Tweets

When you're evaluating a product opportunity, look for motivated people in motion (MPiM?)

There's a big difference between someone who says:

"I'd love to start my own online business one day,"

And someone who is actively searching for:

"best e-commerce platforms"

@mattwensing @jasonlk These days, I’m guessing only about 10-20% of our trials come from my audience.

Vast majority are folks “in motion” who want to start a podcast.

(most of our signups come from existing momentum in our market, not my personal audience)

@jasonlk @mattwensing The numbers look quite a bit different if you’re credit card upfront, with a 7-14 day free trial.

Every decision has an ongoing "maintenance cost."

Be sure to count that cost before you make a commitment.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1207691055404965888

Everyone sees the tradeoffs, benefits, and drawbacks of each decision differently.

Personally, I've tried to make decisions that result in more simplicity, calmness, and enjoyment for me and the people around me.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1228183854298451970

<everyone just waiting through these watchOS updates to see if Apple is doing VR....>

#WWDC23

@aarondfrancis @jeffgardnerdev 👍

Nice to clarify things.

You have a remarkable sense of boundaries!

I’ve met tons of other people for whom “as much effort as possible” means sacrificing lots of things on the home front (not just sleep and TV).

If you can make it work, all the power to you! 🙌

@andybudd I love what @andrewculver is doing with @RailsSaaS.

@MicroConf is also great.

How did you sleep last night?

@arvidkahl @ian__ito @robwalling @MicroConf @robertodigital_ 🥰

@sol_orwell Aren't you more B2C? (I might not understand Examine's biz model)

B2Prosumer is quite a bit different. It includes consumers who aspire to be pros, folks launching side hustles, smaller SMBs, indie creators, solopreneurs, etc.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1477455547385335808

@TimLeland @laravelphp @tailwindcss Just a quick little app to keep track of events, concerts, gigs I want to go to.

@christophrumpel congrats on the new gig! 👏

And congrats on your baby daughter! ❤️

https://overcast.fm/+eLf1DTQyo

@ramit @ericlister 🎯 exactly this.

Lots of research on how ineffective “trickle down economics” is, including this by the London School of Economics and Political Science.

https://www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-for-the-world/economics/tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy-only-benefit-the-rich-debunking-trickle-down-economics

I discussed this (and much more) with @ilyabezdelev and @or9ob. We explore the decentralized nature of podcasting.

You can listen on:

🍎 @ApplePodcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-benefits-of-decentralization-in-podcasting-with/id1649447583?i=1000614270277

🌥️ @OvercastFM: https://overcast.fm/+830kyAyMk

🟢 @spotifypodcasts: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2S2ARnYTVN8ihA9qJe7l1U?si=Bz1TTGRETUmw55uBjY9iqA

Sometimes, reducing friction for the consumer isn't beneficial: for example, making it easier for people to consume junk food.

Social media has probably made it too easy for folks to tweet/post/comment without thinking. Lots of knee-jerk reactions.

European friends: I'm planning my travel to @freekmurze's @FullStackEU conference in October.

What's the train from Frankfurt to Brussels/Antwerp like?

(From my chat with @aarondfrancis about balancing family and business on the @buildyoursaas podcast)

The full episode is here:
https://share.transistor.fm/s/29f428a9

@DCoulbourne It’s the synergistic, optimized, and scalable platform you need to empower your sales team, maximize your ROI, and achieve unprecedented success in today's hyper-competitive business landscape.

I'd love to hear from the spouses of bootstrapping founders to hear their feedback/thoughts.

Would also like to hear from female founders with young kids to hear their perspectives. 👍

Also: solo parents!

Hoping to do a follow-up episode with more viewpoints on this question.

Here's the original thread that kicked off this discussion:

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1654526983102140418

From a past thread: should we be trying to run two marathons at the same time? https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1464710661477318658

Hmm. Chrome has a feature that allows you to kind of save changes, but you have to edit in "Sources" as opposed to "Elements" (not ideal).

#overrides" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://developer.chrome.com/blog/new-in-devtools-65/#overrides

🤔 Maybe I need to start using an extension like this.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/permanent-inspect-element/alfgclaljdbleenfjjnkefddlgbknllp

Anyone else have solutions they've tried?

@aarondfrancis I made a fairly profound life choice about ~14 years ago, partly because of people replying to me on Reddit.

I’ll tell you about it sometime. (Maybe when we’re in Belgium!)

Lots of false narratives circulating about @bluesky (especially in the media coverage I've seen):

- The CEO is @arcalinea (not Jack Dorsey!!)
- Dorsey is an investor and one of three board members

I don't love the "abundance / scarcity mindset" dichotomy...

BUT, there was a part of me that believed that it would be easier for me to earn enough revenue for myself and my family than to have enough revenue for ~people (and their families).

A good team + good business…

Physically I feel my age.

Intellectually/mentally I feel my age. (I’ve learned and experienced a ton since my 20s).

It’s more like “spiritually” I feel younger than I am.

@theKevinShen @arvidkahl @MeetKevon @damengchen @jayclouse @fortelabs @AliAbdaal @TomFrankly ❤️

@EmmettNaughton Seriously considering it. 😄

I just bought an Iron Maiden Fan Club membership to get advanced tickets.

Maiden western Canada tour dates!! https://twitter.com/IronMaiden/status/1649418965884567552

(“Indie” meaning self-funded, not mega vc-funded, not a big giant corporation: small teams, solo devs, bootstrapped, etc)

Podcast --> Live Tour --> HBO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DMMOgzyR1A

I managed to get 5 videos recorded, edited, and published today.

You can view @TransistorFM's new tutorial video playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5PYemLqUixYSORPlwljvj7GPRYSWab7l

Listen the whole interview on @r00k & @adamwathan's podcast:

https://hackersincorporated.com/episodes/revisiting-the-ideal-bootstrapped-business-with-jason-cohen

This particular episode is going to require a 3 hour walk. 😄

@luquimbo @IndieHackers @csallen @ChanningAllen I used @DescriptApp for this one.

@wbetiago @podsqueeze_app Well done! 💪

@philkellr @sugardayfox Haha. My kids are older now (13-20).

Building was definitely harder when they were younger.

It will be interesting to watch Gumroad's price increase and see if their MRR trend holds long-term.

https://twitter.com/dvassallo/status/1641918932893470722

@tdinh_me Signed it

Increasing costs is the big risk of attaching your main value prop to a paid API. https://twitter.com/marckohlbrugge/status/1641383958595379200

@jmckinven @dagorenouf Sending you lots of ❤️ and 💪 today.

Web 2.0 democratized the software industry, giving smaller, bootstrapped companies a unique advantage. Indie founders could differentiate through simpler products, distinctive branding, and creative distribution channels. Usually, the only thing "cost of goods sold" was hosting.

@jmckinven @jackmcdade @statamic Just finished listening. Great episode. 👍

@adamwathan @r00k Nice! Looking forward to listening to these. 👍

"Even though it’s painful to feel conflicting feelings, the dangers of AI are as real as its promise. Therefore, it’s a good idea to be a little uncomfortable with this stuff."
– @danshipper

Open standards: RSS, email, the web.

These standards are "messier" in some ways, but they're resilient to centralized control because they're distributed.

@VicVijayakumar Manually. Just opening new tabs 😄

@JudoHacker haha. yup.

Funny enough, the @buildyoursaas "tax compliance" stuff has gotten the most engagement here. 🤷‍♂️

h/t to @nathanbarry and his excellent newsletter:

https://ckarchive.com/b/o8ukhqhk4lnkm

@aarondfrancis @planetscaledata that site looks 😍😍😍

I've just added this option for folks to get notified when I publish new cool podcast studio profiles (photos + gear).

Anyone want to test it out?
https://mypodstudios.com/

If you're interested in getting featured, I've created a form on @heyreform here:

https://forms.reform.app/pF4xrZ/untitled-form-1/zpwh00

@danmartell Is that the implication you were going for?

By leaving it open-ended the way you did, I think the most common interpretation will be:

"Folks who are underpaid in their current job are underpaid because they don't have the right expertise [coding, management, etc]"

Also, how you negotiate your salary (unfortunately?) greatly determines what you'll earn.

(check out @JoshDoody's tips for salary negotiation)

@LandonB32 Hey! @mjwhansen and @ianlandsman have been talking about this!

Michele is aware of other advocacy efforts.

https://twitter.com/mjwhansen/status/1628081503916662786

This is "Moravec’s Paradox:"

"What's easy for humans is hard for computers (and vice versa)."

For example:

Robots can easily cut a precise line through sheet metal but have immense difficulty opening a door lock (which requires low-level dexterity and sensorimotor skills).

We've used this technique to monetize the @buildyoursaas podcast since 2018.

Works well! https://twitter.com/TransistorFM/status/1635683784409620481

@ramit @patio11 Legends! 🙌

Here's the full video explaining all the changes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLcuysuUU8Q

If you're building a marketing site using @statamic, I think you'll find it helpful. (cc @CasJam)

Holy shit.

"Silicon Valley Bank became the biggest US lender to fail in more than a decade after a tumultuous week that saw an unsuccessful attempt to raise capital and a cash exodus from the tech startups that had fueled the lender’s rise."

#xj4y7vzkg" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-10/silicon-valley-bank-collapses-enters-fdic-receivership#xj4y7vzkg

@alemalohe @PaddleHQ Huh? Paddle isn't a bank.

@kaleighf Yes. For me:

• Roderick on the Line
• @OpenThreadsPod
• @noplanstomerge
• @NormalGossip
• Dana Carvey and David Spade's "Fly on the Wall"

@jasoncwarner A “killer market” and “meh team” can work.

What you really want is a killer market, with a killer team who can build a killer product for that market. 😎

@earthlingworks “It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me.”

@shawnblanc @adhdjesse That's @XnapperHQ by indie dev @tdinh_me.

Amazing software. I happily gave him my money. 😄

Are there any good AI-assisted animation tools?

@northsouthaudio This episode was so good! So nice to hear from @stauffermatt 🥰

@DanielZarick @AcquiredFM Hahaha. Agree. One of the few shows where I’m excited for it to last another hour!

@_rchase_ Yes (in Dec 2021).

But the word is they're not doing volume discounts anymore.

(Our current rate expires at the end of this year, so we'll see what happens then 😅)

@petersuhm @heyreform 🤩 looks great!

(we've been using the "small iterative improvements" technique on @TransistorFM's website and it's been awesome)

@brtkdotse Why is my approach "naive?" If anything it's "eyes wide open."

Governments asking millions of small businesses to collect their sales taxes for them (in 90+ regions around the world) is a ridiculous externality.

When I look at my invoices, only 50% are collecting 🇨🇦 sales taxes

Check out @bemmu's AI podcast here (NSFW):

https://share.transistor.fm/s/32900c32

Some pretty cool snow sculptures emerging at @SilverStarMR today.

#vernonbc

@asmartbear @earthlingworks @mynameis_davis Yes! Just found an old link to it:

https://blog.asmartbear.com/sb-live-3.html

@bgardner If you’re not blogging, I would just turn it into a static site and host for free on Vercel.

@andrewculver @aarondfrancis I’d love a simple breakdown of the most effective things you did/bought to build your respective video studios:

- camera
- lens
- USB video interface
- lighting

🎯 https://twitter.com/iamjeremyenns/status/1617626785318854659

If you're experimenting with Mastodon, I highly recommend the "Ice Cubes" iOS app.

(it's open source, and very good)

https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/ice-cubes-for-mastodon/id6444915884

@mariuszkogut That monitor is wild!

@ndwignall @schlaf @Simplecast @anchor @buzzsprout @TransistorFM We'd love to have you at http://Transistor.fm!

I'm also happy to answer any questions you have about podcasting. 👍

For podcast growth, @JackRhysider's point is 🎯:

"If you don’t make something great, you’re gonna lose your listeners, which means you have to get new listeners faster than you’re losing the listeners. And that’s difficult."

To grow your podcast to thousands of downloads:

- understand your audience better than your competition
- create podcast content that surprises, delights, or engages them
- have access to affordable distribution channels to grow your audience (Twitter, video clips, ads, email)

I like how @misener puts it:

"Don’t start by asking how to build an audience for your podcast. Instead, ask how to build a podcast for your audience."

@5harath I think @podysseyapp does the best job of surfacing great episodes:

https://apps.apple.com/app/id1194905015

I want to see articles that explore long-term effects:

How was brand perception affected? ("Intercom isn't for small startups anymore")

How is acquisition affected? ("We went from 2,000 trials to 500")

How was CAC affected? ("We had to spend more on ads.")

LTV? Churn? ARPU?

"Look ma, we made it to the Patreon Creator Survey."

@earthlingworks Coming back to this:

How do you test the long-term effects of pricing changes?

Do you compare that cohort to other cohorts for churn, LTV, ARPU, over a period of time? (How long?)

Any trends you've noticed there?

There's some good discussion on this topic happening over on Mastodon as well:

@mykalmachon@indieweb.social/109547055879810073" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://mastodon.social/@mykalmachon@indieweb.social/109547055879810073

💰 Money-making idea: affiliate programs.

I've seen bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers earn good money as affiliates.

SaaS affiliate programs can be particularly lucrative (some affiliates for Transistor have earned up to $9k/month!)

https://justinjackson.ca/best-affiliate-programs

@tonkapark @MicroConf I’m not sure yet!

Still trying to limit my travel and I’m already booked for a few other events in 2023. 😅

@venikunche @MicroConf I’m not sure yet!

Still trying to limit my travel and I’m already booked for a few other events in 2023. 😅

And @OpenAI's own ChatGPT page explicitly says:

"ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers. Fixing this issue is challenging, as: (1) during RL training, there’s currently no source of truth"

https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

It's also "worse than Google" because, at a fundamental level, GPT is the wrong model for fact-based inquiries.

"Its propensity to often generate convincing-looking nonsense should be disqualifying."

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-chatgpts-most-charming-trick-hides-its-biggest-flaw/

“Building a neural network that just predicts probabilities of the next word in any sentence or phrase may have its limits. Just making it ever-more-powerful and stuffing it with ever-more-text may not yield better results.”

https://www.zdnet.com/article/openais-gigantic-gpt-3-hints-at-the-limits-of-language-models-for-ai/

We can't build a thriving green economy at the expense of other nations (especially developing countries like Indonesia).

A green economy needs to be focused on the health and wellbeing of all people.

@arvidkahl @csallen @robwalling @PatFlynn @levelsio Thanks for the kind words! ❤️

@DarrenShaw_ @tdinh_me @XnapperHQ Nice! 🙌 it’s really good.

I recommend buying the pro license and supporting @tdinh_me’s work.

This isn't just about delivering "more practical value;" it can also include emotional properties that people desire.

For example:

"I like the packaging better."

"This is the brand my friends use."

"I resonate with the founders' story."

"This company aligns with my values."