Tweets

@waithash @aprildunford I guess it depends on your definition of "beat the market leaders."

@TransistorFM isn't beating our competitors in terms of market share (yet), but even with ~1.81% of the paid podcast hosting market, we're doing really well. 👍

@benbarbersmith It can take some time for this kind of momentum to show up.

Our first 10 months of Transistor were largely reliant on Jon and me constantly putting fuel into the business.

In month 11, we started seeing tons of strangers signing up, easily, with very little work on our side.

@benbarbersmith Can you tell me more?

It's definitely not my intention to stress people out. Just speaking from experience, and what I've seen work/not work for other people.

I have lots of ❤️ for anyone trying to build stuff. Hoping to help people before they walk too far down the wrong path.

I'm mostly thinking about how discovery works on the internet: it relies heavily on centralized platforms that have accrued a large user base.

Podcasting is probably the most decentralized, but discovery (getting more listeners) is still dependent on centralized platforms.

@panphora 👋 http://justinjackson.ca

🎯 https://twitter.com/BrendanNyhan/status/1519118949656539138

@adamwathan @ianlandsman @jack Yeah. But we've got to be careful here.

"Better for people like us" doesn't necessarily mean "better for Twitter's entire userbase."

@earthlingworks @michaelkoper Yes, exactly.

@mmasnick’s analogy is closer to reality:

“Twitter is not the town square, and it’s a ridiculous analogy. The internet itself is the town square. Twitter is just one private shop in that town square with its own rules.”

(At least, under current USA laws)

Largely, the level I'm at feels good.

The only places folks really recognize me are at conferences (which is great!).

One downside: having an existing audience can add a ton of pressure "to succeed" when you're building something new.

https://twitter.com/SloanCam/status/1517183654887407616

This quote from @webby2001 applies equally to SaaS products as it does to podcasts:

"Your product is a recipe. Cook with the best ingredients. Make sure your audience likes those ingredients. And put your all into everything on the menu."

https://webby2001.medium.com/the-secret-sauce-of-podcast-advertising-57f45ae73b95

@ianlandsman C’mon Ian! Elon didn’t let a “lack of political will” stop him!

If he’s “right,” Andreessen should put his money where his mouth is.

A single $4.5 million investment in climate tech is embarrassing for someone at his level (and his level of rhetoric).

@JackEllis @JustSteveKing @brennandunn It was sunny and fairly warm in Revelstoke, but pretty cold here in Canmore!

This is good: https://twitter.com/wes_kao/status/1284177962921844736

In the last 32 days, @sherrywalling has gained over 254 new followers. 🙌

██████▓░░░ 67% toward her goal!

https://sherrywalling.progbar.co/sherry-5k

You can listen to @mjwhansen’s entire chat with @valsopi here:

https://overcast.fm/+RtfTaq10A

@arvidkahl @TransistorFM No plans currently (especially since Descript is so good for recording + editing, and @savvycal is so great at scheduling)

@CharlesPal Tomorrow's newsletter will talk more about this, but this is probably my best take on that:

https://justinjackson.ca/build

@PierreDeWulf BTW - I think you could own "web scraping" on YouTube as well.

Publish a new updated: "What is web scraping?" video (the current number 1 was published 2 years ago).

Make the video excellent (watch the current one and see what they're missing).

@d__raptis I wonder if you're limiting yourself too much with "for twitter."

When I search "how to make better screenshots for..." I get these suggestions:

@DirghayuKaushik As soon as I clicked on the link, I got this pop-up (which covers the description of what your product does).

I would remove the pop-up and focus on optimizing your homepage above the fold.

@thethoughtcard @WOCPodcasters You're doing a lot right on this page!

A few ideas to think about/try:

- with @megamaker, I found I got a lot more members when I switched from annual pricing ($199/yr) to lifetime $299)
- also, when we added this bit of social proof ("join 795 members") to the CTA, signups 📈

@andrewculver Could be an awesome video series as well:

“Today, I’m building an invoicing SaaS in rails using Bullet Train.”

@troypavlek YouTube could be huge for a product like this (especially videos that answer common question queries).

Currently, your channel is promoting an event that happened in 2021: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhitesparkCa

Upload a new video that gives people a reason to subscribe!

Yes! Using these questions to guide our decision-making at @TransistorFM has definitely resulted in a calmer company. 🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️

https://twitter.com/xoelipedes/status/1504890665431449602

BTW – if you're curious about doing better support for your SaaS, you should definitely be following @HelenRyles.

(We have an upcoming episode of @buildyoursaas where we also discuss how to hire someone to help you with Customer Success)

(You'd be surprised how much more money some bootstrapped founders get paid, compared to their VC-funded counterparts)

Keep testing out the water! But get out if it doesn’t feel right.

“If I get an idea, I immediately take a step forward and see how that feels. If it feels good, I take another step forward. If it feels bad, I take a step back. I learn by doing.”

– Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia https://twitter.com/awazels/status/1504108337427890192

@mjwhansen @r00k Could be!

But I also think small talk, when used properly, is the perfect onboarding to deeper conversation.

“Where did you grow up?”
“Where are you from?”
“What do you do for work?”

Those are all great on-ramps.

Similar to UX where you introduce the basics first. 👍

@r00k The context seems important here. 😉

If you’re at a conference mingling, it’s going to be totally different than a first date, lunch meeting, or family reunion.

@sokirill @yongfook Lol. Came here to post this one. 🤣

Classic. Perfection. HN chef’s kiss.

Which would you prefer?

- Churn is 10%, but revenue is growing at 20%
- Churn is 3%, but revenue growth is 10%

"Bootstrappers are like people who fish: you want to catch customers, and you want to catch them consistently." 🎣💰

https://justinjackson.ca/fish

What does customer demand look like?

I like to see evidence that there is a sizable group of people already searching for a solution:

“Calendar booking software”
“Server deployment tools”
“Audiogram creation tool”
“Form creation software”

Story time: a client asked me to record monthly marketing KPIs for a year.

Then, one day I discovered that the attribution model they were using ("we're getting this much traffic from this source") was completely wrong.

Based on those KPIs, we'd made dozens of decisions. 🤦‍♂️

What are the most ridiculous KPIs you've ever been asked to track?

Rachel Andrew: @rachelandrew

I've learned so much about design, CSS, public speaking, writing, and running a business from Rachel.

It's worth watching her past talks just to see how well she teaches technical topics:

https://noti.st/rachelandrew

Ashley Baxter: @iamashley

Ashley was one of the first bootstrappers I saw sharing her journey of building a business in public. Her business (@_withjack) serves freelancers, so she also has lots of great insight on running a client business.

Sherry Walling: @sherrywalling

Sherry was one of the first people I saw talk about mental health for bootstrapped founders. Her first talks on the @MicroConf stage, and her ZenFounder podcast, have been deeply meaningful for me.

Another reason to give workers more control of their work environment. https://twitter.com/audrawilliams/status/1500669564711014401

Yes!

“Useful, but not sufficient on its own.”

Every advantage you have is additive. https://twitter.com/CasJam/status/1501031881088905218

Dr. @sherrywalling is really close to getting 100 new followers today! 🙌

☝️ if she hits 3,172 that would be amazing!

Yes! @sherrywalling's first book, https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Guide-Keeping-Your-Together-ebook/dp/B079SNX6NB, is awesome.

https://twitter.com/Keithin8a/status/1500935971097006080

I've really appreciated Sherry's content over the years.

Her twitter account is a good mix of:

- Mental health advice for founders
- Conscientious parenting tips
- Psychology research
- Self-care advice

https://twitter.com/sherrywalling/status/1240974786659905536

@JackEllis @CADbloke @robwalling What WFH should mean is “flexible work,” meaning: work however (and wherever) you feel best.

For me, that meant starting @CoWorkVernon with friends.

I get to hang out all day with cool people, without a long commute or office politics.

I walk to the office, go for coffee, etc

@_rchase_ Nice! Always good to start with revenue. 💪

Early on, it helps to have a few recognizable customers.

Through our personal network, Jon and I were able to convince some high profile podcasts to use @TransistorFM (while in early-access).

That social proof (“whoa! They’re using Transistor?”) helped us gain more customers.

@lukeburgis How does the USA’s Second Amendment relate to the situation in Ukraine: a country defending themselves from a Russian invasion with no other countries offering military aid?

@NathanG @scottmathson I think @podysseyapp does the best job of surfacing good, organic podcast episode recommendations.

@rrhoover Livestream of their 1997 concert is live right now:

https://www.twitch.tv/daftpunk

@CANADALAND @SarahMaslinNir The NYT headline made it seem like police were arresting all protesters at gunpoint during their operation.

When, in fact, there were hundreds of arrests, and there’s only evidence of a few “with guns drawn?”

A correct headline: “police arrested a few protesters at gunpoint.” https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1495072626607280131

@OnlyLearnOnce @megamaker Well, the real breakthrough year came with Transistor; but all those years were “game changing” in the sense that they laid the foundation.

@FriendlyAshley @chasewreeves Exactly this.

The @SYSKPodcast has a good segment on this:
https://overcast.fm/+MgshzqyDY

"It's at their discretion whether or not they take something down. You can't say, 'well, that's not free speech!'"

What could be more free than deciding where you want your music distributed?

@peldi @patio11 @IndieHackers 1. Transcribed podcast in @DescriptApp
2. Exported from Descript as an audiogram clip.
3. Brought that clip into @ScreenFlow and edited it there (added images, etc)

Source: @balsamiq's 2021 Year in Review.

https://mailchi.mp/balsamiq/looking-back-at-balsamiqs-2021?e=0a71629d7f

Super embarrassing but here's all the photos I took.

👉 https://photos.app.goo.gl/5KvgHtYi4TsLZug26

daft folk
daft indie
daft blues
daft country
daft metal
daft polka
daft punk

“Couples therapy for founders”

The vulnerability that @danshipper and @nbashaw show on this episode (as founders, and more importantly, as humans) is really inspiring.

This episode, they bring their actual therapist into the discussion:

https://overcast.fm/+n7WR4u-jY

@ianlandsman @Shpigford What constitutes a "childish attitude" and "unresearched temper tantrum" seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

I can assure you, all of my tantrums are backed by a lot of research. 😉

@AndrewAskins @haroonmeer @ThinkstCanary We have over 800 affiliates, but the top 5% drive probably 90% of the revenue.

All of them have built authoritative review sites, gear guides, etc that rank in the top 3 on Google.

@mynameis_davis @TransistorFM @jonbuda New episode coming out tomorrow! 🎉

@moritzplassnig @lennysan I think you’re looking for @coreyhainesco and https://www.swipefiles.com/

@_IlirAliu @ZipMessage ✅ ZipMessage is built for threaded video conversations.

✅ ZipMessage has better pricing

✅ ZipMessage is built by an indie founder

@earthlingworks @mattwensing Yup. Very similar at @TransistorFM.

Low price point does not necessarily mean “support will be terrible.”

@brianclark Yup. And they’re still decentralized. Podcasts as well.

🙌 https://twitter.com/CasJam/status/1476606501494169601

Ideologically, I'm pro co-op, collectivism, and co-ownership.

But practically, I see that the only way to disrupt the status-quo is to own the Means of Distribution.

If web3 solved for that, I would get really excited.

https://justinjackson.ca/main-street-fights-back

It looks like @benedictevans is simultaneously making the same point in his latest thread. 👍 https://twitter.com/benedictevans/status/1476285185557774337

@JordanGal @rsobers This might be the difference. 😄

I grew up skiing and snowboarding, and for me there’s something about being in the mountains that just hits right.

My local mountain is 25 mins away, and feels incredibly accessible to me and the kids.

@dvassallo It’s quite likely he paid way less tax than you.

“Musk, known to some as a progressive innovator, reportedly paid less than $70,000 in federal income taxes between 2015 and 2017 and paid nothing in 2018 - despite having a net worth of $152 billion.”

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/558352-elon-musk-explains-his-extremely-low-tax-rate

@JordanGal the tax/accounting implications of this company crypto wallet stuff seems daunting 😅

@jot I just featured you in the latest Transistor newsletter!

https://mailchi.mp/transistor/dec-final

Some existential "new startup" struggles and questions in this episode!

(🙏 would love your feedback) https://twitter.com/megamaker/status/1471297525713981444

Test your assumptions. 👍

(Test your homepage copy)

https://twitter.com/edwardshepard/status/1471179949587509254

I wrote this thread up as a blog post here:

https://justinjackson.ca/take-off

"In retrospect some of your struggles will strike you as beautiful, *and*... some struggles have no redeeming qualities."

https://twitter.com/RyanHoliday/status/1461424258928816132

@liz_listens "Too much comfort dulls the mind, *and* sometimes our minds really need comfort in order to thrive."

https://twitter.com/orangebook_/status/1468590976923238400

🎯 this https://twitter.com/mariepoulin/status/1469112542072999940

@arvidkahl @anashch_ @robwalling @tylertringas @levelsio @dvassallo @r00k @diannamallen @hnshah @shl @adamwathan @rosiesherry @natalienagele @peldi @rrhoover 🥰

If you're interested, you can read the whole case study here:

https://transistor.fm/customers/top-fitness-podcast/

@MrSimonBennett @mjwhansen Was it @jmckinven’s course?

Another example from @Shpigford: https://twitter.com/Shpigford/status/1465887395556044803

@BraydenGirard For sure!

The problem is that we often attach ourselves to the vehicle (“my business”) and forget about where we’re headed (“a better life for me and my family”).

If a job can get you to your destination with less stress and more certainty, you should take it!

@Aazarshad https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1464704276014321669

@yarobagriy https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1463669543658614784

@michaelvigor @arvidkahl @TransistorFM @jmckinven @indiebitespod Just added it to the list now! 🙌

https://transistor.fm/podcasts-for-bootstrappers/

Great summary of my @IndieHackers episode with @csallen. 👍 https://twitter.com/thefirejar/status/1463231607876300802

@TransistorFM Yes! This deal is available to existing customers. 🙌

https://twitter.com/harriskenny/status/1462940090196316160

@hopkinschris @TransistorFM Traditionally, we've been opposed to discounts.

So we thought: why not just run one as an experiment and see what happens?

(Test our assumptions)

In terms of giving the discount to existing customers; it felt like the right thing to do. 👍

@mjwhansen @stauffermatt I did go to a few Unitarian services in college.

I should try it again.

Matt found me this church, which feels right up my alley: https://seattleatheist.church/

Whoa. This blew up my DMs (in a good way).

Glad there's people out there who can relate. 🙏

🎧 If you want to listen to the whole thing, it's an audio podcast as well:

🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-traditions-in-community-with-justin-jackson/id1581284585?i=1000542460744
🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZDC8YyZPujfM3ommtmcj9?si=aoT4U3giTpWMd6jzk0oyWQ
💻 Web: https://thingsworthlearning.show/episodes/creating-traditions-in-community-with-justin-jackson

As an example, look at cities who take the time to create thoughtful plans, as opposed to those who "just build."

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/3/13/a-town-well-planned

This is like calling Harry Markopolos "cynical" for investigating Madoff.

"Why are you asking all these hard questions Harry? Why can't you be more of an optimist? Can't you see all this wealth that Madoff is creating?"

🙄

Original thread:
https://twitter.com/patrickc/status/1458223264782684161

@freekmurze @jackmcdade Yup.

1. Start camera recording in Quicktime (minimize).
2. Start a screen recording in Quicktime.

When done recording:

1. Stop screen recording.
2. Open up minimized camera recording. Stop recording there.

@immad @coreyhainesco @MikeMichalowicz @BankMercury There a thousands of people using the Profit First approach.

(Especially startups)

There are no good solutions for this currently. 🙏

@coreyhainesco @MikeMichalowicz @BankMercury You're right! I was hoping these auto-transfer rules would include:

- a trigger event every time there's a new stripe deposit
- the ability (based on this trigger) to transfer a % to different accounts

🙏 @immad is this something we can get?

@mjwhansen @leenyburger @IndieHackers Yeah, parenting is just a whole other level.

It’s incredibly gratifying to see these little humans growing up, but parenting is definitely the most demanding thing I’ve ever committed to. 👍

If you’re a developer looking to learn marketing, I think @marketingdevs (the book/course I wrote) is still a good resource. 👍

http://devmarketing.xyz https://twitter.com/tylertringas/status/1459251301875920896

You might be surprised how much you enjoy marketing once you start.

Many “dev founders” transitioned to other roles, and enjoy marketing, hiring, strategy as much (or more) than coding. https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1065299912013709312

@adamwathan Nice! This whole project seems really cool.