his SaaS itch and how people can leave their jobs to work on their side projects.

👉 Get the full 55 minute conversation here.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:45 Turning hobbies into business
  • 02:51 Structuring how you spend your time
  • 05:14 Revenue for The Bootstrapped Founder
  • 07:13 Why do consulting when you have runway
  • 08:30 Scratching the coding itch
  • 12:07 How to make a side project a main project
  • 15:52 Recommendations

Recommendations

(Prev. the mom test, IH pod and Sergio Mattei)

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 29 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1026 Arvid Kahl runs The Bootstrapped Founder, a podcast, newsletter and educational resource to help founders grow successful bootstrapped businesses. He’s also written two books, Zero to Sold and The Embedded Entreprenuer. Arvid is a returning guest, having previously been on the show almost 3 years ago, to talk about his exit from FeedbackPanda, which he grew to $55k MRR with his partner, Danielle.


In this episode we talk about life as a creator and solopreneur, how Arvid is scratching his SaaS itch and how people can leave their jobs to work on their side projects.

👉 Get the full 55 minute conversation here.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:45 Turning hobbies into business
  • 02:51 Structuring how you spend your time
  • 05:14 Revenue for The Bootstrapped Founder
  • 07:13 Why do consulting when you have runway
  • 08:30 Scratching the coding itch
  • 12:07 How to make a side project a main project
  • 15:52 Recommendations

Recommendations

(Prev. the mom test, IH pod and Sergio Mattei)

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Arvid Kahl Quitting his job and taking a £20k loan to go full time indie - Harvey Carpenter, Growform 101 101 Quitting his job and taking a £20k loan to go full time indie - Harvey Carpenter, Growform full e14762c7-ff5f-4fb9-97cb-6e094d796d4d https://indiebites.com/101 Harvey Carpenter is the founder of Growform, a form builder which is now around 7K MRR. It's a mixture of enterprise and some other clients, and he's tackling a product in a market that is extremely competitive and crowded, but he's trying to carve out his own little slice of that market.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:21 Harvey's life before Growform
  • 01:35 Side projects as a 17 yr old
  • 04:10 Getting a law degree
  • 05:04 The idea for Growform
  • 06:42 Benefits of picking a niche
  • 09:12 Growth tactics
  • 10:06 Quitting his job and taking a loan
  • 13:16 Future goals
  • 13:48 Taking recreation seriously

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Harvey Carpenter is the founder of Growform, a form builder which is now around 7K MRR. It's a mixture of enterprise and some other clients, and he's tackling a product in a market that is extremely competitive and crowded, but he's trying to carve out his own little slice of that market.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:21 Harvey's life before Growform
  • 01:35 Side projects as a 17 yr old
  • 04:10 Getting a law degree
  • 05:04 The idea for Growform
  • 06:42 Benefits of picking a niche
  • 09:12 Growth tactics
  • 10:06 Quitting his job and taking a loan
  • 13:16 Future goals
  • 13:48 Taking recreation seriously

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 22 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 949 Harvey Carpenter is the founder of Growform, a form builder which is now around 7K MRR. It's a mixture of enterprise and some other clients, and he's tackling a product in a market that is extremely competitive and crowded, but he's trying to carve out his own little slice of that market.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:21 Harvey's life before Growform
  • 01:35 Side projects as a 17 yr old
  • 04:10 Getting a law degree
  • 05:04 The idea for Growform
  • 06:42 Benefits of picking a niche
  • 09:12 Growth tactics
  • 10:06 Quitting his job and taking a loan
  • 13:16 Future goals
  • 13:48 Taking recreation seriously

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Harvey Carpenter How to get to ramen profitability - Charlie Ward, Ramen Club 100 100 How to get to ramen profitability - Charlie Ward, Ramen Club full 26a8efbb-d780-4ddc-b2b4-641261095216 https://indiebites.com/100 Today is a special episode, because it marks 100 episodes of Indie Bites. And to mark the occasion, I’m bringing back my guest from episode 1, Charlie Ward, founder of Ramen Club to talk about how he’s grown to community into the core of the London indie scene while scaling to £7k MRR in the process. Charlie has also been a long time supporter of the show, having sponsored well over 30 episodes and taking a bet on me early on.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:40 - The impact Ramen Club has on other founders
  • 03:08 - Rebranding to Ramen Club
  • 04:56 - Advice for community building
  • 06:27 - Advice to founders on ideas and growth
  • 11:10 - Why you should be doing user research
  • 14:35 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Other links

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today is a special episode, because it marks 100 episodes of Indie Bites. And to mark the occasion, I’m bringing back my guest from episode 1, Charlie Ward, founder of Ramen Club to talk about how he’s grown to community into the core of the London indie scene while scaling to £7k MRR in the process. Charlie has also been a long time supporter of the show, having sponsored well over 30 episodes and taking a bet on me early on.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:40 - The impact Ramen Club has on other founders
  • 03:08 - Rebranding to Ramen Club
  • 04:56 - Advice for community building
  • 06:27 - Advice to founders on ideas and growth
  • 11:10 - Why you should be doing user research
  • 14:35 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Other links

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 15 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 949 Today is a special episode, because it marks 100 episodes of Indie Bites. And to mark the occasion, I’m bringing back my guest from episode 1, Charlie Ward, founder of Ramen Club to talk about how he’s grown to community into the core of the London indie scene while scaling to £7k MRR in the process. Charlie has also been a long time supporter of the show, having sponsored well over 30 episodes and taking a bet on me early on.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:40 - The impact Ramen Club has on other founders
  • 03:08 - Rebranding to Ramen Club
  • 04:56 - Advice for community building
  • 06:27 - Advice to founders on ideas and growth
  • 11:10 - Why you should be doing user research
  • 14:35 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Other links

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Charlie Ward Bootstrapping EmailOctopus to $3m+ ARR - Jonathan Bull & Tom Evans 99 99 Bootstrapping EmailOctopus to $3m+ ARR - Jonathan Bull & Tom Evans full 1c1e5a0b-bb72-4d19-a777-6a5757f548fa https://indiebites.com/99 Today I’m joined by Tom Evans and Jonathan Bull from EmailOctopus, an email platform who have bootstrapped to over $3m ARR since they were founded in 2014. They’ve been battling in a crowded and competitive market, with some huge funded companies to contend with, but they’ve made it work in an indie way. In this episode we talk about how they lost 99% of their users overnight, why they’ve chosen to compete on price rather than in a niche and their reasoning behind staying bootstrapped for so long.

Get the extended episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:24 EmailOctopus Background
  • 02:57 How long did EmailOctopus take to build?
  • 03:09 Launching for free
  • 05:45 Tom joining EmailOctopus
  • 07:11 Growth
  • 07:48 Building in a crowded market
  • 08:55 Differentiating on price
  • 11:30 Raising vs bootstrapping
  • 12:58 Changing goals as a bootstrapper
  • 15:07 Fulfilling the side project urge

Recommendations

Guest Links

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Tom Evans and Jonathan Bull from EmailOctopus, an email platform who have bootstrapped to over $3m ARR since they were founded in 2014. They’ve been battling in a crowded and competitive market, with some huge funded companies to contend with, but they’ve made it work in an indie way. In this episode we talk about how they lost 99% of their users overnight, why they’ve chosen to compete on price rather than in a niche and their reasoning behind staying bootstrapped for so long.

Get the extended episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:24 EmailOctopus Background
  • 02:57 How long did EmailOctopus take to build?
  • 03:09 Launching for free
  • 05:45 Tom joining EmailOctopus
  • 07:11 Growth
  • 07:48 Building in a crowded market
  • 08:55 Differentiating on price
  • 11:30 Raising vs bootstrapping
  • 12:58 Changing goals as a bootstrapper
  • 15:07 Fulfilling the side project urge

Recommendations

Guest Links

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 08 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1031 Today I’m joined by Tom Evans and Jonathan Bull from EmailOctopus, an email platform who have bootstrapped to over $3m ARR since they were founded in 2014. They’ve been battling in a crowded and competitive market, with some huge funded companies to contend with, but they’ve made it work in an indie way. In this episode we talk about how they lost 99% of their users overnight, why they’ve chosen to compete on price rather than in a niche and their reasoning behind staying bootstrapped for so long.

Get the extended episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:24 EmailOctopus Background
  • 02:57 How long did EmailOctopus take to build?
  • 03:09 Launching for free
  • 05:45 Tom joining EmailOctopus
  • 07:11 Growth
  • 07:48 Building in a crowded market
  • 08:55 Differentiating on price
  • 11:30 Raising vs bootstrapping
  • 12:58 Changing goals as a bootstrapper
  • 15:07 Fulfilling the side project urge

Recommendations

Guest Links

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Jonathan Bull Thomas Evans Building a financial engine for your indie business - Justin Jackson 98 98 Building a financial engine for your indie business - Justin Jackson full 20daab50-7c56-4343-8036-fe565037742f https://indiebites.com/98 In this episode I have a returning guest, someone who is a keystone of the bootstrapping community, it’s Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor, MegaMaker and more. Today we have an unstructured but very useful chat about building a financial engine for your business. This is a topic that has come up countless times in my indie journey and I think it’s something that a lot of indie businesses don’t address as early and seriously as they should. There a ton of actionable tips in this conversation about how to manage your finances, building a solid, profitable business and what to do when things aren’t going well.

Get the extended episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:45 James shocked by tax
  • 02:31 Profit first
  • 06:51 Building a financial engine
  • 09:40 Things falling apart with depression
  • 11:00 Desperation affects creativity
  • 11:49 How to build your financial engine

Recommendations (from prev ep)

Follow Justin

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny


]]> In this episode I have a returning guest, someone who is a keystone of the bootstrapping community, it’s Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor, MegaMaker and more. Today we have an unstructured but very useful chat about building a financial engine for your business. This is a topic that has come up countless times in my indie journey and I think it’s something that a lot of indie businesses don’t address as early and seriously as they should. There a ton of actionable tips in this conversation about how to manage your finances, building a solid, profitable business and what to do when things aren’t going well.

Get the extended episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:45 James shocked by tax
  • 02:31 Profit first
  • 06:51 Building a financial engine
  • 09:40 Things falling apart with depression
  • 11:00 Desperation affects creativity
  • 11:49 How to build your financial engine

Recommendations (from prev ep)

Follow Justin

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny


]]> Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:44:11 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 948 In this episode I have a returning guest, someone who is a keystone of the bootstrapping community, it’s Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor, MegaMaker and more. Today we have an unstructured but very useful chat about building a financial engine for your business. This is a topic that has come up countless times in my indie journey and I think it’s something that a lot of indie businesses don’t address as early and seriously as they should. There a ton of actionable tips in this conversation about how to manage your finances, building a solid, profitable business and what to do when things aren’t going well.

Get the extended episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:45 James shocked by tax
  • 02:31 Profit first
  • 06:51 Building a financial engine
  • 09:40 Things falling apart with depression
  • 11:00 Desperation affects creativity
  • 11:49 How to build your financial engine

Recommendations (from prev ep)

Follow Justin

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny


]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Justin Jackson Rob Walling on multiple projects, why building an audience is dumb and other SaaS wisdom 97 97 Rob Walling on multiple projects, why building an audience is dumb and other SaaS wisdom full c65aa14d-b176-408a-9fea-6bac4aa0e705 https://indiebites.com/97 Rob Walling is an absolute legend in the bootstrapping and indie scene. He’s a veteran entrepreneur with his most notable exit being Drip in 2016. Rob also founded MicroConf, started TinySeed and is the host of the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast, which has over 680 episodes having started in 2010. It doesn’t stop there for Rob, he’s also written 4 books, Start Small Stay Small, Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding, The Entrepreneurs Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together and most recently, The SaaS Playbook.

Get the hour long episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro / Sponsor
  • 02:03 Why Rob wouldn't do SaaS again
  • 03:43 What would an alternative reality look like for Rob
  • 05:46 Founder retreats
  • 07:40 Building an audience first approach is dumb for SaaS
  • 10:29 Building a network
  • 12:38 Portfolio of projects
  • 15:26 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Rob

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Rob Walling is an absolute legend in the bootstrapping and indie scene. He’s a veteran entrepreneur with his most notable exit being Drip in 2016. Rob also founded MicroConf, started TinySeed and is the host of the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast, which has over 680 episodes having started in 2010. It doesn’t stop there for Rob, he’s also written 4 books, Start Small Stay Small, Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding, The Entrepreneurs Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together and most recently, The SaaS Playbook.

Get the hour long episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro / Sponsor
  • 02:03 Why Rob wouldn't do SaaS again
  • 03:43 What would an alternative reality look like for Rob
  • 05:46 Founder retreats
  • 07:40 Building an audience first approach is dumb for SaaS
  • 10:29 Building a network
  • 12:38 Portfolio of projects
  • 15:26 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Rob

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Fri, 13 Oct 2023 16:38:37 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1029 Rob Walling is an absolute legend in the bootstrapping and indie scene. He’s a veteran entrepreneur with his most notable exit being Drip in 2016. Rob also founded MicroConf, started TinySeed and is the host of the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast, which has over 680 episodes having started in 2010. It doesn’t stop there for Rob, he’s also written 4 books, Start Small Stay Small, Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding, The Entrepreneurs Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together and most recently, The SaaS Playbook.

Get the hour long episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro / Sponsor
  • 02:03 Why Rob wouldn't do SaaS again
  • 03:43 What would an alternative reality look like for Rob
  • 05:46 Founder retreats
  • 07:40 Building an audience first approach is dumb for SaaS
  • 10:29 Building a network
  • 12:38 Portfolio of projects
  • 15:26 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Rob

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Rob Walling Growing an audience, making difficult decisions and launching screencasting.com - Aaron Francis 96 96 Growing an audience, making difficult decisions and launching screencasting.com - Aaron Francis full 5bbf69f1-1475-4303-bd92-324ea4c1f676 https://indiebites.com/96 Aaron Francis is currently an Educator at Planet Scale, but you would have seen him all around the internet doing courses, YouTube videos, podcasts and more. Notably he was a founding member of the Hammerstone team, which he’s recently left, to focus his energy on doing something he loves. Most recently, Aaron has launched Screencasting.com, a course teaching you how to make better screencasts.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:25 Aaron's Background
  • 02:10 Learning Software Engineering through books
  • 03:24 Audience Building
  • 05:51 Benefits of each content medium
  • 08:07 Making time for everything
  • 09:27 Having a full time job
  • 10:23 Leaving Hammerstone
  • 12:36 Launching Screencasting.com
  • 14:33 How has the launch gone?
  • 15:25 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Aaron Francis is currently an Educator at Planet Scale, but you would have seen him all around the internet doing courses, YouTube videos, podcasts and more. Notably he was a founding member of the Hammerstone team, which he’s recently left, to focus his energy on doing something he loves. Most recently, Aaron has launched Screencasting.com, a course teaching you how to make better screencasts.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:25 Aaron's Background
  • 02:10 Learning Software Engineering through books
  • 03:24 Audience Building
  • 05:51 Benefits of each content medium
  • 08:07 Making time for everything
  • 09:27 Having a full time job
  • 10:23 Leaving Hammerstone
  • 12:36 Launching Screencasting.com
  • 14:33 How has the launch gone?
  • 15:25 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 05 Oct 2023 10:52:07 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1013 Aaron Francis is currently an Educator at Planet Scale, but you would have seen him all around the internet doing courses, YouTube videos, podcasts and more. Notably he was a founding member of the Hammerstone team, which he’s recently left, to focus his energy on doing something he loves. Most recently, Aaron has launched Screencasting.com, a course teaching you how to make better screencasts.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:25 Aaron's Background
  • 02:10 Learning Software Engineering through books
  • 03:24 Audience Building
  • 05:51 Benefits of each content medium
  • 08:07 Making time for everything
  • 09:27 Having a full time job
  • 10:23 Leaving Hammerstone
  • 12:36 Launching Screencasting.com
  • 14:33 How has the launch gone?
  • 15:25 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Aaron Francis $20k MRR with Airtable app using YouTube and SEO for growth - Andy Cloke, Data Fetcher 95 95 $20k MRR with Airtable app using YouTube and SEO for growth - Andy Cloke, Data Fetcher full f818bb08-2160-41d3-a06d-f550ca2af046 https://indiebites.com/95 Today I’m joined by a returning guest, Andy Cloke, who runs Data Fetcher. Data Fetcher is an API plugin for Airtable that he’s grown to 20k MRR. In our previous episode Andy was only at around £3k MRR, so in this conversation we talk about what he’s done to grow so rapidly, including investing in new marketing channels such as YouTube.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:58 Growing to 20k MRR
  • 04:51 Building a machine
  • 06:01 YouTube Strategy
  • 09:09 Launching another product
  • 11:38 Hiring and reinvesting into the business
  • 13:07 Future of Data Fetcher

Recommendations

Follow Andy

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Today I’m joined by a returning guest, Andy Cloke, who runs Data Fetcher. Data Fetcher is an API plugin for Airtable that he’s grown to 20k MRR. In our previous episode Andy was only at around £3k MRR, so in this conversation we talk about what he’s done to grow so rapidly, including investing in new marketing channels such as YouTube.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:58 Growing to 20k MRR
  • 04:51 Building a machine
  • 06:01 YouTube Strategy
  • 09:09 Launching another product
  • 11:38 Hiring and reinvesting into the business
  • 13:07 Future of Data Fetcher

Recommendations

Follow Andy

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Thu, 28 Sep 2023 17:53:17 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 930 Today I’m joined by a returning guest, Andy Cloke, who runs Data Fetcher. Data Fetcher is an API plugin for Airtable that he’s grown to 20k MRR. In our previous episode Andy was only at around £3k MRR, so in this conversation we talk about what he’s done to grow so rapidly, including investing in new marketing channels such as YouTube.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:58 Growing to 20k MRR
  • 04:51 Building a machine
  • 06:01 YouTube Strategy
  • 09:09 Launching another product
  • 11:38 Hiring and reinvesting into the business
  • 13:07 Future of Data Fetcher

Recommendations

Follow Andy

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Andy Cloke Making $200k a year teaching Google Sheets - Andrew Kamphey 94 94 Making $200k a year teaching Google Sheets - Andrew Kamphey full 19a7192e-7f8c-4541-b12b-207ebf8b8ce4 https://indiebites.com/94 Today I’m joined by Andrew Kamphey, who is the founder of Better Sheets, a platform of tools and tutorials to get better at using Google Sheets, that has done well over $200k in revenue since he launched in 2020. He started out working as a tech on cruise ships, before moving to LA to work in the film industry, which is where he gained all of his Google Sheets prowess. From here he’s had a meandering life journey, working while travelling South East Asia, starting and selling an influencer newsletter, writing a book about charging and even launching a SaaS. Andrew has had his finger in piece of the indie hacking pie and has now settled on being the Google Sheets guy. At least for now.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 02:08 - Failing to go full time
  • 04:13 - Selling Influence Weekly
  • 06:26 - Starting BetterSheets
  • 09:32 - Turning Better Sheets into a full time income
  • 11:53 - Reluctancy to become the "Google Sheets Guy"
  • 13:37 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Andrew

My links

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EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Today I’m joined by Andrew Kamphey, who is the founder of Better Sheets, a platform of tools and tutorials to get better at using Google Sheets, that has done well over $200k in revenue since he launched in 2020. He started out working as a tech on cruise ships, before moving to LA to work in the film industry, which is where he gained all of his Google Sheets prowess. From here he’s had a meandering life journey, working while travelling South East Asia, starting and selling an influencer newsletter, writing a book about charging and even launching a SaaS. Andrew has had his finger in piece of the indie hacking pie and has now settled on being the Google Sheets guy. At least for now.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 02:08 - Failing to go full time
  • 04:13 - Selling Influence Weekly
  • 06:26 - Starting BetterSheets
  • 09:32 - Turning Better Sheets into a full time income
  • 11:53 - Reluctancy to become the "Google Sheets Guy"
  • 13:37 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Andrew

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 15:19:03 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 888 Today I’m joined by Andrew Kamphey, who is the founder of Better Sheets, a platform of tools and tutorials to get better at using Google Sheets, that has done well over $200k in revenue since he launched in 2020. He started out working as a tech on cruise ships, before moving to LA to work in the film industry, which is where he gained all of his Google Sheets prowess. From here he’s had a meandering life journey, working while travelling South East Asia, starting and selling an influencer newsletter, writing a book about charging and even launching a SaaS. Andrew has had his finger in piece of the indie hacking pie and has now settled on being the Google Sheets guy. At least for now.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 02:08 - Failing to go full time
  • 04:13 - Selling Influence Weekly
  • 06:26 - Starting BetterSheets
  • 09:32 - Turning Better Sheets into a full time income
  • 11:53 - Reluctancy to become the "Google Sheets Guy"
  • 13:37 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Andrew

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Bootstrapping Ticket Tailor to £6m ARR, selling and repurchasing the company, losing motivation and more - Jonny White 93 93 Bootstrapping Ticket Tailor to £6m ARR, selling and repurchasing the company, losing motivation and more - Jonny White full e5323275-429f-4fd5-8578-3e7edc3bf91e https://indiebites.com/93 Jonny White is the founder of Ticket Tailor, a platform for selling tickets online doing over £6m ARR and growing. Jonny founded Ticket Tailor in 2011, grew it to £2k MRR and then sold it to a company called TimeOut a short while later. After a few stagnant years at TimeOut, Jonny then bought the company back to make the lifestyle business he’d always wanted. After hitting all his goals, Jonny made the decision to build out a team and bootstrap the company to profitability and beyond. Now with a team of 20+ people, Jonny has a whole new set of challenges he’s dealing with, which we dig into in this episode.

Get the hour long episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:51 - Jonny's background
  • 02:48 - The idea for Ticket Tailor
  • 04:39 - Getting those first few customers
  • 05:14 - Reaching £2k MRR and considering fundraising
  • 06:34 - Selling the company
  • 08:00 - Buying back Ticket Tailor
  • 09:17 - Post buy back
  • 11:13 - Hiring a team / going beyond a lifestyle biz
  • 12:12 - COVID
  • 13:59 - Losing motivation post-covid
  • 15:45 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Jonny

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Jonny White is the founder of Ticket Tailor, a platform for selling tickets online doing over £6m ARR and growing. Jonny founded Ticket Tailor in 2011, grew it to £2k MRR and then sold it to a company called TimeOut a short while later. After a few stagnant years at TimeOut, Jonny then bought the company back to make the lifestyle business he’d always wanted. After hitting all his goals, Jonny made the decision to build out a team and bootstrap the company to profitability and beyond. Now with a team of 20+ people, Jonny has a whole new set of challenges he’s dealing with, which we dig into in this episode.

Get the hour long episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:51 - Jonny's background
  • 02:48 - The idea for Ticket Tailor
  • 04:39 - Getting those first few customers
  • 05:14 - Reaching £2k MRR and considering fundraising
  • 06:34 - Selling the company
  • 08:00 - Buying back Ticket Tailor
  • 09:17 - Post buy back
  • 11:13 - Hiring a team / going beyond a lifestyle biz
  • 12:12 - COVID
  • 13:59 - Losing motivation post-covid
  • 15:45 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Jonny

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Mon, 04 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 993 Jonny White is the founder of Ticket Tailor, a platform for selling tickets online doing over £6m ARR and growing. Jonny founded Ticket Tailor in 2011, grew it to £2k MRR and then sold it to a company called TimeOut a short while later. After a few stagnant years at TimeOut, Jonny then bought the company back to make the lifestyle business he’d always wanted. After hitting all his goals, Jonny made the decision to build out a team and bootstrap the company to profitability and beyond. Now with a team of 20+ people, Jonny has a whole new set of challenges he’s dealing with, which we dig into in this episode.

Get the hour long episode here: https://indiebites.com/membership

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:51 - Jonny's background
  • 02:48 - The idea for Ticket Tailor
  • 04:39 - Getting those first few customers
  • 05:14 - Reaching £2k MRR and considering fundraising
  • 06:34 - Selling the company
  • 08:00 - Buying back Ticket Tailor
  • 09:17 - Post buy back
  • 11:13 - Hiring a team / going beyond a lifestyle biz
  • 12:12 - COVID
  • 13:59 - Losing motivation post-covid
  • 15:45 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Jonny

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Jonny White Carving a new life path with a newsletter about Workspaces - Ryan Gilbert, Workspaces 92 92 Carving a new life path with a newsletter about Workspaces - Ryan Gilbert, Workspaces full 48d46ef5-df02-457f-adf8-e930aefbe761 https://indiebites.com/92 Ryan Gilbert is the creator of the Workspaces newsletter, which showcases the best workspaces in tech and beyond. He grew it to 6,000 subscribers and $2k per month with sponsors + affiliates, before being acquired by Loops (Founder Chris Frantz was on episode 61) and going on to be their first employee. In this episode we talk about how simplicity has been so important for growth of the newsletter, how he makes it appealing for guests to share and his reasoning for selling at such an early stage.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:26 Life before Workspaces
  • 03:37 Did you have any side projects before workspaces?
  • 04:47 Growth of the Workspaces newsletter
  • 06:40 How long did each edition take?
  • 07:45 The best workspaces
  • 08:25 Monetizing the newsletter
  • 10:22 Selling the newsletter
  • 13:08 Imposter syndrome
  • 13:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Ryan Gilbert is the creator of the Workspaces newsletter, which showcases the best workspaces in tech and beyond. He grew it to 6,000 subscribers and $2k per month with sponsors + affiliates, before being acquired by Loops (Founder Chris Frantz was on episode 61) and going on to be their first employee. In this episode we talk about how simplicity has been so important for growth of the newsletter, how he makes it appealing for guests to share and his reasoning for selling at such an early stage.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:26 Life before Workspaces
  • 03:37 Did you have any side projects before workspaces?
  • 04:47 Growth of the Workspaces newsletter
  • 06:40 How long did each edition take?
  • 07:45 The best workspaces
  • 08:25 Monetizing the newsletter
  • 10:22 Selling the newsletter
  • 13:08 Imposter syndrome
  • 13:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 03 Aug 2023 13:59:44 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 932 Ryan Gilbert is the creator of the Workspaces newsletter, which showcases the best workspaces in tech and beyond. He grew it to 6,000 subscribers and $2k per month with sponsors + affiliates, before being acquired by Loops (Founder Chris Frantz was on episode 61) and going on to be their first employee. In this episode we talk about how simplicity has been so important for growth of the newsletter, how he makes it appealing for guests to share and his reasoning for selling at such an early stage.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:26 Life before Workspaces
  • 03:37 Did you have any side projects before workspaces?
  • 04:47 Growth of the Workspaces newsletter
  • 06:40 How long did each edition take?
  • 07:45 The best workspaces
  • 08:25 Monetizing the newsletter
  • 10:22 Selling the newsletter
  • 13:08 Imposter syndrome
  • 13:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Ryan Gilbert Taking on Bit.ly bootstrapped - Tim Leland, T.LY 91 91 Taking on Bit.ly bootstrapped - Tim Leland, T.LY full 64945984-18e2-45c5-bf2e-5b8e97fef162 https://indiebites.com/91 Tim Leland is the founder of T.LY, a link shortener with almost half a million users that he recently quit his job to pursue full time. Tim started out building chrome extensions, including a weather extension that grew to 200k users at it’s peak. He then capitalised on Google closing down their link URL shortener and tried to build his own competitor, which is where T.LY was born. Tim has gone for the high volume, low price option for his product, which often isn’t recommended as a good route for Indie Hackers, but Tim has made it work.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 05:15 Building a portfolio of extensions
  • 07:45 Starting T.LY
  • 10:06 Being the low price option
  • 11:49 Getting users for T.LY
  • 12:51 Quitting his job
  • 15:13 Reccos

Recommendations

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Tim Leland is the founder of T.LY, a link shortener with almost half a million users that he recently quit his job to pursue full time. Tim started out building chrome extensions, including a weather extension that grew to 200k users at it’s peak. He then capitalised on Google closing down their link URL shortener and tried to build his own competitor, which is where T.LY was born. Tim has gone for the high volume, low price option for his product, which often isn’t recommended as a good route for Indie Hackers, but Tim has made it work.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 05:15 Building a portfolio of extensions
  • 07:45 Starting T.LY
  • 10:06 Being the low price option
  • 11:49 Getting users for T.LY
  • 12:51 Quitting his job
  • 15:13 Reccos

Recommendations

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:07:10 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 979 Tim Leland is the founder of T.LY, a link shortener with almost half a million users that he recently quit his job to pursue full time. Tim started out building chrome extensions, including a weather extension that grew to 200k users at it’s peak. He then capitalised on Google closing down their link URL shortener and tried to build his own competitor, which is where T.LY was born. Tim has gone for the high volume, low price option for his product, which often isn’t recommended as a good route for Indie Hackers, but Tim has made it work.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 05:15 Building a portfolio of extensions
  • 07:45 Starting T.LY
  • 10:06 Being the low price option
  • 11:49 Getting users for T.LY
  • 12:51 Quitting his job
  • 15:13 Reccos

Recommendations

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Working towards life-changing outcomes as an indie hacker - Colleen Schnettler, HelloQuery 90 90 Working towards life-changing outcomes as an indie hacker - Colleen Schnettler, HelloQuery full db01c98d-1ba4-4c09-9f69-e157b6f166f8 https://indiebites.com/90 In this episode I’m joined by Colleen Schnettler, which a lot of you would have heard from through her Software Social podcast she co-hosts with Michele Hansen. Colleen has been on quite the journey over the past few years, going from years of contracting to launching her first product, Simple File Upload, then getting a large contracting gig with Hammerstone, landing a separate full-time job to then quit 3 weeks later to rejoin that Hammerstone as a co-founder. Now Colleen is working on a product called HelloQuery, a reporting tool for SQL queries which has been accepted into a recent TinySeed batch.

What we covered:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:03 Why start the Software Social podcast?
  • 02:59 Why start building products
  • 04:04 Colleen's first product: Simple File Upload
  • 05:07 Why they stopped the podcast
  • 06:37 Joining Hammerstone
  • 08:50 Being a solo founder
  • 10:16 Hello Query
  • 11:47 Closing down a successful product
  • 13:50 Reccos

Reccomendations

Follow Colleen

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> In this episode I’m joined by Colleen Schnettler, which a lot of you would have heard from through her Software Social podcast she co-hosts with Michele Hansen. Colleen has been on quite the journey over the past few years, going from years of contracting to launching her first product, Simple File Upload, then getting a large contracting gig with Hammerstone, landing a separate full-time job to then quit 3 weeks later to rejoin that Hammerstone as a co-founder. Now Colleen is working on a product called HelloQuery, a reporting tool for SQL queries which has been accepted into a recent TinySeed batch.

What we covered:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:03 Why start the Software Social podcast?
  • 02:59 Why start building products
  • 04:04 Colleen's first product: Simple File Upload
  • 05:07 Why they stopped the podcast
  • 06:37 Joining Hammerstone
  • 08:50 Being a solo founder
  • 10:16 Hello Query
  • 11:47 Closing down a successful product
  • 13:50 Reccos

Reccomendations

Follow Colleen

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Tue, 04 Jul 2023 17:42:08 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 938 In this episode I’m joined by Colleen Schnettler, which a lot of you would have heard from through her Software Social podcast she co-hosts with Michele Hansen. Colleen has been on quite the journey over the past few years, going from years of contracting to launching her first product, Simple File Upload, then getting a large contracting gig with Hammerstone, landing a separate full-time job to then quit 3 weeks later to rejoin that Hammerstone as a co-founder. Now Colleen is working on a product called HelloQuery, a reporting tool for SQL queries which has been accepted into a recent TinySeed batch.

What we covered:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:03 Why start the Software Social podcast?
  • 02:59 Why start building products
  • 04:04 Colleen's first product: Simple File Upload
  • 05:07 Why they stopped the podcast
  • 06:37 Joining Hammerstone
  • 08:50 Being a solo founder
  • 10:16 Hello Query
  • 11:47 Closing down a successful product
  • 13:50 Reccos

Reccomendations

Follow Colleen

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Colleen Schnettler Gamifying products, shipping quickly and knowing when to quit - Marc Louvion 89 89 Gamifying products, shipping quickly and knowing when to quit - Marc Louvion full b4963a6e-f15e-4212-b344-aaa5ba7b3b40 https://indiebites.com/89 Marc Louvion is an indie hacker with many many products. His tagline on his website is relatable for all “I was fired everywhere so I had to work for myself (even Tai Lopez fired me...)”. If you go to Marc’s Indie Page you can see all his projects, including Habits Garden, Gamify List, Visualise Habit, Make Landing & more. Marc is living in Bali and on his way to $5k MRR across his projects. You might have seen Marc on Twitter with his hilarious launch videos and candid build in public updates.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:32 Marc's indie hacker journey
  • 03:07 Moving to Bali
  • 03:39 Starting a glove business
  • 05:52 Gamification
  • 07:41 Challenges with gamification
  • 08:29 Knowing when to quit a product
  • 10:32 Portfolio of projects vs single focus
  • 11:46 Marc's day to day
  • 12:53 Building an AI product
  • 14:00 Creative launch videos
  • 15:14 Reccos

Recommendations

Follow Marc

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Marc Louvion is an indie hacker with many many products. His tagline on his website is relatable for all “I was fired everywhere so I had to work for myself (even Tai Lopez fired me...)”. If you go to Marc’s Indie Page you can see all his projects, including Habits Garden, Gamify List, Visualise Habit, Make Landing & more. Marc is living in Bali and on his way to $5k MRR across his projects. You might have seen Marc on Twitter with his hilarious launch videos and candid build in public updates.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:32 Marc's indie hacker journey
  • 03:07 Moving to Bali
  • 03:39 Starting a glove business
  • 05:52 Gamification
  • 07:41 Challenges with gamification
  • 08:29 Knowing when to quit a product
  • 10:32 Portfolio of projects vs single focus
  • 11:46 Marc's day to day
  • 12:53 Building an AI product
  • 14:00 Creative launch videos
  • 15:14 Reccos

Recommendations

Follow Marc

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:41:23 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 969 Marc Louvion is an indie hacker with many many products. His tagline on his website is relatable for all “I was fired everywhere so I had to work for myself (even Tai Lopez fired me...)”. If you go to Marc’s Indie Page you can see all his projects, including Habits Garden, Gamify List, Visualise Habit, Make Landing & more. Marc is living in Bali and on his way to $5k MRR across his projects. You might have seen Marc on Twitter with his hilarious launch videos and candid build in public updates.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:32 Marc's indie hacker journey
  • 03:07 Moving to Bali
  • 03:39 Starting a glove business
  • 05:52 Gamification
  • 07:41 Challenges with gamification
  • 08:29 Knowing when to quit a product
  • 10:32 Portfolio of projects vs single focus
  • 11:46 Marc's day to day
  • 12:53 Building an AI product
  • 14:00 Creative launch videos
  • 15:14 Reccos

Recommendations

Follow Marc

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Is indie hacking having an identity crisis? - Dominic Monn, MentorCruise 88 88 Is indie hacking having an identity crisis? - Dominic Monn, MentorCruise full 81793ce5-f327-452d-8221-3c084f146994 https://indiebites.com/88 In this episode I’m bringing back a previous guest, Dom Monn, who is the founder of MentorCruise, which he’s now working full time on with a small team. I brought Dom back on to discuss something that has been on my mind, and has come up in twitter conversations recently which Dom has been involved in.

Is indie hacking having an identity crisis? Is the indie label and mentality limiting success and holding many founders back? I think it could be and so we discuss why this might be happening and what we can do about it.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:56 Indie hacker identity crisis
  • 03:42 How indie hacking has changed
  • 06:32 Why the indie label can be a limiter
  • 08:20 Accepting slow growth instead of fixing it
  • 10:33 Should we set bigger goals?
  • 12:10 We still love the indie hacker community
  • 13:50 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Dom

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> In this episode I’m bringing back a previous guest, Dom Monn, who is the founder of MentorCruise, which he’s now working full time on with a small team. I brought Dom back on to discuss something that has been on my mind, and has come up in twitter conversations recently which Dom has been involved in.

Is indie hacking having an identity crisis? Is the indie label and mentality limiting success and holding many founders back? I think it could be and so we discuss why this might be happening and what we can do about it.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:56 Indie hacker identity crisis
  • 03:42 How indie hacking has changed
  • 06:32 Why the indie label can be a limiter
  • 08:20 Accepting slow growth instead of fixing it
  • 10:33 Should we set bigger goals?
  • 12:10 We still love the indie hacker community
  • 13:50 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Dom

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:50:53 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 947 In this episode I’m bringing back a previous guest, Dom Monn, who is the founder of MentorCruise, which he’s now working full time on with a small team. I brought Dom back on to discuss something that has been on my mind, and has come up in twitter conversations recently which Dom has been involved in.

Is indie hacking having an identity crisis? Is the indie label and mentality limiting success and holding many founders back? I think it could be and so we discuss why this might be happening and what we can do about it.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:56 Indie hacker identity crisis
  • 03:42 How indie hacking has changed
  • 06:32 Why the indie label can be a limiter
  • 08:20 Accepting slow growth instead of fixing it
  • 10:33 Should we set bigger goals?
  • 12:10 We still love the indie hacker community
  • 13:50 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Dom

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Dom Monn How to find and validate your ideas - Bram Kanstein, Startup Stash / No Code MVP 87 87 How to find and validate your ideas - Bram Kanstein, Startup Stash / No Code MVP full ca05f784-d66c-40ca-9c93-20ec03d88fef https://indiebites.com/87 Today I’m joined by Bram Kanstein, who you might know from Startup Stash, which is the most upvoted product ever on Product Hunt. Bram also started the No Code MVP a course, which shows you how to launch an MVP without code. In this episode we focus a lot on how indie hackers can find ideas and launch them the right way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:18 Startup Stash
  • 05:56 No Code MVP
  • 09:47 Finding ideas
  • 12:22 Idea validation
  • 15:00 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Bram

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Today I’m joined by Bram Kanstein, who you might know from Startup Stash, which is the most upvoted product ever on Product Hunt. Bram also started the No Code MVP a course, which shows you how to launch an MVP without code. In this episode we focus a lot on how indie hackers can find ideas and launch them the right way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:18 Startup Stash
  • 05:56 No Code MVP
  • 09:47 Finding ideas
  • 12:22 Idea validation
  • 15:00 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Bram

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 13:14:51 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 958 Today I’m joined by Bram Kanstein, who you might know from Startup Stash, which is the most upvoted product ever on Product Hunt. Bram also started the No Code MVP a course, which shows you how to launch an MVP without code. In this episode we focus a lot on how indie hackers can find ideas and launch them the right way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:18 Startup Stash
  • 05:56 No Code MVP
  • 09:47 Finding ideas
  • 12:22 Idea validation
  • 15:00 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Bram

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Bram Kanstein Growing Frontend Mentor to 500k users and $30k MRR - Matt Studdert 86 86 Growing Frontend Mentor to 500k users and $30k MRR - Matt Studdert full 7dadf5be-fbfe-43b2-b847-1a05a172e9b5 https://indiebites.com/86 Matt Studdert is the founder of Frontend Mentor, which helps people level up their front-end coding skills by building projects. They have over 500,000 users and are hovering around $30k MRR. Matt didn’t start out wanting to run a SaaS, starting out playing poker, then became a personal trainer, before changing his career and learning to code when he was 28.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:16 Playing Poker full time
  • 02:58 Becoming a personal trainer
  • 04:24 Learning to code with General Assembly
  • 06:33 Front End Mentor
  • 08:33 Building a scrappy MVP
  • 11:29 Growth for Front End Mentor
  • 15:03 Reccos

Recommendations

Follow Matt

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Matt Studdert is the founder of Frontend Mentor, which helps people level up their front-end coding skills by building projects. They have over 500,000 users and are hovering around $30k MRR. Matt didn’t start out wanting to run a SaaS, starting out playing poker, then became a personal trainer, before changing his career and learning to code when he was 28.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:16 Playing Poker full time
  • 02:58 Becoming a personal trainer
  • 04:24 Learning to code with General Assembly
  • 06:33 Front End Mentor
  • 08:33 Building a scrappy MVP
  • 11:29 Growth for Front End Mentor
  • 15:03 Reccos

Recommendations

Follow Matt

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 02:34:06 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 962 Matt Studdert is the founder of Frontend Mentor, which helps people level up their front-end coding skills by building projects. They have over 500,000 users and are hovering around $30k MRR. Matt didn’t start out wanting to run a SaaS, starting out playing poker, then became a personal trainer, before changing his career and learning to code when he was 28.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:16 Playing Poker full time
  • 02:58 Becoming a personal trainer
  • 04:24 Learning to code with General Assembly
  • 06:33 Front End Mentor
  • 08:33 Building a scrappy MVP
  • 11:29 Growth for Front End Mentor
  • 15:03 Reccos

Recommendations

Follow Matt

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Matt Studdert Jordan O'Connor on running a $30k MRR SaaS and doing SEO consulting on the side 85 85 Jordan O'Connor on running a $30k MRR SaaS and doing SEO consulting on the side full c2c7cdc7-5301-4c8e-ac79-c40117d97c7d https://indiebites.com/85 Jordan O’Connor is the founder of Closet Tools, a bootstrapped app that helps people sell more stuff on Poshmark which has been in and around the $30-40k MRR mark. He’s found a lot of his growth through SEO, like many successful entrepreneurs, and now helps other founders do the same through his Rank to Sell power half hours.

Listen to the full 90 minute chat with Jordan here ->

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:29 Jordan being awful with money
  • 04:30 Jordan's indie hacking journey
  • 06:10 Launching and failing with different products
  • 07:06 Choosing SaaS
  • 08:31 Starting closet tools
  • 11:38 Pricing for Closet Tools
  • 12:35 Reverse stair stepping with Rank to Sell (consulting)
  • 16:08 Reccos

Recommendations

  • Book - Deep Work
  • Podcast - Deep Questions by Cal Newport
  • Indie Hacker - Pat Walls

Follow Jordan

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Jordan O’Connor is the founder of Closet Tools, a bootstrapped app that helps people sell more stuff on Poshmark which has been in and around the $30-40k MRR mark. He’s found a lot of his growth through SEO, like many successful entrepreneurs, and now helps other founders do the same through his Rank to Sell power half hours.

Listen to the full 90 minute chat with Jordan here ->

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:29 Jordan being awful with money
  • 04:30 Jordan's indie hacking journey
  • 06:10 Launching and failing with different products
  • 07:06 Choosing SaaS
  • 08:31 Starting closet tools
  • 11:38 Pricing for Closet Tools
  • 12:35 Reverse stair stepping with Rank to Sell (consulting)
  • 16:08 Reccos

Recommendations

  • Book - Deep Work
  • Podcast - Deep Questions by Cal Newport
  • Indie Hacker - Pat Walls

Follow Jordan

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 00:42:25 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1023 Jordan O’Connor is the founder of Closet Tools, a bootstrapped app that helps people sell more stuff on Poshmark which has been in and around the $30-40k MRR mark. He’s found a lot of his growth through SEO, like many successful entrepreneurs, and now helps other founders do the same through his Rank to Sell power half hours.

Listen to the full 90 minute chat with Jordan here ->

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:29 Jordan being awful with money
  • 04:30 Jordan's indie hacking journey
  • 06:10 Launching and failing with different products
  • 07:06 Choosing SaaS
  • 08:31 Starting closet tools
  • 11:38 Pricing for Closet Tools
  • 12:35 Reverse stair stepping with Rank to Sell (consulting)
  • 16:08 Reccos

Recommendations

  • Book - Deep Work
  • Podcast - Deep Questions by Cal Newport
  • Indie Hacker - Pat Walls

Follow Jordan

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Jordan O'Connor Growing a $2m p/y indie business - Josh Ho, Referral Rock 84 84 Growing a $2m p/y indie business - Josh Ho, Referral Rock full 5be7b087-3653-4728-92d2-86c976051488 https://indiebites.com/84 Josh Ho is the founder and CEO of Referral Rock, a SaaS he founded in 2014 doing over $2m a year in revenue. Referral Rock helps businesses to design, launch and manage a customer referral program. Josh has had decades of experience as a founder, pouring his early entrepreneurship energy into a notes app that he ultimately couldn’t monetize.

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:24 - Josh's background
02:11 - Lessons from a failed startup
04:16 - Failed startup to new long term bet
05:41 - The idea for Referral Rock
06:59 - Pricing a B2C product
08:33 - Marketing advice for indie hackers
12:24 - Challenges along the way
14:01 - Raising
15:41 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Josh

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Josh Ho is the founder and CEO of Referral Rock, a SaaS he founded in 2014 doing over $2m a year in revenue. Referral Rock helps businesses to design, launch and manage a customer referral program. Josh has had decades of experience as a founder, pouring his early entrepreneurship energy into a notes app that he ultimately couldn’t monetize.

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:24 - Josh's background
02:11 - Lessons from a failed startup
04:16 - Failed startup to new long term bet
05:41 - The idea for Referral Rock
06:59 - Pricing a B2C product
08:33 - Marketing advice for indie hackers
12:24 - Challenges along the way
14:01 - Raising
15:41 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Josh

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 12 Apr 2023 14:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 990 Josh Ho is the founder and CEO of Referral Rock, a SaaS he founded in 2014 doing over $2m a year in revenue. Referral Rock helps businesses to design, launch and manage a customer referral program. Josh has had decades of experience as a founder, pouring his early entrepreneurship energy into a notes app that he ultimately couldn’t monetize.

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:24 - Josh's background
02:11 - Lessons from a failed startup
04:16 - Failed startup to new long term bet
05:41 - The idea for Referral Rock
06:59 - Pricing a B2C product
08:33 - Marketing advice for indie hackers
12:24 - Challenges along the way
14:01 - Raising
15:41 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Josh

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Josh Ho Building a 6-figure creator business - Jay Clouse, Creator Science 83 83 Building a 6-figure creator business - Jay Clouse, Creator Science full 4f17b871-f6f6-44df-a0f0-3ca16b51f132 https://indiebites.com/83 Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, which is a membership, community, newsletter and podcast helping you become build a creator business, which he bootstrapped to over $40k a month towards the end of last year. His podcast is one of the best produced shows out there and it’s on my very short list of shows that I can listen to every episode and know it’s going to be killer. I think the creator business angle is interesting for indie hackers who haven’t quite found a product yet and want to build something. Creating content and speaking to people in your niche, can help you find pain points and problems, while also building extra income for yourself.

Timestamps

  • 01:55 The Creative Elements podcast (now Creator Science)
  • 04:45 How to have a point of differentiation
  • 06:11 Building a creator business
  • 08:23 Making $40k in one month
  • 11:03 Multiple projects and revenue streams
  • 13:10 How Jay spends his time
  • 14:02 How to start out as a creator
  • 15:19 Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Book - How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Podcast - Bandsplain
  • Indie hacker / entrepreneur - Justin Moore

Follow Jay

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, which is a membership, community, newsletter and podcast helping you become build a creator business, which he bootstrapped to over $40k a month towards the end of last year. His podcast is one of the best produced shows out there and it’s on my very short list of shows that I can listen to every episode and know it’s going to be killer. I think the creator business angle is interesting for indie hackers who haven’t quite found a product yet and want to build something. Creating content and speaking to people in your niche, can help you find pain points and problems, while also building extra income for yourself.

Timestamps

  • 01:55 The Creative Elements podcast (now Creator Science)
  • 04:45 How to have a point of differentiation
  • 06:11 Building a creator business
  • 08:23 Making $40k in one month
  • 11:03 Multiple projects and revenue streams
  • 13:10 How Jay spends his time
  • 14:02 How to start out as a creator
  • 15:19 Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Book - How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Podcast - Bandsplain
  • Indie hacker / entrepreneur - Justin Moore

Follow Jay

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 991 Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, which is a membership, community, newsletter and podcast helping you become build a creator business, which he bootstrapped to over $40k a month towards the end of last year. His podcast is one of the best produced shows out there and it’s on my very short list of shows that I can listen to every episode and know it’s going to be killer. I think the creator business angle is interesting for indie hackers who haven’t quite found a product yet and want to build something. Creating content and speaking to people in your niche, can help you find pain points and problems, while also building extra income for yourself.

Timestamps

  • 01:55 The Creative Elements podcast (now Creator Science)
  • 04:45 How to have a point of differentiation
  • 06:11 Building a creator business
  • 08:23 Making $40k in one month
  • 11:03 Multiple projects and revenue streams
  • 13:10 How Jay spends his time
  • 14:02 How to start out as a creator
  • 15:19 Recommendations

Recommendations

  • Book - How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Podcast - Bandsplain
  • Indie hacker / entrepreneur - Justin Moore

Follow Jay

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Building a $15k MRR side project while working at Stripe - Justin Duke, Buttondown 82 82 Building a $15k MRR side project while working at Stripe - Justin Duke, Buttondown full fe06c4a9-932d-4f0c-b686-56e9b3621181 https://indiebites.com/82 Justin Duke is the founder of Buttondown, a simple email newsletter tool without all the bloat. In December 2022 Buttondown was around $15k MRR. He also runs Spoonbill, which is a way to stay updated on what people change on their social profiles. At the time of recording this Justin was an engineering manager at Stripe so you’ll hear references to that, but he’s since left to go all in on being a founder.

👉 Join the Indie Bites membership here.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:57 Origins of Buttondown
  • 03:25 Buttondown launch
  • 05:37 Keeping Buttondown as a side project
  • 07:47 A pricing conundrum
  • 09:26 Having a free plan
  • 10:20 Finding balance
  • 12:31 Are Stripe side-project friendly
  • 13:56 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Justin

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Justin Duke is the founder of Buttondown, a simple email newsletter tool without all the bloat. In December 2022 Buttondown was around $15k MRR. He also runs Spoonbill, which is a way to stay updated on what people change on their social profiles. At the time of recording this Justin was an engineering manager at Stripe so you’ll hear references to that, but he’s since left to go all in on being a founder.

👉 Join the Indie Bites membership here.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:57 Origins of Buttondown
  • 03:25 Buttondown launch
  • 05:37 Keeping Buttondown as a side project
  • 07:47 A pricing conundrum
  • 09:26 Having a free plan
  • 10:20 Finding balance
  • 12:31 Are Stripe side-project friendly
  • 13:56 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Justin

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Sat, 01 Apr 2023 19:33:29 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 912 Justin Duke is the founder of Buttondown, a simple email newsletter tool without all the bloat. In December 2022 Buttondown was around $15k MRR. He also runs Spoonbill, which is a way to stay updated on what people change on their social profiles. At the time of recording this Justin was an engineering manager at Stripe so you’ll hear references to that, but he’s since left to go all in on being a founder.

👉 Join the Indie Bites membership here.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:57 Origins of Buttondown
  • 03:25 Buttondown launch
  • 05:37 Keeping Buttondown as a side project
  • 07:47 A pricing conundrum
  • 09:26 Having a free plan
  • 10:20 Finding balance
  • 12:31 Are Stripe side-project friendly
  • 13:56 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Justin

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Justin Duke Breaking Convention: The Radical Thinking of Jack McDade and Statamic 81 81 Breaking Convention: The Radical Thinking of Jack McDade and Statamic full cc8d9c24-3413-450e-beb1-13861b604d93 https://indiebites.com/81 Jack McDade is the creator of Statamic, a content management system for Laravel. What I love about Jack is how he approaches all of his projects, including Statamic, to just be different. There is so much cookie cutter content out there and everything just ends up looking the same - but not if Jack has anything to do with it. Just take a look at his personal website, his Radical Design course and Icons and you’ll see what I mean. I love it.

👉 Join the Indie Bites membership here.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:27 Why Jack started Statamic
  • 02:58 Taking 6 years before going full time
  • 04:20 What would Jack have done differently?
  • 05:14 How to be different
  • 07:40 The unfair indie hacker advantage
  • 08:26 Radical Design Course
  • 12:45 Learning with Jack
  • 15:07 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Jack

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Jack McDade is the creator of Statamic, a content management system for Laravel. What I love about Jack is how he approaches all of his projects, including Statamic, to just be different. There is so much cookie cutter content out there and everything just ends up looking the same - but not if Jack has anything to do with it. Just take a look at his personal website, his Radical Design course and Icons and you’ll see what I mean. I love it.

👉 Join the Indie Bites membership here.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:27 Why Jack started Statamic
  • 02:58 Taking 6 years before going full time
  • 04:20 What would Jack have done differently?
  • 05:14 How to be different
  • 07:40 The unfair indie hacker advantage
  • 08:26 Radical Design Course
  • 12:45 Learning with Jack
  • 15:07 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Jack

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Sat, 25 Mar 2023 15:44:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 985 Jack McDade is the creator of Statamic, a content management system for Laravel. What I love about Jack is how he approaches all of his projects, including Statamic, to just be different. There is so much cookie cutter content out there and everything just ends up looking the same - but not if Jack has anything to do with it. Just take a look at his personal website, his Radical Design course and Icons and you’ll see what I mean. I love it.

👉 Join the Indie Bites membership here.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:27 Why Jack started Statamic
  • 02:58 Taking 6 years before going full time
  • 04:20 What would Jack have done differently?
  • 05:14 How to be different
  • 07:40 The unfair indie hacker advantage
  • 08:26 Radical Design Course
  • 12:45 Learning with Jack
  • 15:07 Recommendations

Recommendations

Follow Jack

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Jack McDade From $0 to $10k MRR in 2 years - Elston Baretto, Tiiny Host (Revisited) 80 80 From $0 to $10k MRR in 2 years - Elston Baretto, Tiiny Host (Revisited) full e431611a-8cd9-4c2e-aebd-08fe9c89ff4e https://indiebites.com/80 Elston Baretto was last on the pod in March 2021, when he’d just grown his tool, Tiiny.host, to $600 MRR and we recorded as part of my mission to share stories of unknown indie hackers with potential. Fast forward 2 years and Tiiny Host has grown to $10k MRR and Elston has just quit his job to become a full time indie hacker.

👉 My side project, Whitstable Craft Co.

Topics covered:

  • Hitting $10k MRR
  • Why PDF hosting has been pivotal for growth
  • Build what people search for
  • Why SEO has been such a huge growth driver
  • How to do SEO
  • Going full time
  • When is the right time to quit your job?
  • How much to pay yourself
  • Launching before it's perfect
  • Pressure of growth
  • How to keep indie hacking enjoyable

Recommendations

Follow Elston

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Elston Baretto was last on the pod in March 2021, when he’d just grown his tool, Tiiny.host, to $600 MRR and we recorded as part of my mission to share stories of unknown indie hackers with potential. Fast forward 2 years and Tiiny Host has grown to $10k MRR and Elston has just quit his job to become a full time indie hacker.

👉 My side project, Whitstable Craft Co.

Topics covered:

  • Hitting $10k MRR
  • Why PDF hosting has been pivotal for growth
  • Build what people search for
  • Why SEO has been such a huge growth driver
  • How to do SEO
  • Going full time
  • When is the right time to quit your job?
  • How much to pay yourself
  • Launching before it's perfect
  • Pressure of growth
  • How to keep indie hacking enjoyable

Recommendations

Follow Elston

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Sun, 19 Mar 2023 16:47:18 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 982 Elston Baretto was last on the pod in March 2021, when he’d just grown his tool, Tiiny.host, to $600 MRR and we recorded as part of my mission to share stories of unknown indie hackers with potential. Fast forward 2 years and Tiiny Host has grown to $10k MRR and Elston has just quit his job to become a full time indie hacker.

👉 My side project, Whitstable Craft Co.

Topics covered:

  • Hitting $10k MRR
  • Why PDF hosting has been pivotal for growth
  • Build what people search for
  • Why SEO has been such a huge growth driver
  • How to do SEO
  • Going full time
  • When is the right time to quit your job?
  • How much to pay yourself
  • Launching before it's perfect
  • Pressure of growth
  • How to keep indie hacking enjoyable

Recommendations

Follow Elston

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Elston Baretto Making $12k p/m with Wordpress plugins - Patrick Posner 79 79 Making $12k p/m with Wordpress plugins - Patrick Posner full 0133726b-37dd-47e4-93d4-aea4bd43654c https://indiebites.com/79 Patrick Posner is the creator of a portfolio of Wordpress plugins which have been downloaded almost a million times collectively making him $12k p/m. Patrick went full time indie in 2020 and since then has both grown quickly and scaled back operations to build the best sort of life for him. I love these types of stories of relatively unknown indie hackers who are creating the dream life for themselves.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Building Wordpress plugins on the side of a day job
  • Marketing for Wordpress plugins
  • Getting 1m downloads
  • Beating a domain reseller
  • Finding SEO keywords to rank for
  • Pricing yearly vs monthly
  • Growing fast and scaling back

Recommendations

  • Book - Why We Sleep
  • Podcast - The Bootstrapped Founder
  • Indie Hacker - tbc

Follow Patrick

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Patrick Posner is the creator of a portfolio of Wordpress plugins which have been downloaded almost a million times collectively making him $12k p/m. Patrick went full time indie in 2020 and since then has both grown quickly and scaled back operations to build the best sort of life for him. I love these types of stories of relatively unknown indie hackers who are creating the dream life for themselves.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Building Wordpress plugins on the side of a day job
  • Marketing for Wordpress plugins
  • Getting 1m downloads
  • Beating a domain reseller
  • Finding SEO keywords to rank for
  • Pricing yearly vs monthly
  • Growing fast and scaling back

Recommendations

  • Book - Why We Sleep
  • Podcast - The Bootstrapped Founder
  • Indie Hacker - tbc

Follow Patrick

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Wed, 15 Mar 2023 19:31:28 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 939 Patrick Posner is the creator of a portfolio of Wordpress plugins which have been downloaded almost a million times collectively making him $12k p/m. Patrick went full time indie in 2020 and since then has both grown quickly and scaled back operations to build the best sort of life for him. I love these types of stories of relatively unknown indie hackers who are creating the dream life for themselves.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Building Wordpress plugins on the side of a day job
  • Marketing for Wordpress plugins
  • Getting 1m downloads
  • Beating a domain reseller
  • Finding SEO keywords to rank for
  • Pricing yearly vs monthly
  • Growing fast and scaling back

Recommendations

  • Book - Why We Sleep
  • Podcast - The Bootstrapped Founder
  • Indie Hacker - tbc

Follow Patrick

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Patrick Posner From $50m VC-backed to $20k MRR notes app - Alex MacCaw, Reflect (prev. Clearbit) 78 78 From $50m VC-backed to $20k MRR notes app - Alex MacCaw, Reflect (prev. Clearbit) full 028cb3f2-edfe-401d-9195-f50a0bd665a1 https://indiebites.com/78 Alex MacCaw is the founder of Reflect, a note taking app which he’s grown to $20k MRR with a team of 4. Previously, he was the co-founder of Clearbit, a VC-backed company that scaled to $50m in revenue. After stepping down as CEO of Clearbit, he decided to focus on doing the stuff he enjoys. So he’s sailing around the world building an app that gets him excited every day.

👉 My side project, Whitstable Craft Co.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Alex dropped out of school
  • Coding without a CS degree
  • Being unemployable
  • Starting Clearbit
  • Stepping down as CEO of Clearbit
  • Boostrapping Reflect
  • Why another note taking app?
  • Building what you enjoy
  • Growing to 20k MRR
  • Getting the first users for your product
  • Sailing around the world

Recommendations

Follow Alex

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Alex MacCaw is the founder of Reflect, a note taking app which he’s grown to $20k MRR with a team of 4. Previously, he was the co-founder of Clearbit, a VC-backed company that scaled to $50m in revenue. After stepping down as CEO of Clearbit, he decided to focus on doing the stuff he enjoys. So he’s sailing around the world building an app that gets him excited every day.

👉 My side project, Whitstable Craft Co.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Alex dropped out of school
  • Coding without a CS degree
  • Being unemployable
  • Starting Clearbit
  • Stepping down as CEO of Clearbit
  • Boostrapping Reflect
  • Why another note taking app?
  • Building what you enjoy
  • Growing to 20k MRR
  • Getting the first users for your product
  • Sailing around the world

Recommendations

Follow Alex

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:26:08 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1018 Alex MacCaw is the founder of Reflect, a note taking app which he’s grown to $20k MRR with a team of 4. Previously, he was the co-founder of Clearbit, a VC-backed company that scaled to $50m in revenue. After stepping down as CEO of Clearbit, he decided to focus on doing the stuff he enjoys. So he’s sailing around the world building an app that gets him excited every day.

👉 My side project, Whitstable Craft Co.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Alex dropped out of school
  • Coding without a CS degree
  • Being unemployable
  • Starting Clearbit
  • Stepping down as CEO of Clearbit
  • Boostrapping Reflect
  • Why another note taking app?
  • Building what you enjoy
  • Growing to 20k MRR
  • Getting the first users for your product
  • Sailing around the world

Recommendations

Follow Alex

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Alex MacCaw Stair stepping to millions in SaaS revenue - Craig Hewitt, Castos 77 77 Stair stepping to millions in SaaS revenue - Craig Hewitt, Castos full 80325607-b87c-4429-a820-2b96a5a44c7e https://indiebites.com/77 Craig Hewitt is the Founder and CEO of Castos, a bootstrapped podcast hosting and analytics platform with a services arm for podcast production. He’s been in podcasting almost a decade, having started his own show, Rogue Startups and his production service Podcast Motor (which he folded into Castos). Craig not only shares his ponderings on his show, but he also writes a weekly newsletter called Founder Insights.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Craig's background in sales
  • Launching a podcasting productized service in 2014
  • Stair stepping to SaaS
  • Acquiring Seriously Simple Podcasting
  • Product positioning
  • Growth and marketing for Castos
  • His approach to podcasting
  • Bootstrapping vs raising
  • Founder Insights newsletter

Recommendations

Follow Craig

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Craig Hewitt is the Founder and CEO of Castos, a bootstrapped podcast hosting and analytics platform with a services arm for podcast production. He’s been in podcasting almost a decade, having started his own show, Rogue Startups and his production service Podcast Motor (which he folded into Castos). Craig not only shares his ponderings on his show, but he also writes a weekly newsletter called Founder Insights.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Craig's background in sales
  • Launching a podcasting productized service in 2014
  • Stair stepping to SaaS
  • Acquiring Seriously Simple Podcasting
  • Product positioning
  • Growth and marketing for Castos
  • His approach to podcasting
  • Bootstrapping vs raising
  • Founder Insights newsletter

Recommendations

Follow Craig

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Wed, 08 Mar 2023 10:10:02 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 997 Craig Hewitt is the Founder and CEO of Castos, a bootstrapped podcast hosting and analytics platform with a services arm for podcast production. He’s been in podcasting almost a decade, having started his own show, Rogue Startups and his production service Podcast Motor (which he folded into Castos). Craig not only shares his ponderings on his show, but he also writes a weekly newsletter called Founder Insights.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Craig's background in sales
  • Launching a podcasting productized service in 2014
  • Stair stepping to SaaS
  • Acquiring Seriously Simple Podcasting
  • Product positioning
  • Growth and marketing for Castos
  • His approach to podcasting
  • Bootstrapping vs raising
  • Founder Insights newsletter

Recommendations

Follow Craig

My links

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Craig Hewitt Daniel Fayle: from commercial banker to making millions in software 76 76 Daniel Fayle: from commercial banker to making millions in software full fa639a91-81a1-4824-852d-90847fb1db1a https://indiebites.com/76 Today I’m joined by Dan Fayle, who is the co-founder of Chekkit, a company that’s he bootstrapped to almost $2.5m ARR and 20 employees. There’s a few interesting things about Dan’s story I know you’re going to like. This is his first company and he quit his job to go all-in with 3 co-founders, he got his early customers through, and I’m not kidding, door to door sales and finally he’s not changed the price of the product since it’s launch 6 years ago.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Dan’s background
  • Why he went all-in on Chekkit from the beginning
  • How he got his early customers from door to door sales
  • How to make cold email work at scale
  • Biggest growth channels
  • How an early pivot lead to more growth
  • Why they stuck to their $99 p/m price for years
  • What’s next for the business

Recommendations

Follow Dan

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Today I’m joined by Dan Fayle, who is the co-founder of Chekkit, a company that’s he bootstrapped to almost $2.5m ARR and 20 employees. There’s a few interesting things about Dan’s story I know you’re going to like. This is his first company and he quit his job to go all-in with 3 co-founders, he got his early customers through, and I’m not kidding, door to door sales and finally he’s not changed the price of the product since it’s launch 6 years ago.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Dan’s background
  • Why he went all-in on Chekkit from the beginning
  • How he got his early customers from door to door sales
  • How to make cold email work at scale
  • Biggest growth channels
  • How an early pivot lead to more growth
  • Why they stuck to their $99 p/m price for years
  • What’s next for the business

Recommendations

Follow Dan

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Fri, 03 Mar 2023 09:19:21 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 965 Today I’m joined by Dan Fayle, who is the co-founder of Chekkit, a company that’s he bootstrapped to almost $2.5m ARR and 20 employees. There’s a few interesting things about Dan’s story I know you’re going to like. This is his first company and he quit his job to go all-in with 3 co-founders, he got his early customers through, and I’m not kidding, door to door sales and finally he’s not changed the price of the product since it’s launch 6 years ago.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Dan’s background
  • Why he went all-in on Chekkit from the beginning
  • How he got his early customers from door to door sales
  • How to make cold email work at scale
  • Biggest growth channels
  • How an early pivot lead to more growth
  • Why they stuck to their $99 p/m price for years
  • What’s next for the business

Recommendations

Follow Dan

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Dan Fayle How Ahrefs Built A Best-In-Class SEO Strategy - Tim Soulo, Ahrefs 75 75 How Ahrefs Built A Best-In-Class SEO Strategy - Tim Soulo, Ahrefs full d65c2239-56ab-4e86-b660-6740a6fb47cc https://indiebites.com/75 Tim Soulo is the CMO at Ahrefs, one of the biggest and best SEO tools on the internet. Ahrefs are one of the clear success stories as a bootstrapped company, growing to be a an 8 figure brand over the past decade. Things really took off when Tim took over marketing for the company back in 2015, first focusing on growing the blog, before experimenting with different marketing channel to bring Ahrefs to its current size. In this episode Tim brings a mini SEO masterclass for SaaS founders, gives his thoughts on AI content and reveals if he has ambitions to start a indie project for himself.

Join the Indie Bites membership 👈

What we covered in this episode

  • The basics of SEO for a SaaS tool
  • A mini SEO masterclass for indie SaaS tools
  • Why credibility is important for SEO
  • Tim’s thoughts on AI content
  • How “original work” is essential
  • What marketing channel is going to work in 2023
  • Tim’s favourite marketing experiments for Ahrefs
  • Does Tim have any indie hacker ambitious to run his own company

Recommendations

Follow Tim

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Tim Soulo is the CMO at Ahrefs, one of the biggest and best SEO tools on the internet. Ahrefs are one of the clear success stories as a bootstrapped company, growing to be a an 8 figure brand over the past decade. Things really took off when Tim took over marketing for the company back in 2015, first focusing on growing the blog, before experimenting with different marketing channel to bring Ahrefs to its current size. In this episode Tim brings a mini SEO masterclass for SaaS founders, gives his thoughts on AI content and reveals if he has ambitions to start a indie project for himself.

Join the Indie Bites membership 👈

What we covered in this episode

  • The basics of SEO for a SaaS tool
  • A mini SEO masterclass for indie SaaS tools
  • Why credibility is important for SEO
  • Tim’s thoughts on AI content
  • How “original work” is essential
  • What marketing channel is going to work in 2023
  • Tim’s favourite marketing experiments for Ahrefs
  • Does Tim have any indie hacker ambitious to run his own company

Recommendations

Follow Tim

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:14:53 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 954 Tim Soulo is the CMO at Ahrefs, one of the biggest and best SEO tools on the internet. Ahrefs are one of the clear success stories as a bootstrapped company, growing to be a an 8 figure brand over the past decade. Things really took off when Tim took over marketing for the company back in 2015, first focusing on growing the blog, before experimenting with different marketing channel to bring Ahrefs to its current size. In this episode Tim brings a mini SEO masterclass for SaaS founders, gives his thoughts on AI content and reveals if he has ambitions to start a indie project for himself.

Join the Indie Bites membership 👈

What we covered in this episode

  • The basics of SEO for a SaaS tool
  • A mini SEO masterclass for indie SaaS tools
  • Why credibility is important for SEO
  • Tim’s thoughts on AI content
  • How “original work” is essential
  • What marketing channel is going to work in 2023
  • Tim’s favourite marketing experiments for Ahrefs
  • Does Tim have any indie hacker ambitious to run his own company

Recommendations

Follow Tim

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Tim Soulo Bootstrapping a leather supply business to $50k in sales - Jared Maddern, Beamhouse Leather 74 74 Bootstrapping a leather supply business to $50k in sales - Jared Maddern, Beamhouse Leather full eb49698d-73e8-44ad-ad8c-c77f9b0f76d2 https://indiebites.com/74 Today I’m joined by Jared Maddern, the founder of Beamhouse Leather, a leather supply business he’s grown to £45k in sales in the past 2 years. Some of you might know I run a handmade leather wallet business on the side, called Whitstable Craft Co, and so this is a little look into the other part of my life.

Although Jared doesn’t run an indie SaaS, I wanted to bring slightly different perspective of being an indie entreprenuer. We discuss how building a business in a growing market has and selling pick axes to gold miners strategy has led to his growth, what it’s like working with physical goods and why he put £10k of his own money to take the business to the next level.

📹 Watch this episode on YouTube.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Jared’s taco truck
  • How he started leathercrafting
  • Where he got his first leather from
  • How to learn leathercrafting
  • How Beamhouse leather started
  • Starting on Etsy instead of his own website
  • The effect of the pandemic on hobbies
  • Investing £12k for leather machinery
  • Investing personal money
  • Wanting to keep the business as a side project

Recommendations

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Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Today I’m joined by Jared Maddern, the founder of Beamhouse Leather, a leather supply business he’s grown to £45k in sales in the past 2 years. Some of you might know I run a handmade leather wallet business on the side, called Whitstable Craft Co, and so this is a little look into the other part of my life.

Although Jared doesn’t run an indie SaaS, I wanted to bring slightly different perspective of being an indie entreprenuer. We discuss how building a business in a growing market has and selling pick axes to gold miners strategy has led to his growth, what it’s like working with physical goods and why he put £10k of his own money to take the business to the next level.

📹 Watch this episode on YouTube.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Jared’s taco truck
  • How he started leathercrafting
  • Where he got his first leather from
  • How to learn leathercrafting
  • How Beamhouse leather started
  • Starting on Etsy instead of his own website
  • The effect of the pandemic on hobbies
  • Investing £12k for leather machinery
  • Investing personal money
  • Wanting to keep the business as a side project

Recommendations

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2023 16:39:37 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1018 The crossover you never asked for but didn't know you wanted, it's James and his leather man. They talk about what it takes to build a leather supply business from scratch. The crossover you never asked for but didn't know you wanted, it's James and his leather man. They talk about what it takes to build a leather supply business from scratch. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Jared Maddern How to build a newsletter business - Louis Nicholls, SparkLoop 73 73 How to build a newsletter business - Louis Nicholls, SparkLoop full f579db0f-479b-45d9-b138-c5e30368d4af https://indiebites.com/73 Louis Nicholls is the co-founder of SparkLoop, a product that helps newsletter operators grow through referral partnerships. Indie hackers might know Louis from his Sales for Founders course which he ran a few years ago, as well as his many other projects.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Sparkloop Started
  • How Louis met his cofounder Manuel
  • Going Niche vs Broad
  • Pursuing a growing market
  • What is your unique competitive advantage?
  • Avoiding shiny object syndrome
  • Speaking to your customers
  • How does a newsletter referral program work?
  • Can you start a referral program from the beginning?
  • What’s the value of a newsletter subscriber?
    • Sparkloop calculator
  • Sparkloop growth from day 1
  • How big is Sparkloop?
  • How to start and grow a newsletter
  • Louis’ favourite newsletters

Recommendations

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Louis Nicholls is the co-founder of SparkLoop, a product that helps newsletter operators grow through referral partnerships. Indie hackers might know Louis from his Sales for Founders course which he ran a few years ago, as well as his many other projects.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Sparkloop Started
  • How Louis met his cofounder Manuel
  • Going Niche vs Broad
  • Pursuing a growing market
  • What is your unique competitive advantage?
  • Avoiding shiny object syndrome
  • Speaking to your customers
  • How does a newsletter referral program work?
  • Can you start a referral program from the beginning?
  • What’s the value of a newsletter subscriber?
    • Sparkloop calculator
  • Sparkloop growth from day 1
  • How big is Sparkloop?
  • How to start and grow a newsletter
  • Louis’ favourite newsletters

Recommendations

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools

]]> Tue, 15 Nov 2022 23:44:09 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 992 Louis Nicholls has dived deep into the world of newsletter referral programs, and he's learnt a thing or too along the way. This chat is packed with advice about speaking to your customers, avoiding shiny object syndrome and how to grow a newsletter. Louis Nicholls has dived deep into the world of newsletter referral programs, and he's learnt a thing or too along the way. This chat is packed with advice about speaking to your customers, avoiding shiny object syndrome and how to grow a newsletter. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Louis Nicholls 💫 Near death VC experience to $25k p/m bootstrapped - Kyle Gawley, Gravity 72 72 Near death VC experience to $25k p/m bootstrapped - Kyle Gawley, Gravity full eb02bfd7-8456-4956-baa3-1426b18a5747 https://indiebites.com/72 Kyle Gawley is the founder of Gravity, which he’s bootstrapped to over $25k p/m. In 2012, he scaled a vc-backed company, called Get Invited, to $5m in sales, before a near-death experience made him rethink how he lived his life. Now, Kyle is travelling the world building his bootstrapped SaaS. Let’s find out how he did it.

Join the Indie Bites membership 👈

What we covered in this episode

  • Starting out on the VC path
  • What Kyle loved about working in VC
  • Having a near death experience
  • How he changed his life after
  • Deciding to become a digital nomad
  • Starting Gravity to solve his own problem
  • What Gravity is for non-technical folks
  • Pricing, should you go cheap or upstream?
  • Using Twitter and SEO for customer acquisition
  • Kyle’s thoughts on single focus vs small bets
  • Kyle’s new AI project

Recommendations

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My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Kyle Gawley is the founder of Gravity, which he’s bootstrapped to over $25k p/m. In 2012, he scaled a vc-backed company, called Get Invited, to $5m in sales, before a near-death experience made him rethink how he lived his life. Now, Kyle is travelling the world building his bootstrapped SaaS. Let’s find out how he did it.

Join the Indie Bites membership 👈

What we covered in this episode

  • Starting out on the VC path
  • What Kyle loved about working in VC
  • Having a near death experience
  • How he changed his life after
  • Deciding to become a digital nomad
  • Starting Gravity to solve his own problem
  • What Gravity is for non-technical folks
  • Pricing, should you go cheap or upstream?
  • Using Twitter and SEO for customer acquisition
  • Kyle’s thoughts on single focus vs small bets
  • Kyle’s new AI project

Recommendations

Follow Kyle

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Tue, 08 Nov 2022 06:00:00 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 980 Kyle Gawley is living his life in Thailand and making $25k p/m through his product Gravity, although it did take a near-death traumatic experience with a VC-company for him to forge a new path for his life. Kyle Gawley is living his life in Thailand and making $25k p/m through his product Gravity, although it did take a near-death traumatic experience with a VC-company for him to forge a new path for his life. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven KyleGawley Bootstrapping to $3.5m ARR from YouTuber to Founder - Sam King, Flick 71 71 Bootstrapping to $3.5m ARR from YouTuber to Founder - Sam King, Flick full 33db924d-0516-4e76-bfe0-1ddc07693620 https://indiebites.com/71 Sam King is the founder of Flick, a tool for managing and growing your social media, doing over $3.5m ARR fully bootstrapped. Sam has taken a unique path into bootstrapping, first being a YouTuber, then running an agency before flipping it into a SaaS with Flick. There is an hour long extended version of this show available on the Indie Bites membership, head to indiebites.com/membership to sub.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Starting out as a YouTuber
  • Pivoting from YouTuber to starting an agency
  • Pivoting the agency to start a SaaS
  • Marketing Sam used to grow Flick
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Building an MVP
  • Hiring challenges

Recommendations

Follow

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Sponsor - Figura

Often great design makes products stand out in this day and age; stop trying to figure it out yourself. Figura offers vetted product designers for startups and fast-growing companies. Find your first designer or contractor, or land a helping hand for your product in less than 48hours. Save $199 and start your project for free, using code "INDIE199".

Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Sam King is the founder of Flick, a tool for managing and growing your social media, doing over $3.5m ARR fully bootstrapped. Sam has taken a unique path into bootstrapping, first being a YouTuber, then running an agency before flipping it into a SaaS with Flick. There is an hour long extended version of this show available on the Indie Bites membership, head to indiebites.com/membership to sub.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Starting out as a YouTuber
  • Pivoting from YouTuber to starting an agency
  • Pivoting the agency to start a SaaS
  • Marketing Sam used to grow Flick
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Building an MVP
  • Hiring challenges

Recommendations

Follow

Follow Me

Sponsor - Figura

Often great design makes products stand out in this day and age; stop trying to figure it out yourself. Figura offers vetted product designers for startups and fast-growing companies. Find your first designer or contractor, or land a helping hand for your product in less than 48hours. Save $199 and start your project for free, using code "INDIE199".

Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Wed, 02 Nov 2022 13:23:06 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 879 Sam is the founder of Flick, a bootstrapped social media tool doing $3.5m ARR. Sam is the founder of Flick, a bootstrapped social media tool doing $3.5m ARR. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Sam King A masterclass in customer research as a founder - Michele Hansen, Deploy Empathy 70 70 A masterclass in customer research as a founder - Michele Hansen, Deploy Empathy full c13d7a8c-1639-4482-bca8-3cd143e39285 https://indiebites.com/70 Michele Hansen is the co-founder of Geocodio, a SaaS business that provides geocoding and data matching for addresses, co-host of the fantastic podcast Software Social and author of the book Deploy Empathy, which is all about how to do great customer interviews. We cover a lot of ground in this short episode, including how to write a book, building in public and mental health as a founder. Along with some concrete tips on how exactly you can do customer research.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Michele’s podcast tour
  • Building in public
  • Why context is important for Twitter debates
  • The real reason Michele wrote her book
  • Starting with a newsletter
  • How to do customer research
  • How to understand your customers
  • Changing their podcast support model
  • Mental health as a founder
  • Being a founder with ADHD

Recommendations

Follow Michele

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Michele Hansen is the co-founder of Geocodio, a SaaS business that provides geocoding and data matching for addresses, co-host of the fantastic podcast Software Social and author of the book Deploy Empathy, which is all about how to do great customer interviews. We cover a lot of ground in this short episode, including how to write a book, building in public and mental health as a founder. Along with some concrete tips on how exactly you can do customer research.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Michele’s podcast tour
  • Building in public
  • Why context is important for Twitter debates
  • The real reason Michele wrote her book
  • Starting with a newsletter
  • How to do customer research
  • How to understand your customers
  • Changing their podcast support model
  • Mental health as a founder
  • Being a founder with ADHD

Recommendations

Follow Michele

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Wed, 26 Oct 2022 08:15:01 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 966 The dreaded (and sometimes neglected) customer research. I know I've avoided it. Michele has convinced me that it's something I should be doing and how to do it in an easy way. The dreaded (and sometimes neglected) customer research. I know I've avoided it. Michele has convinced me that it's something I should be doing and how to do it in an easy way. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Michele Hansen Bootstrapping, AppSumo deals and productivity tools - Macgill Davis / Will Goto, Rize.io 69 69 Bootstrapping, AppSumo deals and productivity tools - Macgill Davis / Will Goto, Rize.io full 2fb29fbd-8eaf-4c89-be12-663857abaae8 https://indiebites.com/69 Macgill Davis and Will Goto are the founders of Rize, a time-tracking platform that helps you increase your productivity, started in August 2020. Will and Macgill met at a company called Peer, which then got acquired by Twitter, they then left Twitter and founded a company called Humble Dot, which they raised for but unfortunately had to shut down.

Join the membership for extended conversations 👈

What we covered in this episode:

  • Working on a side project while at Twitter
  • Raising funding then leaving their jobs
  • Co-founders with the same technical background
  • A different approach to finding a co-founder
  • Shutting down a business when it’s not doing well
  • Searching for a new idea and solving your own problem
  • Creating a landing page and running some ads
  • Picking a market to focus on
  • Time tracking for productivity
  • Getting traction through AppSumo
  • Cash up front with lifetime deals
  • Raising vs bootstrapping
  • How to be more productive

Recommendations

Follow

Follow Me

Sponsor - Figura

Often great design makes products stand out in this day and age; stop trying to figure it out yourself. Figura offers vetted product designers for startups and fast-growing companies. Find your first designer or contractor, or land a helping hand for your product in less than 48hours. Save $199 and start your project for free, using code "INDIE199".

Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Macgill Davis and Will Goto are the founders of Rize, a time-tracking platform that helps you increase your productivity, started in August 2020. Will and Macgill met at a company called Peer, which then got acquired by Twitter, they then left Twitter and founded a company called Humble Dot, which they raised for but unfortunately had to shut down.

Join the membership for extended conversations 👈

What we covered in this episode:

  • Working on a side project while at Twitter
  • Raising funding then leaving their jobs
  • Co-founders with the same technical background
  • A different approach to finding a co-founder
  • Shutting down a business when it’s not doing well
  • Searching for a new idea and solving your own problem
  • Creating a landing page and running some ads
  • Picking a market to focus on
  • Time tracking for productivity
  • Getting traction through AppSumo
  • Cash up front with lifetime deals
  • Raising vs bootstrapping
  • How to be more productive

Recommendations

Follow

Follow Me

Sponsor - Figura

Often great design makes products stand out in this day and age; stop trying to figure it out yourself. Figura offers vetted product designers for startups and fast-growing companies. Find your first designer or contractor, or land a helping hand for your product in less than 48hours. Save $199 and start your project for free, using code "INDIE199".

Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Tue, 04 Oct 2022 21:21:06 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 987 Macgill Davis and Will Goto are two technical co-founders figuring out how to make you more productive with their product, Rize. They've bootstrapped the right way- with validation, conviction and cash up-front. Now onto the next stage. Macgill Davis and Will Goto are two technical co-founders figuring out how to make you more productive with their product, Rize. They've bootstrapped the right way- with validation, conviction and cash up-front. Now onto the next stage. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Macgill Davis Will Goto Building a community of generalists on a remote island - Milly Tamati, Generalist World 68 68 Building a community of generalists on a remote island - Milly Tamati, Generalist World full ffe8e13f-5dbe-468a-aa8d-d22f4db13166 https://indiebites.com/68 Milly Tamati is not your usual founder. She lives on an remote island off Scotland with a population of just 170 people, previously co-owned a hostel in Thailand, co-founded a wine-tour in Australia and founded an illustration-agency in the UK. Now she’s working on a community called generalist.world, where’s she’s helping generalists like us indie hackers, find like minded individuals and jobs that fit us well.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Living on a remote island with 170 people
  • Remote life vs city life
  • Being isolated when not in a city
  • Embracing communities
  • Milly’s crazy career journey
  • Getting a customer in 12 hours
  • Testing your product before you launch
  • Why generalists aren’t valued in the world
  • Growing to 850 community members in a few months
  • How to cultivate community

Recommendations

Follow Milly

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Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Milly Tamati is not your usual founder. She lives on an remote island off Scotland with a population of just 170 people, previously co-owned a hostel in Thailand, co-founded a wine-tour in Australia and founded an illustration-agency in the UK. Now she’s working on a community called generalist.world, where’s she’s helping generalists like us indie hackers, find like minded individuals and jobs that fit us well.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Living on a remote island with 170 people
  • Remote life vs city life
  • Being isolated when not in a city
  • Embracing communities
  • Milly’s crazy career journey
  • Getting a customer in 12 hours
  • Testing your product before you launch
  • Why generalists aren’t valued in the world
  • Growing to 850 community members in a few months
  • How to cultivate community

Recommendations

Follow Milly

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Tue, 27 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 983 Milly is truly embracing remote work, living on an island off the coast of Scotland with 170 people. From there, she's building a community of people that just haven't been thought much about before - generalists. Milly is truly embracing remote work, living on an island off the coast of Scotland with 170 people. From there, she's building a community of people that just haven't been thought much about before - generalists. indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Milly Tamati (generalist.world👾) Bootstrapping Helpkit to $4.5k MRR - Dominik Sobe, Helpkit 67 67 Bootstrapping Helpkit to $4.5k MRR - Dominik Sobe, Helpkit full 315bd60f-e484-4210-917f-f683c76c9a99 https://indiebites.com/67 Today I’m joined by Dominik Sobe, the founder of Helpkit, a product he started last year that turns Notion pages into a professional help center, doing $4.5k MRR. In this episode we talk about Dom’s many failed projects, how he finally found something that worked with Helpkit and how he went from wanting to be a management consultant to being an indie hacker.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Dom’s previous projects
  • Wanting to become a management consultant
  • Management consultant to indie hacker
  • Making his first internet money
  • Being embarrassed about your first product
  • Overengineering your first product
  • Building an MVP during a hackathon
  • Validation before building a product
  • Side projects as marketing
  • Building in a growing market
  • Investing in SEO

Recommendations

Follow Dominik

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Sponsor - Figura

Often great design makes products stand out in this day and age; stop trying to figure it out yourself. Figura offers vetted product designers for startups and fast-growing companies. Find your first designer or contractor, or land a helping hand for your product in less than 48hours. Save $199 and start your project for free, using code "INDIE199".

Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Today I’m joined by Dominik Sobe, the founder of Helpkit, a product he started last year that turns Notion pages into a professional help center, doing $4.5k MRR. In this episode we talk about Dom’s many failed projects, how he finally found something that worked with Helpkit and how he went from wanting to be a management consultant to being an indie hacker.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Dom’s previous projects
  • Wanting to become a management consultant
  • Management consultant to indie hacker
  • Making his first internet money
  • Being embarrassed about your first product
  • Overengineering your first product
  • Building an MVP during a hackathon
  • Validation before building a product
  • Side projects as marketing
  • Building in a growing market
  • Investing in SEO

Recommendations

Follow Dominik

Follow Me

Sponsor - Figura

Often great design makes products stand out in this day and age; stop trying to figure it out yourself. Figura offers vetted product designers for startups and fast-growing companies. Find your first designer or contractor, or land a helping hand for your product in less than 48hours. Save $199 and start your project for free, using code "INDIE199".

Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:28:50 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 905 Dominik Sobe packed in his dreams of working as a management consultant, earning cushy money and travelling the world for free, to become a stressed-out, risk-taking indie hacker. Now with his product Helpkit making $4.5k MRR, is he happy with his new career? Dominik Sobe packed in his dreams of working as a management consultant, earning cushy money and travelling the world for free, to become a stressed-out, risk-taking indie hacker. Now with his product Helpkit making $4.5k MRR, is he happy with his new car indie hackers, bootstrapping No Dominik Sobe ツ James McKinven Solo founder grows reverse job board to $100k a year - Joe Masilotti, RailsDevs 66 66 Solo founder grows reverse job board to $100k a year - Joe Masilotti, RailsDevs full 98bbb3ab-9d02-4729-a10c-246f9ef30963 https://indiebites.com/66 Joe Masilotti is the founder of RailsDevs a reverse job board for Ruby on Rails developers, which is over $4k MRR and on for $100k revenue. Joe also runs the monthly Hotwire Dev newsletter, which has over 2,000 subs. And then late last year, Joe sold his side-project Mugshot Bot, which he took from idea to sale in just 14 months.

What we covered on this episode:

  • How and why Joe sold Mugshot Bot at $200 MRR
  • When to stop working on projects
  • How RailsDevs started with a spreadsheet
  • Solving a problem with a simple solution
  • Why a reverse jobs board works
  • A unique approach to a marketplace business
  • Growing RailsDevs (from both sides)
  • Being an embedded entrepreneur
  • Why RailsDevs has a hiring fee and subscription
  • Dealing with high churn
  • Growing a newsletter to 2,300 subs

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Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Joe Masilotti is the founder of RailsDevs a reverse job board for Ruby on Rails developers, which is over $4k MRR and on for $100k revenue. Joe also runs the monthly Hotwire Dev newsletter, which has over 2,000 subs. And then late last year, Joe sold his side-project Mugshot Bot, which he took from idea to sale in just 14 months.

What we covered on this episode:

  • How and why Joe sold Mugshot Bot at $200 MRR
  • When to stop working on projects
  • How RailsDevs started with a spreadsheet
  • Solving a problem with a simple solution
  • Why a reverse jobs board works
  • A unique approach to a marketplace business
  • Growing RailsDevs (from both sides)
  • Being an embedded entrepreneur
  • Why RailsDevs has a hiring fee and subscription
  • Dealing with high churn
  • Growing a newsletter to 2,300 subs

Recommendations

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My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Tue, 13 Sep 2022 17:26:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 978 Joe Masilotti is an all round top bloke. He's now just a top bloke who's making that juicy bootstrapped cash helping Rails developers get jobs. All while sneakily avoiding being labelled a recruiter. Smart man. Joe Masilotti is an all round top bloke. He's now just a top bloke who's making that juicy bootstrapped cash helping Rails developers get jobs. All while sneakily avoiding being labelled a recruiter. Smart man. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Joe Masilotti 📗 James McKinven Focusing on one product in a strong market (for 15 years) - Geoff Roberts, Outseta 65 65 Focusing on one product in a strong market (for 15 years) - Geoff Roberts, Outseta full a5bd2c82-5b85-46c7-9e0b-909fc3c02754 https://indiebites.com/65 Geoff Roberts is the co-founder of Outseta, a bootstrapped all-in-one platform to help manage and grow your recurring revenue business. Before Outseta, Geoff was Head of Marketing for Buildium, a product that went through the phases of bootstrapping, raising and exiting, that was started by current co-founder Dimitris.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Taking a big 15 year bet on your business
  • Going into an established, durable market
  • Why not raise for the company?
  • Single focus vs portfolio of small bets
  • Why Outseta focused on brand building and not SEO
  • Marketing trade-offs
  • Why freemium doesn’t work for everyone
  • Building a flat, self-managed organisation

Recommendations

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Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Geoff Roberts is the co-founder of Outseta, a bootstrapped all-in-one platform to help manage and grow your recurring revenue business. Before Outseta, Geoff was Head of Marketing for Buildium, a product that went through the phases of bootstrapping, raising and exiting, that was started by current co-founder Dimitris.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Taking a big 15 year bet on your business
  • Going into an established, durable market
  • Why not raise for the company?
  • Single focus vs portfolio of small bets
  • Why Outseta focused on brand building and not SEO
  • Marketing trade-offs
  • Why freemium doesn’t work for everyone
  • Building a flat, self-managed organisation

Recommendations

Follow Geoff

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Head to figura.digital to try it out.

]]> Tue, 06 Sep 2022 18:33:52 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 982 Geoff Roberts his co-founders at Outseta do things differently. They run a flat organisation, have ignored SEO, and have committed to 10-15 years to make the company work. They're in a super competitive and established market (CRM) but that's what they're betting on. Geoff Roberts his co-founders at Outseta do things differently. They run a flat organisation, have ignored SEO, and have committed to 10-15 years to make the company work. They're in a super competitive and established market (CRM) but that's what they're indie hackers, bootstrapping No Geoff Roberts Ending the VC dream and pivoting to an indie company - David Kofoed Wind, Eduflow 64 64 Ending the VC dream and pivoting to an indie company - David Kofoed Wind, Eduflow full dbbc556a-4bfe-48df-a750-d6818ec8aa22 https://indiebites.com/64 David Kofoed Wind is the co-founder and CEO of Eduflow an education platform started in 2015 as Peergrade, which was a peer to peer feedback tool. David is the definition of technical, having studied for a degree in applied math and computer science, then a Ph.D in machine learning. This is where the idea for Peergrade was born, as he started teach a course in data science and solved his own problem.

👉 Extended version of this episode.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Peergrade started in 2015
  • Scratching your own itch
  • Selling to universities
  • Using your "unfair advantages"
  • Why David took a Ph.D
  • What it's like building a product with a Ph.D
  • Having a terrible product
  • Going for and ending the VC dream
  • Pivoting Peergrade to Eduflow
  • Why David resonates with Indie Hackers

Recommendations

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Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> David Kofoed Wind is the co-founder and CEO of Eduflow an education platform started in 2015 as Peergrade, which was a peer to peer feedback tool. David is the definition of technical, having studied for a degree in applied math and computer science, then a Ph.D in machine learning. This is where the idea for Peergrade was born, as he started teach a course in data science and solved his own problem.

👉 Extended version of this episode.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Peergrade started in 2015
  • Scratching your own itch
  • Selling to universities
  • Using your "unfair advantages"
  • Why David took a Ph.D
  • What it's like building a product with a Ph.D
  • Having a terrible product
  • Going for and ending the VC dream
  • Pivoting Peergrade to Eduflow
  • Why David resonates with Indie Hackers

Recommendations

Follow David

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Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Tue, 30 Aug 2022 23:22:46 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 919 David wanted his startup, Peergrade, to be the next big thing in education. He went about it by raising VC funding. But as indies we know this story rarely ends well. So, David pivoted to a slow, sustainable company with Eduflow. Oh, and he's got a Ph.D. You can call him Dr. David. David wanted his startup, Peergrade, to be the next big thing in education. He went about it by raising VC funding. But as indies we know this story rarely ends well. So, David pivoted to a slow, sustainable company with Eduflow. Oh, and he's got a Ph.D. indie hackers, bootstrapping No David Kofoed Wind James McKinven How to build in public - Kevon Cheung, Public Lab 63 63 How to build in public - Kevon Cheung, Public Lab full 6670c48c-edde-4e1a-a0fa-5a6a7a336e49 https://indiebites.com/63 If you’re wanting to learn about building in public, Kevon Cheung is your guy. After not getting the fulfilment he desired from the VC funded startup dream, Kevon struck out on his own in 2020 to become an indie hacker. Since then he’s launched the Build in Public Mastery course, started a newsletter called Public Lab, wrote the Definitive Guide to Building in Public and then to top this all off, wrote a book called Find Joy in Chaos.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Building credibility
  • Taking a 6 month bet
  • Starting from scratch to learn a trend
  • Choosing to build in public
  • Anyone can learn any topic
  • Is building in public just sharing MRR numbers?
  • What is building in public?
  • False positives of building an audience
  • Building a creator business
  • How to differentiate course content to blog content
  • Info products vs SaaS

Recommendations:

Follow Kevon

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Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> If you’re wanting to learn about building in public, Kevon Cheung is your guy. After not getting the fulfilment he desired from the VC funded startup dream, Kevon struck out on his own in 2020 to become an indie hacker. Since then he’s launched the Build in Public Mastery course, started a newsletter called Public Lab, wrote the Definitive Guide to Building in Public and then to top this all off, wrote a book called Find Joy in Chaos.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Building credibility
  • Taking a 6 month bet
  • Starting from scratch to learn a trend
  • Choosing to build in public
  • Anyone can learn any topic
  • Is building in public just sharing MRR numbers?
  • What is building in public?
  • False positives of building an audience
  • Building a creator business
  • How to differentiate course content to blog content
  • Info products vs SaaS

Recommendations:

Follow Kevon

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Mon, 22 Aug 2022 16:24:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 961 If you've wanted to build in public but feel you have nothing interesting to share, start here. Kevon gives a masterclass on how and why to build in public. If you've wanted to build in public but feel you have nothing interesting to share, start here. Kevon gives a masterclass on how and why to build in public. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Kevon Cheung 🥦 🥔 How to build a brand for your indie product - Marie Ng, Llama Life 62 62 How to build a brand for your indie product - Marie Ng, Llama Life full 6f0de508-4ffb-46a9-8662-956a5fcb4706 https://indiebites.com/62 Marie Ng is the founder of Llama Life, a to-do-list app that helps you focus. As someone who struggles with focus myself, Marie’s app looked to be the perfect thing. Having taught herself how to code 2 years ago, after a career in branding, Marie did what everyone does when they learn to code, build a to do list app. But with her branding background and new quirky angle on a productivity app, she’s made it work. From a solo indie project to now raising a $690k pre-seed round, Marie is making her entrepreneurial dream happen.

👉 Extended version of this episode.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • How Marie got into branding
  • What is branding?
  • Why indie hackers should consider their “brand”
  • How to create a brand
  • Building a product to help with ADHD
  • Building to solve your own problem
  • How to work with ADHD
  • Llama Life’s brand impact
  • Why Marie raised funding

Recommendations

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Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Marie Ng is the founder of Llama Life, a to-do-list app that helps you focus. As someone who struggles with focus myself, Marie’s app looked to be the perfect thing. Having taught herself how to code 2 years ago, after a career in branding, Marie did what everyone does when they learn to code, build a to do list app. But with her branding background and new quirky angle on a productivity app, she’s made it work. From a solo indie project to now raising a $690k pre-seed round, Marie is making her entrepreneurial dream happen.

👉 Extended version of this episode.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • How Marie got into branding
  • What is branding?
  • Why indie hackers should consider their “brand”
  • How to create a brand
  • Building a product to help with ADHD
  • Building to solve your own problem
  • How to work with ADHD
  • Llama Life’s brand impact
  • Why Marie raised funding

Recommendations

Follow Marie

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Mon, 08 Aug 2022 09:35:11 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 906 If you can build all the features in the world, why would you need a brand? My guest today, Marie Ng of Llama Life, tells you exactly how and why you should consider creating a brand. If you can build all the features in the world, why would you need a brand? My guest today, Marie Ng of Llama Life, tells you exactly how and why you should consider creating a brand. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Marie Ng Why you need a single focus (and ditch your portfolio of projects) - Chris Frantz, Loops 61 61 Why you need a single focus (and ditch your portfolio of projects) - Chris Frantz, Loops full e5f1547d-eea2-4e78-b0da-2a34580914c8 https://indiebites.com/61 Chris Frantz is the co-founder of Loops, YC backed email tool for startups. Chris is one of those people who just knows how to run a SaaS business, having founded and sold Snazzy AI, acquired by Unbounce last year. Chris has been living rent free in my brain after a conversation we had a few weeks ago about my multiple projects. A lot of you are going to have multiple projects too, and wondering why you’re not getting anywhere with them. In this episode, Chris is going to explain why.

What we cover in this episode

  • Some of Chris previous bootstrapped projects
  • How Chris started and sold Snazzy.ai
  • Tackling email with Loops.so
  • Making the chef’s knife of email
  • Why you should have a single focus
  • Why having a portfolio of small bets doesn’t work
  • Doing the hard things
  • Having hobby projects vs a business

Recommendations

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Chris Frantz is the co-founder of Loops, YC backed email tool for startups. Chris is one of those people who just knows how to run a SaaS business, having founded and sold Snazzy AI, acquired by Unbounce last year. Chris has been living rent free in my brain after a conversation we had a few weeks ago about my multiple projects. A lot of you are going to have multiple projects too, and wondering why you’re not getting anywhere with them. In this episode, Chris is going to explain why.

What we cover in this episode

  • Some of Chris previous bootstrapped projects
  • How Chris started and sold Snazzy.ai
  • Tackling email with Loops.so
  • Making the chef’s knife of email
  • Why you should have a single focus
  • Why having a portfolio of small bets doesn’t work
  • Doing the hard things
  • Having hobby projects vs a business

Recommendations

Follow Chris

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Sat, 28 May 2022 13:21:47 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 956 Chris Frantz is your agony aunt for your multiple projects. You've probably got multiple projects and it's just not working out. Chris is here to cut through your excuses and explain why you need to focus on a single thing to turn it into an actual business (and not just a hobby). Chris Frantz is your agony aunt for your multiple projects. You've probably got multiple projects and it's just not working out. Chris is here to cut through your excuses and explain why you need to focus on a single thing to turn it into an actual busine indie hackers, bootstrapping No Chris Frantz Growing Dependabot to $14k MRR before selling to Github - Grey Baker, Dependabot 60 60 Growing Dependabot to $14k MRR before selling to Github - Grey Baker, Dependabot full 41f42726-74ca-4f43-b9a9-bd4a25a58dd0 https://indiebites.com/60 Grey Baker is the co-founder of Dependabot, which is a bot that makes it easy for developers to keep the third party dependencies up to date, which grew to $14k MRR before being acquired by Github in 2019. Grey’s story is a long an interesting one, so there is an extended version of this podcast available on the indie feast membership. But the best bits are here about he started out at McKinsey, before being a pivotal early employee at London FinTech GoCardless, to then cycling around the world and then coming back to accidentally launch Dependabot.

👉 Extended version available on the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode

  • Landing a gig at consulting firm, McKinsey
  • Learning how to code in 6 months
  • Joining VC-backed GoCardless as employee 6
  • Growing GoCardless to 100 employees
  • Why Grey left after 4.5 years
  • Cycling around the world
  • Eating a petrol-ey snickers bar
  • Starting Dependabot as a side project
  • A failed launch
  • Doing things that don't scale
  • The growth inflection point - GitHub marketplace
  • Advice for bootstrappers

Recommendations

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👉 Try it here

]]> Grey Baker is the co-founder of Dependabot, which is a bot that makes it easy for developers to keep the third party dependencies up to date, which grew to $14k MRR before being acquired by Github in 2019. Grey’s story is a long an interesting one, so there is an extended version of this podcast available on the indie feast membership. But the best bits are here about he started out at McKinsey, before being a pivotal early employee at London FinTech GoCardless, to then cycling around the world and then coming back to accidentally launch Dependabot.

👉 Extended version available on the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode

  • Landing a gig at consulting firm, McKinsey
  • Learning how to code in 6 months
  • Joining VC-backed GoCardless as employee 6
  • Growing GoCardless to 100 employees
  • Why Grey left after 4.5 years
  • Cycling around the world
  • Eating a petrol-ey snickers bar
  • Starting Dependabot as a side project
  • A failed launch
  • Doing things that don't scale
  • The growth inflection point - GitHub marketplace
  • Advice for bootstrappers

Recommendations

Follow Grey

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Tiiny Host

Tiiny Host is the simplest way to host and share your web project online. It's loved by thousands of freelancers, agencies & developers across the world to quickly upload demos, landing pages or websites. Just drag & drop your web files or even a PDF to share it with the world in seconds. 

👉 Try it here

]]> Sat, 14 May 2022 03:08:48 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 975 I don't know how Grey fit everything in. Consulting firm > VC backed startup > cycling around the world > bootstrapped company > sold to one of the biggest companies in the world. This chap has lived several lives already. I don't know how Grey fit everything in. Consulting firm > VC backed startup > cycling around the world > bootstrapped company > sold to one of the biggest companies in the world. This chap has lived several lives already. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Grey Baker r/SaaS moderator making $6k MRR with his own SaaS - CH Daniel, Simple.ink 59 59 r/SaaS moderator making $6k MRR with his own SaaS - CH Daniel, Simple.ink full 59e4bd44-3501-4fa7-ad13-744070a302ec https://indiebites.com/59 Ch Daniel is the co-founder of Legit Check, an app that authenticates luxury items, that grew to $6k MRR in just a few weeks. He’s also building simple.ink, which is a simple way to make a website from Notion, it got #1 product of the day and got 1,300 users in the first month. He’s also got his finger in many SaaS pies, running the r/SaaS subreddit where he arranges AMAs and facilitates discussions with some of the biggest SaaS founders out there. As for podcasting, Daniel’s dipped in there too, with his show The Usual SaaSpects an extension of his brand. Most recently, Dan acquired Emojics.com

What we covered in this episode:

  • Making $200k with an authenticator business
  • How does one fall into authenticating luxury items?
  • How Legit Check became legit
  • Turning a one-time purchase business to a subscription
  • Taking over the r/SaaS community on Reddit
  • Favourite AMA with Sabba and Tim from VEED
  • The real reason he started his podcast, The Usual SaaSpects
  • Does the world need another Notion web builder?
  • Pre-launching to build a list of 5,000
  • Acuiring Emojics.com
  • Should more indie hackers acquire businesses?

Recommendations

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

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Tiiny Host is the simplest way to host and share your web project online. It's loved by thousands of freelancers, agencies & developers across the world to quickly upload demos, landing pages or websites. Just drag & drop your web files or even a PDF to share it with the world in seconds. 

👉 Try it here

]]> Ch Daniel is the co-founder of Legit Check, an app that authenticates luxury items, that grew to $6k MRR in just a few weeks. He’s also building simple.ink, which is a simple way to make a website from Notion, it got #1 product of the day and got 1,300 users in the first month. He’s also got his finger in many SaaS pies, running the r/SaaS subreddit where he arranges AMAs and facilitates discussions with some of the biggest SaaS founders out there. As for podcasting, Daniel’s dipped in there too, with his show The Usual SaaSpects an extension of his brand. Most recently, Dan acquired Emojics.com

What we covered in this episode:

  • Making $200k with an authenticator business
  • How does one fall into authenticating luxury items?
  • How Legit Check became legit
  • Turning a one-time purchase business to a subscription
  • Taking over the r/SaaS community on Reddit
  • Favourite AMA with Sabba and Tim from VEED
  • The real reason he started his podcast, The Usual SaaSpects
  • Does the world need another Notion web builder?
  • Pre-launching to build a list of 5,000
  • Acuiring Emojics.com
  • Should more indie hackers acquire businesses?

Recommendations

Follow Daniel

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Tiiny Host

Tiiny Host is the simplest way to host and share your web project online. It's loved by thousands of freelancers, agencies & developers across the world to quickly upload demos, landing pages or websites. Just drag & drop your web files or even a PDF to share it with the world in seconds. 

👉 Try it here

]]> Sat, 07 May 2022 15:10:56 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 882 Bootstrapped mogul CH Daniel shares his experience starting, building and acquiring multiple small businesses. He loves talking too, so does so on his pod; The Usual SaaSpects. What a guy. Bootstrapped mogul CH Daniel shares his experience starting, building and acquiring multiple small businesses. He loves talking too, so does so on his pod; The Usual SaaSpects. What a guy. indie hackers, bootstrapping No 🚀 Ch Daniel (Simple.ink) Multiple successful exits to making lemonade - JR Farr, Lemon Squeezy 58 58 Multiple successful exits to making lemonade - JR Farr, Lemon Squeezy full 5a22106d-b871-4731-8014-a29d346d7d48 https://indiebites.com/58 JR Farr is the co-founder of Make Lemonade, a product studio behind Lemon Squeezy (a platform to sell digital products), Dunked (to showcase your portfolio) and Iconic (a set of cracking looking apps). But this isn’t JR’s first foray into entrepreneurship. Back in 2008 he sold his first startup, College Connecting, before starting and selling another, MOJO marketplace back in 2012. From here he worked at the acquiring company for 5 years, before starting ANOTHER startup, called Weav, a product to help with customer retention. I could list out JR’s CV in more detail, but you can tell that this chap a seasoned entrepreneur.

What we covered in this episode:

  • JR's entrepreneurship background
  • Building Mojo (Wordpress marketplace)
  • Mojo getting acquired in 2012
  • Why JR stayed for 5 years in a big company
  • Getting a mini MBA
  • Spending $75k on a domain for a failed company
  • Meeting the Make Lemonade folks
  • Should more founders band together?
  • Building Lemon Squeezy
  • Taking on the digital products space
  • Going into a crowded market
  • Advice for entreprenuers

Recommendations

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Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> JR Farr is the co-founder of Make Lemonade, a product studio behind Lemon Squeezy (a platform to sell digital products), Dunked (to showcase your portfolio) and Iconic (a set of cracking looking apps). But this isn’t JR’s first foray into entrepreneurship. Back in 2008 he sold his first startup, College Connecting, before starting and selling another, MOJO marketplace back in 2012. From here he worked at the acquiring company for 5 years, before starting ANOTHER startup, called Weav, a product to help with customer retention. I could list out JR’s CV in more detail, but you can tell that this chap a seasoned entrepreneur.

What we covered in this episode:

  • JR's entrepreneurship background
  • Building Mojo (Wordpress marketplace)
  • Mojo getting acquired in 2012
  • Why JR stayed for 5 years in a big company
  • Getting a mini MBA
  • Spending $75k on a domain for a failed company
  • Meeting the Make Lemonade folks
  • Should more founders band together?
  • Building Lemon Squeezy
  • Taking on the digital products space
  • Going into a crowded market
  • Advice for entreprenuers

Recommendations

Follow JR

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ramen Club

My favourite community has just got a significant upgrade as it rebrands to Ramen Club, the best community to help you get to Ramen Profitability.


Ramen club has 4 remote coworking sessions a week, masterminds, accountability calls, live AMAs, a fractional CFO, in-house VA, discounts and so much more. But most of all, the founder Charlie has done a wonderful job at cultivating a wonderfully friendly and supportive community.

To join the world's most supportive community for bootstrapped founders to reach ramen profitable and beyond, head to ramenclub.so and use code "INDIEBITES" to let Charlie know I sent you and get 50% off your first month.

]]> Tue, 03 May 2022 21:48:56 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 986 I speak with JR Farr, co-founder of Make Lemonade about his recipe for bootstrapped success (and how we can make MRR with our own lemonade stand). I speak with JR Farr, co-founder of Make Lemonade about his recipe for bootstrapped success (and how we can make MRR with our own lemonade stand). indie hackers, bootstrapping No JR Farr Behind the success of Trends.vc - Dru Riley, Trends 57 57 Behind the success of Trends.vc - Dru Riley, Trends full 9ecc2900-69a2-4b74-a3e3-d661725ecba8 https://indiebites.com/57 Dru Riley is the founder of Trends.vc which at its core helps people discover new ideas and markets through expertly researched reports. Trends is a bootstrapped company that makes money through it’s Trends Pro reports and community.

In 2017, Dru took on a mini-retirement, sold a second home and set out with 3-5 years of savings to strike out on his own. After launching various newsletters, products and even book he eventually landed on Trends, which didn’t actually make any money for the first few months. But just 6 short months later, he was at over $20k MRR and growing fast.

Now, Dru is working through the challenges of scaling a rapidly growing business and even hiring people to take over that juicy core. The reports. Here's a link to the Indie Hackers episode he did where he talks more about what went into that growth.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Hiring for the core competency of the business, the reports
  • What Dru’s day-to-day looks like
  • Challenges with context switching
  • Starting Trends for fun
  • The idea behind framework based research
  • The first Trends report on cloud kitchens
  • How does Dru decide on topics for Trends
  • Choosing to persevere with Trends
  • Launching a community
  • How comfort challenges led to Trends success
  • When to stop projects
  • What Dru does for fun

Recommendations

Follow Dru

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Dru Riley is the founder of Trends.vc which at its core helps people discover new ideas and markets through expertly researched reports. Trends is a bootstrapped company that makes money through it’s Trends Pro reports and community.

In 2017, Dru took on a mini-retirement, sold a second home and set out with 3-5 years of savings to strike out on his own. After launching various newsletters, products and even book he eventually landed on Trends, which didn’t actually make any money for the first few months. But just 6 short months later, he was at over $20k MRR and growing fast.

Now, Dru is working through the challenges of scaling a rapidly growing business and even hiring people to take over that juicy core. The reports. Here's a link to the Indie Hackers episode he did where he talks more about what went into that growth.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Hiring for the core competency of the business, the reports
  • What Dru’s day-to-day looks like
  • Challenges with context switching
  • Starting Trends for fun
  • The idea behind framework based research
  • The first Trends report on cloud kitchens
  • How does Dru decide on topics for Trends
  • Choosing to persevere with Trends
  • Launching a community
  • How comfort challenges led to Trends success
  • When to stop projects
  • What Dru does for fun

Recommendations

Follow Dru

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2022 10:28:39 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 872 I speak with framework based research extraordinaire, Dru Riley, about his route to success with Trends.vc. I speak with framework based research extraordinaire, Dru Riley, about his route to success with Trends.vc. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Dru Riley Bootstrapped founder running 3 profitable businesses - Monica Lent, Affilimate 56 56 Bootstrapped founder running 3 profitable businesses - Monica Lent, Affilimate full 577659f8-050d-4541-95e2-34c9fabc0087 https://indiebites.com/56 Monica Lent is a founder running 3 profitable indie businesses after leaving her full time job 2 years ago. She runs Affilimate, a SaaS product which allows you to manage and track affiliate commissions, the Blogging for Devs newsletter and paid community for developers looking to grow an audience and finally, Not a Nomad, a travel blog that accounted for almost 50% of Monica’s revenue last year, as she grew her portfolio of projects from $30k to over $100k.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Monica splits time between her projects
  • Is it detrimental having split attention?
  • Delegating and outsourcing as an indie hacker
  • How content and SEO ties her projects together
  • Benefits of a VA
  • Starting a blog that makes thousands
  • Having a travel blog during covid
  • Starting a community for developers
  • How to start your own successful blog
  • The downsides of sharing revenue numbers
  • Is Monica having fun?

Recommendations

Follow Monica

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Monica Lent is a founder running 3 profitable indie businesses after leaving her full time job 2 years ago. She runs Affilimate, a SaaS product which allows you to manage and track affiliate commissions, the Blogging for Devs newsletter and paid community for developers looking to grow an audience and finally, Not a Nomad, a travel blog that accounted for almost 50% of Monica’s revenue last year, as she grew her portfolio of projects from $30k to over $100k.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Monica splits time between her projects
  • Is it detrimental having split attention?
  • Delegating and outsourcing as an indie hacker
  • How content and SEO ties her projects together
  • Benefits of a VA
  • Starting a blog that makes thousands
  • Having a travel blog during covid
  • Starting a community for developers
  • How to start your own successful blog
  • The downsides of sharing revenue numbers
  • Is Monica having fun?

Recommendations

Follow Monica

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Tue, 26 Apr 2022 23:31:19 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 917 I speak with literal octopus Monica Lent about how she juggles a SaaS, community and travel blog that all make cold hard cash. I speak with literal octopus Monica Lent about how she juggles a SaaS, community and travel blog that all make cold hard cash. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Monica Lent Growing ScrapingBee to $1m ARR - Pierre De Wulf, ScrapingBee 55 55 Growing ScrapingBee to $1m ARR - Pierre De Wulf, ScrapingBee full d0c5dcb5-fab3-47a4-96a5-b6daed8f70e5 https://indiebites.com/55 Pierre De Wulf is the co-founder of ScrapingBee a web scraping API that grew to $1M ARR in 2 years. Before starting ScrapingBee, Pierre and his co-founder Kevin had quit their jobs to follow the indie dream. 9 months later, their product PricingBot couldn’t generate the traction they were hoping for so they sold the business and pivoted to ScrapingBee.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Pierre's background; inspiration from his father
  • Running a business within World of Warcraft
  • Meeting his co-founder, Kevin
  • Starting a project for his girlfriend
  • Leaving his job to work on something for 9 months
  • Knowing when to stop and move on
  • Starting and selling PricingBot
  • How to sell a failed company
  • Using SEO as a marketing channel
  • How to write SEO content effectively
  • Starting ScrapingBee
  • How ScrapingBee grew so quickly
  • Taking TinySeed funding

Recommendations

Follow Pierre

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Pierre De Wulf is the co-founder of ScrapingBee a web scraping API that grew to $1M ARR in 2 years. Before starting ScrapingBee, Pierre and his co-founder Kevin had quit their jobs to follow the indie dream. 9 months later, their product PricingBot couldn’t generate the traction they were hoping for so they sold the business and pivoted to ScrapingBee.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Pierre's background; inspiration from his father
  • Running a business within World of Warcraft
  • Meeting his co-founder, Kevin
  • Starting a project for his girlfriend
  • Leaving his job to work on something for 9 months
  • Knowing when to stop and move on
  • Starting and selling PricingBot
  • How to sell a failed company
  • Using SEO as a marketing channel
  • How to write SEO content effectively
  • Starting ScrapingBee
  • How ScrapingBee grew so quickly
  • Taking TinySeed funding

Recommendations

Follow Pierre

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Fri, 22 Apr 2022 22:38:24 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 874 I speak with Pierre De Wulf of ScrapingBee about making $1m a year with ScrapingBee, after pivoting a failed business. I speak with Pierre De Wulf of ScrapingBee about making $1m a year with ScrapingBee, after pivoting a failed business. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Pierre de Wulf Bootstrapping Testimonial to $13k MRR after many failed products - Damon Chen, Testimonial 54 54 Bootstrapping Testimonial to $13k MRR after many failed products - Damon Chen, Testimonial full c355cdde-b396-41d9-a26e-2948de8f1dbd https://indiebites.com/54 Damon Chen, who is the founder of Testimonial, a product that collects video testimonials that he launched back in December 2020, and has grown it to $13k MRR since then. Damon quit his stable job of 8 years at Cisco to pursue his dream of building a better life for himself as an indie hacker. This didn’t come easily for Damon, as he launched several products which made 0 revenue before hitting big with Testimonial. He’s also built some other fantastic products, such as embed.so and channel.so, as well as acquiring Supportman off fellow Indie Hacker Noah Bragg.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Damon's failed startup attempts
  • Why he builds for fun
  • Quitting his job and pivoting to Testimonial
  • Using code from other projects
  • How he went from 0 to 3k in 3 days
  • Damon's approach to validation
  • Growth tactics used to get to $13k MRR
  • Having other projects for fun (Embed and Channel)
  • Acquiring Supportman
  • Growing his Twitter to 30k

Recommendations

Follow Damon

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - PodQueue

This podcast is brought to you by PodQueue. Don't you hate when you find something you just want to bookmark and listen to later as a podcast, but there's no easy way to do it? Try PodQueue, and you can save audio from anywhere around the web and easily listen to it later in the podcast app you already use. PodQueue works with links from YouTube, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, NPR, the BBC, and more! There’s a 15-day free trial, and it’s just $5 per month afterwards, with no credit card required at signup. Use promo code “INDIEBITES” at signup to get an extra month free!

👉 Try it here

]]> Damon Chen, who is the founder of Testimonial, a product that collects video testimonials that he launched back in December 2020, and has grown it to $13k MRR since then. Damon quit his stable job of 8 years at Cisco to pursue his dream of building a better life for himself as an indie hacker. This didn’t come easily for Damon, as he launched several products which made 0 revenue before hitting big with Testimonial. He’s also built some other fantastic products, such as embed.so and channel.so, as well as acquiring Supportman off fellow Indie Hacker Noah Bragg.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Damon's failed startup attempts
  • Why he builds for fun
  • Quitting his job and pivoting to Testimonial
  • Using code from other projects
  • How he went from 0 to 3k in 3 days
  • Damon's approach to validation
  • Growth tactics used to get to $13k MRR
  • Having other projects for fun (Embed and Channel)
  • Acquiring Supportman
  • Growing his Twitter to 30k

Recommendations

Follow Damon

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - PodQueue

This podcast is brought to you by PodQueue. Don't you hate when you find something you just want to bookmark and listen to later as a podcast, but there's no easy way to do it? Try PodQueue, and you can save audio from anywhere around the web and easily listen to it later in the podcast app you already use. PodQueue works with links from YouTube, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, NPR, the BBC, and more! There’s a 15-day free trial, and it’s just $5 per month afterwards, with no credit card required at signup. Use promo code “INDIEBITES” at signup to get an extra month free!

👉 Try it here

]]> Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:44:29 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 949 I speak with Damon Chen about repeatedly failing to make any money, then hitting big when he quit his job and started Testimonial. I speak with Damon Chen about repeatedly failing to make any money, then hitting big when he quit his job and started Testimonial. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Damon Chen Building a mentorship platform to $1m GMV - Dominic Monn, MentorCruise 53 53 Building a mentorship platform to $1m GMV - Dominic Monn, MentorCruise full 00a61c2c-cc4e-4925-9de2-6d52571a1a1c https://indiebites.com/53 Dominic Monn is the founder of MentorCruise, a marketplace that connect mentors and mentees in Tech, which is currently doing $15k in monthly revenue and processed over $1m through the platform. Previously, Domm was a Machine Learning engineer at Doist, a job that he left in Feb '22 to pursue MentorCruise full time.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Dom left his full-time job at Doist
  • How going full-time has impacted MentorCruise
  • What Dom’s day-to-day looks like
  • Not feeling guilty about unproductive hobbies
  • How Dom’s discovered mentorship through Udacity
  • Taking 5 months to build an MVP
  • Why validation wouldn’t work for MentorCruise
  • How it took 3 months to get his first paying customer
  • Why he decided to push through regardless
  • How persistence pays off
  • Why building a business is like building a muscle
  • How programmatic SEO works

Recommendations

Follow Dom

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Dominic Monn is the founder of MentorCruise, a marketplace that connect mentors and mentees in Tech, which is currently doing $15k in monthly revenue and processed over $1m through the platform. Previously, Domm was a Machine Learning engineer at Doist, a job that he left in Feb '22 to pursue MentorCruise full time.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Dom left his full-time job at Doist
  • How going full-time has impacted MentorCruise
  • What Dom’s day-to-day looks like
  • Not feeling guilty about unproductive hobbies
  • How Dom’s discovered mentorship through Udacity
  • Taking 5 months to build an MVP
  • Why validation wouldn’t work for MentorCruise
  • How it took 3 months to get his first paying customer
  • Why he decided to push through regardless
  • How persistence pays off
  • Why building a business is like building a muscle
  • How programmatic SEO works

Recommendations

Follow Dom

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Fri, 15 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 913 I speak with Dom Monn (the other "Dom"), founder of MentorCruise, about persistence and working full-time on his business. I speak with Dom Monn (the other "Dom"), founder of MentorCruise, about persistence and working full-time on his business. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Dom Monn Bootstrapping vs venture capital & lessons from a veteran - Spencer Fry, Podia 52 52 Bootstrapping vs venture capital & lessons from a veteran - Spencer Fry, Podia full e29f9432-6081-4c0f-b933-efd7596b99e0 https://indiebites.com/52 Today I’m joined by Spencer Fry, founder of Podia, a platform helping creators make a living online through selling courses, digital downloads, webinars and more. 7 years in, they have a 35 person team and have an awesome product for creators. But this isn’t Spencer’s first rodeo, bootstrapping and exiting 3 businesses between 2003 and 2014, notably Carbonmade and TypeFrag. What’s interesting about Spencer is that he's actually raised funding for Podia, and I wanted to find out why a seasoned bootstrapper like Spencer went down this route, and if it’s a an option that more indie hackers should consider.

👉 50 minute version of this conversation.


What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Spencer raised funding for Podia
  • Why you should look at funding as a tool
  • Beer ≠ funding
  • 3 interesting predictions on the creator economy
  • Spencer’s article with those predictions
  • Bonus: Spencer’s famous vodka pasta dish
  • Opportunities to build in the creator economy
  • Why entrepreneurs are different gravy
  • Solo founder vs co-founder

Recommendations

Follow Spencer

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Today I’m joined by Spencer Fry, founder of Podia, a platform helping creators make a living online through selling courses, digital downloads, webinars and more. 7 years in, they have a 35 person team and have an awesome product for creators. But this isn’t Spencer’s first rodeo, bootstrapping and exiting 3 businesses between 2003 and 2014, notably Carbonmade and TypeFrag. What’s interesting about Spencer is that he's actually raised funding for Podia, and I wanted to find out why a seasoned bootstrapper like Spencer went down this route, and if it’s a an option that more indie hackers should consider.

👉 50 minute version of this conversation.


What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Spencer raised funding for Podia
  • Why you should look at funding as a tool
  • Beer ≠ funding
  • 3 interesting predictions on the creator economy
  • Spencer’s article with those predictions
  • Bonus: Spencer’s famous vodka pasta dish
  • Opportunities to build in the creator economy
  • Why entrepreneurs are different gravy
  • Solo founder vs co-founder

Recommendations

Follow Spencer

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Tue, 12 Apr 2022 14:44:29 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 917 I'm joined by bootstrapping legend Spencer Fry and we talk about how beer can turn into VC funding. Other things were discussed, such as predictions for the creator economy, opportunities that exist within that market and if you should get a co-founder. I'm joined by bootstrapping legend Spencer Fry and we talk about how beer can turn into VC funding. Other things were discussed, such as predictions for the creator economy, opportunities that exist within that market and if you should get a co-founder. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Spencer Fry Why your product needs marketing - Dagobert Renouf, Logology 51 51 Why your product needs marketing - Dagobert Renouf, Logology full 1475d45b-749d-408e-abee-fc1ada427dfb https://indiebites.com/51 Dagobert Renouf is the founder of Logoloy, a logo and brand design service that he started with his wife, doing around $3k in monthly revenue. This is an awesome story. Dago started building Logoloy in September 2018, then completely failed the launch after building for almost 2 years. It wasn't until May 21 that Dago realised he actually needed to find a marketing channel that worked for him -which was Twitter. Dago went for 15 years chasing money, but then realised that wasn’t the course to happiness. So after a turbulent few years, he’s now in a place of fulfilment, with plenty of the journey to go.

👉 Extended episode here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Making his first internet money in high school
  • Getting a cease and desist at 15 years old
  • The dangers of being focused on money
  • Finding the idea for Logology
  • Taking 1.5 years to launch his startup
  • Having a failed launch after 1.5 years of building
  • Marketing when you don’t want to do marketing
  • Discovering a distribution channel that works - Twitter
  • Growing to $3k per month

Recommendations

Follow Dago

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Dagobert Renouf is the founder of Logoloy, a logo and brand design service that he started with his wife, doing around $3k in monthly revenue. This is an awesome story. Dago started building Logoloy in September 2018, then completely failed the launch after building for almost 2 years. It wasn't until May 21 that Dago realised he actually needed to find a marketing channel that worked for him -which was Twitter. Dago went for 15 years chasing money, but then realised that wasn’t the course to happiness. So after a turbulent few years, he’s now in a place of fulfilment, with plenty of the journey to go.

👉 Extended episode here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Making his first internet money in high school
  • Getting a cease and desist at 15 years old
  • The dangers of being focused on money
  • Finding the idea for Logology
  • Taking 1.5 years to launch his startup
  • Having a failed launch after 1.5 years of building
  • Marketing when you don’t want to do marketing
  • Discovering a distribution channel that works - Twitter
  • Growing to $3k per month

Recommendations

Follow Dago

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Fri, 08 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 935 I speak with Twitter meme king Dagobert Renouf about his turbulent journey to $3k monthly revenue with Logology. I speak with Twitter meme king Dagobert Renouf about his turbulent journey to $3k monthly revenue with Logology. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Dagobert Renouf Bootstrapping a portfolio of SaaS products to $3k MRR - Jim Raptis, BrandBird 50 50 Bootstrapping a portfolio of SaaS products to $3k MRR - Jim Raptis, BrandBird full 1425523c-e4ba-488d-a48c-a465457c10bd https://indiebites.com/50 Jim Raptis, an indie hacker from Greece who is working full-time on his portfolio of projects, including BrandBird and Magic Pattern, which are both doing $1,500 MRR. If you’ve seen those cool screenshots on Twitter with the nice drop shadow and gradient background, those are made with Brand Bird.

What we covered in this episode

  • Quitting running a funded startup for indie hacking
  • Earning that first dollar
  • Learning design as an engineer
  • Launching a product with less than 300 followers
  • Choosing to do a portfolio of small bets
  • Splitting time between multiple projects
  • How Jim went grew from 300 to 9k Twitter followers
  • What do to do when things aren’t going so well

Recommendations

Follow Jim

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👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.


Sponsor - Testimonial

Testimonial allows you to easily collect testimonials from your customers and automatically embeds them on your landing page.

You might have seen a wall of love with a bunch of supportive Tweets and videos on various products you’ve signed up for. That wall is created using Damon Chen’s product Testimonial. All you have to do is sign up, paste the nice things people have said about you and it will generate a beautiful set of testimonials that you can easily embed on your site or share online.

Head to Testimonial.to o to create your Twitter wall of love for free. If you want to sign up for a paid plan, get a whopping 25% off for 12 months with the code “INDIEBITES” at checkout.

]]> Jim Raptis, an indie hacker from Greece who is working full-time on his portfolio of projects, including BrandBird and Magic Pattern, which are both doing $1,500 MRR. If you’ve seen those cool screenshots on Twitter with the nice drop shadow and gradient background, those are made with Brand Bird.

What we covered in this episode

  • Quitting running a funded startup for indie hacking
  • Earning that first dollar
  • Learning design as an engineer
  • Launching a product with less than 300 followers
  • Choosing to do a portfolio of small bets
  • Splitting time between multiple projects
  • How Jim went grew from 300 to 9k Twitter followers
  • What do to do when things aren’t going so well

Recommendations

Follow Jim

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.


Sponsor - Testimonial

Testimonial allows you to easily collect testimonials from your customers and automatically embeds them on your landing page.

You might have seen a wall of love with a bunch of supportive Tweets and videos on various products you’ve signed up for. That wall is created using Damon Chen’s product Testimonial. All you have to do is sign up, paste the nice things people have said about you and it will generate a beautiful set of testimonials that you can easily embed on your site or share online.

Head to Testimonial.to o to create your Twitter wall of love for free. If you want to sign up for a paid plan, get a whopping 25% off for 12 months with the code “INDIEBITES” at checkout.

]]> Mon, 04 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 930 I speak to Jim Raptis, a full time indie hacker, about why he quit working at his funded startup to pursue indie hacking, how he learnt how to design as an engineer, and he’s launched two revenue generating SaaS products. I speak to Jim Raptis, a full time indie hacker, about why he quit working at his funded startup to pursue indie hacking, how he learnt how to design as an engineer, and he’s launched two revenue generating SaaS products. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Jim Raptis Candle dealer builds $5k MRR software to solve own problem - Dianna Allen & Jeremy Blalock, Inventora 49 49 Candle dealer builds $5k MRR software to solve own problem - Dianna Allen & Jeremy Blalock, Inventora full bb6e19f1-6e6e-4dc6-af3e-0d7cd2ef5e73 https://indiebites.com/49 In this episode I’ve got my first ever returning guest with Dianna Allen and first ever double act as we’re joined by her fiance Jeremy Blalock. I spoke to Dianna about a year ago after growing her handmade candle business from $100 to $50k in that year. Since then Dianna is still running TERRA and doubled the revenue in 2021, but has also co-founded Inventora which has just hit $5k MRR. Inventora is inventory tracking system for handmade businesses, solving Dianna’s own problem with TERRA.

👉 Join the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How TERRA is going
  • Handmade business vs SaaS business. Which is better?
  • Solving her own problem with TERRA to build Inventora
  • Spreadsheet to SaaS
  • Asking Jeremy (Dianna’s partner) to build the product
  • Growing without paying for ads
  • Leveraging existing relationships
  • Choosing to raise a small funding round
  • Why raise money if you’re an indie hacker?
  • Spending $25,000 on a domain
  • Tactics for growing to $5k MRR
  • Hiring a videographer to make a documentary

Recommendations

Follow Dianna & Jeremy

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> In this episode I’ve got my first ever returning guest with Dianna Allen and first ever double act as we’re joined by her fiance Jeremy Blalock. I spoke to Dianna about a year ago after growing her handmade candle business from $100 to $50k in that year. Since then Dianna is still running TERRA and doubled the revenue in 2021, but has also co-founded Inventora which has just hit $5k MRR. Inventora is inventory tracking system for handmade businesses, solving Dianna’s own problem with TERRA.

👉 Join the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How TERRA is going
  • Handmade business vs SaaS business. Which is better?
  • Solving her own problem with TERRA to build Inventora
  • Spreadsheet to SaaS
  • Asking Jeremy (Dianna’s partner) to build the product
  • Growing without paying for ads
  • Leveraging existing relationships
  • Choosing to raise a small funding round
  • Why raise money if you’re an indie hacker?
  • Spending $25,000 on a domain
  • Tactics for growing to $5k MRR
  • Hiring a videographer to make a documentary

Recommendations

Follow Dianna & Jeremy

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Sun, 27 Mar 2022 13:04:20 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 943 I chat to dynamic duo Dianna Allen and Jeremy Blalock, co-founders of Inventora (an inventory management system for handmade businesses) about what it took to scale their project to $5k MRR. I chat to dynamic duo Dianna Allen and Jeremy Blalock, co-founders of Inventora (an inventory management system for handmade businesses) about what it took to scale their project to $5k MRR. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Dianna Allen-Blalock Jeremy Blalock Gumroad founder's framework for a bootstrapped business - Sahil Lavingia, Gumroad 48 48 Gumroad founder's framework for a bootstrapped business - Sahil Lavingia, Gumroad full 90205527-f1ae-470a-ad63-2882c6712db6 https://indiebites.com/48 Sahil Lavingia is the founder of Gumroad, the platform that allows creators to sell products online. The beating heart of the creator economy. You'll likely have heard Sahil's story about his failure to build a billion dollar company with an article that went viral, but let me summarise for those that haven't.

Sahil founded Gumroad in 2011, aiming to build the next unicorn, leaving Pinterest where he was employee #2. He raised $1.1m from angels, then $7m more in 2012. Things started growing, then they didn't. Sahil laid off 75% of the company to keep the product alive, moved to Provo, Utah to figure where to take Gumroad from that point. Almost a decade later Gumroad is growing quicker than ever, making millions in revenue and helping creators make a living online.

Sahil has just launched his book, The Minimalist Entrepreneur, where he shares a decade of learnings on how to build a profitable, sustainable business and how entrepreneurs can do more with less to make more impact on the world.

👉 I'm giving away 5 copies of Sahil's book on Twitter, enter here.

What we covered on this episode:

Recommendations

Follow Sahil

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - ilo Analytics

Sahil has 280k followers on Twitter and he sure knows the tweets that will engage his audience. If you too want to get a deeper understanding of what engages your followers on Twitter, you should check out ilo Analytics.

ilo helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. ilo's has beautiful graphs for the most important metrics for both tweets and threads will be sure to help you build your following.

Head to ilo.so or hit the link in the show notes and use the code INDIEBITES to get 25% off your ilo subscription for life.

]]> Sahil Lavingia is the founder of Gumroad, the platform that allows creators to sell products online. The beating heart of the creator economy. You'll likely have heard Sahil's story about his failure to build a billion dollar company with an article that went viral, but let me summarise for those that haven't.

Sahil founded Gumroad in 2011, aiming to build the next unicorn, leaving Pinterest where he was employee #2. He raised $1.1m from angels, then $7m more in 2012. Things started growing, then they didn't. Sahil laid off 75% of the company to keep the product alive, moved to Provo, Utah to figure where to take Gumroad from that point. Almost a decade later Gumroad is growing quicker than ever, making millions in revenue and helping creators make a living online.

Sahil has just launched his book, The Minimalist Entrepreneur, where he shares a decade of learnings on how to build a profitable, sustainable business and how entrepreneurs can do more with less to make more impact on the world.

👉 I'm giving away 5 copies of Sahil's book on Twitter, enter here.

What we covered on this episode:

Recommendations

Follow Sahil

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - ilo Analytics

Sahil has 280k followers on Twitter and he sure knows the tweets that will engage his audience. If you too want to get a deeper understanding of what engages your followers on Twitter, you should check out ilo Analytics.

ilo helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. ilo's has beautiful graphs for the most important metrics for both tweets and threads will be sure to help you build your following.

Head to ilo.so or hit the link in the show notes and use the code INDIEBITES to get 25% off your ilo subscription for life.

]]> Wed, 16 Mar 2022 12:16:55 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 907 I speak to Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia about his new book, The Minimalist Entrepreneur, and the framework behind a successful bootstrapped business. I speak to Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia about his new book, The Minimalist Entrepreneur, and the framework behind a successful bootstrapped business. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Sahil Lavingia A solo $130k MRR productized design service - Brett Williams, Designjoy 47 47 A solo $130k MRR productized design service - Brett Williams, Designjoy full e2ee2f8b-343a-4c92-bc94-00d3d5bba023 https://indiebites.com/47 Brett Williams is the founder of Designjoy, a one-man productised design service that is doing over $130k MRR, charging clients up to $5k a month for unlimited design. You indeed hear that right, Brett is running a million dollar business solo with over 40 clients.

What we covered in this episode:

  • $50k per year with a Tumblr blog
  • Dropping out of college and getting a regular job
  • How Brett started Designjoy
  • Being inspired by Design Pickle
  • Launching Designjoy
  • Taking 3 years to get to $10k MRR
  • Non-traditional marketing and growth methods
  • Launching Scribbles, a side project
  • What does into a good landing page?
  • Different routes to success
  • Waiting till $80k to quit his job
  • Should entrepreneurs be more risk-adverse?
  • How run a successful 1-man productised service?

Recommendations

Follow Brett

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Brett Williams is the founder of Designjoy, a one-man productised design service that is doing over $130k MRR, charging clients up to $5k a month for unlimited design. You indeed hear that right, Brett is running a million dollar business solo with over 40 clients.

What we covered in this episode:

  • $50k per year with a Tumblr blog
  • Dropping out of college and getting a regular job
  • How Brett started Designjoy
  • Being inspired by Design Pickle
  • Launching Designjoy
  • Taking 3 years to get to $10k MRR
  • Non-traditional marketing and growth methods
  • Launching Scribbles, a side project
  • What does into a good landing page?
  • Different routes to success
  • Waiting till $80k to quit his job
  • Should entrepreneurs be more risk-adverse?
  • How run a successful 1-man productised service?

Recommendations

Follow Brett

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Mon, 14 Mar 2022 09:33:34 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 936 I chat with Brett Williams, founder of Designjoy, a rather meaty solo business with over $1m yearly revenue. I chat with Brett Williams, founder of Designjoy, a rather meaty solo business with over $1m yearly revenue. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Growing an online card tool to $23k a month - Valentin Hinov, Thankbox 46 46 Growing an online card tool to $23k a month - Valentin Hinov, Thankbox full d9d5a280-e3f6-425a-8669-362bda5d87c1 https://indiebites.com/46 Val Hinov is the founder of Thankbox an online group card tool that grew to $20k p/m throughout lockdown. Now Val is facing the challenges of what to do when your product scales, what to do when the wave that brought you success starts to slow and when your product has one-time purchase pricing model.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Where the idea for Thankbox came from?
  • Lessons learned from a failed startup
  • How he built Thankbox in 2 months
  • How he got his first users for Thankbox
  • Building a virality model
  • Using Google Ads to grow quickly
  • Advice for people apprehensive of using ads
  • Why social ads didn’t work
  • The effect of a one-off purchase pricing model
  • Having a big drop in users
  • The seasonality of online cards
  • Outsourcing vs solo
  • When to go full-time

Recommendations

Follow Val

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - 4dayweek.io

As indie hackers we’re always trying to squeeze extra hours in our day to work on our side projects. What about if you had a whole extra day to work on your projects, while still getting a full-time salary?

4dayweek.io is the place to get a Software Job with a better work-life balance. All jobs have a 4 day work week contract and most are only 32 hours per week. Find the best remote tech jobs from companies with a great work-life balance at 4dayweek.io or hit the link in the show notes.


👉 Try it here.

]]> Val Hinov is the founder of Thankbox an online group card tool that grew to $20k p/m throughout lockdown. Now Val is facing the challenges of what to do when your product scales, what to do when the wave that brought you success starts to slow and when your product has one-time purchase pricing model.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Where the idea for Thankbox came from?
  • Lessons learned from a failed startup
  • How he built Thankbox in 2 months
  • How he got his first users for Thankbox
  • Building a virality model
  • Using Google Ads to grow quickly
  • Advice for people apprehensive of using ads
  • Why social ads didn’t work
  • The effect of a one-off purchase pricing model
  • Having a big drop in users
  • The seasonality of online cards
  • Outsourcing vs solo
  • When to go full-time

Recommendations

Follow Val

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - 4dayweek.io

As indie hackers we’re always trying to squeeze extra hours in our day to work on our side projects. What about if you had a whole extra day to work on your projects, while still getting a full-time salary?

4dayweek.io is the place to get a Software Job with a better work-life balance. All jobs have a 4 day work week contract and most are only 32 hours per week. Find the best remote tech jobs from companies with a great work-life balance at 4dayweek.io or hit the link in the show notes.


👉 Try it here.

]]> Mon, 07 Mar 2022 10:31:40 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 885 A chat with Thankbox founder, Val Hinov, who grew the tool to $23k with his one-time purchase online card tool. A chat with Thankbox founder, Val Hinov, who grew the tool to $23k with his one-time purchase online card tool. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building a $15m GMV side-project at 15 years old - Che Sampat, SuperPay 45 45 Building a $15m GMV side-project at 15 years old - Che Sampat, SuperPay full c9aff3d4-78a2-4be7-a4ba-ba860b7da771 https://indiebites.com/45 Che Sampat is an 18 year old Indie Hacker who built SuperPay in 2019 when he was 15 years old, an app that lets you generate easy payment links through Stripe and Square. Since then he's grown it to 5k users, $6k in revenue and processed a whopping $15m in payments. Che has also been working at some cool companies since he was young, recently joining the payments startup Fast to focus on his career, therefore stepping back from SuperPay.

What we covered in this episode

  • How Che got into coding
  • Building his first app in year 9 computer science
  • How Che learnt to code with YouTube
  • The story of building SuperPay
  • Starting his first company at 15
  • Balancing indie hacking and school
  • Success without idea validation
  • Launching on Product Hunt with no plan
  • How did Che get his first users
  • Growing to $15m GMV
  • Did Che buy himself anything nice?
  • Getting in trouble with Stripe building SuperPortal
  • Challenges of being an 18yr old indie hacker
  • Why Che got himself an engineering job instead of pursuing SuperPay

Recommendations

Follow Che

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Reel.so

Reel lets you create these short teaser videos (called audiograms), with animated subtitles, waveforms and a ton of beautiful templates to choose from. Save time and set your podcast clips aside from the rest by creating these sharable snippets that grab your audience's attention as they scroll through their feed. even without sound.

I've used Reel myself for Indie Bites and it's been a game changer for me. If you want to give it a go for yourself, head to reel.so or click the link in your show notes and use the code INDIEBITES for 20% off.

👉 Try it here.

]]> Che Sampat is an 18 year old Indie Hacker who built SuperPay in 2019 when he was 15 years old, an app that lets you generate easy payment links through Stripe and Square. Since then he's grown it to 5k users, $6k in revenue and processed a whopping $15m in payments. Che has also been working at some cool companies since he was young, recently joining the payments startup Fast to focus on his career, therefore stepping back from SuperPay.

What we covered in this episode

  • How Che got into coding
  • Building his first app in year 9 computer science
  • How Che learnt to code with YouTube
  • The story of building SuperPay
  • Starting his first company at 15
  • Balancing indie hacking and school
  • Success without idea validation
  • Launching on Product Hunt with no plan
  • How did Che get his first users
  • Growing to $15m GMV
  • Did Che buy himself anything nice?
  • Getting in trouble with Stripe building SuperPortal
  • Challenges of being an 18yr old indie hacker
  • Why Che got himself an engineering job instead of pursuing SuperPay

Recommendations

Follow Che

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Reel.so

Reel lets you create these short teaser videos (called audiograms), with animated subtitles, waveforms and a ton of beautiful templates to choose from. Save time and set your podcast clips aside from the rest by creating these sharable snippets that grab your audience's attention as they scroll through their feed. even without sound.

I've used Reel myself for Indie Bites and it's been a game changer for me. If you want to give it a go for yourself, head to reel.so or click the link in your show notes and use the code INDIEBITES for 20% off.

👉 Try it here.

]]> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 05:56:59 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 942 I speak with Che Sampat, the 18 year old founder of SuperPay, a no-code Stripe checkout app. I speak with Che Sampat, the 18 year old founder of SuperPay, a no-code Stripe checkout app. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Mental health as a founder and the importance of community - Tom Ross, Design Cuts 44 44 Mental health as a founder and the importance of community - Tom Ross, Design Cuts full 40726331-210a-47ab-9ff4-30b5d44360ee https://indiebites.com/44 In this episode we’re joined by Tom Ross, who is the founder of Design Cuts, a marketplace and community for creatives which he’s grown to a team of 20 over the past decade. Tom is also a seasoned podcaster, co-hosting The Honest Designer's Show and Biz Buds which have been downloaded millions of times.

It's not all been plain sailing for Tom as he ran into severe burnout working 18 hour days, 7 days a week for 18 months, leading to him being hospitalised. In this episode we're going to find out more about Tom's story, some of his successes and failures in business, along advice he'd give to founders from his experiences.

👉 Get the extended version of this podcast on membership, available for £4 a month.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Tom’s backstory
  • Starting an Interpol forum
  • Earning more money at home at 16 than in his job
  • Growing a design blog to 15 million visitors
  • Growing Design Cuts in the early days
  • 10 years later, 20 employees, millions of revenue
  • Mental health and burnout as a founder
  • How to build good routines to avoid burnout
  • How community can help with your mental health
  • Why community is so important
  • How to build a community

Recommendations

Follow Tom

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> In this episode we’re joined by Tom Ross, who is the founder of Design Cuts, a marketplace and community for creatives which he’s grown to a team of 20 over the past decade. Tom is also a seasoned podcaster, co-hosting The Honest Designer's Show and Biz Buds which have been downloaded millions of times.

It's not all been plain sailing for Tom as he ran into severe burnout working 18 hour days, 7 days a week for 18 months, leading to him being hospitalised. In this episode we're going to find out more about Tom's story, some of his successes and failures in business, along advice he'd give to founders from his experiences.

👉 Get the extended version of this podcast on membership, available for £4 a month.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Tom’s backstory
  • Starting an Interpol forum
  • Earning more money at home at 16 than in his job
  • Growing a design blog to 15 million visitors
  • Growing Design Cuts in the early days
  • 10 years later, 20 employees, millions of revenue
  • Mental health and burnout as a founder
  • How to build good routines to avoid burnout
  • How community can help with your mental health
  • Why community is so important
  • How to build a community

Recommendations

Follow Tom

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Tue, 08 Feb 2022 06:53:37 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 934 I speak with Tom Ross, founder and CEO of Design Cuts, and co-host of The Honest Designer's podcast. I speak with Tom Ross, founder and CEO of Design Cuts, and co-host of The Honest Designer's podcast. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Growing to $8.5k MRR in 1 year - Marie Martens, Tally.so 43 43 Growing to $8.5k MRR in 1 year - Marie Martens, Tally.so full 0220358a-c0f4-412a-9e98-a150ed45c1c4 https://indiebites.com/43 Marie Martens the co-founder of Tally, an easy way to create forms online. She left her stable marketing job to start Tally with her partner in crime Filip and became an indie hacker. Since then they've grown Tally to over 16,000 users almost $10k MRR as they work towards becoming default alive. Through a mix of manual prospecting, a successful product hunt launch and product-led growth, they’ve turned Tally into an exceptional indie success story.

-> Subscribe to my brand new podcast, No More Mondays, co-hosted with Dan Rowden here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • The origin story of Tally
  • A failed startup, Hotspot
  • How COVID crushed their first startup
  • How Tally got their first few users
  • Doing things that don’t scale
  • How I became Tally’s first paying customer
  • Biggest source of sign ups for tally
  • The benefits of product-led growth
  • How to do an effective PH launch
  • Going from 3,000 - 12,000 users without paid ads
  • Why Marie quit her job to bootstrap
  • Would she ever go back to a job
  • What it’s like building your dream startup

Recommendations

Follow Marie

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Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Marie Martens the co-founder of Tally, an easy way to create forms online. She left her stable marketing job to start Tally with her partner in crime Filip and became an indie hacker. Since then they've grown Tally to over 16,000 users almost $10k MRR as they work towards becoming default alive. Through a mix of manual prospecting, a successful product hunt launch and product-led growth, they’ve turned Tally into an exceptional indie success story.

-> Subscribe to my brand new podcast, No More Mondays, co-hosted with Dan Rowden here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • The origin story of Tally
  • A failed startup, Hotspot
  • How COVID crushed their first startup
  • How Tally got their first few users
  • Doing things that don’t scale
  • How I became Tally’s first paying customer
  • Biggest source of sign ups for tally
  • The benefits of product-led growth
  • How to do an effective PH launch
  • Going from 3,000 - 12,000 users without paid ads
  • Why Marie quit her job to bootstrap
  • Would she ever go back to a job
  • What it’s like building your dream startup

Recommendations

Follow Marie

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:45:11 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 886 A conversation with Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally.so, a bootstrapped form builder which grew to 16k users in 1 year. A conversation with Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally.so, a bootstrapped form builder which grew to 16k users in 1 year. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Growing to $4m+ despite Apple cloning their product - Matt Ronge, Astropad 42 42 Growing to $4m+ despite Apple cloning their product - Matt Ronge, Astropad full 979b9c62-5ba8-4d54-be17-9fd3f72da3f5 https://indiebites.com/42 Matt Ronge is the co-founder and CEO at Astropad, a product that turns your iPad into a second screen both on Windows and Mac, started back in 2015. Back in 2019, their business was almost destroyed when Apple launched a feature that almost made Astropad defunct. What did this lead Matt and his team to do? Pivot and find a new idea? Lay off the team? Absolutely not. They doubled down on their product. Through challenges with big tech, raising kickstarter funding and building physical products, Matt has been on quite the journey with Astropad and we’re going to dive into all of that today, along with a mini-masterclass on PR.

What we covered in this episode:

Recommendations

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Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Matt Ronge is the co-founder and CEO at Astropad, a product that turns your iPad into a second screen both on Windows and Mac, started back in 2015. Back in 2019, their business was almost destroyed when Apple launched a feature that almost made Astropad defunct. What did this lead Matt and his team to do? Pivot and find a new idea? Lay off the team? Absolutely not. They doubled down on their product. Through challenges with big tech, raising kickstarter funding and building physical products, Matt has been on quite the journey with Astropad and we’re going to dive into all of that today, along with a mini-masterclass on PR.

What we covered in this episode:

Recommendations

Follow Matt

Follow Me

Sponsor - Ahrefs

Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring Indie Bites. Ahrefs is the most complete and valuable SEO tool on the market. Bootstrapped companies such as VEED and Transistor have used Ahrefs extensively to understand how to craft their SEO strategies, which have been such a pivotal part of their growth.

If you want to get more traffic from Google on your side-project, I’d recommend first trying out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free. You’ll see what keywords your pages are ranking for, understand how Google sees your content and discover what changes you need to improve your search ranking. You should also check out their YouTube channel to understand both the basics of SEO and some more advanced techniques.

To try out Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, head to ahrefs.com/awt.

]]> Sat, 29 Jan 2022 20:33:01 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 1009 A conversation with Matt Ronge, co-founder and CEO of Astropad. A conversation with Matt Ronge, co-founder and CEO of Astropad. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Bootstrapping a SaaS to millions in revenue - Ben Orenstein, Tuple 41 41 Bootstrapping a SaaS to millions in revenue - Ben Orenstein, Tuple full ff023731-2411-4ac1-a4ff-7819de7776f2 https://indiebites.com/41 Ben Orenstein is the founder of Tuple, a tool for remote pair programmers that has been steadily growing for the past few years. Now, Ben runs Tuple with a small team and is delving into what happens when your SaaS starts to hit scale. You might have also heard Ben's voice on the Art of Product podcast, which he co-hosts with Derrick Reimer, founder of SavvyCal, talking about the behind the scenes of running their respective SaaS companies.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Tuple is the most successful product he’s made
  • How Ben’s approach to enterprise sales has changed
  • How much revenue comes from enterprise sales
  • How the enterprise product is differentiated
  • How indie hackers can sell to bigger companies
  • Where Tuple gets it’s customers from
  • What does Ben’s day-to-day look like?
  • Has he just built himself a job?
  • The benefits of making a podcast
  • Some of Ben’s favourite previous products

Recommendations

Follow Ben

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Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Ben Orenstein is the founder of Tuple, a tool for remote pair programmers that has been steadily growing for the past few years. Now, Ben runs Tuple with a small team and is delving into what happens when your SaaS starts to hit scale. You might have also heard Ben's voice on the Art of Product podcast, which he co-hosts with Derrick Reimer, founder of SavvyCal, talking about the behind the scenes of running their respective SaaS companies.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Tuple is the most successful product he’s made
  • How Ben’s approach to enterprise sales has changed
  • How much revenue comes from enterprise sales
  • How the enterprise product is differentiated
  • How indie hackers can sell to bigger companies
  • Where Tuple gets it’s customers from
  • What does Ben’s day-to-day look like?
  • Has he just built himself a job?
  • The benefits of making a podcast
  • Some of Ben’s favourite previous products

Recommendations

Follow Ben

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:18:35 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 943 A chat with Ben Orenstein, co-founder of Tuple, about how to build a successful bootstrapped SaaS. A chat with Ben Orenstein, co-founder of Tuple, about how to build a successful bootstrapped SaaS. indie hackers, bootstrapping No 4 years of failed projects to full-time indie hacker - Kenneth Cassel, Pointer.gg 40 40 4 years of failed projects to full-time indie hacker - Kenneth Cassel, Pointer.gg full 3ec802e8-da0a-4a87-a16c-2ffd94daaa39 https://indiebites.com/40 Today I’m joined by Kenneth Cassel the founder of Pointer.gg a product he pivoted from Slip.so, a course platform making it easy for developers to make high-quality interactive courses. He got inspiration for Slip when he built vim.so, a course made $10k in just one month with - his first internet money. It's not all been plain sailing for Kenneth, as he struggled with failing his way to eventual success, with 4 years building products with no revenue. Now with Slip, he's quit his job, been accepted to YC and gets to build a company he’s always wanted to have.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How buying a Raspberry Pi changed Kenneth's life
  • Going from maintenance man for a gas station to software engineer
  • The inspiration Kenneth took from his Dad
  • How he learned programming
  • Making $100 in 4 years of side projects
  • How to stay motivated when things aren't going so well
  • Going from 0-20k Twitter followers
  • How building in public impacted Kenneth
  • Earning $10k in one month with Vim.so
  • Why he started Slip.so
  • Dealing with imposter syndrome

Recommendations

Follow Kenneth

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Today I’m joined by Kenneth Cassel the founder of Pointer.gg a product he pivoted from Slip.so, a course platform making it easy for developers to make high-quality interactive courses. He got inspiration for Slip when he built vim.so, a course made $10k in just one month with - his first internet money. It's not all been plain sailing for Kenneth, as he struggled with failing his way to eventual success, with 4 years building products with no revenue. Now with Slip, he's quit his job, been accepted to YC and gets to build a company he’s always wanted to have.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How buying a Raspberry Pi changed Kenneth's life
  • Going from maintenance man for a gas station to software engineer
  • The inspiration Kenneth took from his Dad
  • How he learned programming
  • Making $100 in 4 years of side projects
  • How to stay motivated when things aren't going so well
  • Going from 0-20k Twitter followers
  • How building in public impacted Kenneth
  • Earning $10k in one month with Vim.so
  • Why he started Slip.so
  • Dealing with imposter syndrome

Recommendations

Follow Kenneth

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Sat, 15 Jan 2022 12:56:45 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 958 I speak with Kenneth Cassel, founder of Pointer.gg about his indie hacking journey. I speak with Kenneth Cassel, founder of Pointer.gg about his indie hacking journey. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Nailing your marketing as a founder - Peter Suhm, Reform 39 39 Nailing your marketing as a founder - Peter Suhm, Reform full ce3b8fde-a712-4238-a253-a47d8ca278e1 https://indiebites.com/39 Peter Suhm is the co-founder of Reform, a tool that lets you easily create simple, brandable forms. Peter is also part of the Tiny Seed 1st batch, where he was working on a product called branch Branch. After that didn't work out, he went through a period of testing and validating ideas.

One of those ideas was a investor update tool, where Peter discovered how convoluted creating a form with existing tools was. Using Twitter and a very early stage MVP, he validated the idea for Reform and got to work building.

Since then he's had #1 Product of the Week on Product Hunt and is now working through the challenges of building features and growing revenue. You might have also heard Peter on the Out of Beta podcast, which he co-hosts with Matt Wensing.

➡️ Get the uncut, 30 minute conversation with Peter on the Indie Bites membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Coming up with the idea for Reform
  • Validating the idea for Reform
  • Why build a product in such a competitive market
  • Where form builders keep messing up
  • Getting to #1 Product Hunt of the week
  • When is the right time to launch on PH
  • Marketing and growth tests for Reform going forward
  • Continuing to try things that don't scale
  • Where should founders start with marketing?
  • Peter's approach to product development
  • The feedback loop of Twitter
  • The upsides of raising Tiny Seed money

Recommendations

Follow Peter

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Peter Suhm is the co-founder of Reform, a tool that lets you easily create simple, brandable forms. Peter is also part of the Tiny Seed 1st batch, where he was working on a product called branch Branch. After that didn't work out, he went through a period of testing and validating ideas.

One of those ideas was a investor update tool, where Peter discovered how convoluted creating a form with existing tools was. Using Twitter and a very early stage MVP, he validated the idea for Reform and got to work building.

Since then he's had #1 Product of the Week on Product Hunt and is now working through the challenges of building features and growing revenue. You might have also heard Peter on the Out of Beta podcast, which he co-hosts with Matt Wensing.

➡️ Get the uncut, 30 minute conversation with Peter on the Indie Bites membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Coming up with the idea for Reform
  • Validating the idea for Reform
  • Why build a product in such a competitive market
  • Where form builders keep messing up
  • Getting to #1 Product Hunt of the week
  • When is the right time to launch on PH
  • Marketing and growth tests for Reform going forward
  • Continuing to try things that don't scale
  • Where should founders start with marketing?
  • Peter's approach to product development
  • The feedback loop of Twitter
  • The upsides of raising Tiny Seed money

Recommendations

Follow Peter

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Thu, 18 Nov 2021 22:08:39 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 934 I speak to Peter Suhm, co-founder of Reform, about his approach to marketing and product development. I speak to Peter Suhm, co-founder of Reform, about his approach to marketing and product development. indie hackers, bootstrapping No From lifelong bootstrapper to raising calm funding - Brian Casel, ZipMessage 38 38 From lifelong bootstrapper to raising calm funding - Brian Casel, ZipMessage full 9bc436c5-4dd2-4b68-b742-77aa07758381 https://indiebites.com/38 Brian Casel is a veteran of the bootstrapping game, having left his full-time job back in 2008. You might have heard him on the Boostrapped Web podcast where he shares his journey starting and building software products. Over the years Brian has pretty much done it all, built software businesses, courses, productized services and even sold some along the way. Most recently, Brian has been working on ZipMessage, a new way to communicate asynchronously.

➡️ Get the uncut, 60 minute recording with Brian on the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Where did the idea of ZipMessage come from?
  • How Brian validated ZipMessage
  • Brian's unconventional approach to validation
  • Why Brian raised funding from Calm Company Fund
  • How can people go from freelancer to productized service
  • The importance of building processes in productized services
  • Why Brian didn't follow his passion for music

Recommendations

Follow Brian

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Brian Casel is a veteran of the bootstrapping game, having left his full-time job back in 2008. You might have heard him on the Boostrapped Web podcast where he shares his journey starting and building software products. Over the years Brian has pretty much done it all, built software businesses, courses, productized services and even sold some along the way. Most recently, Brian has been working on ZipMessage, a new way to communicate asynchronously.

➡️ Get the uncut, 60 minute recording with Brian on the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Where did the idea of ZipMessage come from?
  • How Brian validated ZipMessage
  • Brian's unconventional approach to validation
  • Why Brian raised funding from Calm Company Fund
  • How can people go from freelancer to productized service
  • The importance of building processes in productized services
  • Why Brian didn't follow his passion for music

Recommendations

Follow Brian

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

]]> Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:59:24 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 941 Brian Casel is the founder of ZipMessage, a new way to communicate asynchronously. In this episode we talk about why he started the company, why he raised capital this time around and why he's never pursued his passion for music. Brian Casel is the founder of ZipMessage, a new way to communicate asynchronously. In this episode we talk about why he started the company, why he raised capital this time around and why he's never pursued his passion for music. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Leaving a $500k job to build a portfolio of small bets - Daniel Vassallo 37 37 Leaving a $500k job to build a portfolio of small bets - Daniel Vassallo full 8835fecf-cc19-4348-83b1-fe864c854e11 https://indiebites.com/37 In 2019 Daniel Vassallo left his $500k salaried job at Amazon to go indie. In the 2 years since he left Daniel has placed many small bets, something he's become known for. In particular Daniel has seen success from his Info Products and building his audience on Twitter, which has grown from 0 to 91k. He wrote a short book on the good parts of AWS, which has made $126,000, then following the Twitter growth, wrote a book called Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience, which has made $244,000. He shares all of his revenue reports in his Profit and Loss community, which in itself has made over $30k in the past year. In total, and in just over 2 years, Daniel has made $570k in revenue and $306k in profit since leaving his job at Amazon. But he's gained something he didn't have while working for someone else, freedom.

➡️ Get the uncut, 80 minute recording with Daniel on the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Leaving a $500k job at Amazon to go Indie
  • The trap of judging your life based on financial value
  • Why the initial focusing on one product didn't work out for Daniel
  • Where the small bets mindset originated
  • How to deal with context switching with small bets
  • Dealing with an uncertain income
  • Why info products work well for a small bets strategy
  • How book publishers work and how we can apply their methods
  • The importance of the "small" in small bets
  • How you can build a twitter audience like Daniel
  • Why Daniel started making wooden cutting boards
  • How he made $2,600 from one tweet

Recommendations

More on Daniel

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites


]]> In 2019 Daniel Vassallo left his $500k salaried job at Amazon to go indie. In the 2 years since he left Daniel has placed many small bets, something he's become known for. In particular Daniel has seen success from his Info Products and building his audience on Twitter, which has grown from 0 to 91k. He wrote a short book on the good parts of AWS, which has made $126,000, then following the Twitter growth, wrote a book called Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience, which has made $244,000. He shares all of his revenue reports in his Profit and Loss community, which in itself has made over $30k in the past year. In total, and in just over 2 years, Daniel has made $570k in revenue and $306k in profit since leaving his job at Amazon. But he's gained something he didn't have while working for someone else, freedom.

➡️ Get the uncut, 80 minute recording with Daniel on the Indie Feast membership here.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Leaving a $500k job at Amazon to go Indie
  • The trap of judging your life based on financial value
  • Why the initial focusing on one product didn't work out for Daniel
  • Where the small bets mindset originated
  • How to deal with context switching with small bets
  • Dealing with an uncertain income
  • Why info products work well for a small bets strategy
  • How book publishers work and how we can apply their methods
  • The importance of the "small" in small bets
  • How you can build a twitter audience like Daniel
  • Why Daniel started making wooden cutting boards
  • How he made $2,600 from one tweet

Recommendations

More on Daniel

Follow Me

Sponsor - Fathom Analytics

For the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.

This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.

Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.

Link → https://usefathom.com/bites


]]> Mon, 08 Nov 2021 19:58:30 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 984 In 2019 Daniel Vassallo left his $500k cushty job at Amazon to go Indie. In the 2 years since he left Daniel has started to build a portfolio of small bets, something he's become known for, making $570k in the process. In this episode we talk about why he's bullish on small bets, how Daniel is designing his life and how to grow your twitter audience. In 2019 Daniel Vassallo left his $500k cushty job at Amazon to go Indie. In the 2 years since he left Daniel has started to build a portfolio of small bets, something he's become known for, making $570k in the process. In this episode we talk about why he indie hackers, bootstrapping No From $500k to $1m in 6 months with a podcast agency - Harry Morton, Lowerstreet 36 36 From $500k to $1m in 6 months with a podcast agency - Harry Morton, Lowerstreet full 95728147-4c07-4470-a39e-18bad54dfaf6 https://indiebites.com/36 Harry Morton is the founder of Lower Street Media, a podcast production agency that specialises in premium podcasts for ambitious companies. Lower Street are the agency behind top shows such as Secret Leaders, Technology Untangled and WFH Daily. Harry's business has skyrocketed since COVID, doubling in size of revenue and headcount in the last 6-months as more companies start to realise how effective podcasting can be. Harry also runs Single Track Conf, a 3-day mountain-biking founder retreat.

➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less (use "bites" for $10 off)

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why start an agency? it's not exactly a dream business to start.
  • How Harry grew Lowerstreet through cold outreach
  • Why the productising model didn't work out for Lowerstreet
  • What Harry did in the early days for growth
  • How losing 30% of revenue was a catalyst for growth
  • Doubling the agency revenue in 6 months
  • Quitting his job with no savings to start Lowersteet
  • Not knowing what to do when starting the company
  • Addressing shiny object syndrome
  • Why focus vs portfolio of projects argument is BS
  • The secret sauce for making a sh*t hot podcast
  • How to make a show that stands out
  • Starting a mountain bike community

Recommendations

Follow Harry

Follow Me

Sponsor - 2 Hour Podcast

Yes, that's right, I'm sponsoring my own show 🤯

After producing hundreds of podcasts for myself and clients, I've been pouring all of my knowledge into my new course, 2 Hour Podcast, which shows you how to start, grow and monetize a podcast that takes you less than 2 hours per week.

I know lots of people who want to start a pod and reap the rewards, but struggle to find the time, which is exactly why I made this course.

I've taken a three-pronged approach to making a podcast efficiently. The first is a step-by-step video guide to creating your show, covering everything from branding, to editing to hosting. The second part is a 90 minute tutorial where I make a my own podcast completely from scratch, recording the first episode with Arvid Kahl, using the tips from part 1. The final prong is my full Notion system for creating my show, including my episode CRM, guest and outreach templates, plus an episode briefing doc.


Head to 2hourpodcast.com to get the full course and get $10 off with the code "bites" at checkout.

]]> Harry Morton is the founder of Lower Street Media, a podcast production agency that specialises in premium podcasts for ambitious companies. Lower Street are the agency behind top shows such as Secret Leaders, Technology Untangled and WFH Daily. Harry's business has skyrocketed since COVID, doubling in size of revenue and headcount in the last 6-months as more companies start to realise how effective podcasting can be. Harry also runs Single Track Conf, a 3-day mountain-biking founder retreat.

➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less (use "bites" for $10 off)

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why start an agency? it's not exactly a dream business to start.
  • How Harry grew Lowerstreet through cold outreach
  • Why the productising model didn't work out for Lowerstreet
  • What Harry did in the early days for growth
  • How losing 30% of revenue was a catalyst for growth
  • Doubling the agency revenue in 6 months
  • Quitting his job with no savings to start Lowersteet
  • Not knowing what to do when starting the company
  • Addressing shiny object syndrome
  • Why focus vs portfolio of projects argument is BS
  • The secret sauce for making a sh*t hot podcast
  • How to make a show that stands out
  • Starting a mountain bike community

Recommendations

Follow Harry

Follow Me

Sponsor - 2 Hour Podcast

Yes, that's right, I'm sponsoring my own show 🤯

After producing hundreds of podcasts for myself and clients, I've been pouring all of my knowledge into my new course, 2 Hour Podcast, which shows you how to start, grow and monetize a podcast that takes you less than 2 hours per week.

I know lots of people who want to start a pod and reap the rewards, but struggle to find the time, which is exactly why I made this course.

I've taken a three-pronged approach to making a podcast efficiently. The first is a step-by-step video guide to creating your show, covering everything from branding, to editing to hosting. The second part is a 90 minute tutorial where I make a my own podcast completely from scratch, recording the first episode with Arvid Kahl, using the tips from part 1. The final prong is my full Notion system for creating my show, including my episode CRM, guest and outreach templates, plus an episode briefing doc.


Head to 2hourpodcast.com to get the full course and get $10 off with the code "bites" at checkout.

]]> Sun, 31 Oct 2021 15:32:40 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 991 Today I'm joined by my friend Harry Morton, who runs Lower Street Media, a podcast production agency behind some of the highest-quality podcasts I listen to. Over the past 6 months, Harry has doubled his agency revenue from $500k to $1m, but this certainly wasn't an overnight success. In this episode we talk about how Harry quit his job with no savings to start Lower Street, why the productized model failed for his agency and a mini masterclass into making a high-quality podcast. Today I'm joined by my friend Harry Morton, who runs Lower Street Media, a podcast production agency behind some of the highest-quality podcasts I listen to. Over the past 6 months, Harry has doubled his agency revenue from $500k to $1m, but this certainl indie hackers, bootstrapping No Taking on Google with Fathom Analytics and growing a course to $150k - Jack Ellis, Fathom 35 35 Taking on Google with Fathom Analytics and growing a course to $150k - Jack Ellis, Fathom full 8f3e12e7-f12d-404b-9474-49537d33b087 https://indiebites.com/35 Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, started with Paul Jarvis in 2019. Jack handles the technical side of the business, but isn't afraid to get on the mic on their podcast, Above Board, or send out some spicy tweets. Jack also runs the Serverless Laravel course, which he launched back in 2020. After this conversation Jack has turned into a true friend, speaking with me for several hours after, a genuinely nice chap. You’re going to want the same thing after listening to this pod. Jack talks with great wisdom on how to approach bootstrapping a SaaS company and taking on a huge incumbent.

➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less (use "bites" for $10 off)

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is Fathom Analytics
  • Joining as a co-founder after the company was founded
  • How Fathom started
  • How did they know Fathom was going to work
  • What growth tactics did Fathom use to grow?
  • How did they convince people to pay for analytics?
  • The trade-off of free software
  • How do you compete in a market with a huge incumbent
  • Starting a medium competitor, Pico
  • Benefits of having a co-founder
  • Quitting a job for Jack's first side-project
  • Starting a course (Serverless Laravel) that made $150,000

Recommendations

Follow Jack

Follow Me

Sponsor - Part Time Tech Jobs

Thank you to my friend Charlie from Weekend Club for sponsoring this episode, with his new project Part Time Tech Jobs, which is a fantastic site for finding and posting, you guessed it, part time tech jobs
 
If you’re looking to transistion from a full-time role to indie hacking, finding a part time role might be just the thing for you to de-risk that transition. And on the other side, if you’re looking to hire great entrepreneurial talent without breaking the bank, this is where you should post.

So if you’re looking for a part time tech job, head to parttimetechjobs.co or if you’re looking for tech talent, use the code INDIEBITES for 80% off all featured posts.

]]> Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, started with Paul Jarvis in 2019. Jack handles the technical side of the business, but isn't afraid to get on the mic on their podcast, Above Board, or send out some spicy tweets. Jack also runs the Serverless Laravel course, which he launched back in 2020. After this conversation Jack has turned into a true friend, speaking with me for several hours after, a genuinely nice chap. You’re going to want the same thing after listening to this pod. Jack talks with great wisdom on how to approach bootstrapping a SaaS company and taking on a huge incumbent.

➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less (use "bites" for $10 off)

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is Fathom Analytics
  • Joining as a co-founder after the company was founded
  • How Fathom started
  • How did they know Fathom was going to work
  • What growth tactics did Fathom use to grow?
  • How did they convince people to pay for analytics?
  • The trade-off of free software
  • How do you compete in a market with a huge incumbent
  • Starting a medium competitor, Pico
  • Benefits of having a co-founder
  • Quitting a job for Jack's first side-project
  • Starting a course (Serverless Laravel) that made $150,000

Recommendations

Follow Jack

Follow Me

Sponsor - Part Time Tech Jobs

Thank you to my friend Charlie from Weekend Club for sponsoring this episode, with his new project Part Time Tech Jobs, which is a fantastic site for finding and posting, you guessed it, part time tech jobs
 
If you’re looking to transistion from a full-time role to indie hacking, finding a part time role might be just the thing for you to de-risk that transition. And on the other side, if you’re looking to hire great entrepreneurial talent without breaking the bank, this is where you should post.

So if you’re looking for a part time tech job, head to parttimetechjobs.co or if you’re looking for tech talent, use the code INDIEBITES for 80% off all featured posts.

]]> Thu, 28 Oct 2021 17:06:06 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 922 Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, the simple, privacy focused alternative to Google launched in 2018. In this episode we talk about taking on the behemoth that is Google, joining a project after it's started, how Fathom grew and how Jack built a $150k course. Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, the simple, privacy focused alternative to Google launched in 2018. In this episode we talk about taking on the behemoth that is Google, joining a project after it's started, how Fathom grew and how Jack b indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building a portfolio of projects to $6k in one month - Pete Codes, No CS Degree 34 34 Building a portfolio of projects to $6k in one month - Pete Codes, No CS Degree full bb2434e7-3c4d-4405-9ca4-f725a5c2e1a3 https://indiebites.com/34 Pete runs No CS Degree, among other things, sharing stories of people who have made it as a developer, without going down the traditional route of getting a computer science degree, showing how it's possible to earn a nice salary without going to university. He has also started High Signal, a community for revenue verified entrepreneurs, a site for finding fully remote companies (sold) and finally made 2 courses where you'll learn how to both monetize and grow your newsletter.

➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less.

What we covered in this episode

  • Pete's crazy backstory
  • How he got into entreprenuership
  • Most inspiring story from No CS Degree
  • How does Pete get revenue
  • Getting a sponsor for a course
  • How do you grow a newsletter
  • Launching a monetize your newsletter course
  • Doing a bundle deal with other indie hackers
  • Starting the High Signal community
  • Why some paid communities are bad
  • Pete's nifty pricing trick
  • Launching a job board

Recommendations

Follow Pete

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.

They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

]]> Pete runs No CS Degree, among other things, sharing stories of people who have made it as a developer, without going down the traditional route of getting a computer science degree, showing how it's possible to earn a nice salary without going to university. He has also started High Signal, a community for revenue verified entrepreneurs, a site for finding fully remote companies (sold) and finally made 2 courses where you'll learn how to both monetize and grow your newsletter.

➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less.

What we covered in this episode

  • Pete's crazy backstory
  • How he got into entreprenuership
  • Most inspiring story from No CS Degree
  • How does Pete get revenue
  • Getting a sponsor for a course
  • How do you grow a newsletter
  • Launching a monetize your newsletter course
  • Doing a bundle deal with other indie hackers
  • Starting the High Signal community
  • Why some paid communities are bad
  • Pete's nifty pricing trick
  • Launching a job board

Recommendations

Follow Pete

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.

They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

]]> Wed, 20 Oct 2021 20:18:42 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 962 Pete Codes is my favourite kind of indie hacker. He thought "what have I got to lose, and went all in with his side-project". 2 years later, he's running a profitable business that sustains him, and allows Pete to work in a way he wants to. In this episode we talk through all of Pete's various side projects, the tips he'd give to other makers for growing them and how he's making the indie life work out for him. Pete Codes is my favourite kind of indie hacker. He thought "what have I got to lose, and went all in with his side-project". 2 years later, he's running a profitable business that sustains him, and allows Pete to work in a way he wants to. In this episod indie hackers, bootstrapping No Growing Upvoty to $17k MRR - Mike Slaats, Upvoty 33 33 Growing Upvoty to $17k MRR - Mike Slaats, Upvoty full 7677630f-3242-4797-be2f-c3bac409a380 https://indiebites.com/33 Mike Slaats is the founder of Upvoty, an instant feedback software which has recently hit $17k MRR. Mike also runs the SaaS pirates community, where he talks all about running a SaaS company. Previously, he scaled Vindy, an only marketplace for home development to 1m ARR in 5 years.

What we covered in this episode

  • Why did you start Upvoty?
  • Stopping a $1m business to start from scratch
  • Why your work should be fulfilling
  • Should you be passionate about your audience?
  • How to validate your idea
  • How Mike got his first customers for Upvoty
  • The value of an MVP and a landing page
  • Why you should build runway or have an alternative income source
  • How you can make your own luck
  • Why indie hackers should build a personal brand
  • Mike's one bit of advice for founders; validate
  • How to build an MVP with the BML framework

Recommendations

Follow Mike

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Mike Slaats is the founder of Upvoty, an instant feedback software which has recently hit $17k MRR. Mike also runs the SaaS pirates community, where he talks all about running a SaaS company. Previously, he scaled Vindy, an only marketplace for home development to 1m ARR in 5 years.

What we covered in this episode

  • Why did you start Upvoty?
  • Stopping a $1m business to start from scratch
  • Why your work should be fulfilling
  • Should you be passionate about your audience?
  • How to validate your idea
  • How Mike got his first customers for Upvoty
  • The value of an MVP and a landing page
  • Why you should build runway or have an alternative income source
  • How you can make your own luck
  • Why indie hackers should build a personal brand
  • Mike's one bit of advice for founders; validate
  • How to build an MVP with the BML framework

Recommendations

Follow Mike

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Wed, 13 Oct 2021 08:00:27 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 947 Mike Slaats is the founder of Upvoty, an instant feedback software which has recently hit $15k MRR. In this episode we're going to be discussing how he built Upvoty to that milestone, how to come up with an idea and then validate it and how you can take advantage of opportunities. Mike Slaats is the founder of Upvoty, an instant feedback software which has recently hit $15k MRR. In this episode we're going to be discussing how he built Upvoty to that milestone, how to come up with an idea and then validate it and how you can take a indie hackers, bootstrapping No $250 to $3k MRR in 4 months with a Notion website builder - Noah Bragg, Potion 32 32 $250 to $3k MRR in 4 months with a Notion website builder - Noah Bragg, Potion full 142c73f7-64cf-48da-81bc-2dd4809e0e6d https://indiebites.com/32 Noah Bragg is an indie hacker in its truest form. Building in public hacking away on his project, Potion, which is a a way to host your Notion pages as websites behind a custom domain. He's also the co-host of the Product Journey podcast, where he speaks with his co-host Ben about their progress on their respective side projects.

What we covered:

  • The goal of building a huge business
  • Project: Coffee Pass
  • When to decide to stop a project
  • Failing after 2 years working on something
  • First project as an indie hacker: Supportman
  • Starting Potion
    • $250 to $3,000 MRR in 4 months
  • How to do a successful product hunt launch
  • How to get a product hunt maker grant
  • Focusing on product instead of marketing
  • Finding the right market / a growing market
  • Dealing with competition

Recommendations


Follow Noah

Follow Me

Sponsor - Upvoty

Do you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.

Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.

Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.

Sign up here.

]]> Noah Bragg is an indie hacker in its truest form. Building in public hacking away on his project, Potion, which is a a way to host your Notion pages as websites behind a custom domain. He's also the co-host of the Product Journey podcast, where he speaks with his co-host Ben about their progress on their respective side projects.

What we covered:

  • The goal of building a huge business
  • Project: Coffee Pass
  • When to decide to stop a project
  • Failing after 2 years working on something
  • First project as an indie hacker: Supportman
  • Starting Potion
    • $250 to $3,000 MRR in 4 months
  • How to do a successful product hunt launch
  • How to get a product hunt maker grant
  • Focusing on product instead of marketing
  • Finding the right market / a growing market
  • Dealing with competition

Recommendations


Follow Noah

Follow Me

Sponsor - Upvoty

Do you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.

Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.

Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.

Sign up here.

]]> Wed, 29 Sep 2021 21:18:19 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 906 Today we have Noah Bragg who is the founder of Potion, which allows you to turn your Notion pages into a website, wiki or blog all behind a custom domain. This is a 2 part episode. In the first section we talk about how Noah wanted to build a funded coffee business before discovering indie hacking and starting Supportman. Then in the second part we talk about how he's grown Potion to over $3k MRR while working a full-time job, including his framework for a successful product hunt launch. Today we have Noah Bragg who is the founder of Potion, which allows you to turn your Notion pages into a website, wiki or blog all behind a custom domain. This is a 2 part episode. In the first section we talk about how Noah wanted to build a funded coffe indie hackers, bootstrapping No Bootstrapping two $3k MRR projects, selling one for $55k - Andy Cloke, Data Fetcher 31 31 Bootstrapping two $3k MRR projects, selling one for $55k - Andy Cloke, Data Fetcher full ecc05327-0695-435d-a35d-e60dac67344f https://indiebites.com/31 Andy Cloke is the founder of Data Fetcher, a platform for running API requests in Airtable, which is currently doing around $3k MRR. Andy has started many projects in the past, his most recent one, Influence Grid, was sold for $55k back in mid-2020, having only started it 7 months before. In this episode we talk about his framework for finding trending ideas, building a product and being successful with marketing as a developer. We also talk about the process of selling your product and how to make that go smoothly.

What we covered

  • Andy's background
  • Kabooshi
  • Why Andy started Influence Grid
  • How to leverage Exploding Topics to find trending ideas
  • Getting validation for your idea
  • Using cold outreach to grow a platform
    • Rocket Reach
  • Doing SEO from the start
  • How he grew Influence Grid to $3k MRR
  • Why decide to sell Influence Grid?
  • Should you go through a platform for an acquisition?
  • How to best prepare for a small acquisition
  • What Andy bought himself after selling for $55k
  • What he did after the acquisition
  • The process of finding a new idea
  • Why Andy started Data Fetcher
  • How Data Fetcher has grown to $3k MRR
  • Andy's framework for finding a successful idea
  • How to push through when things aren't going so well

Recommendations

Follow Andy

Follow Me

Sponsor - Upvoty

Do you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.

Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.

Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.

Sign up here.

]]> Andy Cloke is the founder of Data Fetcher, a platform for running API requests in Airtable, which is currently doing around $3k MRR. Andy has started many projects in the past, his most recent one, Influence Grid, was sold for $55k back in mid-2020, having only started it 7 months before. In this episode we talk about his framework for finding trending ideas, building a product and being successful with marketing as a developer. We also talk about the process of selling your product and how to make that go smoothly.

What we covered

  • Andy's background
  • Kabooshi
  • Why Andy started Influence Grid
  • How to leverage Exploding Topics to find trending ideas
  • Getting validation for your idea
  • Using cold outreach to grow a platform
    • Rocket Reach
  • Doing SEO from the start
  • How he grew Influence Grid to $3k MRR
  • Why decide to sell Influence Grid?
  • Should you go through a platform for an acquisition?
  • How to best prepare for a small acquisition
  • What Andy bought himself after selling for $55k
  • What he did after the acquisition
  • The process of finding a new idea
  • Why Andy started Data Fetcher
  • How Data Fetcher has grown to $3k MRR
  • Andy's framework for finding a successful idea
  • How to push through when things aren't going so well

Recommendations

Follow Andy

Follow Me

Sponsor - Upvoty

Do you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.

Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.

Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.

Sign up here.

]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1007 Andy Cloke is the founder of Influence Grid and Data Fetcher, 2 indie SaaS businesses that both grew to over $3k MRR, the former selling for $55k in an acquisition. I speak to Andy about how he finds new ideas, how to find users and scale MRR, then the process of selling your small business for the first time. Andy Cloke is the founder of Influence Grid and Data Fetcher, 2 indie SaaS businesses that both grew to over $3k MRR, the former selling for $55k in an acquisition. I speak to Andy about how he finds new ideas, how to find users and scale MRR, then the pr indie hackers, bootstrapping No Bootstrapping to over $250k MRR - Baird Hall, Churnkey 30 30 Bootstrapping to over $250k MRR - Baird Hall, Churnkey full 769dbb56-5e11-440c-a3ba-80112d157581 https://indiebites.com/30 Baird is a 4x SaaS founder based in Charleston, SC. His background is in sales, marketing, and support. He bootstrapped and grew two SaaS companies to over $1M in ARR. When he isn't working on Churnkey's sales and marketing, he is on the water with his wife and daughter.

What we covered in this episode:

  • The big challenges faced when bootstrapping
  • Did Baird always want to bootstrap
  • Why leave a job to start a company
  • Did he ever get funding from utalk
  • How did Waave come about?
  • How to avoid quitting when times get tough
  • Getting early customers in for Waave
  • What was different when they launched Zubtitle (108k MRR)
  • Why they started a new business completely
  • Why churn is such a difficult problem to solve
  • Is it harder or easier to do B2C vs B2B
  • How to manage context switching
  • How to make time to run 3 huge businesses at once


Recommendations


Follow Baird

Follow Me

Sponsor - Upvoty

Do you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.

Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.

Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.

Sign up here.

]]> Baird is a 4x SaaS founder based in Charleston, SC. His background is in sales, marketing, and support. He bootstrapped and grew two SaaS companies to over $1M in ARR. When he isn't working on Churnkey's sales and marketing, he is on the water with his wife and daughter.

What we covered in this episode:

  • The big challenges faced when bootstrapping
  • Did Baird always want to bootstrap
  • Why leave a job to start a company
  • Did he ever get funding from utalk
  • How did Waave come about?
  • How to avoid quitting when times get tough
  • Getting early customers in for Waave
  • What was different when they launched Zubtitle (108k MRR)
  • Why they started a new business completely
  • Why churn is such a difficult problem to solve
  • Is it harder or easier to do B2C vs B2B
  • How to manage context switching
  • How to make time to run 3 huge businesses at once


Recommendations


Follow Baird

Follow Me

Sponsor - Upvoty

Do you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.

Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.

Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.

Sign up here.

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2021 10:20:11 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 975 Today I'm joined by Baird Hall who has successfully launched and scaled multiple bootstrapped SaaS businesses, such as Wavve, Zubtitle and Churnkey, which at the time of recording this have over $250k combined monthly revenue, completely bootstrapped. Baird and his co-founder Nick have since sold Wavve and are now putting their growth efforts into Churnkey, which we talk about in this epsiode. We also cover how they pushed through the tough times, then how they bootsrapped their companies to hundreds of thousands in monthly revenue. Today I'm joined by Baird Hall who has successfully launched and scaled multiple bootstrapped SaaS businesses, such as Wavve, Zubtitle and Churnkey, which at the time of recording this have over $250k combined monthly revenue, completely bootstrapped. Bai indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building Copy.ai in Public - Blake Emal (CMO), Copy.ai 29 29 Building Copy.ai in Public - Blake Emal (CMO), Copy.ai full ea2636d0-8ccd-4d84-b622-20ecd6e74edd https://indiebites.com/29 Blake Emal is the CMO at Copy.ai, but it's not been a traditional route into that role. 8 years ago Blake was living in the South of France and when he moved back to the US, he had no idea what he wanted to do. As he spoke French, he landed a gig in the French team of an SEO firm. This was his first foray into marketing and he didn't intend to stay in marketing.

Fast forward 7 years of working for agencies, freelancing and in-house, he stumbled across a little tool called Copy.ai. He was quite happy in his current role, but sent the Copy.ai founder a DM on Twitter, asking if he needed any help with marketing. After a few back and forths and a grand total of 3 Zoom calls, Blake became CMO at Copy.ai.


In this episode we cover:

  • What is copy.ai and how does it work?
  • What does being a CMO in public mean?
  • Where should founders start with marketing
  • Why you should just "put a camera in front of you" when building
  • Why is building in public so effective?
  • Who is building in public well?
  • How to get good at Twitter?
  • Who is doing Twitter well?
  • Are threads dead?
  • Why do marketers ruin everything?

Recommendations

Follow Blake

Follow Me

Sponsor

Thank you to Dan Rowden for sponsoring this episode with his product, ilo which helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. Use the code "INDIEBITES27" for 25% off your plan for life.

Sign up here.

]]> Blake Emal is the CMO at Copy.ai, but it's not been a traditional route into that role. 8 years ago Blake was living in the South of France and when he moved back to the US, he had no idea what he wanted to do. As he spoke French, he landed a gig in the French team of an SEO firm. This was his first foray into marketing and he didn't intend to stay in marketing.

Fast forward 7 years of working for agencies, freelancing and in-house, he stumbled across a little tool called Copy.ai. He was quite happy in his current role, but sent the Copy.ai founder a DM on Twitter, asking if he needed any help with marketing. After a few back and forths and a grand total of 3 Zoom calls, Blake became CMO at Copy.ai.


In this episode we cover:

  • What is copy.ai and how does it work?
  • What does being a CMO in public mean?
  • Where should founders start with marketing
  • Why you should just "put a camera in front of you" when building
  • Why is building in public so effective?
  • Who is building in public well?
  • How to get good at Twitter?
  • Who is doing Twitter well?
  • Are threads dead?
  • Why do marketers ruin everything?

Recommendations

Follow Blake

Follow Me

Sponsor

Thank you to Dan Rowden for sponsoring this episode with his product, ilo which helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. Use the code "INDIEBITES27" for 25% off your plan for life.

Sign up here.

]]> Fri, 10 Sep 2021 01:11:29 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 926 Today I'm joined by Blake Emal, who is the CMO at Copy.ai and the founder of Float, a Notion-powered course creator. Blake is an expert at building in public, going from 10k to 55k followers on Twitter in just a few months. In this episode we talk about his journey to becoming the CMO at Copy.ai, why he's chosen to be a CMO in public and to that point, why building in public is so effective. Today I'm joined by Blake Emal, who is the CMO at Copy.ai and the founder of Float, a Notion-powered course creator. Blake is an expert at building in public, going from 10k to 55k followers on Twitter in just a few months. In this episode we talk about indie hackers, bootstrapping No Founder Hot Seat - Overcoming mental health challenges [Bonus] 28 28 Founder Hot Seat - Overcoming mental health challenges [Bonus] bonus 2be3dfca-7aba-4dd5-ab78-67ac451733ec https://indiebites.com/bonus28 Listen to the full conversation here on Stefan's podcast.

This is about 17 minutes of a recording with my friend Stefan on his Founder Hot Seat podcast, which is a show that explores the real challenges that founders have in their business and how to overcome them.


I've had a ton of messages from people after listening to my previous bonus episode where I explained some of the challenges I've had with mental health over the past few months, and this episode was super helpful for me to navigate some of those challenges and set a path forward.


From Stefan

This episode is a twist on the normal format. James has publicly shared the challenges he's been going through with his mental health.

We explore the journey James has been on over the past year, including when things began to change, what that felt like on a day-to-day basis, how James has worked on his recovery and how he plans to move forward.

Follow Stefan

Follow Me

]]> Listen to the full conversation here on Stefan's podcast.

This is about 17 minutes of a recording with my friend Stefan on his Founder Hot Seat podcast, which is a show that explores the real challenges that founders have in their business and how to overcome them.


I've had a ton of messages from people after listening to my previous bonus episode where I explained some of the challenges I've had with mental health over the past few months, and this episode was super helpful for me to navigate some of those challenges and set a path forward.


From Stefan

This episode is a twist on the normal format. James has publicly shared the challenges he's been going through with his mental health.

We explore the journey James has been on over the past year, including when things began to change, what that felt like on a day-to-day basis, how James has worked on his recovery and how he plans to move forward.

Follow Stefan

Follow Me

]]> Thu, 05 Aug 2021 08:25:51 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1184 A little bonus episode as I speak with my friend Stefan on his Founder Hot Seat podcast. I've edited out a snippet just over 15 minutes of my chat on the show, as we navigate my path forward from struggling with burnout and depression. A little bonus episode as I speak with my friend Stefan on his Founder Hot Seat podcast. I've edited out a snippet just over 15 minutes of my chat on the show, as we navigate my path forward from struggling with burnout and depression. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Bootstrapping Transistor.fm to 13,000+ podcasts - Justin Jackson, Transistor.fm 27 27 Bootstrapping Transistor.fm to 13,000+ podcasts - Justin Jackson, Transistor.fm full 2a627ce7-cc43-4f12-9540-b258d782ca83 https://indiebites.com/27 Justin Jackson is the co-founder of Transistor.fm, a successful bootstrapped podcast hosting company. The journey building Transistor were documented on the Build Your SaaS podcast, which is a must listen. Justin is the founder of the MegaMaker community which he started in 2013, so if you're part of the maker sphere - you'll probably have heard of him.

In this episode we cover:

  • What is Transistor and why did they start it
  • Why work in podcast hosting? Was it not already a solved problem?
  • How did they get the first few customers?
  • What's next for Transistor?
  • What's it like having "made it" as an indie hacker?
  • What challenges does Justin run into?
  • Should you just get a job at a tech company or run your bootstrapped co?
  • Why bootstrapping is not a level playing field
  • When you should quit your job
  • Addressing mental health as an entreprenuer

Recommendations

Follow Justin

Follow Me

Sponsor

Thank you to Dan Rowden for sponsoring this episode with his product, ilo which helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. Use the code "INDIEBITES27" for 25% off your plan for life.

Sign up here.

]]> Justin Jackson is the co-founder of Transistor.fm, a successful bootstrapped podcast hosting company. The journey building Transistor were documented on the Build Your SaaS podcast, which is a must listen. Justin is the founder of the MegaMaker community which he started in 2013, so if you're part of the maker sphere - you'll probably have heard of him.

In this episode we cover:

  • What is Transistor and why did they start it
  • Why work in podcast hosting? Was it not already a solved problem?
  • How did they get the first few customers?
  • What's next for Transistor?
  • What's it like having "made it" as an indie hacker?
  • What challenges does Justin run into?
  • Should you just get a job at a tech company or run your bootstrapped co?
  • Why bootstrapping is not a level playing field
  • When you should quit your job
  • Addressing mental health as an entreprenuer

Recommendations

Follow Justin

Follow Me

Sponsor

Thank you to Dan Rowden for sponsoring this episode with his product, ilo which helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. Use the code "INDIEBITES27" for 25% off your plan for life.

Sign up here.

]]> Sun, 25 Jul 2021 14:59:46 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 988 Justin Jackson is the co-founder of Transistor.fm, a successful bootstrapped podcast hosting company. The journey building Transistor were documented on the Build Your SaaS podcast, which is a must listen. Justin is the founder of the MegaMaker community which he started in 2013, so if you're part of the maker sphere - you'll probably have heard of him.

In this episode we cover:

  • What is Transistor and why did they start it
  • Why work in podcast hosting? Was it not already a solved problem?
  • How did they get the first few customers?
  • What's next for Transistor?
  • What's it like having "made it" as an indie hacker?
  • What challenges does Justin run into?
  • Should you just get a job at a tech company or run your bootstrapped co?
  • Why bootstrapping is not a level playing field
  • When you should quit your job
  • Addressing mental health as an entreprenuer

Recommendations

Follow Justin

Follow Me

Sponsor

Thank you to Dan Rowden for sponsoring this episode with his product, ilo which helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience. Use the code "INDIEBITES27" for 25% off your plan for life.

Sign up here.

]]> indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Justin Jackson Making $10k in a weekend selling emoji email addresses - Ben Stokes, Tiny Projects 26 26 Making $10k in a weekend selling emoji email addresses - Ben Stokes, Tiny Projects full 2b1d1d5e-bbc7-47dc-a648-26a5af163403 https://indiebites.com/26 Ben Stokes a full stack developer and entrepreneur based in Bristol in the UK, who's started an ice cream business and cookie dough business amongst other things. Ben, like many indie hackers, has a bunch of small side project ideas, but not enough time to do them. So he started Tiny Projects. Tiny Projects documents his progress with these small ideas, launching 6 projects since May last year, including One Item Store, which he sold, and his most recent, Mailoji, which has just crossed $10k in revenue.

Sponsor

Thank you to today's sponsor, VEED.io, who are hiring developers, designers, product people and more. So if you're looking to join a growing bootstrapper-friendly business, reach out to their CEO, Sabba (s@veed.io), or take a look at their published roles here.

Get ad-free and extended conversations of the podcast with Indie Feast membership, for just £4 a month.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Ben started an ice cream business
  • Buying an ice cream machine for £700 after a few pints
  • Growing a cookie dough business to £13k a month
  • Why Ben started Tiny Projects
  • The six projects he's worked on
  • How to sell a project for $5,000, that only made $2
  • Selling $10k of emoji domain names
  • How to go viral on hacker news

Recommendations

Follow Ben

Follow Me

]]> Ben Stokes a full stack developer and entrepreneur based in Bristol in the UK, who's started an ice cream business and cookie dough business amongst other things. Ben, like many indie hackers, has a bunch of small side project ideas, but not enough time to do them. So he started Tiny Projects. Tiny Projects documents his progress with these small ideas, launching 6 projects since May last year, including One Item Store, which he sold, and his most recent, Mailoji, which has just crossed $10k in revenue.

Sponsor

Thank you to today's sponsor, VEED.io, who are hiring developers, designers, product people and more. So if you're looking to join a growing bootstrapper-friendly business, reach out to their CEO, Sabba (s@veed.io), or take a look at their published roles here.

Get ad-free and extended conversations of the podcast with Indie Feast membership, for just £4 a month.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Ben started an ice cream business
  • Buying an ice cream machine for £700 after a few pints
  • Growing a cookie dough business to £13k a month
  • Why Ben started Tiny Projects
  • The six projects he's worked on
  • How to sell a project for $5,000, that only made $2
  • Selling $10k of emoji domain names
  • How to go viral on hacker news

Recommendations

Follow Ben

Follow Me

]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2021 16:24:04 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 1009 Ben Stokes is the indie hacker behind Tiny Projects, where he shares the ups and downs of starting small indie businesses. He's created a ice cream business and a cookie dough business amongst other things and his most recent project, Mailoji, made $10k in a weekend. We speak about what it's like to be a founder running a physical business, how to sell your project, the joy in starting small things and how to go viral on hacker news. Ben Stokes is the indie hacker behind Tiny Projects, where he shares the ups and downs of starting small indie businesses. He's created a ice cream business and a cookie dough business amongst other things and his most recent project, Mailoji, made $10k i indie hackers, bootstrapping No Struggling with my own mental health 25 25 Struggling with my own mental health bonus a71ea660-0678-4c99-8443-9c03c9d52c3f https://indiebites.com/bonus25 I've never really understood mental health, or those who have had these challenges in the past. So when I've had my own challenges, I've struggled to comprehend what has been happening to me. This episode is hopefully an interesting insight into how I've been feeling over the past few months to hopefully help others who might be going through a similar thing.

Here's some things I talk about:

  • Where I've been
  • Overworking
  • What went wrong
  • Why I didn't notice a problem
  • Why family and friends are so important
  • The supportive indie hacker community
  • YouTube videos are hard
  • Burnout / depression are real shitty
  • My future plans
  • How I'm going to get out of this mess

I mentioned in the pod I'd been making videos about my motorbike, here's a few links if you'd like to watch:

and here's how to contact / support me:

]]> I've never really understood mental health, or those who have had these challenges in the past. So when I've had my own challenges, I've struggled to comprehend what has been happening to me. This episode is hopefully an interesting insight into how I've been feeling over the past few months to hopefully help others who might be going through a similar thing.

Here's some things I talk about:

  • Where I've been
  • Overworking
  • What went wrong
  • Why I didn't notice a problem
  • Why family and friends are so important
  • The supportive indie hacker community
  • YouTube videos are hard
  • Burnout / depression are real shitty
  • My future plans
  • How I'm going to get out of this mess

I mentioned in the pod I'd been making videos about my motorbike, here's a few links if you'd like to watch:

and here's how to contact / support me:

]]> Sat, 15 May 2021 12:04:38 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 902 Over the past few weeks and months I've had some huge challenges with my mental health, to the point where I didn't know what was wrong with me and I had some breakdowns. This episode is a solo podcast sharing some of my thoughts and those challenges to hopefully help out others who might be going through something similar. I've taken some time off work and I'm slowing starting to realise what went wrong and what I need to do to get better. Over the past few weeks and months I've had some huge challenges with my mental health, to the point where I didn't know what was wrong with me and I had some breakdowns. This episode is a solo podcast sharing some of my thoughts and those challenges to h indie hackers, bootstrapping No Growing a podcast to 50k downloads in 6 months - Danny Miranda, The Danny Miranda Show 24 24 Growing a podcast to 50k downloads in 6 months - Danny Miranda, The Danny Miranda Show full cdecaac6-e1f9-4b18-89ac-8295c90355b7 https://indiebites.com/24 Today I'm joined by Danny Miranda, who is the host of The Danny Miranda podcast, which has rapidly grown to over 50,000 downloads in less than 6 months. He publishes 3x a week and has had some awesome guests including Harry Dry, Gary Vee and David Perell. Danny is a walking case study of shooting your shot, making your own luck and having laser focus on one single thing.

But this episode isn't going to be about podcasting specifically, we're going to talk about how consistency, compounding and execution can lead to you making progress in your personal projects or entrepreneurial ventures. I think you'll be inspired by Danny's story.

What we covered:

  • Who is Danny Miranda?
  • Why Danny started out dropshipping? and what stopped him from pursuing that?
  • How did the podcast come about?
  • Why podcasting isn't that saturated
  • Why Danny committed to 100 episodes when he started
  • The unintended benefits of podcasts?
  • Why laser focus and consistency is the key to Danny's growth
  • How Danny switched from a starter to a finisher
  • How to stop context switching
  • Why accountability is the key to motivation
  • Short term vs long term thinking
  • Why the 75 hard program had so much of an impact on Danny
  • Danny's plan to make money with the pod!

Recommendations

Follow Danny

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.

They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

]]> Today I'm joined by Danny Miranda, who is the host of The Danny Miranda podcast, which has rapidly grown to over 50,000 downloads in less than 6 months. He publishes 3x a week and has had some awesome guests including Harry Dry, Gary Vee and David Perell. Danny is a walking case study of shooting your shot, making your own luck and having laser focus on one single thing.

But this episode isn't going to be about podcasting specifically, we're going to talk about how consistency, compounding and execution can lead to you making progress in your personal projects or entrepreneurial ventures. I think you'll be inspired by Danny's story.

What we covered:

  • Who is Danny Miranda?
  • Why Danny started out dropshipping? and what stopped him from pursuing that?
  • How did the podcast come about?
  • Why podcasting isn't that saturated
  • Why Danny committed to 100 episodes when he started
  • The unintended benefits of podcasts?
  • Why laser focus and consistency is the key to Danny's growth
  • How Danny switched from a starter to a finisher
  • How to stop context switching
  • Why accountability is the key to motivation
  • Short term vs long term thinking
  • Why the 75 hard program had so much of an impact on Danny
  • Danny's plan to make money with the pod!

Recommendations

Follow Danny

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.

They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2021 00:45:38 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 925 Danny Miranda runs the Danny Miranda Show, a podcast he's rapidly grown to 50k downloads in just 6 months. He's relentless, focused and consistent, publishing 3 episodes a week with some of his favorite authors and entrepreneurs. In this episode we discuss how he's so focused, how he minimises distractions and uses accountability to help him achieve his goals. Danny Miranda runs the Danny Miranda Show, a podcast he's rapidly grown to 50k downloads in just 6 months. He's relentless, focused and consistent, publishing 3 episodes a week with some of his favorite authors and entrepreneurs. In this episode we discus indie hackers, bootstrapping No Build in a competitive market, or go niche? - Derrick Reimer, SavvyCal 23 23 Build in a competitive market, or go niche? - Derrick Reimer, SavvyCal full 17e4e658-28b6-4eab-9ea7-6221730f084c https://indiebites.com/23 Derrick Reimer is the founder of SavvyCal, a new approach to calendar scheduling and has grown to multiple thousands MRR since he launched it earlier in 2020. Derrick also co-founded Drip with Rob Walling in 2012, which was acquired by Leadpages in 2016. You might have heard Derrick on the Art of Product podcast with Tuple co-founder Ben Orenstein where they document their journey building their products.

Get ad-free and extended conversations of the podcast with Indie Feast membership, for just £4 a month.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is SavvyCal?
  • What problem is it trying to solve?
  • Why go into such a crowded market?
  • A nice market or crowded one?
  • The advantage of being a solo founder or small team vs larger competition
  • How long did Derrick build before launching the MVP?
  • How much growth has come from pre-existing audience?
  • What goes into a good Product Hunt launch?
  • When should Indie Hackers bring marketing support on?
  • What marketing tactics can you employ?
  • How does TinySeed funding work?
  • Should other founders look for this type of funding?
  • Art of Product podcast

Recommendations

Follow Derrick

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.

They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.


]]> Derrick Reimer is the founder of SavvyCal, a new approach to calendar scheduling and has grown to multiple thousands MRR since he launched it earlier in 2020. Derrick also co-founded Drip with Rob Walling in 2012, which was acquired by Leadpages in 2016. You might have heard Derrick on the Art of Product podcast with Tuple co-founder Ben Orenstein where they document their journey building their products.

Get ad-free and extended conversations of the podcast with Indie Feast membership, for just £4 a month.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is SavvyCal?
  • What problem is it trying to solve?
  • Why go into such a crowded market?
  • A nice market or crowded one?
  • The advantage of being a solo founder or small team vs larger competition
  • How long did Derrick build before launching the MVP?
  • How much growth has come from pre-existing audience?
  • What goes into a good Product Hunt launch?
  • When should Indie Hackers bring marketing support on?
  • What marketing tactics can you employ?
  • How does TinySeed funding work?
  • Should other founders look for this type of funding?
  • Art of Product podcast

Recommendations

Follow Derrick

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.

They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.


]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2021 21:02:08 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 951 Derrick Reimer is the founder of SavvyCal, and co-host on the Art of Product podcast. We talk about what it takes to build a product in one of the most competitive markets there is, calendar scheduling, how Derrick has grown the business over the past few months and how his TinySeed funding has helped him scale. Derrick Reimer is the founder of SavvyCal, and co-host on the Art of Product podcast. We talk about what it takes to build a product in one of the most competitive markets there is, calendar scheduling, how Derrick has grown the business over the past few indie hackers, bootstrapping No How to build a business you actually enjoy - Natalie Nagele, Wildbit 22 22 How to build a business you actually enjoy - Natalie Nagele, Wildbit full 6d461fdd-d10e-4bd0-b15a-9ebd84c1092d https://indiebites.com/22 Natalie Nagele is the co-founder of Wildbit, the company behind Postmark, Beanstalk, People-First Jobs and more. Wildbit has just turned 20 years old, so Natalie knows exactly what it takes to grow and scale successful bootstrapped businesses. What makes Natalie so interesting to me is that she’s in the group of seriously successful indie hackers (over 100k customers, around for 20 years, pretty large team etc.) and they’re still indie very much living by their own rules.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What would you tell yourself 20 years ago before starting Wildbit?
  • How do you find work that you enjoy and fulfils you?
  • How much time should you spend on hobbies vs your business?
  • At what point is a hobby a business and vice versa?
  • How to get into deep work
  • How many hours you can actually work in a day
  • How much should you work on your business?
  • Why you need to take time to step back and think
  • How much is Natalie working now?
  • How do you fit work in with the stuff you enjoy?
  • Work life balance

Recommendations

Follow Natalie

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.


They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

]]> Natalie Nagele is the co-founder of Wildbit, the company behind Postmark, Beanstalk, People-First Jobs and more. Wildbit has just turned 20 years old, so Natalie knows exactly what it takes to grow and scale successful bootstrapped businesses. What makes Natalie so interesting to me is that she’s in the group of seriously successful indie hackers (over 100k customers, around for 20 years, pretty large team etc.) and they’re still indie very much living by their own rules.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What would you tell yourself 20 years ago before starting Wildbit?
  • How do you find work that you enjoy and fulfils you?
  • How much time should you spend on hobbies vs your business?
  • At what point is a hobby a business and vice versa?
  • How to get into deep work
  • How many hours you can actually work in a day
  • How much should you work on your business?
  • Why you need to take time to step back and think
  • How much is Natalie working now?
  • How do you fit work in with the stuff you enjoy?
  • Work life balance

Recommendations

Follow Natalie

Follow Me


Thanks to this episode's sponsor, Churnkey

It can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.


They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.


Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. 


See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

]]> Sat, 20 Mar 2021 09:08:48 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 937 Natalie Nagele is the co-founder of Wildbit, the company behind Postmark, Beanstalk, People-First Jobs and more. Wildbit has just turned 20 years old, so Natalie knows exactly what it takes to grow and scale successful bootstrapped businesses. In this episode we talk about how to build a business you don't hate, how to find work that fulfils you, and what you can do to find deep work. Natalie Nagele is the co-founder of Wildbit, the company behind Postmark, Beanstalk, People-First Jobs and more. Wildbit has just turned 20 years old, so Natalie knows exactly what it takes to grow and scale successful bootstrapped businesses. In this epi indie hackers, bootstrapping No $600 MRR and 150 new users per day with SEO and marketing - Elston Baretto, Tiiny Host 21 21 $600 MRR and 150 new users per day with SEO and marketing - Elston Baretto, Tiiny Host full cf91fde2-b5a3-4a71-ba55-febb6ddb5a59 https://indiebites.com/21 Elston Baretto is the founder of Tiiny.host and is in a similar position to most indie hackers - working on his side-project alongside a full time job, but has had a career packed with learnings that we're going to talk through in this episode. Elston started out his career at JP Morgan, having reluctantly accepted a graduate job he planned to stay at for 6 months. 4 years later, he was still at the conglomerate bank, but he wasn't satisfied staying there for the rest of his career.

While at JP Morgan, Elston launched a few side-projects, some of which still make revenue today, but decided to leave to chase the startup dream. Fast forward a year and the startup dream was over, a company with 14 employees but little traction - sound familiar?

Elston went back to work full-time while he figured things out. In January 2020, he launched Tiiny.host, a super simple way to host your projects. After launching, he made $1,000 in just 3 days using lifetime deals and is now chugging away nicely as a side project.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is Tiiny Host and why did Elston start it
  • How he made lifetime deals work for his launch
  • Why Elston has put marketing first for Tiiny Host
  • Setting goals for your indie hacker business
  • How Tiiny Host got 150 sites a day being created from free SEO pages
  • How has he made marketing fun
  • Doing side-project marketing
  • Elston's plans to go full-time

Recommendations

Follow Elston

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Elston Baretto is the founder of Tiiny.host and is in a similar position to most indie hackers - working on his side-project alongside a full time job, but has had a career packed with learnings that we're going to talk through in this episode. Elston started out his career at JP Morgan, having reluctantly accepted a graduate job he planned to stay at for 6 months. 4 years later, he was still at the conglomerate bank, but he wasn't satisfied staying there for the rest of his career.

While at JP Morgan, Elston launched a few side-projects, some of which still make revenue today, but decided to leave to chase the startup dream. Fast forward a year and the startup dream was over, a company with 14 employees but little traction - sound familiar?

Elston went back to work full-time while he figured things out. In January 2020, he launched Tiiny.host, a super simple way to host your projects. After launching, he made $1,000 in just 3 days using lifetime deals and is now chugging away nicely as a side project.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is Tiiny Host and why did Elston start it
  • How he made lifetime deals work for his launch
  • Why Elston has put marketing first for Tiiny Host
  • Setting goals for your indie hacker business
  • How Tiiny Host got 150 sites a day being created from free SEO pages
  • How has he made marketing fun
  • Doing side-project marketing
  • Elston's plans to go full-time

Recommendations

Follow Elston

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:02:44 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 934 In this episode we have Elston Baretto, who is the founder of Tiiny Host and is probabably in a similar position to most indie hackers - working on his side-project that earns a few hundred dollars MRR, alongside a full time job. We talk about how Elston made $1,000 in a couple of days using lifetime deals, how his SEO strategy has led to over 150 sites a day being created using his product and the tactics used for that. In this episode we have Elston Baretto, who is the founder of Tiiny Host and is probabably in a similar position to most indie hackers - working on his side-project that earns a few hundred dollars MRR, alongside a full time job. We talk about how Elston indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building a mid 6-figure Notion course in under a year, solo - Marie Poulin, Notion Mastery 20 20 Building a mid 6-figure Notion course in under a year, solo - Marie Poulin, Notion Mastery full a369b36f-b868-4176-8ac4-39da935d1efd https://indiebites.com/20 Marie Poulin is the host of Notion Office Hours, creator of Notion Mastery, Run Your Learning Launch, Digital Strategy School, Think Like a Digital Strategist, and co-founded Oki Doki with her husband, where they help folks create, launch, and market online courses and training programs.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is Notion Mastery and why did Marie start it?
  • The impact YouTube had on growth
  • How the course earned $10k in the first week
  • Why Marie doubled down on the course as her main project
  • Why it's important not to be a perfectionist
  • Why niching is important
  • How 80% of Marie's course revenue came from YouTube
  • How to make the most out of Notion
  • How to enjoy the work you do
  • Making $10k extra a month with Gumroad templates

Recommendations

Follow Marie

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Thank you to this episode's sponsor, ilo.so!

You probably know that Twitter is an incredibly useful tool for us as indie hackers, but sometimes Twitter's in-built analytics tool doesn't quite give you the metrics that really matter. Dan Rowden, from Indie Bites episode 17, has created the most useful analytics tool for Twitter, giving you the metrics that actually help you understand your tweet performance and grow your audience.

With one glance, ilo helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience.

Head to ilo.so and use the code INDIEBITES20 to get 25% off your ilo subscription for life. There are only 10 codes available so check it out before they all go!

]]> Marie Poulin is the host of Notion Office Hours, creator of Notion Mastery, Run Your Learning Launch, Digital Strategy School, Think Like a Digital Strategist, and co-founded Oki Doki with her husband, where they help folks create, launch, and market online courses and training programs.

What we covered in this episode:

  • What is Notion Mastery and why did Marie start it?
  • The impact YouTube had on growth
  • How the course earned $10k in the first week
  • Why Marie doubled down on the course as her main project
  • Why it's important not to be a perfectionist
  • Why niching is important
  • How 80% of Marie's course revenue came from YouTube
  • How to make the most out of Notion
  • How to enjoy the work you do
  • Making $10k extra a month with Gumroad templates

Recommendations

Follow Marie

Follow Me

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, ilo.so!

You probably know that Twitter is an incredibly useful tool for us as indie hackers, but sometimes Twitter's in-built analytics tool doesn't quite give you the metrics that really matter. Dan Rowden, from Indie Bites episode 17, has created the most useful analytics tool for Twitter, giving you the metrics that actually help you understand your tweet performance and grow your audience.

With one glance, ilo helps you easily see which kind of tweets get more impressions, likes, profile clicks and more so you can get grow your Twitter audience.

Head to ilo.so and use the code INDIEBITES20 to get 25% off your ilo subscription for life. There are only 10 codes available so check it out before they all go!

]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2021 23:32:43 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 928 Marie started the Notion Mastery course back in Nov 2019, growing that to a mid 6-figure business in under a year. Her whole business has been built on taking a leap of faith an niching down and putting her sole focus on this notion course. In this episode we talk about her compounding efforts over the years that have led her to such an impressive year, and how her YouTube channel has contributed to almost 80% of course traffic. Marie started the Notion Mastery course back in Nov 2019, growing that to a mid 6-figure business in under a year. Her whole business has been built on taking a leap of faith an niching down and putting her sole focus on this notion course. In this episod indie hackers, bootstrapping No Lessons learned bootstrapping and selling a $55k p/m SaaS - Arvid Kahl, TheBootstrappedFounder 19 19 Lessons learned bootstrapping and selling a $55k p/m SaaS - Arvid Kahl, TheBootstrappedFounder full 970f7f09-1a09-41a1-aec9-416ab02660cc https://indiebites.com/19 Arvid Kahl is a software engineer turned entrepreneur. He co-founded and FeedbackPanda, an online teacher productivity SaaS company, with his partner Danielle Simpson. They sold the business for a life-changing amount of money in 2019, two years after founding the business. Arvid writes on TheBootstrappedFounder.com because bootstrapping is a desirable, value- and wealth-generating way of running a company. In over a decade of working in startup businesses of all sizes, Arvid has learned a thing or two about what works, what doesn't, and how to increase the chances of building a successful business.

Get the full, 60 minute conversation with Arvid here with the Indie Feast membership.

What we covered in this episode:

  • The Feedback Panda story
  • Was the ambition to sell the company from the start?
  • What Indie Hackers can learn from Zero to Sold
  • What happens once you sell a business?
  • Why settle on the format of a book?
  • Why didn't Arvid make his book free?
  • How to find a critical problem in a market that's willing to pay
  • Tips for going into a crowded market
  • How to to find your audience

Recommendations

Follow Arvid

Follow Me


Today we have Embarque.io supporting the show! Embarque is run by a fellow indie hacker and has just crossed 6 figures in revenue. Embarque is an agency that offers productised SEO content that converts.

It blew my mind when Julian told me about the growth their client MentorCruise had from the SEO content, resulting in 107% increase in MRR, 100% increase in monthly trials and a 114% increase SEO traffic. My word, wouldn't you want those kind of results for your indie business.

Go and check out what Embarque are offering at Embarque.io and get $100 off your first package with the code 'INDIEBITES'.

]]> Arvid Kahl is a software engineer turned entrepreneur. He co-founded and FeedbackPanda, an online teacher productivity SaaS company, with his partner Danielle Simpson. They sold the business for a life-changing amount of money in 2019, two years after founding the business. Arvid writes on TheBootstrappedFounder.com because bootstrapping is a desirable, value- and wealth-generating way of running a company. In over a decade of working in startup businesses of all sizes, Arvid has learned a thing or two about what works, what doesn't, and how to increase the chances of building a successful business.

Get the full, 60 minute conversation with Arvid here with the Indie Feast membership.

What we covered in this episode:

  • The Feedback Panda story
  • Was the ambition to sell the company from the start?
  • What Indie Hackers can learn from Zero to Sold
  • What happens once you sell a business?
  • Why settle on the format of a book?
  • Why didn't Arvid make his book free?
  • How to find a critical problem in a market that's willing to pay
  • Tips for going into a crowded market
  • How to to find your audience

Recommendations

Follow Arvid

Follow Me


Today we have Embarque.io supporting the show! Embarque is run by a fellow indie hacker and has just crossed 6 figures in revenue. Embarque is an agency that offers productised SEO content that converts.

It blew my mind when Julian told me about the growth their client MentorCruise had from the SEO content, resulting in 107% increase in MRR, 100% increase in monthly trials and a 114% increase SEO traffic. My word, wouldn't you want those kind of results for your indie business.

Go and check out what Embarque are offering at Embarque.io and get $100 off your first package with the code 'INDIEBITES'.

]]> Tue, 23 Feb 2021 23:32:23 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 945 In this episode I speak with Arvid Kahl, who sold his SaaS, FeedbackPanda, for a life-changing amount of money in 2019, two years after founding the business and growing it to $55k a month. Arvid writes on TheBootstrappedFounder.com because bootstrapping is a desirable, value- and wealth-generating way of running a company. He's written the book Zero to Sold and more recently, The Embedded Entrepreneur which at the time of recording was called Audience First, which you'll hear us reference in the episode. In this episode I speak with Arvid Kahl, who sold his SaaS, FeedbackPanda, for a life-changing amount of money in 2019, two years after founding the business and growing it to $55k a month. Arvid writes on TheBootstrappedFounder.com because bootstrapping indie hackers, bootstrapping No Arvid Kahl Making $15k in 24 hours selling a book on Gumroad - Philip Kiely, Gumroad 18 18 Making $15k in 24 hours selling a book on Gumroad - Philip Kiely, Gumroad full 6fb405d5-ed5f-4392-9783-147de95fb064 https://indiebites.com/18 Today we're joined by Philip Kiely, who is currently Head of Marketing at Gumroad. Philip also launched "Writing for Software Developers" last May, making $20,000 in sales in its first week without any pre-existing audience. Since then, Philip has been on a mission to help as many software developers as possible realize that they possess the skills they need to become great writers.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Philip wrote 'Writing for Software Developers'
  • How Philip made $20k in 24 hours with no pre-existing audience
  • Should you do pre-sales if you're selling an info product?
  • How Philip got his job at Gumroad
  • Why there has been a boom in the creator economy
  • Why choose Gumroad as your selling platform
  • Where a new creator should start when selling a product
  • Who made the most money on Gumroad in 2020
  • Gumroad Stats 2020

Follow Philip

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites, which is launching in the US this week!

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Interested in ad-free episodes an exclusive content? Sign up to the Indie Feast membership.

]]> Today we're joined by Philip Kiely, who is currently Head of Marketing at Gumroad. Philip also launched "Writing for Software Developers" last May, making $20,000 in sales in its first week without any pre-existing audience. Since then, Philip has been on a mission to help as many software developers as possible realize that they possess the skills they need to become great writers.

What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Philip wrote 'Writing for Software Developers'
  • How Philip made $20k in 24 hours with no pre-existing audience
  • Should you do pre-sales if you're selling an info product?
  • How Philip got his job at Gumroad
  • Why there has been a boom in the creator economy
  • Why choose Gumroad as your selling platform
  • Where a new creator should start when selling a product
  • Who made the most money on Gumroad in 2020
  • Gumroad Stats 2020

Follow Philip

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites, which is launching in the US this week!

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Interested in ad-free episodes an exclusive content? Sign up to the Indie Feast membership.

]]> Sat, 23 Jan 2021 01:06:14 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 930 In this episode I talk to Philip Kiely, Head of Marketing at Gumroad, about how he made 20k in his first week selling an info product, why the creator economy is booming, and how you can launch your own product. In this episode I talk to Philip Kiely, Head of Marketing at Gumroad, about how he made 20k in his first week selling an info product, why the creator economy is booming, and how you can launch your own product. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Making over $5k/month from a portfolio of side projects - Dan Rowden, ilo 17 17 Making over $5k/month from a portfolio of side projects - Dan Rowden, ilo full 2aa55401-29f3-442f-ad8c-4e865cfd6d47 https://indiebites.com/17 Dan, like many other indie hackers, runs a bunch of projects alongside a full-time job which all compound to him making over $5k a month. In 2012 he started Magpile, a free online resource about magazines, which was followed by Subsail, a platform to help indie publishers sell magazine subscriptions.

Earlier this year Dan started using the publishing platform Ghost, which he then started to build a suite of products around, now including:

  • Gloat; a productised service for hosting and self hosting
  • Cove; a commenting tool for Ghost blogs
  • Substation; a theme for Ghost

Dan also launched ilo, a better analytics platform for Twitter a few months ago, which has earned over $6k in revenue since launch.


What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Dan lives in Mauritius
  • Why choose multiple projects over doing just one?
  • How do you manage your time with 3 kids, a wife and a full-time job?
  • Why Dan isn't too worried about 'growing' his side projects
  • The pros and cons of working on your side project with a full-time job
  • Not worrying about the money your side project earns - does it take the fun out of it?
  • Why is Dan so bullish on Ghost?
  • Why having a 'suite' of products is complimentary to each other
  • Getting a 75k acquisition offer
  • Being prepared to sell your projects
  • Building an alternative to Twitter analytics

Recommendations

Follow Dan

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites, which is launching in the US this week!

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Interested in ad-free episodes an exclusive content? Sign up to the Indie Feast membership.

]]> Dan, like many other indie hackers, runs a bunch of projects alongside a full-time job which all compound to him making over $5k a month. In 2012 he started Magpile, a free online resource about magazines, which was followed by Subsail, a platform to help indie publishers sell magazine subscriptions.

Earlier this year Dan started using the publishing platform Ghost, which he then started to build a suite of products around, now including:

  • Gloat; a productised service for hosting and self hosting
  • Cove; a commenting tool for Ghost blogs
  • Substation; a theme for Ghost

Dan also launched ilo, a better analytics platform for Twitter a few months ago, which has earned over $6k in revenue since launch.


What we covered in this episode:

  • Why Dan lives in Mauritius
  • Why choose multiple projects over doing just one?
  • How do you manage your time with 3 kids, a wife and a full-time job?
  • Why Dan isn't too worried about 'growing' his side projects
  • The pros and cons of working on your side project with a full-time job
  • Not worrying about the money your side project earns - does it take the fun out of it?
  • Why is Dan so bullish on Ghost?
  • Why having a 'suite' of products is complimentary to each other
  • Getting a 75k acquisition offer
  • Being prepared to sell your projects
  • Building an alternative to Twitter analytics

Recommendations

Follow Dan

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites, which is launching in the US this week!

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Interested in ad-free episodes an exclusive content? Sign up to the Indie Feast membership.

]]> Fri, 15 Jan 2021 16:23:42 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 936 Today we're joined by Dan Rowden, who is an entrepreneur and product builder currently based in Mauritius. Dan, like many other indie hackers runs a bunch of projects alongside a full-time job, which all compound to him making over $5k a month with these projects. In this episode we talk about how Dan manages his time throughout his projects, why he hasn't gone full time yet and what he did when a $75k acquisition offer came along. Today we're joined by Dan Rowden, who is an entrepreneur and product builder currently based in Mauritius. Dan, like many other indie hackers runs a bunch of projects alongside a full-time job, which all compound to him making over $5k a month with these indie hackers, bootstrapping No Turning $100 into $52,000 selling handmade candles DTC - Dianna Allen, TERRA 16 16 Turning $100 into $52,000 selling handmade candles DTC - Dianna Allen, TERRA full 8109a3a7-f7ca-4070-8d99-6609b0e1df15 https://indiebites.com/16 Dianna Allen is the founder of TERRA, a DTC candle brand, where she designs and hand pours a variety of candles. In October 2020, Dianna left her life as a freelancer behind to put her efforts into TERRA full-time, which as we all know, is a huge leap to make.

What we covered:

  • Should more indie hackers work on physical products?
  • What happened with Budget Meal Planner?
  • Should more indie hackers kill projects more often?
  • Does turning a passion into a business take the enjoyment away?
  • What was the breakthrough moment with Terra
  • Making the leap going full-time with your business
  • Why Dianna went straight into
  • How do the economics of a physical product business work?
  • How Terra was started with just $100
  • Using Instagram for 99% of growth
  • The hardest part of running a physical product business
  • How to balance one-term purchases vs MRR
  • Why we should support more small businesses?

Links

Recommendations

Follow Dianna

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites, which is launching in the US this week!

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Dianna Allen is the founder of TERRA, a DTC candle brand, where she designs and hand pours a variety of candles. In October 2020, Dianna left her life as a freelancer behind to put her efforts into TERRA full-time, which as we all know, is a huge leap to make.

What we covered:

  • Should more indie hackers work on physical products?
  • What happened with Budget Meal Planner?
  • Should more indie hackers kill projects more often?
  • Does turning a passion into a business take the enjoyment away?
  • What was the breakthrough moment with Terra
  • Making the leap going full-time with your business
  • Why Dianna went straight into
  • How do the economics of a physical product business work?
  • How Terra was started with just $100
  • Using Instagram for 99% of growth
  • The hardest part of running a physical product business
  • How to balance one-term purchases vs MRR
  • Why we should support more small businesses?

Links

Recommendations

Follow Dianna

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites, which is launching in the US this week!

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Mon, 11 Jan 2021 18:02:52 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 925 How do you turn $100 into $52,000 in revenue selling candles? Well, Dianna Allen, previously of Budget Meal Planner fame, did exactly this. She's been so successful selling these candles that in October 2020, she went full time on her DTC brand, TERRA. In this episode, we talk about the steps she took to get here. How do you turn $100 into $52,000 in revenue selling candles? Well, Dianna Allen, previously of Budget Meal Planner fame, did exactly this. She's been so successful selling these candles that in October 2020, she went full time on her DTC brand, TERRA. In indie hackers, bootstrapping No Dianna Allen-Blalock How Pat Walls made $20k in 2 weeks from his SEO course - Pat Walls, Starter Story 15 15 How Pat Walls made $20k in 2 weeks from his SEO course - Pat Walls, Starter Story full b9031e67-c958-4089-a663-f7bc5c12a6fb https://indiebites.com/15 Pat Walls is the founder of Starter Story, a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. They interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started their business and how they grew it, including revenue figures for every business they interview.

But in this episode, we’re going to be discussing the new SEO course that Pat launched this week, making over $20k in pre-sales.

What we covered

  • 20k in 2 weeks, how did you do it?
  • How and why Pat started Starter Story?
  • How he grew it to 500,000 monthly visitors
  • Why Reddit can be a goldmine, but why Pat stopped using it
  • How Starter Story allowed Pat to go full-time
  • The most insane story out of 2,000 posts
  • Using Twitter to validate an idea
  • Executing on that idea
  • How to price a course
  • The benefit of building in public
  • How to execute so quickly
  • How to build an audience

Recommendations

Follow Pat

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Pat Walls is the founder of Starter Story, a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. They interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started their business and how they grew it, including revenue figures for every business they interview.

But in this episode, we’re going to be discussing the new SEO course that Pat launched this week, making over $20k in pre-sales.

What we covered

  • 20k in 2 weeks, how did you do it?
  • How and why Pat started Starter Story?
  • How he grew it to 500,000 monthly visitors
  • Why Reddit can be a goldmine, but why Pat stopped using it
  • How Starter Story allowed Pat to go full-time
  • The most insane story out of 2,000 posts
  • Using Twitter to validate an idea
  • Executing on that idea
  • How to price a course
  • The benefit of building in public
  • How to execute so quickly
  • How to build an audience

Recommendations

Follow Pat

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Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Wed, 16 Dec 2020 19:17:24 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 932 In this episode, Pat Walls, founder of Starter Story is sharing how he made 20k in pre-sales on his new SEO course in just 2 weeks. In this episode, Pat Walls, founder of Starter Story is sharing how he made 20k in pre-sales on his new SEO course in just 2 weeks. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Choosing freedom over money - Rob Hope, One Page Love + Yo! 14 14 Choosing freedom over money - Rob Hope, One Page Love + Yo! full d353007f-954e-41e3-a5ca-c9c4b2cd2bd9 https://indiebites.com/14 Today I’m joined by Rob Hope, who is a South African designer, developer and the host of one of my favorite podcasts out there for entrepreneurs Yo!. He's also the founder of One Page Love, Email Love, and has recently released an ebook with a hundred landing page tips. It's safe to say Rob knows his stuff. When it comes to building landing pages, having started One Page Love back in 2008.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Have we lost the joy of simplicity?
  • How to cut through the noise
  • What makes a good landing page
  • Rob's mammoth landing page Twitter thread
  • How to write a good Twitter thread
  • Have lots of projects at the same time
  • Do you have to make money off a side project
  • How do you achieve freedom

Recommendations

Follow Rob

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Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Today I’m joined by Rob Hope, who is a South African designer, developer and the host of one of my favorite podcasts out there for entrepreneurs Yo!. He's also the founder of One Page Love, Email Love, and has recently released an ebook with a hundred landing page tips. It's safe to say Rob knows his stuff. When it comes to building landing pages, having started One Page Love back in 2008.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Have we lost the joy of simplicity?
  • How to cut through the noise
  • What makes a good landing page
  • Rob's mammoth landing page Twitter thread
  • How to write a good Twitter thread
  • Have lots of projects at the same time
  • Do you have to make money off a side project
  • How do you achieve freedom

Recommendations

Follow Rob

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:55:26 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 939 Rob Hope is a South African designer, developer and founder of One Page Love; which you might have seen. Rob is an expert on Landing Pages so we talk a little about what makes one that stands out, but then we also talk about Rob's multiple products and how they all come together to sustain him, despite not chasing money. Rob Hope is a South African designer, developer and founder of One Page Love; which you might have seen. Rob is an expert on Landing Pages so we talk a little about what makes one that stands out, but then we also talk about Rob's multiple products and h indie hackers, bootstrapping No Rob Hope Why indie hackers should be podcasting - Mark Asquith, Rebel Base Media 13 13 Why indie hackers should be podcasting - Mark Asquith, Rebel Base Media full ab695456-ec3c-4cf1-a6f9-f7a30a7ac58e https://indiebites.com/13 Mark Asquith (aka That British Podcast Guy) is the CEO of Rebel Base Media, the U.K. podcast tech company that makes Captivate.fm and so much more.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • What makes podcasting such a good medium
  • Is the amount of investment in podcasting (from the likes of Spotify) a good thing?
  • Is podcasting oversaturated?
  • What does it take to grow a podcast?
  • How to stay consistent with producing your show
  • How Mark started out with his businesses
  • Bootstrapping the next venture

Recommendations

Follow Mark

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Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for a 30 day free trial.

]]> Mark Asquith (aka That British Podcast Guy) is the CEO of Rebel Base Media, the U.K. podcast tech company that makes Captivate.fm and so much more.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • What makes podcasting such a good medium
  • Is the amount of investment in podcasting (from the likes of Spotify) a good thing?
  • Is podcasting oversaturated?
  • What does it take to grow a podcast?
  • How to stay consistent with producing your show
  • How Mark started out with his businesses
  • Bootstrapping the next venture

Recommendations

Follow Mark

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for a 30 day free trial.

]]> Tue, 01 Dec 2020 09:45:31 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 928 I’ve got a slightly different format today as I’m speaking with podcast expert, Mark Asquith, about the benefits of podcasting for Indie Hackers. Mark is no stranger to building businesses, running a portfolio of podcast-focused businesses here in the UK. He’s bootstrapped most of them, but has also raised funding for others, so he’s got experiences on both sides. I’ve got a slightly different format today as I’m speaking with podcast expert, Mark Asquith, about the benefits of podcasting for Indie Hackers. Mark is no stranger to building businesses, running a portfolio of podcast-focused businesses here in the UK. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Making a full-time income working just one day per week - Ramy Khuffash, Page Flows 12 12 Making a full-time income working just one day per week - Ramy Khuffash, Page Flows full 15d36d56-aa46-4952-a95d-b753389c3efa https://indiebites.com/12 Ramy Khuffash is the founder of Page Flows, a library of inspiration videos for product designers. Ramy started Page Flows after building a UI newsletter to thousands of subscribers, trying to improve his own skills as a developer who cares about design. Ramy is now a full-time indie hacker, with Page Flows making enough revenue to sustain him, alongside a few other side projects.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Is the full-time indie hacker dream all it's made out to be
  • Why Ramy tried six startups in six months, was it a success?
  • Do founders work on things for too long?
  • Ramy's journey working for a VC backed startup
  • How it compares to bootstrapping
  • What is Page Flows?
  • How does it earn money?
  • The trend of content / directory businesses
  • Has he wasted his spare time?
  • Why Ramy stopped sharing revenue numbers

Recommendations

Follow Ramy

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Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Ramy Khuffash is the founder of Page Flows, a library of inspiration videos for product designers. Ramy started Page Flows after building a UI newsletter to thousands of subscribers, trying to improve his own skills as a developer who cares about design. Ramy is now a full-time indie hacker, with Page Flows making enough revenue to sustain him, alongside a few other side projects.

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Is the full-time indie hacker dream all it's made out to be
  • Why Ramy tried six startups in six months, was it a success?
  • Do founders work on things for too long?
  • Ramy's journey working for a VC backed startup
  • How it compares to bootstrapping
  • What is Page Flows?
  • How does it earn money?
  • The trend of content / directory businesses
  • Has he wasted his spare time?
  • Why Ramy stopped sharing revenue numbers

Recommendations

Follow Ramy

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2020 09:48:13 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 923 What's it like making a full-time income in just a day, meaning you have the remaining four days to do whatever you want with? Well, that's exactly the situation Ramy Khuffash is in. It certainly has it's benefits, but there are some challenges you might not necessarily think about. What's it like making a full-time income in just a day, meaning you have the remaining four days to do whatever you want with? Well, that's exactly the situation Ramy Khuffash is in. It certainly has it's benefits, but there are some challenges you might indie hackers, bootstrapping No Paying off $250k in debt by starting a company making $1.5m ARR - Nick Fogle, Wavve 11 11 Paying off $250k in debt by starting a company making $1.5m ARR - Nick Fogle, Wavve full 57ed3486-8668-4613-8fab-69d32aa71f74 https://indiebites.com/11 Nick Fogle is the co-founder of Wavve and ChurnKey, but there is a lot more to Nick than just that. Wavve is an audio to video platform which has now hit $1.5m in ARR, but Nick has only left his full time job 3 years after starting the company and 9 months after it had eclipsed his salary. Why? Well, Nick had $250,000 student loans to pay off.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Nick got into $250,000 of debt
  • How he felt in Christmas 2016 when he was looking at the massive number
  • What steps he took to get out of debt (he wrote a book about this)
  • What advice he'd give to others in the same position
  • Why he started Wavve, a video to audio platform
  • How the business grew to $1.5m ARR
  • What it takes to work full time and run a business
  • Why staying lean is so important for him

Recommendations

]]> Nick Fogle is the co-founder of Wavve and ChurnKey, but there is a lot more to Nick than just that. Wavve is an audio to video platform which has now hit $1.5m in ARR, but Nick has only left his full time job 3 years after starting the company and 9 months after it had eclipsed his salary. Why? Well, Nick had $250,000 student loans to pay off.

What we covered in this episode:

  • How Nick got into $250,000 of debt
  • How he felt in Christmas 2016 when he was looking at the massive number
  • What steps he took to get out of debt (he wrote a book about this)
  • What advice he'd give to others in the same position
  • Why he started Wavve, a video to audio platform
  • How the business grew to $1.5m ARR
  • What it takes to work full time and run a business
  • Why staying lean is so important for him

Recommendations

]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2020 17:27:18 +0000 James McKinven James McKinven 946 Paying down any amount of debt is difficult, let alone $250,000 of it. That's exactly what Nick Fogle did as he faced that number on Christmas day in 2016. Nick made it his sole focus to pay down his debt, while working full time and co-running Wavve, an audio to video platform which is now at around $1.5m ARR. I talk to Nick about how he paid down the debt and kept himself sane running a company at the same time. Paying down any amount of debt is difficult, let alone $250,000 of it. That's exactly what Nick Fogle did as he faced that number on Christmas day in 2016. Nick made it his sole focus to pay down his debt, while working full time and co-running Wavve, an indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building the one of the most popular Slack apps of all time - Wilhelm Klopp, Simple Poll 10 10 Building the one of the most popular Slack apps of all time - Wilhelm Klopp, Simple Poll full e8489bcc-df22-489d-8945-1765771fdfb3 https://indiebites.com/10 Wilhelm Klopp is the founder of Simple Poll, a super simple (but powerful) poll Slack app that has over 600k active users. Wil now works on Simple Poll full time having left his job at GitHub in September 2019 (1 year ago 🎉).

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Hows the year been after leaving GitHub
  • What is Simple Poll
  • How Wil came up with the idea
  • How he grew the app to 600k users
  • What he did to start charging for a free app
  • The danger of building for another platform (Slack)
  • How he transitioned to work full-time on Simple Poll
  • What it's like being a full-time indie hacker
  • Why it's quite good having a job while working on side projects

Quick fire answers

Follow Wil

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Thanks to Mugshot Bot for sponsoring Indie Bites.


Mugshot Bot automatically generates unique, beautifully designed images for every page on your website or blog so you don’t have to worry about them. This means you can focus on what matters: building your product and creating great content.

Mugshot Bot is a tool that I use personally and made by another indie hacker, Joe Masilotti.

To level up your link previews, go to mugshotbot.com/indiebites, link in the show notes, to create an image for your site, completely free.

]]> Wilhelm Klopp is the founder of Simple Poll, a super simple (but powerful) poll Slack app that has over 600k active users. Wil now works on Simple Poll full time having left his job at GitHub in September 2019 (1 year ago 🎉).

What we discussed in this episode:

  • Hows the year been after leaving GitHub
  • What is Simple Poll
  • How Wil came up with the idea
  • How he grew the app to 600k users
  • What he did to start charging for a free app
  • The danger of building for another platform (Slack)
  • How he transitioned to work full-time on Simple Poll
  • What it's like being a full-time indie hacker
  • Why it's quite good having a job while working on side projects

Quick fire answers

Follow Wil

Follow Me

Thanks to Mugshot Bot for sponsoring Indie Bites.


Mugshot Bot automatically generates unique, beautifully designed images for every page on your website or blog so you don’t have to worry about them. This means you can focus on what matters: building your product and creating great content.

Mugshot Bot is a tool that I use personally and made by another indie hacker, Joe Masilotti.

To level up your link previews, go to mugshotbot.com/indiebites, link in the show notes, to create an image for your site, completely free.

]]> Sat, 24 Oct 2020 23:40:36 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 929 Wilhelm Klopp has had an interesting journey as an indie hacker, leaving his comfortable job as a software engineer at GitHub, to creating one of the most popular Slack apps of all time, Simple Poll. The app has been installed on over 600,000 workspaces and is supporting a full-time income for Wil and his small team. I discuss the story of how he built and grew Simple Poll and what it's like living the dream as a full-time indie hacker. Wilhelm Klopp has had an interesting journey as an indie hacker, leaving his comfortable job as a software engineer at GitHub, to creating one of the most popular Slack apps of all time, Simple Poll. The app has been installed on over 600,000 workspaces a indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building a SaaS with just one hour every day - Mubashar Iqbal (Mubs) 9 9 Building a SaaS with just one hour every day - Mubashar Iqbal (Mubs) full c346f609-796d-4c5c-8c05-106560c21162 https://indiebites.com/9 Mubashar 'Mubs' Iqbal is a prolific maker who has started over 90 projects. Currently Mubs is building Founderpath with Nathan Latka, and on One Hour SaaS where he spends one hour every day working on SaaS businesses.

In this episode we talked about:

  • How Mubs got into starting side-projects
  • How he comes up with ideas and decides what to work on
  • Why some of his projects run on auto-pilot
  • How much it costs to run those that are on auto-pilot
  • How to sell side-projects
  • How to build side-projects quickly
  • What Mubs most successful project has been
  • How did Founderpath come about
  • Why Mubs started One Hour SaaS

Recommendations

Follow Mubs

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Thanks to Mugshot Bot for sponsoring Indie Bites.


Mugshot Bot automatically generates unique, beautifully designed images for every page on your website or blog so you don’t have to worry about them. This means you can focus on what matters: building your product and creating great content.

Mugshot Bot is a tool that I use personally and made by another indie hacker, Joe Masilotti.

To level up your link previews, go to mugshotbot.com/indiebites, link in the show notes, to create an image for your site, completely free.

]]> Mubashar 'Mubs' Iqbal is a prolific maker who has started over 90 projects. Currently Mubs is building Founderpath with Nathan Latka, and on One Hour SaaS where he spends one hour every day working on SaaS businesses.

In this episode we talked about:

  • How Mubs got into starting side-projects
  • How he comes up with ideas and decides what to work on
  • Why some of his projects run on auto-pilot
  • How much it costs to run those that are on auto-pilot
  • How to sell side-projects
  • How to build side-projects quickly
  • What Mubs most successful project has been
  • How did Founderpath come about
  • Why Mubs started One Hour SaaS

Recommendations

Follow Mubs

Follow Me

Thanks to Mugshot Bot for sponsoring Indie Bites.


Mugshot Bot automatically generates unique, beautifully designed images for every page on your website or blog so you don’t have to worry about them. This means you can focus on what matters: building your product and creating great content.

Mugshot Bot is a tool that I use personally and made by another indie hacker, Joe Masilotti.

To level up your link previews, go to mugshotbot.com/indiebites, link in the show notes, to create an image for your site, completely free.

]]> Mon, 19 Oct 2020 17:14:29 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 910 Mubs is a prolific maker, having made over 90 side projects throughout his career. I was interested to find out what it takes to come up with ideas, validate them and then execute so quickly. Currently, Mubs is building Founderpath with Nathan Latka, and building a SaaS project in just one hour every day with One Hour SaaS. Mubs is a prolific maker, having made over 90 side projects throughout his career. I was interested to find out what it takes to come up with ideas, validate them and then execute so quickly. Currently, Mubs is building Founderpath with Nathan Latka, and indie hackers, bootstrapping No What it takes to build a community - Rosie Sherry, Indie Hackers 8 8 What it takes to build a community - Rosie Sherry, Indie Hackers full 469cf232-d36e-418e-94cb-955555ef87ac https://indiebites.com/8 Rosie Sherry is a community builder, indie hacker and founder. She currently runs the Indie Hackers community and also a weekly newsletter where she talks about building communities. Previously, Rosie founded Ministry of Testing.

In this episode we talked about:

  • Rosie's background as an indie hacker
  • Going full time on Ministry of Testing, growing that into a £1m+ business
  • What it's like running the Indie Hackers community
  • What makes a good Indie Hackers post
  • How to make the most out of the platform
  • Why Rosie started Rosieland, her paid newsletter
  • What goes into building a community
  • How we can be a more inclusive community

Recommendations

Follow Rosie

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Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Rosie Sherry is a community builder, indie hacker and founder. She currently runs the Indie Hackers community and also a weekly newsletter where she talks about building communities. Previously, Rosie founded Ministry of Testing.

In this episode we talked about:

  • Rosie's background as an indie hacker
  • Going full time on Ministry of Testing, growing that into a £1m+ business
  • What it's like running the Indie Hackers community
  • What makes a good Indie Hackers post
  • How to make the most out of the platform
  • Why Rosie started Rosieland, her paid newsletter
  • What goes into building a community
  • How we can be a more inclusive community

Recommendations

Follow Rosie

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

]]> Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:08:12 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 922 Rosie Sherry is a community-building expert, so I wanted to find out what it takes to build one from the ground up. It's certainly not easy, but if you're prepared to put in the work, get to know your people, and keep them actively interested, you'll do well. Rosie Sherry is a community-building expert, so I wanted to find out what it takes to build one from the ground up. It's certainly not easy, but if you're prepared to put in the work, get to know your people, and keep them actively interested, you'll do w indie hackers, bootstrapping, rosie sherry, community, community building No Leaving a full-time head of growth role to be a full-time indie hacker - Corey Haines, Swipe Files and more 7 7 Leaving a full-time head of growth role to be a full-time indie hacker - Corey Haines, Swipe Files and more full dbbc2ba0-2f99-418f-ae73-08eb971891fe https://indiebites.com/7 Corey Haines is the founder of Swipe Files, he also runs refactoring growth, mental models for marketing, hey marketers and he was previously the head of growth at Baremetrics. I've been a follower of Corey for a while and impressed by the level and consistency of everything he produces.

In this episode we talked about:

  • What projects Corey is currently working on
  • Why he left Baremetrics
  • What it's like leaving a stable, full-time job to be an indie hacker
  • How he manages his time between projects
  • How much revenue he makes
  • How to build things quickly
  • Deciding on what ideas to focus on
  • Advice for indie hackers wanting to live the dream

Recommendations


Follow Corey

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Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Full Transcript

James: You've got a lot going on. Tell me a little bit more about your various side projects, where your main focus is right now.

Corey: Yeah. So I don't know, maybe I just caught the entrepreneurial bug or have an itch to create stuff. But, about two years ago I started just making stuff on the side. I started with a newsletter actually that ended up shutting down later, but it was called the TLDR on SaaS marketing. And that was like my first entry point into creating something and sharing it online and it's actually the reason why I created my Twitter account in the first place. and then, yeah, it's just been through a little bit of. serendipity and connection between projects.

um, you know,

 I was talking with a Baremetrics customer, actually. And he's like, Hey, where do I find someone like you?

 where would you post a job if you were hiring yourself? And I was like, actually, I don't know. There isn't really like a job board for marketers. So I went out and built it. Later on I was talking about different mental models and frameworks that I've found really helpful for my work at Baremetrics.

Other people were asking for the Notion doc and you know where to learn more about it. So I figured out why don't I just package this up into a course, same thing with B2B SaaS marketing, with what we've done at Baremetrics is figuring out how to create this new course too. Now Swipe Files, I would swipe something and I would write some notes, some bullet points about here's, what I think is great about it and then I noticed this is actually pretty useful because there's a few sites out there, like swipefile.com and Swipe Worthy, or I think it's swiped.co, which are fantastic sources of inspiration, but you still have to do the work to figure out what you want to glean from it.

So Swipe Files is my attempt to build a library of content where I will tell you and show you what it is you can take away from it instead of having to deduce it for yourself. And now I've got a bunch of other things I'll do in the future, but, yesterday went full time as a creator on my own stuff.

James: Yeah. Tell me a little bit more about that. So previously you head of growth at Baremetrics. How long were you there for and, what went into making decision that now is the right time to leave?

Corey: I was there for almost two years and had a fantastic time, experimented with a ton. We grew about 30% which was  great for a bootstrapped company. I really changed a lot and I was all over the place with, trying to find different channels and breakthroughs, and really what we came to was that company wasn't at the right spot to really support a growth role with the budget and the engineering time that was needed to really push the ball forward and so just decided to part ways. And I was already the place that I wanted to go full time and my own stuff anyways I think coincidentally, a little bit serendipitously was perfectly the timing for me to start working on my own stuff full time and, head on to this new chapter of my life.

James: So with your various side projects, or they're not side projects now that you're full time projects, How do they each look in terms of revenue what's making the most for you? 

Corey: Yeah  right now the breadwinner are the courses, refactoring growth and mental models for marketing and I've done about 36,000 in the last 10 months.

 I couldn't do what I'm doing today without that revenue on the side, to be able to, fund myself into going full time as a creator. The other one, now that I'm trying to build into becoming the breadwinner is Swipe Files. And to date I actually, I couldn't tell you the revenue that has done, I think it's probably done a couple thousand in revenue because it's split between monthly annual in lifetimes.

It's a little bit more difficult for me to... I didn't go through Stripe and do the math beforehand. but, um, it does about like the MRR today is about a thousand dollars.  and then, Hey Marketers, to be honest, I've started to neglected for the last year. I launched it and then I spent a good four or five months working really hard on it. And then figured I would outsource it to my nephew, who is a poor college student and, and needs some cheap, manual labor.

It still does $100 to $300 a month, maybe. And it's a pay what you want model too. So sometimes I'll get a job posting for one dollar and sometimes I'll get a job posting for a hundred bucks. But it depends. 

James: so you've got all of these projects so much going on now.  How do you squeeze it all in? And how did you manage your time before? I guess this week?

Corey: The answer is I didn't, and I'm going to figure it out now. When I was with Baremetrics full time, I was very much working in these sprints. With Hey Marketers; I created the job for within three weekends and then I would just work here and there nights and weekends, especia...

]]> Corey Haines is the founder of Swipe Files, he also runs refactoring growth, mental models for marketing, hey marketers and he was previously the head of growth at Baremetrics. I've been a follower of Corey for a while and impressed by the level and consistency of everything he produces.

In this episode we talked about:

  • What projects Corey is currently working on
  • Why he left Baremetrics
  • What it's like leaving a stable, full-time job to be an indie hacker
  • How he manages his time between projects
  • How much revenue he makes
  • How to build things quickly
  • Deciding on what ideas to focus on
  • Advice for indie hackers wanting to live the dream

Recommendations


Follow Corey

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Full Transcript

James: You've got a lot going on. Tell me a little bit more about your various side projects, where your main focus is right now.

Corey: Yeah. So I don't know, maybe I just caught the entrepreneurial bug or have an itch to create stuff. But, about two years ago I started just making stuff on the side. I started with a newsletter actually that ended up shutting down later, but it was called the TLDR on SaaS marketing. And that was like my first entry point into creating something and sharing it online and it's actually the reason why I created my Twitter account in the first place. and then, yeah, it's just been through a little bit of. serendipity and connection between projects.

um, you know,

 I was talking with a Baremetrics customer, actually. And he's like, Hey, where do I find someone like you?

 where would you post a job if you were hiring yourself? And I was like, actually, I don't know. There isn't really like a job board for marketers. So I went out and built it. Later on I was talking about different mental models and frameworks that I've found really helpful for my work at Baremetrics.

Other people were asking for the Notion doc and you know where to learn more about it. So I figured out why don't I just package this up into a course, same thing with B2B SaaS marketing, with what we've done at Baremetrics is figuring out how to create this new course too. Now Swipe Files, I would swipe something and I would write some notes, some bullet points about here's, what I think is great about it and then I noticed this is actually pretty useful because there's a few sites out there, like swipefile.com and Swipe Worthy, or I think it's swiped.co, which are fantastic sources of inspiration, but you still have to do the work to figure out what you want to glean from it.

So Swipe Files is my attempt to build a library of content where I will tell you and show you what it is you can take away from it instead of having to deduce it for yourself. And now I've got a bunch of other things I'll do in the future, but, yesterday went full time as a creator on my own stuff.

James: Yeah. Tell me a little bit more about that. So previously you head of growth at Baremetrics. How long were you there for and, what went into making decision that now is the right time to leave?

Corey: I was there for almost two years and had a fantastic time, experimented with a ton. We grew about 30% which was  great for a bootstrapped company. I really changed a lot and I was all over the place with, trying to find different channels and breakthroughs, and really what we came to was that company wasn't at the right spot to really support a growth role with the budget and the engineering time that was needed to really push the ball forward and so just decided to part ways. And I was already the place that I wanted to go full time and my own stuff anyways I think coincidentally, a little bit serendipitously was perfectly the timing for me to start working on my own stuff full time and, head on to this new chapter of my life.

James: So with your various side projects, or they're not side projects now that you're full time projects, How do they each look in terms of revenue what's making the most for you? 

Corey: Yeah  right now the breadwinner are the courses, refactoring growth and mental models for marketing and I've done about 36,000 in the last 10 months.

 I couldn't do what I'm doing today without that revenue on the side, to be able to, fund myself into going full time as a creator. The other one, now that I'm trying to build into becoming the breadwinner is Swipe Files. And to date I actually, I couldn't tell you the revenue that has done, I think it's probably done a couple thousand in revenue because it's split between monthly annual in lifetimes.

It's a little bit more difficult for me to... I didn't go through Stripe and do the math beforehand. but, um, it does about like the MRR today is about a thousand dollars.  and then, Hey Marketers, to be honest, I've started to neglected for the last year. I launched it and then I spent a good four or five months working really hard on it. And then figured I would outsource it to my nephew, who is a poor college student and, and needs some cheap, manual labor.

It still does $100 to $300 a month, maybe. And it's a pay what you want model too. So sometimes I'll get a job posting for one dollar and sometimes I'll get a job posting for a hundred bucks. But it depends. 

James: so you've got all of these projects so much going on now.  How do you squeeze it all in? And how did you manage your time before? I guess this week?

Corey: The answer is I didn't, and I'm going to figure it out now. When I was with Baremetrics full time, I was very much working in these sprints. With Hey Marketers; I created the job for within three weekends and then I would just work here and there nights and weekends, especia...

]]> Wed, 07 Oct 2020 18:09:20 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 926 As of the week we recorded this, Corey Haines became a full-time Indie Hacker, working on his profitable side projects he'd built alongside his role as Head of Growth at Baremetrics. Corey builds things quickly and makes the most of his time, with a variety of marketing and growth businesses making thousands in revenue. As of the week we recorded this, Corey Haines became a full-time Indie Hacker, working on his profitable side projects he'd built alongside his role as Head of Growth at Baremetrics. Corey builds things quickly and makes the most of his time, with a varie indie hackers, bootstrapping, Corey Haines, Baremetrics, swipe files, growth, marketing No How VEED grew to $1.7m ARR in less than 2 years - Sabba Keynejad, Veed.io 6 6 How VEED grew to $1.7m ARR in less than 2 years - Sabba Keynejad, Veed.io full a26c206c-c837-4be7-95b4-da44dac456b5 https://indiebites.com/6 Sabba Keynejad is the co-founder and CEO of VEED - an online video editing platform. VEED is a fully-fledged collaborative video editing product used by many influencers, coaches and businesses for adding subtitles, captions, text, merging videos, making meme videos, turning podcasts to videos and much more.

What we covered in this episode:

On Veed

  • What is Veed?
  • Where did you come up with the idea?
  • What is your current revenue?
  • Had you started and failed with anything before?
  • What made Veed work out?
  • Many indie hackers are solo. You have a co-founder split 50/50 on the business, do you think it's worth indie hackers going out to find a co-founder?
  • There are many online video editing tools out there. Wavve, Headliner, Kapwing. What makes Veed different and how has that fed into your growth?

On growth and marketing

  • Veed has grown super quickly, but how did you get your first 100 users?
  • Then how did you convert them to paying customers?
  • Your marketing strategy. What did you do at the start for your growth?
  • When you started generating revenue, you hired content creators. Why?
  • What are your tips for marketing without budget?
  • Biggest mistakes / advice you'd give to founders

Recommendations

Follow Sabba

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.


Full transcript coming soon.

]]> Sabba Keynejad is the co-founder and CEO of VEED - an online video editing platform. VEED is a fully-fledged collaborative video editing product used by many influencers, coaches and businesses for adding subtitles, captions, text, merging videos, making meme videos, turning podcasts to videos and much more.

What we covered in this episode:

On Veed

  • What is Veed?
  • Where did you come up with the idea?
  • What is your current revenue?
  • Had you started and failed with anything before?
  • What made Veed work out?
  • Many indie hackers are solo. You have a co-founder split 50/50 on the business, do you think it's worth indie hackers going out to find a co-founder?
  • There are many online video editing tools out there. Wavve, Headliner, Kapwing. What makes Veed different and how has that fed into your growth?

On growth and marketing

  • Veed has grown super quickly, but how did you get your first 100 users?
  • Then how did you convert them to paying customers?
  • Your marketing strategy. What did you do at the start for your growth?
  • When you started generating revenue, you hired content creators. Why?
  • What are your tips for marketing without budget?
  • Biggest mistakes / advice you'd give to founders

Recommendations

Follow Sabba

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.


Full transcript coming soon.

]]> Thu, 24 Sep 2020 22:02:46 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 900 I first met Sabba at a pub in London when Veed was just an early beta product making $0. Fast forward a few years, Veed is now making over $100,000 a month and growing rapidly. It's well-executed product in a growing market, but that hasn't stopped Sabba and the team firing on all cylinders to grow the business. I talk with Sabba for 15 minutes about how they came up with the idea, how they've managed to grow so quickly and advice for indie hackers that are looking to go full-time on their business. I first met Sabba at a pub in London when Veed was just an early beta product making $0. Fast forward a few years, Veed is now making over $100,000 a month and growing rapidly. It's well-executed product in a growing market, but that hasn't stopped Sabba indie hackers, bootstrapping No Sabba Keynejad What's important for indie hackers in 2020 - Courtland Allen, Indie Hackers 5 5 What's important for indie hackers in 2020 - Courtland Allen, Indie Hackers full d9167f13-d7a2-4970-8244-391909178f8f https://indiebites.com/5 Courtland Allen founded Indie Hackers in 2016, grew the business $8k MRR with sponsors, and then sold to Stripe 9 months later. An inspirational story that doesn't end there. Courtland has now been working from within Stripe for the past 4 years, where he continues to build on the platform and produce the excellent Indie Hackers podcast. He's a fountain of knowledge and I think you'll love this episode.

What we covered in this episode:

On Indie Hackers:

  • Why did Courtland start IH?
  • What is an 'indie hacker'?
  • What are the pros and cons of building within Stripe?
  • Does he have goals for IH set by Stripe?
  • Does he have any other side projects, aside from IH?

On indie hacking:

  • Where should new indie hackers start?
  • How do you stay motivated as a one-person team?
  • The growth of communities
  • The growth of paid newsletters
  • The current state of bootstrapping

Quick fire

Follow Courtland

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Full Transcript

James: Courtland has inspired so many of us to build our profitable internet businesses. Let's talk to him to find out what's important as an indie hacker in 2020. Courtland, welcome to the podcast. How are you?

Courtland: Excellent James. Thanks for having me.

James:  To set the scene and for those that might not know, tell me a little bit more about what Indie Hackers is and why you started the website?

Courtland: Yeah. So I moved to the Bay Area when I was like 23. I wanted to start a very stereotypical high growth tech startup. I wanted to be a unicorn company. I wanted to make billions and be world famous. After seven or so years of that struggle, I was just tired of it. I got tired of the VC funded software world.

And so I took time off work. I was doing a lot of contract development and I just started searching for other examples of people who've done the same thing. And it turns out there wasn't really a good way to learn how to do this. Everybody online was doing the same thing I was doing; just like looking for comments left by Pieter Levels or like tweets where some people would share some tidbit of their story, but like we couldn't find anything great. And so I kind of just solved my own problem and said, you know, I should build the thing that helps people do this. I was surprised it didn't exist. And here we are 4 years later, somewhat ironically, I decided that I wanted to be a bootstrapper. I decided that I wanted to get out of the high growth startup game.

And within a year, starting Indie Hackers, it was acquired by Stripe and fulfilled one of the goals of a lot of people in the high growth startup game want to. So that's how we got to where we are today.

James:  What is your definition of an indie hacker?

Courtland: I think Tyler Tringas actually put it well recently. He said that "the new American dream is to build a profitable, sustainable, remote software business that you can run from home ". You can run from wherever you want work with wherever you want, that scales nicely, and that prints money for you. And I think an indie hacker is somebody who's trying to achieve that. Someone who doesn't like the status quo, someone who doesn't want to work for the man for the rest of their life.

There's no problem with doing that. I think jobs provide a lot of stability for people, a lot of predictability, but if you're like me, you just don't want to have a boss. You don't want there to be a cap on your salary. You don't want somebody else telling you what to work on. You want to control your own life and you're an indie hacker.

James:  What are the challenges and benefits of building Indie Hackers from within Stripe?

Courtland: I don't have to get on the phone with advertisers anymore. Indie Hackers makes $0. It's a hundred percent just me focusing on making the community good and helping it grow. I think probably the one challenge is that I'm someone who puts a lot of pressure on my shoulders to, I think, perform well for others. And at Stripe, Patrick Collison is my boss. He went out on a limb and acquired Indie Hackers, and I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that any hackers, is a success.

And at Stripe, like I'm extremely autonomous.  I talk to Patrick and the team there once every three months, once every six months, sometimes,  and it's almost always just check-ins; how are you doing? Do you need anything? What can we help with et cetera? It's like the ideal working situation. I can't imagine having a job under any other kind of framework.

James: Are you tied to any goals within  Stripe? Do they set any targets for you that you have to reach, such as traffic numbers or engagement? 

Courtland: There isn't any sort of like you have to reach X number or the axe will fall. I think what's cool about the fact that I joined Stripe is that my goals are very much aligned with theirs. And I think if you ever work with any sort of partner or you acquire anyone or you get acquired, you should always try to make sure your goals are aligned because if there's even a one degree difference between where you want to go and where they go, at first that's very small, but after a number of years, that gap has widened into something that's like very hard to fix.

 And so I just want Indie Hackers to be like as big and as meaningful and useful as possible. I think about that religiously every single day. And that's what Stripe wants to ultimately they want more people starting companies...

]]> Courtland Allen founded Indie Hackers in 2016, grew the business $8k MRR with sponsors, and then sold to Stripe 9 months later. An inspirational story that doesn't end there. Courtland has now been working from within Stripe for the past 4 years, where he continues to build on the platform and produce the excellent Indie Hackers podcast. He's a fountain of knowledge and I think you'll love this episode.

What we covered in this episode:

On Indie Hackers:

  • Why did Courtland start IH?
  • What is an 'indie hacker'?
  • What are the pros and cons of building within Stripe?
  • Does he have goals for IH set by Stripe?
  • Does he have any other side projects, aside from IH?

On indie hacking:

  • Where should new indie hackers start?
  • How do you stay motivated as a one-person team?
  • The growth of communities
  • The growth of paid newsletters
  • The current state of bootstrapping

Quick fire

Follow Courtland

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Full Transcript

James: Courtland has inspired so many of us to build our profitable internet businesses. Let's talk to him to find out what's important as an indie hacker in 2020. Courtland, welcome to the podcast. How are you?

Courtland: Excellent James. Thanks for having me.

James:  To set the scene and for those that might not know, tell me a little bit more about what Indie Hackers is and why you started the website?

Courtland: Yeah. So I moved to the Bay Area when I was like 23. I wanted to start a very stereotypical high growth tech startup. I wanted to be a unicorn company. I wanted to make billions and be world famous. After seven or so years of that struggle, I was just tired of it. I got tired of the VC funded software world.

And so I took time off work. I was doing a lot of contract development and I just started searching for other examples of people who've done the same thing. And it turns out there wasn't really a good way to learn how to do this. Everybody online was doing the same thing I was doing; just like looking for comments left by Pieter Levels or like tweets where some people would share some tidbit of their story, but like we couldn't find anything great. And so I kind of just solved my own problem and said, you know, I should build the thing that helps people do this. I was surprised it didn't exist. And here we are 4 years later, somewhat ironically, I decided that I wanted to be a bootstrapper. I decided that I wanted to get out of the high growth startup game.

And within a year, starting Indie Hackers, it was acquired by Stripe and fulfilled one of the goals of a lot of people in the high growth startup game want to. So that's how we got to where we are today.

James:  What is your definition of an indie hacker?

Courtland: I think Tyler Tringas actually put it well recently. He said that "the new American dream is to build a profitable, sustainable, remote software business that you can run from home ". You can run from wherever you want work with wherever you want, that scales nicely, and that prints money for you. And I think an indie hacker is somebody who's trying to achieve that. Someone who doesn't like the status quo, someone who doesn't want to work for the man for the rest of their life.

There's no problem with doing that. I think jobs provide a lot of stability for people, a lot of predictability, but if you're like me, you just don't want to have a boss. You don't want there to be a cap on your salary. You don't want somebody else telling you what to work on. You want to control your own life and you're an indie hacker.

James:  What are the challenges and benefits of building Indie Hackers from within Stripe?

Courtland: I don't have to get on the phone with advertisers anymore. Indie Hackers makes $0. It's a hundred percent just me focusing on making the community good and helping it grow. I think probably the one challenge is that I'm someone who puts a lot of pressure on my shoulders to, I think, perform well for others. And at Stripe, Patrick Collison is my boss. He went out on a limb and acquired Indie Hackers, and I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that any hackers, is a success.

And at Stripe, like I'm extremely autonomous.  I talk to Patrick and the team there once every three months, once every six months, sometimes,  and it's almost always just check-ins; how are you doing? Do you need anything? What can we help with et cetera? It's like the ideal working situation. I can't imagine having a job under any other kind of framework.

James: Are you tied to any goals within  Stripe? Do they set any targets for you that you have to reach, such as traffic numbers or engagement? 

Courtland: There isn't any sort of like you have to reach X number or the axe will fall. I think what's cool about the fact that I joined Stripe is that my goals are very much aligned with theirs. And I think if you ever work with any sort of partner or you acquire anyone or you get acquired, you should always try to make sure your goals are aligned because if there's even a one degree difference between where you want to go and where they go, at first that's very small, but after a number of years, that gap has widened into something that's like very hard to fix.

 And so I just want Indie Hackers to be like as big and as meaningful and useful as possible. I think about that religiously every single day. And that's what Stripe wants to ultimately they want more people starting companies...

]]> Mon, 21 Sep 2020 08:00:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 905 Courtland Allen is the founder of Indie Hackers. He started the community that has inspired so many of us to start our bootstrapped businesses and changed our lives for the better. In this conversation, we speak about why Courtland started Indie Hackers, what it's like working on a business within Stripe, how you should stay motivated as a one-person team and what trends are important in 2020. Courtland Allen is the founder of Indie Hackers. He started the community that has inspired so many of us to start our bootstrapped businesses and changed our lives for the better. In this conversation, we speak about why Courtland started Indie Hackers, indie hackers, bootstrapping No $3k MRR with 600 paying members writing about mindful productivity - Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Ness Labs 4 4 $3k MRR with 600 paying members writing about mindful productivity - Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Ness Labs full 8f90ea58-bac4-47e9-b674-3c8444fa745f https://indiebites.com/4 Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the founder of Ness Labs, a learning platform dedicated to mindful productivity while also studying neuroscience part-time at King's College with her masters. Previously Anne-Laure worked at Google leaving that job in 2017. As part of Ness Labs, she creates some truly exceptional content that I've had shared with me time and time again, which is evidenced by her 19,000 strong email lists for her newsletter, Maker Mind.

Here's what we covered in this episode:

On Ness Labs

  • Tell me a little about your back story and why you started Ness Labs?
  • What is Ness Labs?
  • When did you start generating revenue?
  • What have you done to grow the membership & newsletter subscribers?
  • Neuroscience at King's College on the side! How does that help you research and write articles?
  • You're a proponent of building in public, what are the benefits of this for indie hackers?
  • You have a sizeable audience, how do you cut through the noise / deal with the inbound?
  • What advice would you give to aspiring female indie hackers navigating a male-dominated sector?

On mindful productivity

  • What is mindful productivity?
  • You're a prolific writer, how do you get so much done?!
  • Time management article
  • It can be long and hard to grow a side-project / business, how do you stay motivated?
  • As indie hackers, what are the best ways to stay on top of everything and not get overwhelmed?
  • Taking care of yourself. Sleep, taking breaks, journaling. Why is it important and why do so many people neglect it?

Quick fire


Follow Anne-Laure

Follow Me


Full Transcript

James: Anne-Laure, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing? 

Anne-Laure: Great. Thanks for having me.

James: Good to have you. Tell me a little bit more about Ness Labs for people who don't know? What's it all about?

Anne-Laure: Ness Labs is a platform for ambitious makers, knowledge workers, creators who want to be their most productive and creative without sacrificing or mental health, and so it offers content, a community, and also coaching for people to achieve these goals.

 James: Yeah. And where did you come up with the idea? 

Anne-Laure: I both at Google and while working at startups, I went through burnout and I think lots of ambitious people have this experience at some point in their work life. And when I was looking for resources to help me go through this, there's actually wasn't much out there. So it started with this goal of helping people really taking care of their mental health at work.

I've always been fascinated with how the mind works, how the brain works, how do we think, or where do ideas come from? How do we make decisions? So that's always been an area that I've been really curious about.

James: Yeah, absolutely.   Where are you at now in terms of subscribers and revenue with Ness Labs? And was it always generating revenue?

Anne-Laure: So  in the first six months of Ness Labs, most of the revenue was coming from sponsors. And I didn't really like this model because it meant having to chase them, a lot of back and forth. Also quite irregular revenue where some weeks, I have three sponsors reaching out and saying, "hey, can I start with the newsletter?"

and some weeks there was no one. I figured that really wanted to have some recurring revenue that I could, even if it was growing slowly, sell something that is a bit more stable. And at this point I have about 600 members and the Ness Labs community generating about $3,000 a month.

And that doesn't include all of the, one time revenue that nest labs leaking through books and other products that I'm selling.

James: It's amazing how you've grown it and I think that there'll be a lot of indie hackers who are at that level where they're trying to build something up and deciding on a monetization model. Why at the start did you go for the sponsorship route and also, how did you start to build your newsletter list, which made it appealing for sponsors?

Anne-Laure: At the very beginning, with the sponsors, I didn't really have any outbound process. I just grew the newsletter and I made it clear with the little inserts and signed it, that there was a spot here. So if any reader was also either an entrepreneur or working at a company that was relevant to the audience, I was reaching that they could just reply back and claim that spot for the next newsletter. There was no outbound work, but I think that making it very clear that this spot existed and also having a very niche topic made it appealing to sponsors because they could in one go reach a certain amount of people.

The audience; I can really think Twitter, I think, for most of my subscribers.   

James: How beneficial has that Twitter following been for you? Cause you have about 30,000 Twitter followers. And over how long was that built? Was there a specific time where you just started growing or was it quite linear?

Anne-Laure: It was very linear and slow for years and I think up to  two years ago, I only have 3000 followers. It took off pretty recently. And I think it's because I really changed the way I used it. I used to just post whatever articles I was reading, not really contributing value.

Whereas now I'm really trying to help people and I really use Twitter to work public. So I really show people my process. I show unfinished articles. Sometimes I ask questions.

I do polls where I really ask the community, what do you think about this? Should I write about this or that? And I think the fact that I switched from just broadcasting content on Twitter, to working in public with the garage door open, has been one of the main reasons why my following has grown so fast in the past year.

  I think lots of entrepreneurs make the mistake of falling prey to the planning fallacy. Where you spend so much time trying to figure out how am I going to go about this? What's the best framework to build this? And which library should I use? And how am I going to do this and that? And I think for me, building in public is a way to fight the planning fallacy, where instead of waiting until they have something absolutely perfect that I can put in the world, I just share little nuggets of my progress and I can get feedback much quicker.

So it shortens the feedback loop too, which is especially I think...

]]> Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the founder of Ness Labs, a learning platform dedicated to mindful productivity while also studying neuroscience part-time at King's College with her masters. Previously Anne-Laure worked at Google leaving that job in 2017. As part of Ness Labs, she creates some truly exceptional content that I've had shared with me time and time again, which is evidenced by her 19,000 strong email lists for her newsletter, Maker Mind.

Here's what we covered in this episode:

On Ness Labs

  • Tell me a little about your back story and why you started Ness Labs?
  • What is Ness Labs?
  • When did you start generating revenue?
  • What have you done to grow the membership & newsletter subscribers?
  • Neuroscience at King's College on the side! How does that help you research and write articles?
  • You're a proponent of building in public, what are the benefits of this for indie hackers?
  • You have a sizeable audience, how do you cut through the noise / deal with the inbound?
  • What advice would you give to aspiring female indie hackers navigating a male-dominated sector?

On mindful productivity

  • What is mindful productivity?
  • You're a prolific writer, how do you get so much done?!
  • Time management article
  • It can be long and hard to grow a side-project / business, how do you stay motivated?
  • As indie hackers, what are the best ways to stay on top of everything and not get overwhelmed?
  • Taking care of yourself. Sleep, taking breaks, journaling. Why is it important and why do so many people neglect it?

Quick fire


Follow Anne-Laure

Follow Me


Full Transcript

James: Anne-Laure, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing? 

Anne-Laure: Great. Thanks for having me.

James: Good to have you. Tell me a little bit more about Ness Labs for people who don't know? What's it all about?

Anne-Laure: Ness Labs is a platform for ambitious makers, knowledge workers, creators who want to be their most productive and creative without sacrificing or mental health, and so it offers content, a community, and also coaching for people to achieve these goals.

 James: Yeah. And where did you come up with the idea? 

Anne-Laure: I both at Google and while working at startups, I went through burnout and I think lots of ambitious people have this experience at some point in their work life. And when I was looking for resources to help me go through this, there's actually wasn't much out there. So it started with this goal of helping people really taking care of their mental health at work.

I've always been fascinated with how the mind works, how the brain works, how do we think, or where do ideas come from? How do we make decisions? So that's always been an area that I've been really curious about.

James: Yeah, absolutely.   Where are you at now in terms of subscribers and revenue with Ness Labs? And was it always generating revenue?

Anne-Laure: So  in the first six months of Ness Labs, most of the revenue was coming from sponsors. And I didn't really like this model because it meant having to chase them, a lot of back and forth. Also quite irregular revenue where some weeks, I have three sponsors reaching out and saying, "hey, can I start with the newsletter?"

and some weeks there was no one. I figured that really wanted to have some recurring revenue that I could, even if it was growing slowly, sell something that is a bit more stable. And at this point I have about 600 members and the Ness Labs community generating about $3,000 a month.

And that doesn't include all of the, one time revenue that nest labs leaking through books and other products that I'm selling.

James: It's amazing how you've grown it and I think that there'll be a lot of indie hackers who are at that level where they're trying to build something up and deciding on a monetization model. Why at the start did you go for the sponsorship route and also, how did you start to build your newsletter list, which made it appealing for sponsors?

Anne-Laure: At the very beginning, with the sponsors, I didn't really have any outbound process. I just grew the newsletter and I made it clear with the little inserts and signed it, that there was a spot here. So if any reader was also either an entrepreneur or working at a company that was relevant to the audience, I was reaching that they could just reply back and claim that spot for the next newsletter. There was no outbound work, but I think that making it very clear that this spot existed and also having a very niche topic made it appealing to sponsors because they could in one go reach a certain amount of people.

The audience; I can really think Twitter, I think, for most of my subscribers.   

James: How beneficial has that Twitter following been for you? Cause you have about 30,000 Twitter followers. And over how long was that built? Was there a specific time where you just started growing or was it quite linear?

Anne-Laure: It was very linear and slow for years and I think up to  two years ago, I only have 3000 followers. It took off pretty recently. And I think it's because I really changed the way I used it. I used to just post whatever articles I was reading, not really contributing value.

Whereas now I'm really trying to help people and I really use Twitter to work public. So I really show people my process. I show unfinished articles. Sometimes I ask questions.

I do polls where I really ask the community, what do you think about this? Should I write about this or that? And I think the fact that I switched from just broadcasting content on Twitter, to working in public with the garage door open, has been one of the main reasons why my following has grown so fast in the past year.

  I think lots of entrepreneurs make the mistake of falling prey to the planning fallacy. Where you spend so much time trying to figure out how am I going to go about this? What's the best framework to build this? And which library should I use? And how am I going to do this and that? And I think for me, building in public is a way to fight the planning fallacy, where instead of waiting until they have something absolutely perfect that I can put in the world, I just share little nuggets of my progress and I can get feedback much quicker.

So it shortens the feedback loop too, which is especially I think...

]]> Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:33:01 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 946 Anne-Laure inspired me with this conversation covering how she grew Ness Labs to over 600 paying members ($3k MRR), how to be mindfully productive (backed by her research as a Neuroscience masters student), and what we can do as a community to be more inclusive. Anne-Laure inspired me with this conversation covering how she grew Ness Labs to over 600 paying members ($3k MRR), how to be mindfully productive (backed by her research as a Neuroscience masters student), and what we can do as a community to be more inc indie hackers, bootstrapping No Starting over 40 side-projects in 10 years - Helen Ryles 3 3 Starting over 40 side-projects in 10 years - Helen Ryles full 64a68655-92a4-494b-8a56-96f207506bab https://indiebites.com/3 Helen Ryles is a prolific indie hacker, having launched over 40 projects in the last 10 years, selling a few of them along the way. Helen is a proponent of the no code movement, advocating for the tools that allow non-technical folks, like me, create amazing projects. To tie in with this, she also runs the community at Makerpad, the no-code education and community platform.

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.


Here's what we covered in this episode

On side projects

  • How did you start indie hacking?
  • What are you currently working on?
  • Where do you come up with ideas?
  • How do you define a side-project?
  • Having launched so many, what is your process for getting an idea up and running, validated and then deciding how long you run with it before it gets sold / canned?
  • You wrote a great thread on selling side projects. How do you know when it's time to sell?
  • How do you sell a side project?!

On no-code

  • You joined Makerpad last month to help run their community. Tell me a little bit more about what Makerpad is and what your role will be there.
  • What is no-code and why do you think it's important?
  • What are some of the most exciting things you've seen people do with no-code?
  • What are the non-obvious benefits of no-code?
  • What are the best no-code tools?

Recommendations

Follow Helen

Follow Me


[Full transcription coming soon]

]]> Helen Ryles is a prolific indie hacker, having launched over 40 projects in the last 10 years, selling a few of them along the way. Helen is a proponent of the no code movement, advocating for the tools that allow non-technical folks, like me, create amazing projects. To tie in with this, she also runs the community at Makerpad, the no-code education and community platform.

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.


Here's what we covered in this episode

On side projects

  • How did you start indie hacking?
  • What are you currently working on?
  • Where do you come up with ideas?
  • How do you define a side-project?
  • Having launched so many, what is your process for getting an idea up and running, validated and then deciding how long you run with it before it gets sold / canned?
  • You wrote a great thread on selling side projects. How do you know when it's time to sell?
  • How do you sell a side project?!

On no-code

  • You joined Makerpad last month to help run their community. Tell me a little bit more about what Makerpad is and what your role will be there.
  • What is no-code and why do you think it's important?
  • What are some of the most exciting things you've seen people do with no-code?
  • What are the non-obvious benefits of no-code?
  • What are the best no-code tools?

Recommendations

Follow Helen

Follow Me


[Full transcription coming soon]

]]> Wed, 16 Sep 2020 22:15:20 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 907 Helen Ryles knows what it takes to start and sell side-projects. Having started her entrepreneurial journey over 10 years ago, she has launched over 40 side projects in that time, selling a few of them along the way. Now leading the community at Makerpad, Helen gives some incredible advice on what it takes to ideate, build and sell projects all using no code tools. Helen Ryles knows what it takes to start and sell side-projects. Having started her entrepreneurial journey over 10 years ago, she has launched over 40 side projects in that time, selling a few of them along the way. Now leading the community at Makerpad, indie hackers, bootstrapping No Building Marketing Examples to 30k email subscribers - Harry Dry, Marketing Examples 2 2 Building Marketing Examples to 30k email subscribers - Harry Dry, Marketing Examples full bbdf983f-9b99-4986-b9bc-f4b007d33af9 https://indiebites.com/2 Harry Dry is the founder of Marketing Examples, a fast-growing showcase of successful startup marketing stories. When I first spoke to Harry on the Marketing Mashup about a year ago, he was on 5,000 subscribers and £1k revenue. Now, he has 6x that amount with 30,000 subscribers and 50,000 Twitter followers. An incredible growth story from a smart marketer.

In 2022, Harry also created Copywriting Examples, the site for anyone writing new copy. 


Here's what we covered in this episode:

On Marketing Examples

  • I've given a little summary of Marketing Examples, how would you describe it?
  • Where did you come up with the idea?
  • How is your revenue shaping up with the audience you have?
  • If you could choose one case study as your favourite, which one would it be?

On Audience Building

  • When you first started Marketing Examples, how did you get your first 100 subscribers?
  • You're an expert on Twitter, now with 50k followers. What did it take to grow a Twitter audience so large, so quickly?
  • What's been the biggest struggle building Marketing Examples?
  • What advice would you give to other indie hackers trying to build an audience?
  • Talk me through your decision to add a new personal touch to Marketing Examples?
  • Tell me the Kanye Story in 30 seconds

Recommendations

Links

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.



]]> Harry Dry is the founder of Marketing Examples, a fast-growing showcase of successful startup marketing stories. When I first spoke to Harry on the Marketing Mashup about a year ago, he was on 5,000 subscribers and £1k revenue. Now, he has 6x that amount with 30,000 subscribers and 50,000 Twitter followers. An incredible growth story from a smart marketer.

In 2022, Harry also created Copywriting Examples, the site for anyone writing new copy. 


Here's what we covered in this episode:

On Marketing Examples

  • I've given a little summary of Marketing Examples, how would you describe it?
  • Where did you come up with the idea?
  • How is your revenue shaping up with the audience you have?
  • If you could choose one case study as your favourite, which one would it be?

On Audience Building

  • When you first started Marketing Examples, how did you get your first 100 subscribers?
  • You're an expert on Twitter, now with 50k followers. What did it take to grow a Twitter audience so large, so quickly?
  • What's been the biggest struggle building Marketing Examples?
  • What advice would you give to other indie hackers trying to build an audience?
  • Talk me through your decision to add a new personal touch to Marketing Examples?
  • Tell me the Kanye Story in 30 seconds

Recommendations

Links

Follow Me

Thanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.

‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’

‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’

‘Absolutely love this community.’

These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.

We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.

Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.



]]> Thu, 10 Sep 2020 23:34:34 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 927 A conversation with Harry Dry, the co-founder of Marketing Examples and Copywriting Examples. A conversation with Harry Dry, the co-founder of Marketing Examples and Copywriting Examples. indie hackers, bootstrapping No Growing a paid community to $800 MRR - Charlie Ward, Ramen Club (prev. Weekend Club) 1 1 Growing a paid community to $800 MRR - Charlie Ward, Ramen Club (prev. Weekend Club) full 9ff1ca66-233f-4cc0-9a3d-9b1c56823bc2 https://indiebites.com/1 In this episode we discuss:

On Ramen Club (formerly Weekend Club)

  • How would you describe Ramen Club?
  • Where did you come up with the idea for Ramen Club & IndieBeers?
  • What was your initial plan for making revenue with Ramen Club?
  • What's your revenue now?
  • What have you done specifically to grow those first few users?

On Community Building

  • You've cultivated quite the community in London, why did you choose to build the community here?
  • What does it take to build an active community? Is it as simple as just setting up a Slack and a Stripe account and away you go?
  • What's been the biggest struggle building the community?
  • What advice would you give to other indie hackers trying to build a community?

Recommendations

Links

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

]]> In this episode we discuss:

On Ramen Club (formerly Weekend Club)

  • How would you describe Ramen Club?
  • Where did you come up with the idea for Ramen Club & IndieBeers?
  • What was your initial plan for making revenue with Ramen Club?
  • What's your revenue now?
  • What have you done specifically to grow those first few users?

On Community Building

  • You've cultivated quite the community in London, why did you choose to build the community here?
  • What does it take to build an active community? Is it as simple as just setting up a Slack and a Stripe account and away you go?
  • What's been the biggest struggle building the community?
  • What advice would you give to other indie hackers trying to build a community?

Recommendations

Links

Follow Me

👉 Listen to my new podcast, No More Mondays.

]]> Mon, 07 Sep 2020 17:30:00 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 817 Charlie is the founder of Ramen Club (formerly Weekend Club), a community of indie hackers, all working with each other to reach their side project goals and stay accountable. Ramen Club was born out of the London indie hacker meetup Charlie also founded called Indie Beers. Since then Charlie has become a prominent figure in the London indie hacker scene, also running the Indie London community. He's also a notoriously terrible mug reviewer. Charlie is the founder of Ramen Club (formerly Weekend Club), a community of indie hackers, all working with each other to reach their side project goals and stay accountable. Ramen Club was born out of the London indie hacker meetup Charlie also founded indie hackers, bootstrapping, charlie ward, weekend club No Charlie Ward Indie Bites Trailer - what's it all about? Indie Bites Trailer - what's it all about? trailer 4dd9c651-511c-4999-b6e8-3f1055f5f8b3 https://indiebites.com/episodes/indie-bites-trailer-whats-it-all-about I'm your host James McKinven, I'm the founder of a podcasting company called Striqo and passionate indie hacker.

Now I love long podcasts and what Courtland Allen has done with the Indie Hackers show, but this podcast will just supplement that. With less commuting, we now have less time to listen to podcasts and those long, albeit interesting, backstories. I'll aim to cut to the chase and find out what it really takes to build a sustainable, profitable business on the side.

I'm James, I run a podcast company called Striqo and I love hearing about the ups and downs of what it takes to be an indie hacker.

I'm a fellow indie hacker and side-project-starter and I love hearing the stories of other makers who have started their businesses while working a full-time job.

Whether that's a small little earner on the side or something that has grown into tens of thousands of ££ income that means you could quit your job.

Having started many of my own side-projects I know how hard it is to get it off the ground and generate revenue. I wouldn't have been able to make progress on any of my projects if it wasn't for the kindness and support I've received from everyone in the Indie Hackers community.

Everyone has a story to tell, advice they can give and lessons to teach - I want to share them with as many people as I can.

I hope you can join me for this podcast talking to our favourite indie hackers.

If you like the sound of this, please subscribe to the podcast and tweet me which indie hacker you'd like me to feature.

]]> I'm your host James McKinven, I'm the founder of a podcasting company called Striqo and passionate indie hacker.

Now I love long podcasts and what Courtland Allen has done with the Indie Hackers show, but this podcast will just supplement that. With less commuting, we now have less time to listen to podcasts and those long, albeit interesting, backstories. I'll aim to cut to the chase and find out what it really takes to build a sustainable, profitable business on the side.

I'm James, I run a podcast company called Striqo and I love hearing about the ups and downs of what it takes to be an indie hacker.

I'm a fellow indie hacker and side-project-starter and I love hearing the stories of other makers who have started their businesses while working a full-time job.

Whether that's a small little earner on the side or something that has grown into tens of thousands of ££ income that means you could quit your job.

Having started many of my own side-projects I know how hard it is to get it off the ground and generate revenue. I wouldn't have been able to make progress on any of my projects if it wasn't for the kindness and support I've received from everyone in the Indie Hackers community.

Everyone has a story to tell, advice they can give and lessons to teach - I want to share them with as many people as I can.

I hope you can join me for this podcast talking to our favourite indie hackers.

If you like the sound of this, please subscribe to the podcast and tweet me which indie hacker you'd like me to feature.

]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2020 14:04:36 +0100 James McKinven James McKinven 99 Welcome to Indie Bites. This podcast will bring you short, bite-sized conversations (no more than 15 minutes) with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses. You'll learn how they come up with ideas, what they do to validate, find those first customers and make a sustainable income. All without the long backstory and fluff. Welcome to Indie Bites. This podcast will bring you short, bite-sized conversations (no more than 15 minutes) with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses. You'll learn how they come up with ideas, what they do to val indie hackers, bootstrapping No James McKinven Eddie Alfie