Open Threads

Community Business on Your Own Terms w/ Daniel Vassallo (Small Bets)

Brian Casel — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:35:18 -0400

What a fascinating episode with Daniel Vassallo, creator of smallbets.com. From leaving Amazon to become self-employed, to experimenting and iterating on business models, software, books, courses, and finally his flagship community, Small Bets.

Evolving Developer Education w/ Joel Hooks (egghead.io & badass.dev)

Brian Casel — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 12:30:14 -0400

Had a fascinating conversation today with Joel Hooks who runs egghead.io and badass.dev. We talked about about the evolving landscape of online education in the developer space.

Recorded on September 5th, 2024.

Optimizing For Sanity w/ Chris Oliver (GoRails)

Brian Casel — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 14:35:19 -0400

Chris Oliver, the creator behind GoRails, Jumpstart, HatchBox and his new product, SellRepo, joins me to talk bootstrapping his Ruby on Rails training business and related tools with only a team of 3! A great wide-ranging conversation.

Recorded on September 4th, 2024

Note: Sorry! My short intro audio is left speaker only... But that's fixed after the first minute!

Programmatic SEO Projects With Josh Pigford

Brian Casel — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:54:44 -0400

I caught up with Josh Pigford today, founder of Maybe, ToolStash, and many other projects. We covered a lot of ground across many of his different projects, but spent the bulk of this chat geeking out about programmatic SEO. The strategy, the technical approach, and exactly what (and how) he built some of his AI-generated content marketing strategies for his projects.

We recorded this interview on August 6th, 2024.

Bringing Great Design to WordPress with Mike McAllister

Brian Casel — Wed, 29 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Mike McAllister is a designer of brands, websites, products, and WordPress goodness... Here in part 2 of our conversation, we dive into Mike's current work on OllieWP, a new product that brings great design to the WordPress ecosystem.

We also talked about the balance of working on products with taking on selective design consulting partnerships with clients.

This conversation was recorded on March 6th, 2024

From Designing Products to Acquihired with Mike McAllister

Brian Casel — Wed, 22 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Mike McAllister has an incredible track record as a designer of brands, websites, products, and WordPress goodness... In part 1, we talked about Mike's experience building a successful WordPress products business that was acquired by WPEngine, and what he learned from the transition between indie product founder to acquihired in a large organization.

In part 2, we'll dive into Mike's current work on OllieWP, a new product for designing in blocks in WordPress.

This conversation was recorded on March 6th, 2024

From Products to Product Agency with Shawn Adrian of Input Logic

Brian Casel — Wed, 15 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Here's my conversation with Shawn Adrian, co-founder of Input Logic, a product design and development agency. They're also launching their own product in 2024 in the AI journaling space, called Stilo.ai.

This conversation was recorded on March 5th, 2024.

The 80/20 Software Consultancy Model with Daniel Coulbourne

Brian Casel — Wed, 08 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Daniel Coulbourne is the cofounder of Thunk.dev and the co-host of the Talking Businessly podcast. We had a great conversation about the "80/20 model" in software development consulting, striking a balance between working with clients and building your own products and projects.

This conversation was recorded on February 27th, 2024.

Radical Design with Jack McDade

Brian Casel — Wed, 01 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Jack McDade is the creator of the new course, Radical Design. He's also the founder of Statamic CMS. In this contuation of our conversation, we talked about Jack's unique approach to designing things and how he strikes a balance between fun refreshing projects like this, and running a successful product company.

Brian and Jack's conversation was recorded on February 20th, 2024.

The Story of Statamic CMS with Jack McDade

Brian Casel — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Jack McDade is the founder of Statamic CMS and the creator of the new course, Radical Design. In this conversation, Jack shared his story of going from film maker to full stack designer and developer to building a website CMS product.

Brian and Jack's conversation was recorded on February 20th, 2024.

Software founder life in NYC with Sam Selikoff

Brian Casel — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Sam Selikoff, cofounder of BuildUI, returns to the show and we talk all about NYC! New York City, one of my favorite places.

Brian and Sam’s conversation was recorded on December 15th, 2023.

(00:00) - Software founder life in NYC with Sam Selikoff
(02:59) - What is the crowd like?
(05:08) - New York's downfall - sports teams
(06:56) - Working remotely in NYC
(10:47) - City life vs. Suburb life
(12:39) - NY energy (crazy and all!)
(14:27) - Cost of living

Building a Courses Business with a YouTube audience with Kevin Powell

Brian Casel — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Kevin Powell returns to the show where we talk about the business side of his work as a YouTuber and teacher of front-end development and CSS.

Brian and Kevin’s conversation was recorded on December 7th, 2023.

(00:00) - Building a Courses Business with a YouTube audience with Kevin Powell
(01:34) - Kevin's ideal customer journey
(03:18) - Using call-to-action cards on YouTube
(05:35) - Kevin's channels of revenue
(09:23) - Running a Discord community
(12:27) - Pricing and course organization
(16:53) - Once off vs Memberships
(18:54) - Deciding what to create next
(20:45) - Kevin's 2024 resolutions

How Lianna Patch Reinvented Her Copywriting Business

Brian Casel — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Lianna Patch wasn’t thrilled with the work she was doing, who she was doing it for, and the lack of fun she was having as a professional copywriter. So she changed everything and relaunched her Punchline Copy business with a focus on comedic copy.

Brian and Lianna’s conversation was recorded on December 13th, 2023.

(00:00) - How Lianna Patch Reinvented Her Copywriting Business
(01:48) - The evolution of Pubchline copy
(07:02) - Lianna's main client base
(08:26) - How to be an ideal client
(11:03) - How Lianna structures her business
(15:44) - Offering productized services
(19:02) - ..And larger projects?
(20:06) - 2024's roadmap
(24:05) - Moving from consulting to "passive" revenue

Fractional Product Management to SaaS Cofounder with James Lewis

Brian Casel — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

I invited James Lewis on to help understand the idea of a “fractional product manager” (and we covered that) but it turned into James’ story of how we transitioned from that into cofounder of a new SaaS, Lemon, in the payments space.

Brian and James’ conversation was recorded on December 8th, 2023.

(00:00) - Fractional Product Management to SaaS Cofounder with James Lewis
(02:13) - James' current day to day
(05:04) - Transitioning from dev to project management
(08:10) - The first big move and early learnings
(13:50) - Working as a fractional product manager for lemon
(16:10) - How James landed the lemon role
(18:02) - Dusting off the dev hat
(21:05) - What is lemon?
(22:55) - ...And how does it work?
(26:15) - lemon's current roadmap

From Founder to Coaching Founders with Justin Ferriman

Brian Casel — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Justin Ferriman returns and we discuss his post-exit transition to becoming a business coach for other founders.

Brian and Justin’s conversation was recorded on November 10th, 2023.

(00:00) - From Founder to Coaching Founders with Justin Ferriman
(01:26) - Justin's coaching story
(03:09) - The Know/Like/Trust list
(04:13) - Ideation to execution
(05:38) - How Justin is structuring his coaching offerings
(11:58) - Keeping room for growth
(13:35) - Justin on marketing his coaching business
(15:31) - Being active in a community > Hard sell
(18:20) - Using quality content to build trust

Teaching User Interface Development with Sam Selikoff (BuildUI)

Brian Casel — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Sam Selikoff, cofounder of BuildUI joins me for a wide-ranging (and sometimes technical) conversation about his journey as a software engineer, and his business teaching UI development with video courses and YouTube.

Brian and Sam’s conversation was recorded on December 15th, 2023.

(00:00) - Teaching User Interface Development with Sam Selikoff (BuildUI)
(04:47) - Sam's elevator pitch
(06:16) - Marketing as front end only (at first)z
(09:50) - BuildUI courses and staying up to date
(18:17) - BuildUI's UI (...and UX)
(20:53) - Sam's time at TED
(25:37) - Transition from TED to BuildUI
(29:02) - BuildUI origin story
(32:12) - Pivoting moments for BuildUI

The Health Pendulum as Entrepreneurs with Jay Clouse

Brian Casel — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science, returns to the show and we have a fun episode where we talk about our lives away from the cameras and mics to talk about how we stay fit and healthy (or at least try to be).

Brian and Jay’s conversation was recorded on November 8th, 2023.

(00:00) - The Health Pendulum as Entrepreneurs
(01:39) - Physical health = mental health
(03:42) - Jay's health and fitness "stack"
(05:59) - Diet and portion control
(08:10) - Morning person/Night troll?

Geeking out on Comedy with Lianna Patch

Brian Casel — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Lianna Patch is known as a fantastic copywriter. Why? Because she’s also a comedian! We talk about Lianna’s passion for the craft of comedy, her comedic roots, and how she translated that into a thriving career as a copywriter.

Brian and Lianna’s conversation was recorded on December 13th, 2023.

(00:00) - Geeking out on Comedy with Lianna Patch
(01:50) - Lianna's introduction to comedy
(05:08) - Niching down in comedy
(10:39) - Building a comedy set
(12:58) - Dealing with stage fright (and monkey brain "anxiety" )
(15:58) - Lianna's comedic inspiration
(17:43) - Combining comedy with copy
(19:50) - Lianna's journey to "punchline copy"

Teaching CSS to 800k YouTube Subscribers with Kevin Powell

Brian Casel — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

I spoke to Kevin Powell, YouTuber and front-end CSS teacher about how he operates his YouTube content business and how he grew to over 800,000 subscribers.

Brian and Kevin’s conversation was recorded on December 7th, 2023.

(00:00) - Teaching CSS to 800k YouTube Subscribers with Kevin Powell
(05:10) - A week in the life of Kevin Powell
(07:49) - Kevin's YouTube origin story
(08:49) - Who is your target audience?
(13:02) - Staying on the cutting edge
(15:12) - Content ideation and maintaining a calendar
(17:54) - Crafting the perfect video title
(21:04) - The YouTube analytics rabbit hole
(23:55) - Scripting and planning a video
(26:06) - Outsourcing editing and post-production
(28:09) - Long form vs short form content
(30:49) - YouTube algorithms (or what we know about them)
(32:30) - Subcribers to customers!
(33:56) - Engaging with the YouTube community
(36:48) - Separating content avenues

YouTube as a Business with Aaron Francis

Brian Casel — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Aaron Francis, creator of screencasting.com and prolific YouTuber returns to the show to talk all things video, screencasting and growing a business on YouTube.

Brian and Aaron's conversation was recorded on November 16th, 2023.

(00:00) - YouTube as a business with Aaron Francis
(01:06) - Talking video and screencasting.com
(02:46) - Growing multiple YouTube channels
(06:22) - How many YouTube subscribers is "enough"?
(11:29) - YouTube Monetization
(16:45) - Imposter Syndrome as a Teacher
(19:48) - Hours & commitment in a YouTube business
(24:43) - Staying authentic on YouTube

From Selling a WordPress Business to SaaS with Justin Ferriman

Brian Casel — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Justin Ferriman, founder of LearnDash, talks to me about how he started, grew, and exited from this WordPress business in the LMS space.

Brian and Justin’s conversation was recorded on November 10th, 2023.

(00:00) - From Selling a WordPress Business to SaaS with Justin Ferriman
(01:22) - Justin's business transition to coaching
(04:10) - Highlights of building a business
(05:58) - Taking advantage of untapped markets
(10:04) - Using your audience to promote your products
(12:11) - Know where your audience hangs out
(13:54) - Pricing *gasp* before subscriptions
(15:10) - Growing the LearnDash team
(16:33) - Biggest challenges growing LearnDash
(20:03) - Justin's LearnDash exit
(24:18) - After the exit: What next?
(29:51) - AI and it's implications on software dev

The Science Behind a Creator Business with Jay Clouse

Brian Casel — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Jay Clouse, who runs Creator Science, joins me to talk all things creator businesses.

Brian and Jay’s conversation was recorded on November 8th, 2023

(00:00) - The Science Behind a Creator Business
(03:35) - Content as a product
(10:03) - Seperating personal and creator brands
(16:35) - Creator Science breakdown
(26:11) - Creative energy and prioritization
(29:20) - Content ideation, production and output
(31:25) - Side hustle to full time creator
(36:40) - Where to focus your creative energy

Scaling a Fitness Coaching Business with Adam Gilbert

Brian Casel — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Adam Gilbert, founder of My Body Tutor, joins me to talk about how he scaled a personal fitness coaching business.

Brian and Adam’s conversation was recorded on November 3rd, 2023.

(00:00) - Scaling a Fitness Coaching Business with Adam Gilbert
(01:30) - What is My Body Tutor?
(02:34) - The evolution of Adam's business
(05:15) - Adam's background in health and fitness
(08:15) - Taking the leap and getting those first customers
(12:32) - Good businesses solve a problem
(13:58) - My Body Tutor today
(15:40) - Maintaining core principles in a coaching business
(17:28) - My Body Tutor milestones
(18:48) - From solo coach to coaching business
(21:33) - Practicing routines to turn them into habits
(23:02) - Business growing pains
(24:57) - Adam's routines
(26:58) - My Body Tutor's new plan
(28:30) - Catering to a wide range of customers

3+ Years of Nomad Life with Dru Riley

Brian Casel — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Dru Riley, founder of Trends.vc, returns to the show to talk about his life as a digital nomad for 3+ years.

Brian and Dru's conversation was recorded on November 20th, 2023.

(00:00) - 3+ Years of Nomad Life w/ Dru Riley
(01:10) - Where in the world is Dru?
(03:18) - Why choose the digital nomad lifestyle?
(06:48) - Favorite places (so far)?
(07:55) - Working across timezones
(11:00) - Processes for life as a nomad
(12:33) - Researching upcoming destinations
(14:05) - Finding places to stay
(15:54) - Social scenes as a digital nomad
(17:35) - Challenges of living and working as a nomad

Products vs. Creator Businesses with Aaron Francis

Brian Casel — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Aaron Francis, creator of screencasting.com and prolific YouTuber joins me to talk about his “Era of Maximum Effort”. We get into building products businesses vs. creator businesses, and more.

Brian and Aaron's conversation was recorded on November 16th, 2023.

(00:00) - Product vs. Creator Businesses with Aaron Francis
(00:45) - Conversations across podcasts
(03:18) - Aaron's "era of maximum effort"
(09:11) - Focus vs. many "small bets"
(14:55) - What are your goals as a creator?
(25:05) - The initial business idea really matters
(29:07) - How to find a break and relax?

The Laravel Ecosystem with Ian Landsman

Brian Casel — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Ian Landsman of HelpSpot joins me to unpack all things Laravel ecosystem.

Brian and Ian's conversation was recorded on November 3rd, 2023.

(00:00) - The Laravel Ecosystem with Ian Landsman
(00:34) - Ian returns to talk Laravel
(04:20) - Laravel vs. Rails
(06:51) - Developer ecosystem
(08:55) - Upgrading Laravel
(10:09) - Front-end frameworks for Laravel
(16:29) - Young developers learning on today's tools
(19:37) - Tradeoffs
(19:55) - Funding open source innovation

Choosing & Sustaining Product Ideas w/ Colleen Schnettler

Brian Casel — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Colleen Schnettler, founder of HelloQuery, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion around the question of choosing the right product idea to commit to as an entrepreneur.

Brian and Colleen recorded this conversation on November 17th, 2023.

(00:00) - Colleen Schnettler
(01:02) - Twitter, Conference, and Podcast friends!
(02:44) - Transitioning between between ideas
(03:29) - Joining TinySeed
(04:28) - the ZipMessage to Clarityflow story (as of Nov 2023)
(15:55) - Emotional Runway
(17:20) - Choosing a product idea
(21:07) - Converting a service into a SaaS
(25:34) - Riding a wave
(29:31) - Evaluating potential ideas
(33:05) - Validating ideas before building
(40:34) - Audience growth vs. not
(44:41) - What are you optimizing for?
(50:05) - Survivorship bias
(51:43) - Looking back on mistakes
(54:04) - Shipping tiny ideas

Growing a Newsletter Business with Dru Riley (Trends.vc)

Brian Casel — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Dru Riley, founder of Trends.vc joins me to talk about building his Newsletter and Community business and the systems and processes he’s used to grow it.

Brian and Dru's conversation was recorded on November 20th, 2023.

(00:00) - Systems to run & grow a newsletter business w/ Dru Riley (Trends.vc)
(01:17) - Newsletter + Community
(04:23) - Breakdown of revenue channels
(07:18) - Launching a podcast for Trends.vc
(10:46) - Pro membership model
(12:55) - Process and delegation
(18:02) - Choosing the right topics
(21:38) - Marketing funnel

Rebuilding a SaaS from the ground up with Ian Landsman (HelpSpot)

Brian Casel — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Ian Landsman and his team at Userscape work on HelpSpot, a well-established SaaS product for customer support. And after well over 10 years in business, they decided to embark on a full rebuild of their app.

Brian and Ian's conversation was recorded on November 3rd, 2023.

(00:00) - Rebuilding a SaaS with Ian Landsman
(00:48) - Ian returns!
(01:39) - Rebuild? Redesign? Relaunch? What is this?
(02:36) - Is this a SaaS?
(06:37) - Is this the first rebuild?
(09:26) - Why rebuild? Why now?
(15:49) - AI in customer support tools
(20:19) - Killing vs. reworking features
(23:38) - Thinking about competitors
(26:58) - Roadmap and timeframe
(28:06) - Founder designing vs delegating
(31:52) - Rolling out the rebuild

Open Threads Returns!

Brian Casel — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 14:38:33 -0500

Open Threads is returning!

This is a quick update where I (Brian Casel) give you a preview of what's to come in the upcoming weekly episodes of Open Threads. Plus a note on some changes to the format, including an interesting use of "dynamic audio" in Open Threads. Listen in to hear more.

The next full episode will drop on Wednesday, December 13th, followed by new episodes every Wednesday throughout 2024!

Talk soon!

Be Back in a Bit!

Brian Casel — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Hey! Just want to let you know that I’ll be taking a break (for a bit) from recording new episodes of this Open Threads podcast.

But don’t unsubscribe! I promise to come back to this feed with new conversations as soon as the opportunity arises.

In the meantime, be sure to check out my other podcast, Bootstrapped Web, which my co-host Jordan and I continue to publish on a weekly(ish) basis. That show is where we both share our behind-the-scenes real-time stories of running our businesses. 10-years in and our long-time fans really seem to enjoy it. I invite you to come along for the ride there!

I’m always sharing my updates on Twitter @casjam and in my newsletter, which you can subscribe to at briancasel.com.

I’ll be back on this feed soon enough!

Pivoting and Building Awareness for a New Product (in a Competitive Space) with J.R. Farr

Brian Casel — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Lemon Squeezy, the new platform for building SaaS businesses went through quite a few iterations before J.R. Farr and the Make Lemonade crew figured out what it is and who it’s for… And how to make people aware. Lots of gems in this conversation!

Brian and J.R.'s conversation was recorded on February 13, 2023.

Newsletter-Driven Entrepreneurial Exploration with Corbett Barr

Brian Casel — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

I invited Corbett back on the show when I noticed he’s been picking up steam on his Substack-based newsletter, Starting Things. Clearly, he’s in the exploration phase of his next entrepreneurial chapter. The perfect time for an Open Threads check-in :)

Brian and Corbett's conversation was recorded on February 6, 2023.

The Hidden Value Organizing and Attending a Conference for Fellow Founders with Tyler Tringas

Brian Casel — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Founder Summit was one of the best conferences I’ve attended because it’s built on the idea that a conference is really about the relationships, not the headline speakers. Tyler Tringas, founder of Calm Company Fund, takes us through how Founder Summit came together and where it’s going next.

Brian and Tyler's conversation was recorded on January 30, 2023.

Creating Noteworthy Podcasts for Big Brands (as a business) with Harry Morton

Brian Casel — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Harry Morton, founder of Lower Street, is back on the show today to take us inside the creative process behind big brand podcast productions. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill interview shows. This is what next-level podcasting looks like — and how Harry built an amazing agency business around it.

Brian and Harry's conversation was recorded on January 23, 2023.

Forming a Dream Team Partnership with J.R. Farr

Brian Casel — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

In 2020, after a hugely successful run building and exiting MOJO Marketplace, J.R. Farr announced the formation of a “dream team” new company known as Make Lemonade. What they’re making is truly impressive. We get into it!

Brian and J.R's conversation was recorded on January 16, 2023.

Hitting the Creative Reset Button (in between businesses) with Corbett Barr

Brian Casel — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

After building, selling and exiting Fizzle, a community and content-based business, Corbett Barr decided to hit the reset button. How? By deleting all of his social media and past blog content to start with a clean slate. We explore what came next.

Brian and Corbett's conversation was recorded on January 9, 2023.

Starting & Sustaining a Fund for Calm Companies with Tyler Tringas

Brian Casel — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

From bootstrapping and selling a SaaS to… Starting a fund for bootstrapped SaaS companies. Tyler Tringas talks about that transition and what he’s learned since starting and growing Calm Company Fund.

Brian and Tyler's conversation was recorded on January 2, 2023.

Talking Code & Product with Benedikt Deicke

Brian Casel — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

It’s strange how little we talk about the code side of building and running a software business. So Benedikt Deicke, technical co-founder of Userlist, joins me to geek out on Rails, front-end frameworks, software testing, and more.

Brian and Benedikt's conversation was recorded on December 19, 2022.

A Music Production Geek Out Session with Harry Morton

Brian Casel — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

I’m on a quest to geek out with all my founder friends who are also musicians. Harry Morton shares a love for the combo of tech + creativity in music production. We geeked out about pursuing careers in recording studios, synthesizers, making music as a hobby, and buying unnecessary music gear.

Brian and Harry's conversation was recorded on December 12, 2022.

American Founder Life Abroad (and Back) with Craig Hewitt

Brian Casel — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos, moved to France for 5 years but he and his family have moved back here to the States. We unpack life and business abroad vs. stateside and the many tradeoffs.

Brian and Craig's conversation was recorded on December 5, 2022.

Shipping Speed & Deciding What to Build Next with Benedikt Deicke

Brian Casel — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

In SaaS, speed matters. A lot. Benedikt Deicke, co-founder of Userlist, joins me to chat about shipping speed and how we decide what to build next. It’s too easy to get these essentials wrong!

Brian and Benedikt's conversation was recorded on November 28, 2022.

Geeking out on Music Documentaries with Justin Jackson

Brian Casel — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

I could talk for days about music. So can Justin Jackson, cofounder of Transistor. So we geeked out on our favorite bands, documentaries, and how these experiences actually shape us as entrepreneurs (believe it or not!).

Brian and Justin's conversation was recorded on November 21, 2022.

Starting Over with a New SaaS Idea with Nathan Powell

Brian Casel — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

After exiting his 1st SaaS and shuttering all his social media profiles, Nathan Powell is back online with a new idea for a SaaS - Feature Flux. Let’s dig into it.

Brian and Nathan's conversation was recorded on November 14, 2022.

Quitting the Internet (for a while) with Nathan Powell

Brian Casel — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

The story of why Nathan Powell quit the internet for a while after exiting his SaaS business (and why he came back to start his new company, Feature Flux).

Brian and Nathan's conversation was recorded on November 7, 2022.

People Strategy with Tyler King

Brian Casel — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Tyler King, CEO and co-founder of Less Annoying CRM, is back on the show to talk about teams. Remote, in-house, culture, experience, and everything in between.

Brian and Tyler's conversation was recorded on October 31, 2022.

Sharing Our Fails (& Wins) with Craig Hewitt

Brian Casel — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400

Building in public ain’t all about the highlight reel. Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos, and I agree that there’s so much more to learn from our fails. The question is, how can we share them publicly in a helpful (and healthy) way?

Brian and Craig's conversation was recorded on October 25, 2022.

The business of snowboarding (in the ‘90s) with Justin Jackson

Brian Casel — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor, joins me to share the story of how he started a snowboard shop in the late 90s and what, if any, parallels can be drawn to software businesses today.

Brian and Justin's conversation was recorded on October 3, 2022.

Portfolio of products vs. focus on one with Dan Rowden

Brian Casel — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Dan Rowden, founder of ilo, and I share our experiences running multiple products simultaneously vs focusing on one.

Brian and Dan's conversation was recorded on September 26, 2022.

Marketing: More Questions Than Answers with Tyler King (LessAnnoyingCRM)

Brian Casel — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Tyler King, CEO and co-founder of Less Annoying CRM, joins me to commiserate on why marketing a SaaS is so damn hard in 2022.

Brian and Tyler's conversation was recorded on September 19, 2022.

Let’s find Kalen Jordan’s next business idea

Brian Casel — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Kalen Jordan, founder of Commercehero.io, joins me to talk about the next business idea.

Brian and Kalen's conversation was recorded on September 12, 2022.

Twitter in 2022 with Dan Rowden

Brian Casel — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Dan Rowden, founder of ilo.so, joins me to talk about Twitter in 2022

Brian and Dan's conversation was recorded on September 5, 2022.

The business of community with Matt Gartland, CEO of SPI with Pat Flynn

Brian Casel — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Matt Gartland, partner and CEO of Smart Passive Income, joins me to talk about the business of community.

Brian and Matt's conversation was recorded on August 29, 2022.

Transitioning Away From WordPress with Chris Lema

Brian Casel — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Chris Lema joins me to talk about transitioning away from WordPress.

Brian and Chris's conversation was recorded on August 22, 2022.

Coaching as a Profession with Chris Lema

Brian Casel — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Chris Lema, seasoned CEO, experienced product strategist, and respected business coach, joins me to talk about coaching as a profession.

Brian and Chris's conversation was recorded on August 15, 2022.

News diets with Ian Landsman

Brian Casel — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Ian Landsman, founder of Helpspot, joins me to talk all about news diets.

Brian and Ian's conversation was recorded on August 8, 2022.

Media Brand as a Business with Alexis Grant (TheyGotAcquired)

Brian Casel — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Alexis Grant, founder and CEO of They Got Acquired, joins me to talk all about Media Brand as a Business

Brian and Alexis's conversation was recorded on August 1, 2022.

The role of music in our lives with Ben Orenstein

Brian Casel — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Ben Orenstein, co-founder of Tuple, joins me to talk all about the role of music in our lives.

Brian and Ben's conversation was recorded on July 25, 2022.

Life in America vs. life in the UK with Laura Roeder

Brian Casel — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Laura Roeder, co-founder of Paperbell, joins me to talk all about life in America vs. life in the UK.

Brian and Laura's conversation was recorded on July 18, 2022.

Where is web3 going? Ian Landsman explains

Brian Casel — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Ian Landsman, founder of Helpspot, joins me to talk all about where is web3 going.

Brian and Ian's conversation was recorded on July 11, 2022.

Podcast production workflows with Castos executive producer, Matt Medeiros

Brian Casel — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Matt Medeiros joins me to talk all about podcast production workflows.

Brian and Matt's conversation was recorded on July 4, 2022.

Before being “known on the internet” with Ben Orenstein (Tuple)

Brian Casel — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Ben Orenstein, co-founder of Tuple, joins me to talk all about before being “known on the internet”.

Brian and Ben's conversation was recorded on June 27, 2022.

Daddin’ out & taking a hiatus with Joe Howard

Brian Casel — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Joe Howard, marketing founder of Driftly, joins me to talk all about daddin’ out & taking a hiatus.

Brian and Joe's conversation was recorded on June 20, 2022.

A marketer in search of a technical co-founder with Corey Haines

Brian Casel — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Corey Haines, founder of Swipe Files, joins me to talk all about a marketer in search of a technical co-founder.

Brian and Corey's conversation was recorded on June 13, 2022.

Keeping up with demand (while staying sane) with Adam Wathan (TailwindCSS)

Brian Casel — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Adam Wathan joins me again to talk about what it's like to run a massively popular open source software (TailwindCSS)—the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Brian and Adam's conversation was recorded on June 6, 2022.

Transitioning from an exit to your next SaaS with Laura Roeder (Paperbell)

Brian Casel — Mon, 30 May 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Building and selling a business is not a one-day decision, it is a gradual process of moving yourself out of the system and delegating someone to do the tasks you were once doing.

In today’s episode, we are joined by Laura Roeder the founder of a new SaaS product Paperbell. She revisits how she build and later decide to sell Meet Edgar (her previous company) and the business skills and discernment she had while creating and selling her previous company.

Brian and Laura's conversation was recorded on May 30, 2022.

Daily routines and work habits with Justin Jackson

Brian Casel — Mon, 23 May 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Justin Jackson is back with tips on how to effectively manage your team. As the co-founder of Transistor.FM, Justin and I talk strategy on how to create an efficient work plan, project management, and aligning your business goals with your team.

Brian and Justin's conversation was recorded on May 23, 2022.

Competitive product design with Jane Portman (Userlist)

Brian Casel — Mon, 16 May 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Jane Portman, CEO and co-founder of Userlist, chats about the value of marketing through email automation, not only for getting more leads but also for engaging your customers and serving them for longer.

Brian and Jane's conversation was recorded on May 16, 2022.

Year 1 of marketing a new SaaS with Joe Howard (Driftly)

Brian Casel — Mon, 09 May 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Joe Howard of Driftly App joins us on today's episode. He'll talk about how he's hacking through marketing to get through the first year of a new SaaS.

Tune in to this episode and learn more on how you can market a new SaaS and get more potential customers!

Brian and Joe's conversation was recorded on May 9, 2022.

News as a content business model with Matt Medeiros

Brian Casel — Mon, 02 May 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Matt Medeiros, producer of one the longest-running and most respected podcasts, "The WP Minute", spills the secrets of creating a listen-worthy podcast and how podcasts have evolved towards the consumer's timetable.

Brian and Matt's conversation was recorded on May 2, 2022.

The case for media as marketing with Corey Haines

Brian Casel — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Corey Haines, founder and creator of Swipe Files, shares his insights on why to market your business as a media company and position yourself to become the platform for arbitrage. He’s "stair-stepping" his way to entrepreneurship, building a portfolio of small bets to optimize for autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Brian and Corey's conversation was recorded on April 25, 2022.

How does open source software work (as a business)? With Adam Wathan (TailwindCSS)

Brian Casel — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Today Adam Wathan, creator of TailwindCSS, joins me to unpack the concept of open-source software as a thing on the internet - what it means to publish open source, contribute to OSS projects, and what it looks like to manage a massively popular and fast-growing project.

Brian and Adam's conversation was recorded on April 18, 2022.

What should a new podcast be about? Justin Jackson (Transistor.fm) helps me figure it out.

Brian Casel — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 07:00:00 -0400

Am I overthinking this new podcast? Should I stick to a tried-and-true format?

These are the questions you may face when launching a new podcast and.. There isn't any single correct answer to these questions! Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor.FM, helps me sort through all these creative content ideas in episode #1 of Open Threads.

Brian and Justin's conversation was recorded on April 11, 2022.

This is 'Open Threads'

Brian Casel — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 17:08:34 -0400

This is Open Threads, a podcast by Brian Casel featuring conversations with founder friends about life in entrepreneurship. This trailer tells you what the show's all about, what I'm planning for it, and a little bit about me.