Tweets

@SloanCam Yup, I agree. Freelancing is a good way to climb the “freedom ladder.” 👍

@kaelyndG @SloanCam just listened to ep32. Really enjoyed it!

I recommend both: have savings + consistent cashflow from your side project BEFORE you quit your job.

(Especially if you have kids)

Getting to a spot where you’re desperate for cash (when you’ve hit a dry spell) is the worst. https://twitter.com/levelsio/status/1328133976175882240

@adamwathan Innovation vs compatibility

@jamesvandyne Omg no

@takeitev What would you use the $100k for?

@nessavay Is it the specific work you’re doing now?

Or you’d just prefer having 3-day weekends?

@paleochef You’re living the best life! 🙌

@wagonza Lol

@TheJonFedor Meetings and the alarm clock are not popular.

@typeoneerror Are you there yet? Is this a practice that’s already in place?

@kevinleeme Oh man. I’m scared to look at my blog and see how many times I’ve used these. 😅

@noahkagan I’ve been enjoying your podcast lately. It feels like you’ve switched to a different channel lately: everything feels more human, more empathetic.

Just finished your episode with @fortelabs. It feels like I “get” him more now. Really great conversation.

What would you remove from your Monday if you could?

@MattGiovanisci 🎶 I can’t put my pipes in the wall

Brilliant.

@akebrattberg There’s @smithtimmytim who’s building @bokehdotpics (but it’s more of a Instagram style app)

@krishnanrohit What does your Sunday look like?

@AlexZerbach What does your Saturday look like?

@peterimoore Not enough sleep? Or a really big task to accomplish?

What’s your ideal Monday look like?

@theartofchristi Tell me it ain’t so!

@adamwathan 😍

@adamwathan @bradlc I would like @bradlc to come and work for Transistor. 😜

@CasJam For me it’s “Killing in the Name of”

@hnshah “Half your love” by @BahamasMusic:

https://music.apple.com/ca/album/half-your-love/1526195267?i=1526195556

@flybayer Yes. 🎯

Here’s the episode link:

https://overcast.fm/+Q-RcT6X1M

“The weather is the conductor of the symphony of leaf blowers.” – @DCoulbourne

(If you’re not listening to @noplanstomerge, what are you doing with your Saturday?)

@thewatts @TransistorFM We’re still publishing @buildyoursaas btw. 😉 give it a listen and catch up!

@stubalcombe @TransistorFM Thank you! 🙏

@taimurabdaal Lol. Love the accent!

@LashaKrikheli Thanks! 🙏

@RaulOnRails @TransistorFM @fairremote Yes! 🙌

@thewatts @TransistorFM Yes! 🙌

I went full-time in April 2019.
Jon went full-time in August 2019.

Now, we're both making more than we did in our previous tech roles. 🎉

Here's my 2019 year-in-review:
https://justinjackson.ca/2019-review

@mattscottnelson @TransistorFM Yes!!! I saw that! 🙌

Thank you! ❤️

😮 At @TransistorFM we're super close to hitting a substantial milestone (for a small indie company).

🤞 We'd love to hit it before the end of 2020.

🎙️ If you're starting a podcast (for fun or at work), we'd love to have you as a customer!

https://transistor.fm/?via=justin

Founders: what’s the ideal company size? (For you)

How do you know?

What is the optimal team size? (for you)

@valsopi I’m getting zen just seeing this photo! 🙏

@MichaelIshri @ianlandsman +1

@derrickreimer Oh yeaaaaaaaah!

@dohertyjf 🙏

@_braindev Also worth checking out @arvidkahl’s latest episode: https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/status/1327327746935181312

@rodreegez I know. I know.

@EricaJoy Sambuca

RT @mijustin: The customer's "desire + ability to pay" also encapsulates things like LTV, churn, CAC, etc.

If folks have the desire + abil…

@StephenWilson 😂

RT @mijustin: 1. Identify a good market

Really, this means "unsatiated demand."

People want a thing, or want to accomplish a task, or wan…

RT @mijustin: The vacuum salesperson goes door to door, desperately looking for customers.

But people seek out Dyson. Customers come to th…

RT @mijustin: Usually, the question isn't:

"Where do I find customers?"

It's:

"Why aren't customers finding me?"

Usually, the question isn't:

"Where do I find customers?"

It's:

"Why aren't customers finding me?"

@VerdonschotGijs I think you can hustle at the beginning to prove out a concept.

But ongoing, to have a sustainable business, people have to consistently be looking for “accommodation in San Jose, CA” on Google and finding you.

The vacuum salesperson goes door to door, desperately looking for customers.

But people seek out Dyson. Customers come to them. They're already in motion.

(Note that I didn't say "a consistent way for you to find customers.")

I believe customers should already be searching for a solution. There should be some form of existing momentum.

People want something; you're giving it to them.

Your product needs a consistent way that customers find you.

🗣️ Referrals: "Have you heard about Shure's new MV7 mic? It sounds really good"

⌨️ Search: "alternative to bootstrap css"

🏆 Reviews: "Wirecutter thinks this is the best humidifier you can buy"

@rikjanssen @jonbuda Way more community + momentum in @laravelphp right now.

That’s where the excitement is.

💯 When deal-flow is slow or inconsistent it's really hard to build a business (especially in SaaS).

https://twitter.com/smgrieser/status/1326999312480358400

3. Attracts customers consistently

The market should move towards your product naturally. It shouldn't take too much pulling from you.

(If anything, you're just gently nudging folks toward your product)

@seanwes Yes! What the heck?

Keep in mind, it's not just features that pull people to buy.

Sometimes people buy just because they like your brand more (even if your product is only marginally better).

🍅 Heinz Ketchup > No Name Ketchup

Branding can be a big moat.

@GaryGaspar Yup. That's a combination of items 2 & 3.

For example, on 2:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1326999047308075008

@smgrieser Yup. When deal flow is slow or inconsistent it's really hard to build a business (especially in SaaS).

The customer's "desire + ability to pay" also encapsulates things like LTV, churn, CAC, etc.

If folks have the desire + ability to pay, they'll:

- keep paying for a long time
- pay prices that create margin
- be reasonably affordable to acquire + keep

2. Create something they'll pay for

This is about building a compelling product.

Software needs to be fast, intuitive, responsive. You need features that are so good, people will switch to get them.

Your app should satiate your customers' desires. "More reliable, faster."

More examples of "unsatiated demand:"

📡 @hostifi_net: Ubiquiti’s wifi platform is popular, but there was no good way for IT providers to manage installs.

📹 high-quality webcam: there's still a huge opportunity for a 4k, high-bandwidth camera, that syncs with pro mics.

@abhishekray07 Yes. For me "their desire + ability to pay" encapsulates the customer's LTV, churn, etc. If they want to pay to solve the problem, they'll keep paying.

What does "unsatiated demand" look like?

⌨️ @tuple: devs liked Screenhero, and then Slack killed it. The only other options were Zoom and Skype.

🖥️ @tailwindcss: devs want to get better at design. Devs were "sick of overriding unwanted styles, and fighting with Bootstrap."

1. Identify a good market

Really, this means "unsatiated demand."

People want a thing, or want to accomplish a task, or want to make their life better in some way... but they still haven't found what they're looking for.

They're unsatisfied with their current options.

A startup's success hinges on three things:

- your ability to identify a good market
- your ability to create something they'll pay for
- your ability to attract those customers consistently

@tillkruss @paulredmond @tnorthcutt @davidhemphill Where's that monitor stand / riser from?

A thought about Substack: lots of folks are writing off these subscriptions as a business expense (like subscribing to industry trade magazines).

Something to keep in mind if you’re thinking about starting a paid newsletter. 📰

(Focus on industry, finance, business, tech)

@hughesyph Lol. Good point

I just trimmed my nose hairs which means THE PANDEMIC IS OFFICIALLY OVER.

@shellen Yup 👉 https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1326253714366111744

@spencerfry What. Omg.

@happydragos I can understand that.

Functioning human societies require trust in shared institutions, but those same institutions can (sometimes) abuse that trust.

Here in Canada I’d say our public institutions are:

- not perfect
- need to get better
- overall a net positive for citizens

Yes, and:

Bootstrapping forces you to say “yes” to the right things:

- the right market
- the right timing
- the right fit for you as a founder https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/status/1326601687587561478

@csallen Lol.

My wife and I did the same thing! Made a cake last night and also... cake for breakfast!

@arvidkahl Yes, and:

Bootstrapping forces you to say “yes” to the right things: the right market, the right timing, the right fit for you as a founder.

@spencerfry @r00k My point is, there are lots of examples of small indie companies making better products than their counterparts who have large teams + more funding (@ajlkn, @ugmonk, @honeybadgerapp, @mailbrew, @dr).

Bigger team doesn’t automatically equal “better software.”

@spencerfry @r00k I disagree with this part Spencer. 😉

Yes, there examples of indies making bad apps.

But I’m continually amazed what a small team of 2-3 can do when compared with multi-billion dollar megacorps.

I think Transistor (as a 2-person team) stands up against much larger competitors.

@FORSBERGtwo 😍

(And, welcome to 40!)

@_braindev @nathanbarry @robwalling @Patticus And, I wrote some thoughts about pricing here:

https://justinjackson.ca/charge-more

@_braindev @nathanbarry And we had a conversation with @robwalling and @Patticus about pricing as well:

https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/saas-pricing-experts

@_braindev A quick interview with @nathanbarry:

https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/what-does-nathan-barry-think-of-podcast-hosting-pricing

@_braindev We explore it in a few different episodes:

https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/pricing-transistor

@happydragos But, haven’t some profit-seeking companies also proved themselves untrustworthy in the past?

(The tobacco industry, the Ford Pinto, Exxon Valdez oil spill)

And isn’t the New York Times also a company serving customers? Do you trust them?

“Election officials in dozens of states representing both political parties said that there was no evidence that fraud or other irregularities played a role in the outcome of the presidential race.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/politics/voting-fraud.html?referringSource=articleShare

@lesley_pizza 🎯 “Needs to be similar to pricing they’re used to.”

One of my favorite parts of working with @jonbuda is that we give each other the space to “downshift to a slower pace” whenever we need it. 🙏 https://twitter.com/NateZeisler/status/1321837948996759553

@mikecodemonkey @buildyoursaas More susceptible in a weak economy.

@jamesrsowers @jimmy_daly thx!

A question I'm exploring on the @buildyoursaas podcast:

Lots of SaaS companies are going after makers. (Gumroad, Podia, Substack, ConvertKit, Circle, Playgroup).

How fragile is this prosumer market?

https://overcast.fm/+MBmW9I1BA

Human society requires a baseline of trust in shared institutions.

That isn't to say our institutions are perfect or don't need the occasional correction.

But if we throw it all away, we get anarchy.

@happydragos Human society requires a baseline of trust in shared institutions.

With Archbee, you trust a variety of vendors: their docs, their press releases.

Vendors can (and sometimes do!) mislead people. But generally, they’re trustworthy.

If we throw it all away, that’s anarchy.

🎯 A random video you found on youtube is not more trustworthy than the NYT, WP, BBC, CBC, PBS, etc...

Yes, mainstream media isn't perfect. There are definitely issues of trust and bias that need to be addressed.

But they're better than trusting anon Twitter accounts. https://twitter.com/sol_orwell/status/1326203753863782400

@theDanielJLewis @ApplePodcasts 👀

@Shpigford @Baremetrics Congrats! Thanks for sharing this. Luv u. ❤️

@MattGiovanisci Niiiiiiice 🔥

@MattGiovanisci Whoa!