Tweets

@robgough Dang! I didn't get to this one.

Simply: we needed to focus all of our time and attention on Transistor.

We still like the idea, but it's definitely on the back burner now.

@asmartbear @wpengine @HeyFlywheel Whoa! That's huge news. 🙌

Hi folks! I'm recording a Q&A episode of @buildyoursaas today.

Have questions about bootstrapping, starting a software company, getting traction, finding cofounders?

AMA! (reply in thread or DM me)

How can I manage multiple podcasts for my clients? https://www.pscp.tv/w/b-EDbzM4NTU1MXwxdkF4UldNTXZyYUtsl6IsYBeWCpDw41lHiTlSIcUWgry4McNDtGw7RJGkMWs=

@NoahPrail I usually go to http://MicroConf.com

This will be my 3rd time at @LaraconUS.

I used to go to XOXO.

Lately, I've been going to more smaller retreats (instead of big conferences).

@TedFlitton @TransistorFM @podsummit @ebarbaric Thanks Ted!

Some of my biggest revelations have come from meeting new people and having my eyes opened:

“Wow! That’s POSSIBLE?!?”

@abadir_ yeah! just got busy with my @podsummit talk 👌

Generally, we only see the reality in front of us.

"This is how much money the people I know make."

"This is what most businesses look like."

"Most folks think about life this way."

Meeting folks outside your social circle can open your eyes to the possibilities that exist outside of your bubble.

RT @StegoSarahs: Really enjoyed my time at #podsummit today. Thanks for having me @podsummit and shout out to my fellow speakers @schwabeme…

I had an awesome time at @podsummit, meeting podcasters from across Western Canada (and even Atlanta, Georgia!) #podsummit

@raspberrysarah i think you’re going to be friends with a plant for real

One last morning at @philandseb in #yyc before I fly home to Vernon. 👌

@adamwathan the man is onto you man

@owenconti I'm in East Village! Leaving tomorrow, but I'll be back at @philandseb for coffee tomorrow morning. 👌

RT @KarenUnland: Bless @mijustin for such kind words about @thatsathingYEG at #podsummit. We aim to serve!

@SNewmanPodcast @podsummit Thanks so much Shaun! That means a lot. 🙌

@KarenUnland @thatsathingYEG ❤️

@kayak360 Thank you!

“If you want your podcast to be a business, you need to be an entrepreneur first, and a podcaster second.” – @mykemacapinlac

#podsummit

Good reasons to start a podcast:

- you have something to say
- you want to hear what others have to say
- you want to learn more about a topic
- it’s fun!

(from @StegoSarahs on the @podsummit stage)

Really inspiring to hear @schwabemeister describe the impact of podcasting on his life:

“The best point of view is empathy. It’s human stories that resonate.”

#podsummit

@danielbuda @TransistorFM How about a show about Muppets

I'm in Calgary for the weekend. 👌

Speaking at @podsummit tomorrow, but I'll also have some free time before I fly out on Sunday. DM me if you'd like to meet up!

coffee and donut at @ratiovernon before I head to #yyc for @podsummit!

Looking forward to meeting some @transistorfm podcasters in calgary!

@RamliJohn @brennandunn @TransistorFM honestly, nowadays it’s best to use something like Overcast, Castro, or @bulletaudio to make these.

On the desktop Headliner is your best bet!

@misterparker It's not enough to know if they dislike it. You want to know if they've actually tried to do something about it (and what they've tried).

If they haven't been motivated enough to try to solve it on their own, there's likely not enough there to build a product around.

@misterparker More important: "What have you done about it?"

If your organization needs multiple podcasts, you'll want to use @TransistorFM. 💪

"This is huge! Most other podcast services charge an ungodly fee for each show."

@ugmonk We have lots of folks who click on this one in http://Transistor.fm.

It doesn't "pop up" automatically though. They only click it if they have questions and want a quick answer.

I try to answer them as quickly as I can.

Finishing up my @podsummit talk right now (see you soon #yyc!).

I've added a section on the "jobs a podcast does in people's lives."

Did I miss any?

@mason16ytt hahaha. you found that video?

@robwalling YESSS! So glad you wrote this down. This framework has been really helpful for me as a founder. ❤️

@shayhowe @jackmcdade I use it for http://justinjackson.ca right now 🙌

@shayhowe @jackmcdade I want to!

@SamanthaGeitz YAAASSSS

RT @iChris: I really love editing #podcasts and so if you’re at the point where you’d consider hiring an editor, please get in touch: https…

@SamanthaGeitz bring that dog to laracon

@earthlingworks @coreyhainesco 👌 Yes: it’s not “build it and they will come.”

And there’s definitely some research and positioning that happens before you launch.

But 80% of our learning with Transistor has been from the folks who showed up after we launched and paid us.

As a group, they’re pretty diverse!

@coreyhainesco I know that sounds counterintuitive – but there’s a danger in excluding customers too early.

(Even re-reading it now it sounds “wrong”)

But with Transistor, we chose our positioning too early, and excluded a lot of folks that *could* have been customers.

@coreyhainesco Historically, I’ve agreed with this.

But lately, I’ve been challenged on it. (Largely by @earthlingworks)

With certain products, I’m now seeing that it’s better to “launch first and see who shows up.”

Trying to create this tool that uses Apple Podcast Search API + uploading image in JS but I need help! https://www.pscp.tv/w/b9qVMDM4NTU1MXwxak1KZ3ZQck5lT0dMjGg1cwZ1Af8O56ADncXq3oXiHIMFbdbzcxUerSdlLD8=

It’s going to take a long time to get there, so you might as well start now!

@statamic Awesome! Congrats! That’s like 800 years in internet years

RT @smithtimmytim: I’m looking for freelance work! Here’s what I do:

Podcast Editing
Screencast/Video Editing
Website Design

DM or email…

Dreams take a long time to achieve, so you should start working on them way before you need them to come true.

@juretriglav @eLife 🙌

RT @IGrabill: @mijustin The Heads-up. "How someone dealt with X, where X is something that I am on track to experience"

RT @mattmedeiros: @mijustin “I can’t believe you were able to rebound from THAT.”

@mattmedeiros Ooh, yes. The comeback!

What are some they story types that resonate with you?

Two types of stories that resonate:

1. “Wow, I didn’t know that was possible!”
2. “I thought I was the only one. It’s good to know I’m not alone.”

@whatrocks me 2 send help

@deadcoder0904 It's possible but difficult!

@deadcoder0904 It’s very difficult to build a software company as one person.

(especially if you’re bootstrapping)

Almost everyone I know who has done it successfully has cofounders.

@philipggross Listen to that one 😉

The subtitle is important.

Great advice. 👍 https://twitter.com/housecor/status/1141299695626702848

@goldie_ Tricky part is our competitors offer Spotify at lower tiers, but we could move YouTube up a tier!

@deadcoder0904 My experience so far:

- 2002: opened a snowboard shop with co-founders (did not turn out well)
- 2008-2018: ran a little solopreneur business.
- 2018: started Transistor with Jon

There’s not one size fits all, but for software biz I’ve seen how having a cofounder is helpful.

@fahim_k @TransistorFM That’s @Kayako

@jonathanstark Ah yes! So much of our “job to be done” is social and emotional. 👌

@jonathanstark So.... what’d you do?

@nelsonjoyce you’re the guru the world needs!

RT @jimhilluk: @mijustin Really enjoyed this episode and the... actually no spoilers!

Here’s a teaser: “at the beginning there is so much stress.”

@TravisFischer Haha. Thanks!

@mnlfrgr Yup. Exactly. 👌

@BradHalverson Yeah! I actually wrote about that back in January: https://justinjackson.ca/cofounder

@woutervanlent Make sure you listen to the whole episode. More than meets the eye on this one. 😉

New episode: https://overcast.fm/+MBmW-Js4M

@faith_schaffer @jonnysun just ended up doing this for 5 minutes

I like @b11c's old HN comment here:

"Whether you need a co-founder or not is not about individuals, it's about the skills."

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17001286

Amazing customer support is @TransistorFM's secret weapon. 💪

@mattwensing Yup, this is true!

Keeping 100% of your equity might work better for you in the long run. 👌

And hiring can be a great option if you have the cash to do it. 👍

@naquiuddin it's true!

If you're bootstrapping a software company, and you'd rather be a solopreneur than have a co-founder, then getting funding from someone like @earnestcapital, @tinyseedfund, or @indievc might be a good option to help you hire someone instead.

Granted, if you would rather hire an employee, that's a good option too.

It's less risky, in the sense that you're not "getting married" to someone for a long time.

For bootstrappers, it can be harder, because you'll need to have a way of paying someone when you're cash poor.

@scottbolinger Probably tricky to quantify that.

I think "wrong people" is a common reason companies die though (whether that's a bad hire or a bad co-founder).

@levelsio Just a different type of business. Very few software businesses on Kickstarter!

@mubashariqbal @mattwensing Yup, Grasshopper was founded by two people.

@iChris @jonbuda @TransistorFM Haha. Yup pretty much. 😜

@levelsio @CalebJTSmith Yup, a good employee can definitely work too. 👌

@levelsio I've seen that study too; but doesn't it just look at crowdfunded companies?

A good co-founder makes you move faster.

Sure, you'll have to give up equity.

But the right partnership will grow your business beyond anything you could have done on your own.

You'll move faster, but you won't be working as hard.

Many of the companies we look up to have multiple founders:

- Google (Larry and Sergey)
- Basecamp (Jason Fried and DHH)
- Fathom (@pjrvs & @JackEllis)
- MailChimp (Ben Chestnut, Dan Kurzius, Mark Armstrong)
- Atlassian (Mike Cannon-Brookes, Scott Farquhar)

That's no accident!

@mubashariqbal Yup. Totally. 👌

@dvassallo Yup! That's a great way to go if you can afford it! 🙌

There are solo software founders (@ajlkn, @levelsio, @marckohlbrugge), who are exceptional.

(They've also chosen projects that work well for solo founders.)

If you have the skillset, timing, and energy to be a solopreneur; go for it!

Since teaming up with @jonbuda on @transistorfm I've been able to move way faster, and I'm expending less energy than I have in the past.

Jon takes care of the things that used to make me spin my wheels.

I think when it comes to building software, most of us will need a co-founder.

It's incredibly demanding and requires a spectrum of skills that are rarely encompassed in a solo person.

@podysseyapp @iansmith9876 nice work! 🙌

@bryce Reference: 🇨🇦

Home of Slack, Shopify, and others! 🙌

@joeworkman nice!

@curtismchale @statamic 🙌

RT @misterparker: Traditional school
1. Student enters class
2. Teacher dumps answers at student
3. Student memorizes
4. Passes test then f…

RT @TransistorFM: "Thanks for all the support you folks give. One of the best decisions we made was going with Transistor."

☝️ We ❤️ our p…

Question: what are good reasons for a company to take investment?

Flipside: what are good reasons for a company *to not* take investment?

@m1guelpf Thanks!

@jmacias you too! 🤘