Tweets

I regularly get questions about what questions you should ask a potential co-founder, *before* you start building a startup together.

These are the questions Jon and I asked each other before we started working on Transistor:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H2AHATVSY8cwVmnZYY7zJbEsKRZKVfE0c0mK8E_1EXQ/edit?usp=sharing

Here’s my 2021 year in review:

https://justinjackson.ca/2021-review

Love walks in #vernonbc ❤️

Josh was able to make this automated merch store for @meepsapp by using:

@tailwindui – thx for the e-commerce components @adamwathan & @steveschoger!

@Alpine_JS + @LaravelLivewire – thx @calebporzio!

@laravelphp – thx @taylorotwell!

@printful's print-on-demand API

A frequently cited benefit of crypto is that it makes financial assets (fine art, stocks, commodities) more accessible to the masses (NFTs, ETH, Bitcoin).

But I haven't seen a lot of upward mobility in crypto.

The folks buying crypto already have $; they are the 0.009%. https://twitter.com/NathanCRoth/status/1442544576091201538

YES THIS.

https://twitter.com/jamesvandyne/status/1437866301473447937

Specific things that contributed to mindset changes for me:

- Listening to podcasts
- Reading books that challenged my POV
- Getting a new job; being exposed to new POV
- Having real-life experiences that proved my foundation was wrong
- Meetups
- Getting challenged on Reddit 😆

Lots of folks asking "How do you know what people are looking for?"

A few ideas here:

https://justinjackson.ca/build

What a relief!!! Finally getting some rain in #vernonbc 🙏

Who we are today is an accumulation of what we’ve done in the past.

Most successful entrepreneurs, athletes, etc didn’t just magically become those things one day

Years ago, they pointed themselves in a direction, and accumulated experiences that lead them to where they are now

Folks in the comments who say: “Stripe is just revenue, the bank would need to see expenses.”

1. If you’re employed, banks generally only look at your income.

2. Stripe already offers loans based purely on revenue data.

3. The spirit of my tweet is: “this could be better.”

It’s a great time to be in your 20s now. Indie SaaS is an established “thing.” It’s way more accessible.

There’s a whole culture of young people starting companies. There’s a movement; it’s a pretty special time.

(When I turned 20, MailChimp hadn’t even been founded yet)

A few recent TV recommendations:

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Netflix). Really fun family movie. Maybe our favorite of the year?

Home (AppleTV+). Well-produced (and touching!) architecture documentaries.

Building software (especially as an indie dev) is incredibly challenging.

Your tweets, upvotes, and positive comments have a huge impact.

It encourages us to keep going (even when things get tough).

The follow-up question: “what have you done to find a better solution? What alternatives have you tried?”

People often dislike their current solution, but not enough to actually do something about it.

Inertia is a strong force. https://twitter.com/hnshah/status/1370584849661054979

What’s the most ideal time for you to start your workday?

So much of consumer behavior follows this pattern:

“People want to buy what other people are already buying.”

The “provide value” mantra seems to assume that the we need to (almost forcefully) initiate the transaction:

“Here’s some value!”
“Please take my value!”
“Here’s the value I’ve decided to give you!”

How you execute is important, but it's the quality of your idea that will set your ceiling for success.

https://justinjackson.ca/good-ideas

My business will never be the same again. https://www.pscp.tv/w/cUpncDM4NTU1MXwxZFJLWlFSZGRMYXhCLKWsiVAZTeBs8L9f_5fCw3122XZEGO-ZLqKLdvtBz_Y=

Want to get away?

https://justinjackson.ca/out-of-office

"FB video is so hot right now."

☝️ too often, marketing metrics are bullshit

https://twitter.com/mathewi/status/1181221849159684096

Really excited about the new features we added to the @TransistorFM podcast player today:

Whenever I'm flying into a city, I want an easy way of figuring out: "Who do I know who lives here?"

I've tried tagging folks in @Convertkit and making manual Twitter lists, but neither of those is great.

What do you folks do to solve this?

If you can't find fish (or customers) it's because:

1. The fish you want are exceedingly rare
2. The fish you want are hard to catch
3. The fish you want are inaccessible (hard to reach)
4. The fish you want don't congregate in groups where you'll have a chance to catch them.

Doesn't fail.

Whenever we announce we've hit a new revenue milestone for @TransistorFM, I get an influx of these emails + LinkedIn messages.

I bought "Value Based Design" because I like @nickd and wanted to support him.

But it's been incredibly helpful.

It's the kind of resource I want to keep by my desk and use as a reference book for customer research tactics. 💯

My son literally lost a tooth-a-day for 5 days straight.

Every morning he’d walk in the kitchen, slam the tooth down on the table, and say:

“You owe my 5 bucks dad.” https://twitter.com/ericlbarnes/status/1030937156888551424

Sacrifice ≠ automatic success.

The best product ideas come from observing a common struggle (or desire) in a group of people, where you have the skills, expertise, and experience to deliver the outcomes they want.

Last week:
- @tiny_wins promo. 🐖
- AMA on @IndieHackers. 💻
- Did 3 coaching calls. ☎️
- Promo for new SaaS. 🎉

This week:
- Doing 3 more coaching calls. ☎️
- Opening up a few more coaching slots. 📅
- Editing video on user research. 📺
- Announcing my new SaaS project? 🎙

Give people what they want. Not what you *think* they need.

If you're looking to get better at public speaking, I highly recommend seeing a @r00k talk. 👍

Here's a teaser from #microconf

It’s really hard to start a company with a faceless brand.

In the beginning, people want to see a human face, not your logo.

Most stuff isn't that good.

People only have time to read, watch, and use the best.

If you want people to care, make better stuff.

This piece by @levelsio on anxiety is really helpful:

https://levels.io/anxiety/

Thanks Pieter! 🙌

I pretend to be cool on the Internet, but in real life I'm just a dad in a bathrobe.

https://justinjackson.ca/real-life/

Every landing page should clearly communicate:

- who you're serving
- what they need
- how you can help them

@shaunmmaguire Using a single anecdote to suggest a broader pattern about a group of people is what’s heinous.

This applies to Trump’s debate assertion, and what’s being asserted here.

I read the whole article, and I’m confused why you would consider this “real journalism.”

My first reaction to Diggnation's return was, "Hell yes!!!"

This is the show that got me into podcasts back in 2007. I used to watch the video version on my iPod Classic.

Second reaction: "Holy crap!! They're hosting it on @TransistorFM!!!" 🔥

So pumped. https://twitter.com/alexalbrecht/status/1831359875173298438

“With time and determination, you can achieve anything.” – @ThePrimeagen

@LaraconUS #laracon

Watched “The Big Short” on the plane (for the first time!).

Great film.

Springtime at the resort

Just had a fun idea for an event:

"SaaS Demo Camp"

Get a handful of @rails/@laravelphp SaaS teams together.

AM: Dev teams demo a new feature and describe how they built it. Q&A from other teams.

PM: marketing teams explain the launch & the results (revenue, trials, etc). Q&A

On Friday, I tested 10 AI tools that generate podcast show notes, transcriptions, titles, etc.

I hope to publish the results on the @transistorfm blog + YouTube channel, but this one will be a monster to edit. 😅

I just added two more podcasts to my list of shows for devs:

🏕️ @campfirecoders (by @jesseleite85 and @austencam)

and

👨‍💻 @IndieRails (by @jeremysmithco and @bjessbrown)

Check out the whole list here:
https://transistor.fm/dev-podcasts/

In their latest ep of @indielifepod, @dagorenouf & @jmckinven explore this:

"If you don't look at the risks, you're vulnerable. The reason we failed and we got exhausted, and I burned out, is that we were constantly swimming against the fact that it wasn't a good business."

I've visited a handful of blogs by indie makers that are covered in Google Ads.

These folks write good stuff (that I'd like to share), but these ads really cheapen their content.

Please 🙏 If you want folks to read and share your writing, don't display ads like this.

Tried out @dannypostmaa’s AI profile photo generator.

Pretty fun!

https://profilepicture.ai/?ref=W0TMtiqAvmd4uxEihXWXWWmqDvr2

🌅

Good day for a paddle

Who’s started a podcast recently?

Reply to this tweet with a link to your show (and a brief description) so we can all check it out!

👉

How do you know if you're working on a bad business idea?

Bad ideas are hungry: they consume whatever energy, money, or time you throw at them, without giving you anything back.

Good businesses will (eventually) magnify your effort, and give you high returns.

Ironic that Marc Andreesen blocked me after question him on this essay where he says:

"We need to demand more of our investors. And we need to demand more from one another."

☝️ When I question Marc on his climate investments he just blocked me. https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1417221840418705408

To me, the full-stack developer is the best thing to happen in indie SaaS:

Using frameworks like @rails and @laravelphp,
devs like @joshuaanderton, @CasJam, @valsopi, @dr,
can build full web apps, basically themselves.

That kind of productivity makes "the dream" possible.

Let's boost an amazing member of the indie startup community:

Dr. @sherrywalling has been helping founders with their mental health for years under "ZenFounder."

But now she's looking to grow her personal Twitter. Let's help her get to 5,000 followers!

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

“Provocateurs (like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk), are driving a polarizing new strain of political conversation. These personalities brand themselves "free thinkers" untethered to political dogma.”

– @sarafischer, @nrothschild3, @axios

As I've said before, I can't support Tesla as long as Elon is CEO. (Even though I'm excited about their mission and like their products)

Musk is not a good leader.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1487951413955084288

New indie brands should explicitly describe "what their software is/does" in their headlines.

Examples:

"@heyreform is form software (like Typeform)."
"@savvycal is a calendar scheduling tool (like Calendly)."
"@transistorfm offers podcast hosting (like Libsyn)."

A crucial paradigm shift:

❌ "I'm a smart individual, who's mostly right, most of the time"

✅ "Knowledge is created, and vetted, collectively"

As individuals, we're prone to egotism, bias, logical fallacies, and bad-faith arguments.

Antidote: having our thinking challenged.

After all that wildfire smoke in #vernonbc, it’s so nice to get a beach day! 🙏😎

Live right now!

Doing a “SaaS AMA” https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1gqxvoEMQreKB

@jonasdowney ✊

I'm not opposed to podcasters selling ads.

But I am opposed to one centralized "AdSense for podcasting."

Podcasters: you're giving up all your leverage for low CPM garbage ads!

(Plus: Anchor's experiment in this space is failing).

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/21/22241066/spotify-anchor-sponsorships-ad-money-spend-podcasting

So far, I’m enjoying the conversations on @TwitterSpaces way more than Clubhouse.

🕊 Not just America: the whole world is relieved he’s gone! https://twitter.com/andrewculver/status/1325160286400221185

Snow day!

All this to say: most success is layers deep.

It’s not “well, I started a blog in 2008 and everything just took off;” it’s everything that lead up to that moment.

WAIT. Am I one of the "olds?"

For founders, I’ve written more on this here:

https://justinjackson.ca/margin

Winter sunset, #vernonbc

An example from my life:

In my early 20s I opened a skateboard/snowboard shop. It was low-margin everything:

- low markup on the products we sold
- high complexity (ordering, employees, inventory)
- high risk
- high stress (theft, capital)
- long hours, low pay (as an owner!)

What software do you use for design?

@fox I’ve written a series here:
https://justinjackson.ca/bootstrap

@pjrvs’ “Company of One” book is also excellent.

And my all-time favorite is “Getting Real” by @37signals

This is pretty cool.

@jonbuda and I are big fans of @smashingmag, @rachelandrew, and @drewm.

They just launched a new podcast on @TransistorFM!

Check out episode 1 with @Malarkey:
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2019/11/smashing-podcast-episode-1/

Interesting to read @stewart's 2014 essay ("We Don't Sell Saddles Here") in 2019.

It's a good illustration of the difference between VC-backed and Bootstrapped startups. 👉

Had a good ride with my boys today.

Happy Fathers’ Day 🙌

Customer intent is huge.

What you want: folks who are genuinely searching for a solution to their problem (and are willing to pay to fix it).

What you don't want: folks signing up for any other reason ("I'm curious," "Saw you on Product Hunt, and wanted to see your UI")

Just published a new post:

“Many of the problems entrepreneurs face are related to targeting a niche where there aren't a lot of fish, or the fish aren't biting.”

http://justinjackson.ca/jump

To me, this is what a good market feels like: when (without even trying) fish start jumping in your boat.

Yes, when you put out a net you'll catch more fish.

But initially, you want to see some momentum happen without you doing much work.

Big guesses are expensive, and often wrong.

Real life experiments are less expensive, and more effective.

Live now: "Marketing tactics for your SaaS: how to get the word out" https://www.pscp.tv/w/bw0zyTM4NTU1MXwxWXFHb3JXUHBCdkt2aI4UzG3ISDmEszvj6S_ZTSQIxFs7GhZkNXeV43UAP5w=

Being on snow is good for the soul.

I can't recommend this "Profit First" book enough.

This section here is just bang on.

We're way too caught up with labels:

"I'm a founder."
"I'm a solopreneur."
"I'm a bootstrapper."
"I'm building VC-backed startups."
"I'm not bootstrapping, I'm self-funding."
"I'm a product person" "I'm a maker" "I'm a creator"

What's underneath that? What's this work for?

9/10 it’s not a marketing problem.

It’s a product problem.

The #laracon stage is set!

Really sweet venue here at the @msichicago 👌

This is how it works in Canada and it SUCKS for small companies.

Having to:
- register in each province
- charge different customers different tax rates depending on location
- and manually remit sales tax to each province

... is brutal.

https://twitter.com/ianlandsman/status/1009817882405031937

💻 Non-technical founders – if you're working on a SaaS, it pays to have a cursory understanding of:

- HTML / CSS
- the command line
- how to set up a local dev environment
- how git works
- how MVC works
- how to update Views

Everybody who runs a business has these moments.

Deep breath.
Keep calm.
You got this.
❤️

https://twitter.com/ugmonk/status/987071483674529793?s=21

"What do you think of my business idea? Will it work?"

I have no idea!

Best way to know:
- convince one person to hire you
- do the work
- deliver the results

Afterwards, ask yourself: "how did that feel?"

If you're feeling good about it, iterate and improve.

Innovation idea for 🇨🇦 and @JustinTrudeau:

Make Canada the easiest place in the world to incorporate a startup with international co-founders. Simplify the taxation, banking, and reporting.

(Compete with http://stripe.com/atlas)

Goodnight 2017.

Give people progress when they feel stuck!

Examples:
- Stripe (getting a merchant account required pages of paperwork)
- Shopify (creating an ecommerce store required multiple difficult steps)
- MailChimp (you can't send thousands of email through Gmail)

https://twitter.com/Jonflarson/status/940305743151951872

😱 Scares me every time:

"Oh, don't mind me, just pushing 'send' on an email that's going to 10,000 people."

Trying out something new.

This coffee shop hasn't opened yet, but I hope they never change their website:

https://www.bardocoffee.com/

I got so excited about @chase_reeves and @CorbettBarr's "Entrepreneurs vs Hunters" that I turned it into a cartoon.

Start small.
Show up every day.
Keep refining your craft.
Take risks and get uncomfortable.

☝️ that's how true progress is made.