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From the bootstrapped founders I've spoken with (and my own experience), hitting 200-500 trials per month is where the business feels like it's working.

(Again: this depends on your price point, churn, CAC)

For me, 200 trials per month was when I went full-time on the business.

@arturo_meza01 But generally, you're "ratcheting up" to that number. It takes time to get up to 200 trials per month (you start at 10, then go to 30, then 50...)

These days I'm thinking of $10K MRR as "ramen profitable" for most solo-founders, and $25k MRR as a "pretty good living."

@alanklement Like everything, it depends.

In years 1-5 I think it makes the most sense to have credit card upfront (and even beyond that sometimes).

Rob and Mike have a great episode on this:
https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-179-when-to-ask-your-customers-for-credit-cards

This advice is mostly for solo-founders (or dual founders) who want to build a small, profitable, bootstrapped company that gives the founders a good living.

People I know in this category (who target SMB) are generally getting at least 200-500 new trials per month.

@spencerfry Yeah, that changes the math substantially. 😉

@spencerfry Was Carbonmade credit card upfront?

I realize there are lots of other variables:
- # of founders and employees you have
- what you want out of the business
- cost to acquire a customer
- churn %, and LTV

But generally:

If you're bootstrapping SaaS, you're likely going to need hundreds of trials per month.

Every product category is different, but let's say your plans are $39/month - $99/month, and you ask for a credit card upfront.

We'll assume trial-to-paid conversion is 40% - 60%.

You'll want at least 200-300 trials per month. (More if you have lower-priced plans).

The biggest problem I see from SaaS who target SMBs is they’re not getting enough trials.

(You'll need more than you think).

@Marketopreneur @IndieHackers @TransistorFM Folks can host multiple podcasts for $19/month, so... nope.

But, we’re happy with how the business is doing. 👍

Love this. ❤️ https://twitter.com/zuzana_kunckova/status/1288113997409947648

@sambgrover Initially thought this meant “$700/month” (which would be insanely cheap in 🇨🇦), but I think your number is $700/week? ($2,800/month)

@_brandswell Just how stressful that stage was!

In that moment, I felt stretched incredibly thin.

Wow! Reading this two years later is interesting... https://twitter.com/joelgascoigne/status/1029729957772177408

RT @IndieHackers: There are now over 9,000 individual podcasts (shows) hosted on @TransistorFM Transistor.

They are serving millions of d…

@ninjaparade lol

@kwuchu 💯

@ninjaparade 🙏

@mrwade I like this idea. 👍

@therealchiko I believe some production apps are using it.

There’s an example app here: https://tallstack.dev

RT @_cgbeas_: @mijustin Totes agree! 💯
I think a good analogy for this would be that of investing: Just because Coca-Cola gave Warren Buff…

@johnnytong I said I was going to take 30-60 days.

I took about 30. 👍

@shawnblanc hahaha. oh lord.

@sethdrebitko Yup. @seanwes is 💯 correct.

If you're learning to surf, it helps to hang out with other people who are also learning.

(As opposed to trying to get Kelly Slater's attention)

4. If your current surf spot isn't producing good waves, move on. Sitting in a pond waiting for a big wave won't do you any good!

5. Likewise: don't try to turn a small wave into a big wave! It's unlikely to get bigger. 😉 Move on.

@debugging @TransistorFM A lot of it had to do with this:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1288531245673013248

@robmerki It's not always about who works the hardest.

You definitely need skills to catch a good wave. But equally important is *where* you show up. Are you in the right waters?

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1288531245673013248

@JensBackbom In this sense, yes:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1288531733541875713

2. Develop your skillset. Practice by catching little waves. Paddle every day.

3. Develop your network. Build relationships with other people who catch waves. They might tip you off: "Hey, this wave would be perfect for you."

How to put yourself in a good position to catch the next wave:

1. Be on the lookout for good "surf spots." What industry, market, or sector is showing potential? What are you seeing that could develop into a much larger wave?

Yes, you can be inspired by your heroes' stories.

But ultimately, what we learn from their stories is simply this: "they caught a good wave."

The takeaway: learn how to spot, catch, and ride a good wave.

"What would Steve Jobs do?"
"How did Convertkit kickstart their growth?"
"Why was Basecamp so successful in the early years?

None of that matters as much as you think it does.

We spend way too much time trying to deconstruct the journey of our heroes.

They gained their success at a different time; what worked for them probably won’t work for us.

Forget about your heroes.

Figure out what works for *you*, at *this* moment.

@nathanbarry @adamwathan & @steveschoger –> Tailwind UI
me (👋) @ @jonbuda --> @TransistorFM
@pjrvs & @JackEllis --> @usefathom
@taylorotwell --> Forge

@chasewreeves @TransistorFM @jonbuda Nothing official, but I have a little demo video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JlfCLbmDBg&feature=youtu.be

@jtallant @friendsinaustin Thanks! We appreciate the encouragement.

RT @stacyfmitchell: You ask: If Amazon gets all this revenue from sellers, why would it squeeze them to death?

The answer we found is grim…

@AaronWeiche @TransistorFM @jonbuda Thank you!

@jacobgorban @jonbuda About 1 million. 😉

@mattmcgee @HomeLightApp Thanks so much Matt! We really appreciate the kind words. ❤️

@_francislavoie @calebporzio @TransistorFM @jonbuda @caddyserver Yup! Still using Caddy. 👍

@jetnumismatics @TransistorFM Thank you! ❤️

@noahwbragg Nope, we haven’t hit that yet. 😉

If you're making podcasts, we'd love to have you on @transistorfm! ✌️

@jonbuda and I are working on making it better every day. (We now serve over 9,000 different shows!)

@coreyhainesco @ljin18 @TransistorFM 💯 Don't sleep on Transistor!

@GSto They appear in your feed immediately.

However, Apple has been ridiculously slow in updating lately.

Their new official response is that it takes "up to 24 hours" for an episode to appear in Apple Podcasts (mobile, desktop, web).

@nthnclrk @csallen @DaveJackson I talked a bit about it here: https://transistor.fm/make-money-podcasting/

@SIPmyTHOUGHTS Editing has always been the most time-consuming part for me as well.

Although, lately I’ve been editing in Descript and I’m finding it goes a lot faster:

https://app.descript.com/r/HkLbabKnG

@johnkoetsier Thanks! Let me know if you have other questions. Happy to answer them! 👍

@johnkoetsier @TransistorFM 👋 Hi John, I'm one of the co-founders (and I'm here in BC as well!). I made a quick video for you:

https://youtu.be/Rzow-UazzNA

@spext_it @_anupg It’s here as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKl-LktM0lk

@alancassinelli @AlmanacDocs 👍

@alancassinelli @AlmanacDocs Done: https://almanac.io/articles/39559/checklist-podcast-launch-promotion

@tristanbailey Yup! You can create a trailer episode retroactively. 👍

Podcast launch & promotion checklist https://www.pscp.tv/w/ceYsCjM4NTU1MXwxbXJHbUVsZ1l5Tkd5UAPIOoE4OJ-Vr3V4fxxeiKYDypORJh0FgclcSwu6zhY=

@TheDavisson Can you DM me the email address you're using? Wondering if you're using the right one...

@TheDavisson Yikes. I’ll ask @podia what’s goin on.

@jackmcdade @michaeldyrynda Nice! 🙌

Congrats to @digitaltrouble for launching https://playgroup.community/! 🎉

We just moved @megamaker over to it today (from Discourse) and members are really happy with it. 👍

@CasJam @JordanGal you two were discussing this on the show. It might be interesting for you to see how Screener use looks later on.

I've been using @heyhey for the last 3 months.

I made a quick video about how I use it, and what my account looks like now. (Definitely different than folks who are just signing up; especially the Screener!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrULEGjdAI&feature=youtu.be

RT @mijustin: It’s OK to move on.

https://justinjackson.ca/moving-on

Reading this now: scientists discuss the effect of affluence on climate change.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16941-y

@VicVijayakumar I'll be going silent. 🙏

@matteing Thanks. I've got two days left to write all my important tweets! 😜

Reading this now. Highly recommended. 👍 https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/status/1277573850297966592

Hey folks,

Starting July 1st, I'm going to be taking my annual break from Twitter, Instagram, FB, LinkedIn. I'll probably be off 30-60 days.

If you normally message me on here, please use my email.

Thanks! ✌️

@halarewich 👋 welcome to the Okanagan!

RT @Abadesi: White people keep asking us @hustlecrewlive what they can do to be more inclusive without giving Black people more work.

It's…

RT @egarbugli: In this post, entrepreneur @mijustin explains why the market founders choose, and the idea they choose to focus on are often…

@c_osazuwa Yup. It’s so odd!

(Btw - have you seen any good examples lately? I’d love to see them)

RT @William_Njo: Rock music at Nigerian weddings needs to be normalised!! 😫😂 Love this! 😫

Love the work @venikunche is doing.

Go follow @DiversifyTechCo and help her get to 10,000 followers! https://twitter.com/venikunche/status/1277240339447808000

@GeoffTRoberts Yeah, I want to know who those folks are!

@ninjaparade 🥰

@skulegirl Thank you! I’ll read this.

@EspreeDevora 🥰

Which SaaS success stories don’t get talked about enough in the bootstrapped space?

@tylertringas Whoa. This could definitely provide some leverage (especially if it’s widely adopted).

Thanks Ryan! Those numbers are going 📈! https://twitter.com/rjs/status/1277337284359024640

@ianlandsman Congratulations! 🎊

@robinbechtel The problem is this foam is already installed.

Anyone here have thoughts on spray foam insulation? (Toxicity + how it might affect home resale value in the future).

This is the stuff that’s in the house we’re thinking of buying.

@manuel_frigerio @louisnicholls_ Ok. I’m happy to jump on a call to hash this out if you two want. We could record it for a podcast.

Sometime next week?

@manuel_frigerio @louisnicholls_ Go back and read my whole thread.

I never said: “don’t talk about benefits.”

@manuel_frigerio @louisnicholls_ Yes! Those companies are using this new benefit-driven approach (I think to their detriment).

Maybe to appeal to large enterprise customers?

https://twitter.com/clintavo/status/1276864953002196992?s=21 https://twitter.com/clintavo/status/1276864953002196992

@manuel_frigerio @louisnicholls_ I didn’t say you shouldn’t talk about benefits!

What I’m railing against is the idea of writing long, benefit-driven copy, as opposed to specifically telling me what your app does.

@louisnicholls_ @manuel_frigerio I’ve answered thousands of support tickets, chats, calls from potential customers across 3 different SaaS products.

90% of what people want clarity on is:
- what features we have
- how our features work

Most visitors don’t need to be convinced they need (product category).

@louisnicholls_ @manuel_frigerio Hey is a bad example.

Basecamp can get away with long-form manifestos here at launch because of their big audience, and built-up goodwill.

They’re making a splash.

But once their personal reach runs out, they’ll likely return to traditional form.

RT @mijustin: A marketing site should be for people who have a high level of awareness about the product category. (You're not teaching peo…

@kallemoen Exactly. That’s part of my point.

Awareness is built in community, conversations, ads, blog posts, press, PR, tutorials, etc.

I don’t think it happens on a homepage that often.

@manuel_frigerio Yes, but you’ve just revealed how awareness is truly built: in community, conversations, blog posts, tutorials, ads, etc.

I don’t think it happens on a homepage that often.

My whole thread is about the marketing site, and specifically, the homepage.

“Globally the wealthiest 10% are responsible for half of all emissions, the wealthiest 20% for 70% of emissions.“ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/26/leading-scientist-criticises-uk-over-its-climate-record

@rsobers @boaticus @jitbit Yes. Awareness can be built in ad campaigns too.

My thread is about marketing sites, and more specifically, homepages.

@theideasofchris @VCFryer @hnshah I’m railing against the idea of writing long, benefit-driven copy, as opposed to telling me what an app does.

If you’re a CRM tell me you’re a CRM. Then tell me how your product works, and what makes it different.

Also, I think mentioning benefits (alongside features) is fine.

@smgrieser Wow! That’s impressive! 😮

@tranhelen I’d love to see both versions!

What I’m railing against is the idea of writing long, benefit-driven copy, as opposed to specifically telling me what your app does.

This “so what?” methodology is a good example. To me, it leads to fluffy, abstract copy.

It’s enough to tell me “this oven preheats fast!”

@nthnclrk @louisnicholls_ What I’m railing against is this idea of writing abstract benefit-driven copy, as opposed to specifically telling me what your app does.

This “so what?” methodology is a good example. To me, it leads to fluffy, abstract copy.

It’s enough to tell me “the oven preheats quickly.”

Who lands on a random company website when they’re “just browsing,” anyway?”

Feels like companies are optimizing for folks just stumbling upon their site accidentally.

If folks are landing on your site, it’s because it was recommended to them (friend, search engine, article).