Tweets

@dominicstpierre You’re correct that the bar for success is higher (because indie hackers should aspire to replace their tech salaries).

But, $10k is still a good initial goal!

That first $10k is the hardest. It’s a good barometer of momentum at the beginning of a startup.

@nbashaw @HowardMarksBook I want to know which stocks you bought after reading the book. 😉

@EspreeDevora @TheElsieEscobar The challenge is we can’t stop using the term “iTunes” in our copywriting. 😄

@VanceCrowe @ideasasylum @jmcharnes @andrewmcodes @excid3 @TransistorFM Thank you! 🙌

@venikunche Sending lots of 💪 and ❤️ your way!

@TheElsieEscobar One challenge we have at Transistor: we still get some search traffic for people looking for "how to get my podcast on iTunes."

@loaibassam Love it 🙌

@ideasasylum @jmcharnes @andrewmcodes @excid3 Whaaaaaat! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks so much!

Love,
The Team at @TransistorFM

@nbashaw I'm curious why smaller SaaS companies would need financing if the cash flows are good?

I suppose you could take on investment/debt for growth, but I wonder if investing in ads/acquisition is the best play in a recession?

Not all businesses are sellable assets.

If you're going to invest thousands of hours in a startup, it makes sense to consider whether Business Idea 1 will be more acquirable than Business Idea 2.

Generally, main street, consulting, and content businesses are not easy to sell.

@earthlingworks 🎯 exactly.

More thoughts on this:

The product category you choose can have a dramatic impact on your lifestyle. Some categories require more funding, more hours, more staff, more stress.

Some categories are low-margin but require "high effort" (restaurants, retail, etc). https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1526257605831643136

@derrickreimer @kentcdodds @maxuuell @xjamundx @dev_christina Nice. 👍

@stephenrobles Congrats!

Please make a video on your new studio setup. 🙏

(I can use all the help I can get)

@mholt6 @caddyserver beauty! Thanks!

@TheOmarZenhom @dr thx luv u ❤️

@mholt6 hey! We have a @caddyserver question (for use on Transistor). What's the best way to message you?

@anothercohen @typeform I switched to @petersuhm’s @heyreform. 👍

@andrewculver Haven’t seen http://rails.new yet!

Super rad. 👍

@LemonpieFM @TransistorFM Thanks so much for having me on the show!

@erikthejones lol.

we should build a @TransistorFM podcast player that emotes on behalf of podcast producers. 😆

@matteing Hahaha. So direct!

@adamwathan Love it.

@steveschoger: please come work at @TransistorFM and help us build new themes for https://www.producthunt.com/upcoming/free-podcast-website-builder thx.

@marcelpociot Congrats! Looks awesome.

@kentcdodds @maxuuell @xjamundx Thanks!

cc @kentcdodds @maxuuell do you know anyone at PayPal who could help Derrick?

He's been trying to get help for months.

🎯 It's easier to sell a product if folks are already searching for it:

"Mapping API alternative to Google Maps" 👉 @Geocodio

"Calendar scheduling tool" 👉 @savvycal

"Tool for video messaging" 👉 @ZipMessage

https://twitter.com/mjwhansen/status/1527015921742761986

Do I know anyone at PayPal who could help Derrick? https://twitter.com/derrickreimer/status/1526957623718854657

@petecodes Haha. New metaphor!

@joshaledgard Hahahaha. Omg.

I just love the theater of that: “Hold on. Need to check."

@adamwathan WOW! 😍

This looks incredible.

@wesbos Hahahaha. That's amazing.

"Don't be ashamed of who you really are; let the world know!"

@JCDFitness Feels so much more urgent with a question mark at the end. 🤣

"Waiting for your reply?"

Lol. Talk about a direct sales pitch. 😜

Yup. The horse (customer) has to be actively searching for water.

And, if they’re really thirsty, you don’t have to convince them to drink when they find your trough.

But, how do you keep a horse coming back to your trough every time they get thirsty? https://twitter.com/ryanchenkie/status/1526956211249233920

@ryanchenkie Yup. The horse has to be actively searching for water.

And, if they’re really thirsty, you don’t have to convince them to drink.

@egarbugli Do you have any good examples of tactics that work for increasing activation and retention?

@nathanbarry We haven’t tried that at @TransistorFM yet!

Has that been effective at @ConvertKit ?

Thinking about this again.

Broadly, I still agree with the original point (a customer has to have a baseline of motivation to start using your product).

But, there are tactics a startup can employ to encourage activation and/or recurring usage. https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1486219294685888512

@calebporzio What a beauty! 🎉

Sending lots of ❤️ to you three.

@ianlandsman 🎯

Many folks think he’s playing three-dimensional chess, but none of this seems smart.

@chadkoh Beautiful

And (for once!) the HN comments are actually constructive: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31411813

"How to use a DSLR or Mirrorless camera as your webcam."

Really good post here from @laurencetratt. 👍

https://tratt.net/laurie/blog/2022/using_a_proper_camera_as_a_webcam.html

@nathanbarry Let me know if you have any restaurant recommendations!

(We’ll be in Montreal in October for the @TransistorFM team retreat! 🙌)

@rachelandrew 🤦‍♂️ That’s awful! WTF

RT @mijustin: @TransistorFM Make business decisions that optimize for the life you want.

@lkr Brand new perspective!

That’s a good hack. 👍

RT @mijustin: @TransistorFM If you're starting a company, ask yourself: what do I want to get out of this?

When you build a product, you'r…

@marcoarment That was fun! Nice to hang out with you and the fam for awhile. 👍

RT @mijustin: @TransistorFM Your personal objectives for starting a company could look like this:

• A sense of purpose: doing work that yo…

@kaleighf @EmmaFayeS Such an important topic. 💯

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences here. 🙏

@sankalpdomore @Swizec @dvassallo Here’s the blog post:

https://justinjackson.ca/beach

RT @cesartastic: everything here worth reading

@adii Yes!

Oddly, I think a lot of founders think they can’t “want” something for themselves when they start a company.

It’s OK to have personal motivations (more money, more time, more freedom) and to be clear about them.

@JThorn_ @TransistorFM NICE! 👍

RT @Swizec: @dvassallo As @mijustin likes to say:

You can sell ice cream on the beach in cold winter …
… or you could wait for hot summer…

@coreyhainesco @SwipeFilesco Really interesting to go back and look at these initial numbers for @TransistorFM.

These first 50 customers came entirely from our existing networks (audience, contacts, friends), many of whom switched to us from different podcast hosting providers.

@TransistorFM Make business decisions that optimize for the life you want.

@TransistorFM You can read this whole thread as a blog post here:
https://justinjackson.ca/personal

If you want to get these in your inbox, subscribe here:
https://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

@TransistorFM Too many entrepreneurs get stuck in a life-long grind, where the business is making them (and their families) miserable.

We want the good things that a business can give us; if those benefits disappear, there's no reason to keep going.

@TransistorFM Naturally, a new startup isn't going to give you all the purpose, enjoyment, freedom, and money you want from the beginning.

But I wouldn't wait too long for your business to start paying you "better life" dividends.

@TransistorFM If you're starting a company, ask yourself: what do I want to get out of this?

When you build a product, you're making a bet. You're betting that your personal investment of time, resources, money, and passion is going to give you a return.

Be clear about what you want.

@TransistorFM Your personal objectives for starting a company could look like this:

• A sense of purpose: doing work that you can be proud of
• A sense of enjoyment: doing work you like
• Freedom: flexibility, time off
• Money: having the resources to do the things you want to do

@TransistorFM At Transistor, our company's purpose is to build the best podcast hosting software and to give our users excellent customer service.

But for us as founders, our main motivation is for us to build better lives for ourselves and our employees.

@TransistorFM It's important to be clear about why you're starting a company. "What is this in service of?"

This means not only identifying your company's purpose ("help customers do X") but also your personal motivations ("earn more") for being an entrepreneur.

When Jon and I started @transistorfm, our personal motivation was to have a better life.

We wanted to build something we could be proud of. We were tired of working for other people. We wanted more freedom.

As a founder, it's worth asking: "why are you doing this?"

RT @taishik_: This is an important question that many people frequently forget to think abou for themselves 💡

Are you being honest about *…

@valsopi With Transistor, Jon and I worked 3-4 hours a day (on the side) until we hit about $10k.

Definitely easier with two people. 👍

RT @imMartinBoss: @Christian_rson @helloEngineur Relevant @mijustin today:

'...we shouldn't blindly commit to "running our business foreve…

@HolfolioBen Thanks!

@alphacolin Have you published a side by side comparison yet? Would love to see how the two compare.

@m1guelpf No thesis. It’s a story with a premise: “what happens when someone created one of the first NFTs gets scammed?”

This was a roller coaster!

Probably the most “open eyed” exploration of NFTs I’ve heard yet.

https://overcast.fm/+E24Ady3Wo

I wrote this up as a blog post:

https://justinjackson.ca/effort

@iamwillcannon 🎯

There's no shame in quitting. Quitting gives you space. When you say "no" to one thing, you open yourself up to new opportunities.

It's OK to move on.

@freekmurze @OhDearApp @usefathom Nice! Fathom is great. 👍

Just had a nap here. 😴

@dannoblaster Hahaha. Let’s leave that for another day. 😉

@raae @ivarconr YES.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1473351602559881220

@dannoblaster You said “since it’s been ruled legal.”

That’s not what happened.

People have always been free to protest, within “reasonable limits.”

(And there have already been subsequent freedom protests)

@dannoblaster I just read those articles.

No judge said "this protest is legal."

What they said was: "if protesters comply with the Court Order, they're allowed to engage in peaceful protest."

The court order was about one thing: stopping the blaring of horns.

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news-and-community/resources/Li-Interim-Order---CV-22-00088514-00CP.pdf

@dannoblaster What judge ruled the protest "legal?"

I searched everywhere, but couldn't find a source for that judgment.

@DiversifyTechCo Looks like there are lots of great opportunities out there right now!

@flybayer That’s a good way of looking at it.

@jmckinven Nice!

@RachRodgersEsq Wow! That’s an incredible achievement. Congrats on 100k! 🎉

Odd that these forum/reddit posts are all from 8-10 years ago, and Audio-Technica still hasn't fixed this (fairly common) issue?

🎧😫 My Audio-Technica M50x's are so tight they hurt my head after even a few minutes of use.

This forum post from 2010, with illustration, is probably the best solution I've found?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stretching-your-m50s-for-less-clamp-and-much-more-comfort.493838/

Going to try it now.

@iroughol If you haven’t seen it, you have to check out this doc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw0VfmXKq54

@VineetSinha Great list!

I’d add: “make sure that group is sufficiently large.”

If the total size of the group is too small, it can be difficult to build a group of fans.

@TransistorFM @csallen @ChanningAllen I think this is one of my favorite episodes of @IndieHackers yet.

Loved hearing all of your mom's stories! She definitely has the indie hacker spirit. 💯

@_beesea_ YES! I recently re-played DoT with my boys on PS4.

https://store.playstation.com/en-ca/product/UP2154-CUSA01991_00-DAYOFTHETENTACLE

@andber Hahahaha. I can hear it now too!

@jimhilluk I wanted an Amiga so bad.

@_beesea_ Loved both Monkey Island and Sam & Max!

Monkey Island was released in 1990:
https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-game.php?abandonware=The+Secret+of+Monkey+Island&gid=1082

Sam and Max was 1993:
https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-game.php?abandonware=Sam+and+Max+Hit+the+Road&gid=2404

@cgpat @andrewculver @valsopi @rswebdesigner I've got to check it out!

1990 was also a huge year for games.

VGA games were becoming more popular (over the EGA standard).

Secret of Monkey Island
Commander Keen
King's Quest 5
Spider Man

https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-list.php?tp=4&year=1990&ord=4

OMG. You can play Prince of Persia online here:
https://princejs.com/

(h/t @valsopi @rswebdesigner)

@ngoede Bubble Bobble was the first PC game I actually purchased (at Radio Shack!).

Everything else was on unmarked floppy disks. 😜