Tweets

@jonfitzsimon For me: number of daily meaningful connections.

Startup founders: “It’s like jumping off a cliff and trying to build a plane on the way down!"

Bootstrappers: “Let’s step away from the cliff and build a small plane that works.”

@dvassallo @_rchase_ Yes! “Latent awareness” has a bunch of benefits. Having people rooting for us has been incredible. ❤️

But it’s not great at driving consistent demand. Other channels are far more reliable.

(However, leveraging those other channels is easier when you have an audience)

@misterparker It can work well (especially for info products), but a personal following can lead to a reverse conundrum:

fishing around for a problem/desire that a sufficient number of your (random) followers share.

@_rchase_ Yup, it definitely helped that many of the "maker, entrepreneur, bootstrapper, dev" folks in my audience *also* were interested in starting podcasts.

But they make up a small % of our customers now.

(the % was higher while in beta - probably 75%+ of users came from my audience)

The problem with having lots of followers is they're aligned around you, instead of being aligned around a problem-space.

If you're looking to build a product company, you need a group of people looking for that solution!

In most cases, only a tiny % of your audience will care.

Having an audience certainly provided me with an advantage in the podcasting space, but it's no substitute for overall customer demand.

I'd take "thousands of non-fans actively searching for a solution" over "thousands of Twitter fans" any day.

@_rchase_ @robwalling @arvidkahl @hostifi_net 🎯 Yes!

@rskopecek If you’re in Canada, the worry is definitely “USA invades and takes property.” 😅

@robwalling Yes! 🙌

Audience certainly provided me with an unfair advantage in the podcasting space, but it's no substitute for overall customer demand.

I'd take "thousands of non-fans actively searching for a solution" over a Twitter/blog following any day.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1303420189564833792

Nice to see @robwalling chiming in on this topic as well:

https://twitter.com/robwalling/status/1306591312498405376

@shea_dizzle Congrats! We're excited to have @TransistorFM integrate with you folks. 👍

RT @mijustin: 🔭 You should look for demonstrated demand, but that doesn't mean it will be obvious or easy to spot!

👉 Most likely, you'll s…

@takeitev Easier to invade.

@jongold If you invade, you won’t have to!

Think of the implications of this for Canada-USA relations.

https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration

RT @mijustin: "Build it and they will come?" YES!

If the demand is there, and you're the right founder for the job, and you've built a pro…

RT @mijustin: Before you build a product, you're looking for *evidence of demand*.

Sometimes, folks are already buying products in a categ…

@conarro I agree, those types of competitors are a challenge!

@conarro Yup. It’s true.

But often, the small players are stealing market share from the big incumbent.

@conarro It’s more of an ideal: if you’re going into an existing category, its nice if a slower-moving incumbent has done a bunch of the “category definition” work.

But, yes, not every existing category has this.

@vinthanedar This question came up in the livestream as well! Here’s my answer:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1306007990890307584?s=20

@harriskenny @robwalling @randfish 🙌

@levidxyz A few things:

- Opportunity: lots of new people starting podcasts (burgeoning wave)

- Gap: old crusty solutions with a lot of cruft.

- Advantages: Jon has built a podcast hosting app before, network of folks in the industry, I had an audience, product/dev/marketing skills.

@RJMcCollam This came up on the livestream too!

I answered it here:
https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1306007990890307584

"What do you think about the CRM/PM/Metrics market?"

It doesn't matter what I think. 😉

What matters is:

- how have you seen demand demonstrated in that market?
- what gaps exist that nobody else is serving?
- what strengths, skills, and connections do you bring to the table?

@noahwbragg 🤣

@noahwbragg 😄

Clearing up this misunderstanding https://www.pscp.tv/w/ci_bwTM4NTU1MXwxbW54ZWxPemF2cUpYsGAyooxEcOXGWUgU02fWzXOi6U6wzTn8JLVsAFXuLi4=

Look for momentum that's building, not a wave that's cresting.

The examples I give are of founders who saw an opportunity at the right time and had the skills, connections, and resources to take advantage of it.

Don't ride their wave, find your own!

https://twitter.com/tylertringas/status/1303886991151505409

When I use examples of successful companies it's for *context*.

I'm not advising that you go and try to start a similar product in a similar market just because it worked for them! 🤦‍♂️

These examples are illustrative, not prescriptive!

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1303890067681804290

@atChrisWagner ❤️ Thanks!

🔭 You should look for demonstrated demand, but that doesn't mean it will be obvious or easy to spot!

👉 Most likely, you'll spot opportunities in spaces you're already spending time in.

👀 Look for folks demonstrating effort (time or money) who haven't found a good solution.

I'm not advocating that anybody go head-to-head with incumbents unless they truly have the ability to do so.

Beginner surfers shouldn't compete with Kelly Slater. But, if you're Italo Ferreira... go for it!

(@docsketch can go after Docusign because Ruben has serious SEO skills)

If customers already have multiple options (that they're happy with) it's most likely a low-demand opportunity.

This is why bootstrappers probably shouldn't build another to-do app, project management app, etc...

(unless you've truly noticed some untapped demand).

@atChrisWagner Nice. You might like the full post I wrote earlier this year. 🙌

https://justinjackson.ca/surfing

@stveaux Exactly. And... you might not need (or want) to ride a tsunami!

https://justinjackson.ca/surfing

Another misinterpretation:

"Market with demand" ≠ "Popular" or "easy" market

None of this is easy. Most good opportunities are not obvious (especially to outsiders).

You're looking for evidence of unmet demand in a category that you understand!

It doesn't matter how good of a surfer you are.

🌊 No wave? 🏄‍♂️ No surfing.

It doesn't matter how talented of a founder you are.

🌊 No demand? 🏄‍♂️ No business.

"Build it and they will come?" YES!

If the demand is there, and you're the right founder for the job, and you've built a product that meets the demand, and your timing is right, and you've found some good distribution channels, then...

Yes, they *will* come.

@DanielZarick @jasondoesstuff @asmartbear lol. was already clarifying this in my next tweet.

@jesseleite85 Lots of demand there. You're the right founder for the job.

Go forth, and be profitable!

@DanielZarick @jasondoesstuff @asmartbear Yes. If the demand is there, and you're the right founder for the job, and you build a product that satisfied that demand, they *will* come.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1305956803851685888

There's a huge misunderstanding here.

When surfers spot an oncoming wave, their ability to ride it depends on how good they are, their position in the water, etc.

The skills, network, timing, and execution of the founding team *do* matter. (But without a wave, they're useless)

Another misconception (@jasondoesstuff said I could share)

I'm not saying everyone should start a coffee shop!

"The point of the metaphor is: don’t do demand-generation. Rather go where demand is built-in; then, it's easier (even when there are competitors)." – @asmartbear

Before you build a product, you're looking for *evidence of demand*.

Sometimes, folks are already buying products in a category, but they're itching for a better solution.

Other times, you might notice folks putting considerable effort into hacking together their own solution.

@MBAkinlabi It's more nuanced than that, but generally, yes.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1305948144367091712

@RickLindquist Be patient. 😉 I'm writing a whole thread. Keep reading.

(Hat tip to @alanklement for the concept of "willingness to pay")

https://twitter.com/alanklement/status/1305947004602920962

First, let's get some semantics out of the way.

When I talk about a "market" I'm describing *the sum of demand* for a particular thing:

1) Number of potential customers
2) How much they spend
3) The frequency at which they buy
4) Their willingness to pay

@alanklement I like this.

People seem to be misunderstanding me when I say:

"Go after a market with strong demand."

I'm NOT saying:

🙅‍♂️ "Build a product in a popular market."
🙅‍♂️ "Build a product in a market with lots of competitors."
🙅‍♂️ "Build a copycat when you notice a product doing well."

@lorindaapps 😩 Brutal.

@natalienagele Love it! 🙌

@pascallaliberte This doesn’t quite work here, because building an audience *is* helpful, but not always necessary.

@yongfook @bannerbearHQ Podcast length. 😁

@yongfook @bannerbearHQ Any limits to how long the audio file can be?

@GSto That was @jackmcdade!

Talk about depreciating assets!

CNET gets marked down $1.3 billion, and is sold by Viacom for $500 million.

https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/

Three possible futures for the oil industry.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-13/bp-says-the-era-of-oil-demand-growth-is-over

(tl;dr – at best, demand will be flat. More likely: demand will decrease)

@tillkruss @ThePurpleAir 😱

@ow 😫 We need climate action right now.

Current readings on @ThePurpleAir: #11/50.2953/-119.241" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/mAQI/a10/cC0&select=41117#11/50.2953/-119.241

The climate doesn’t care about borders.

Wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon has drifted thousands of miles north to my sleepy little town in #vernonBC. (AQI is currently 258)

RT @KHayhoe: It will NOT start getting cooler, because carbon emissions from human activities continue to increase. How sure are we? Very,…

@valentinprgnd One odd thing is that @ThePurpleAir shows #vernonbc as being worse than Vancouver right now!

@buildyoursaas @coreyhainesco @c_spags Yes!! Listening now. 🤙

@krobertsons brutal. 😩

@joen_co Air Visual

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/airvisual-air-quality-forecast/id1048912974

I’m in #vernonbc, and I can’t sleep because of the smoke. 😩

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in Portland right now. Sending you folks lots of ❤️.

@brendanmcadams @janelleallen Thanks! 🥰

@jitbit (Alanis Morissette plays in the background)

@outlastmusic @TransistorFM @jonbuda I just listened. You’re doing great!

For promotion, I have some tips here: https://transistor.fm/ideas-promote-podcast

@jonathanpwheat @justinvincent @techzing @buildyoursaas Thanks!

@oprylamb Aww. Thanks.

We gotta convince @kylefox to come do a reboot!

@saronyitbarek It really depends whether or not I own the company. 😉

I would work on @TransistorFM for the rest of my life, I would.

@theleviallen @gilesvangruisen Haha me too!

@greggblanchard Loved that one too.

@gilesvangruisen Totally. That show was my "ride the bus to work companion" for years!

@DruRly really impressed with what you're doing with https://trends.vc/! It's so well done.

Just subscribed to Trends Pro. 👍

@JoshDoody YESSSSS

@gilesvangruisen Do you think you'd still like it if they were doing the same format now?

What are some podcasts that you ❤️ but are no longer in production?

@tillkruss @shl @ObjectCachePro Nice worK! 🙌

@jansn @michiels Exactly. The macro "pull of the market" should exist outside your influence.

@thejonotron That’s the Blue Compass. Listed here:

#packages" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/#packages

@bimschleger Totally.

Checking in. How's everyone doing?

💚 Doing well. Feeling safe, creative, in a state of flow.

💛 Feeling slightly worried or anxious. Teetering.

🔴 Feeling depressed, desperate, or panicked.

@pekpongpaet @seanwes This is it here:
https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1304473755326885888

My total audio setup is the “pro setup” here:
#packages" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/#packages

@dzohrob @ChartableDotCom @Initialized @anthonyha @TechCrunch 🕺 Nice! 💃

@KeliWestgate That’s the one disadvantage! 😅

@chrisfosterelli @seanwes I just have no idea what i'm doing. 😜

Anyways, @seanwes is brilliant at video.

I think he's almost completely booked right now, but if you can grab a spot on his http://DailyContentMachine.co you should. 👍

@typeoneerror YES!

@alexd @seanwes @theleviallen More than 30 minutes? Yup.

A few folks are asking for my camera + settings:

I have a Panasonic Lumix G7 plugged in all the time (HDMI out into a Camlink 4K in my iMac).

I ended up going with these settings:
- 4K, 24 fps
- AFS autofocus
- Photo style: "Natural" (nothing custom for now)

@__mharrison__ @seanwes Pansonic Lumix G7.

These days I just have it plugged into power all the time (no battery) and then plugged into my iMac with the Camlink 4K.

@alexd @seanwes I bought @theleviallen's Pansonic Lumix G7 a few years ago.

These days I just have it plugged into power all the time (no battery) and then plugged into my iMac with the Camlink 4K.

Now, I can just turn it on and start recording. 👍

My main shot for video tutorials and live streams had a ton of Gaussian noise (I had my ISO set too high).

Glad Sean pushed me to clean it up. 😉

I've been recording video with the wrong settings on my DSLR for 2+ years. 🤦‍♂️

@seanwes notices it, and says: "Let's jump on a call and fix it."

5 minutes later, MUCH BETTER VIDEO.