Tweets

Also, the startup trope of the "starving founder" is toxic.

Founders shouldn't perpetually sacrifice their quality of life.

When they can, they should pay themselves well, reduce work hours, and have a sense of calm.

Make sure you're getting a commensurate return on your bets.

This easter egg on the new @tailwindui "Stocks" template made my day:

📈 "Aww yeah. @TransistorFM is up 6.25% baby!"

Kudos to the @adamwathan, @steveschoger, and the whole @tailwindcss team on this new design. Looks amazing:

https://pocket.tailwindui.com/

❤️ the Rockies

This dynamic seems to play out in many product categories:

"Second mouse gets the cheese." https://twitter.com/Shpigford/status/1529510172325842944

How does this apply to indie entrepreneurs?

We have to get better at making bets. We can't, as @warrenbuffett says, "swing at every pitch."

Do your research: make sure there's some "pull" from the market. Don't go after every opportunity.

Only swing for the best pitches.

The challenge for high-performance entrepreneurs is that they can make almost anything work – for a while.

Grit, determination, and hustle are important, but they can lead to false positives.

It's quite common to build a business that's just "sort of working."

Contrary to popular belief: we can't "create" the underlying demand for a product.

(Makers have less influence than you might think!)

Customer demand is determined by multiple factors (many of which are outside of your control).

Here's how demand is created 🧵

First they hijacked your Twitter threads,
Then they came for your Discord DMs,
And now they're coming for your... Instagram messages?

"We're decentralized, but we still like our spam centralized."

Also: do decentralized apps work, at scale, in practice?

Example: Twitter already has a decentralized competitor (Mastodon) that hasn't gained traction.

Is there something about traditional apps/biz models that make them succeed despite open-source/decentralized alternatives?

@derrickreimer If you're sharing your journey to a specific number, especially at the beginning stages, it's helpful.

People feel more connected to your story, start rooting for you, and celebrate your wins.

But, beyond a certain number, it's not that helpful.

https://justinjackson.ca/30k

This fire near my home in #vernonbc is driving some insane weather patterns (and smoke clouds).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-aug-5-1.6131701

#WhiteRockLakeFire #BCWS #BCWildfire @Kamscan

My sister (@raspberrysarah) is an amazing designer / illustrator.

😍 She drew us this adorable 🦕!

👕 If you follow @TransistorFM and RT the tweet below, you could win a t-shirt or stickers featuring this cute Podcastosaurus. https://twitter.com/TransistorFM/status/1415454181121413120

I bought a house 12 months ago. (My 4th mortgage)

Previously, all the banks wanted to see was paystubs.

Now that I’m a full time entrepreneur, I knew I’d need a good mortgage broker. He got us a great rate, but damn did they need a lot of paperwork.

They wanted ALL the PDFs.

If you think “more exposure” will save your startup, just think about DeLorean.

Hiring managers are missing out on incredible people who, by "working in public, have proved what they're capable of.

You don't even need to schedule a call to "get to know them!"

Just DM them & make them an offer: "Hey, if we paid you $200k/year, would you come work for us?"

Just got @RamliJohn's new book! 🙌

I just finished reading @arvidkahl’s new book and it’s 💯.

He’s on Product Hunt today. Let’s go support him! 🙌 https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/status/1397448337217961987

Open protocols will, invariably, depend on centralized aggregators, networks, access points.

Email needed Hotmail, Gmail.
The web needed Yahoo, Google.
Crypto needed Coinbase, Cash App.
Podcasts needed iTunes, Spotify.
RSS needed Google Reader.

(My wife just pointed out that most McDonald’s franchise owners would have been better off investing that $1.2 million in an ETF. “You could earn 8-10% interest, make the same money, and not have to do anything).

@justinkan The product is the spark 🎇
Distribution is the fuel ⛽️ https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/777490859864551424

Just published all my thoughts here:

"Podcasts and capital"

https://justinjackson.ca/podcasts-and-capital

I’m worried about overcapitalization.

Investing $1 billion+ into a podcast ecosystem that didn’t have $1 billion in total revenue last year... is a problem.

Overcapitalization has knock-on effects that won’t be good for podcasting.

Ok, apparently I can invite more people to the SaaS Club on @joinClubhouse if you follow me: mijustin

You too can be a multibillionaire! https://twitter.com/StephenPunwasi/status/1348329165502746626

Thanks to everyone who nominated @jonbuda and me for this award! It's really gratifying. Thank you. 🥰

https://microconf.com/podcast-awards-2021

@BorisTane The most useful questions tend to be:

- How are you solving this problem currently?
- How did you find that solution?
- What else did you try? Why didn’t it work? Why did you switch?

[slow whistle]

Salesforce to acquire Slack for $28 billion.

https://www.axios.com/salesforce-will-buy-slack-for-28-billion-bcc4d220-9e12-4184-9c57-c30876dd988e.html

Yes please x 1000 https://twitter.com/derrickreimer/status/1323304721151451136

Thankful to have @csallen and the @IndieHackers podcast on Transistor.

Indie Hackers has had a big impact on my journey as an entrepreneur, and Courtland is consistently one of the best interviewers I listen to.

https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast

A marketing site should be for people who have a high level of awareness about the product category. (You're not teaching people about what a CRM is here.)

If you're educating the consumer, that should happen in blog posts, videos, tutorials, talks, Twitter, podcasts, PR, ads.

@rohangilkes This is a battle that indie devs have been fighting for a long time.

If we can get Apple to change their guidelines, it will enable more indie devs to build better businesses.

Megacorps are sucking all the oxygen out of the room; they're making it harder for indies to succeed.

Community Safety Officers.

A made-in-Canada alternative to traditional policing.

“No guns. Can’t lay charges. Longtime citizens of the community.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-four-officers-no-weapons-no-charges-a-yukon-first-nations-solution/

Incidentally, many kids with evangelical backgrounds end up finding entrepreneurial success.

Why? We were given lots of chances to “do stuff.”

“Can I organize an event?” Sure!
“Can I speak on stage?” Sure!
“Can I build the website?” Sure!
“Can I design the bulletin?” Sure!

Want to start a podcast?

I just answered as many questions as I could on this @IndieHackers thread:
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/are-you-thinking-about-making-a-podcast-80e5e0aeff

If you've got more questions, post them there (or reply to this tweet) and I'll get to them tomorrow. 👍

The risk with overemphasizing “execution” is it deludes people into running that if they work hard enough they can make any idea successful.

It’s just not true.

On the flip side, an idea that has tons of demand may need less “hard work” to make it succeed!

If FB and Zuck really cared about small businesses, they would let them link out from their posts on @instagram. https://twitter.com/ratiovernon/status/1242980905234259970

Iceland has the best coronavirus dataviz I’ve seen (powered by an impressive number of tests):

https://www.covid.is/data

I wish every country’s health authorities had websites like this! 👏

Small is beautiful.

We should stop aspiring to build companies that are big tech behemoths.

“There seems to be only one cause behind all forms of social misery: bigness.” https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/979208870122827776

This part in “The Timeless Way of Building” is incredible:

“We can come alive only to the extent the buildings and towns we live in are alive. To understand this clearly, we must first recognize that what a town or building is, is governed, above all, by what is happening there”

All of the other advice you hear ("build an audience first," "validate your idea," "target a niche") is irrelevant unless you're in the right market.

If the economy is the ocean, and entrepreneurs are surfers, a market is the wave that you ride. 🌊🏄‍♂️

Why we stopped sharing our revenue numbers:

https://saas.transistor.fm/episodes/why-we-stopped-sharing-our-revenue-numbers

How big is the market?

❌ "There are 1.4 million potential customers in this market."
✅ "Last year, 1.4 million real estate agents spent a collective $131 million on digital signature software."

If you know, you know. https://twitter.com/buildyoursaas/status/1196627709230628868

When your kid asks you for podcast recommendations you drop everything.

Sending her podcast recs is my new job now.

We often use data to make decisions.

But often, we're using "bad data."

Love seeing awesome @laravelphp devs starting podcasts on @TransistorFM 🙌

This one by @jbrooksuk is all about mental health in software development. (Something I care a lot about!) ❤️

Listen and subscribe here: https://twitter.com/HappyDevFM/status/1189639016225890305

Apple has consistently followed this approach.

They didn’t make the first:

- PC
- Laptop
- MP3 player
- Smart phone

They saw the existing demand, and built on it.

People interpret what you say (your tweets, blog, podcast, emails) through the lens of their current circumstance.

As a publisher, it’s been interesting to see all the different ways people process a piece of content.

Another way to think of market demand:

It’s the wind in your sails.

You can build the ship (your product) but without the wind (market demand) you won’t go anywhere.

The strength of the wind will determine how fast you’ll go.

🌬⛵️

New @buildyoursaas episode out where @jonbuda and I talk about:

- Visiting Spotify 🇺🇸 HQ in New York
- Finding an office (instead of working from home)
- How to handle our partner expenses
- Not drinking alcohol at conferences
- Exploring Vue.js

https://overcast.fm/+MBmVWIE1w

@Julian I just gave a talk on “making your podcast stand out” 👌

One reason I like this GIF is it's a good depiction of what traction feels like.

The fish are so excited, they're literally jumping in your boat before you've even taken out your fishing rod.

Honestly, I'd be happy to just do more of "what I'm doing now:"

Work on interesting projects.
Help interesting people.
Bike to my office.
Go for coffee.
Write. https://twitter.com/valsopi/status/1126940149449940992

I just sent my newsletter out and didn't make a Star Wars joke. 🤦‍♂️

#Maythe4th

Here's me rebuilding the @TransistorFM website in 3 minutes using:

👨‍💻 @hellovapid
💨 @tailwindcss

Timelapse:
https://youtu.be/buwfK07ogEY

I rarely work late these days.

But when I do...

I listen to @ShaniaTwain. ❤️

@stauffermatt how come the sidebar menu is all captcha

We like to think that entrepreneurs are building something out of nothing, but that's almost impossible.

You're always building on top of something.

General Motors, for example, benefitted greatly when the federal government started publicly funding freeways.

What makes a good market?

In my book, I recommend that you look for three attributes:

1. Purchasing power
2. Purchasing desire
3. Critical mass

https://devmarketing.xyz/saas-target-market/

😮 Spotify in talks to buy Gimlet?!!?!

🔥🎙️ Podcast space is getting hotter.

https://www.recode.net/2019/2/1/18207198/spotify-gimlet-podcast-acquisition

@jasonfried For me it's a SmartFlashlight. 😉

This story is incredibly inspiring. 💪

Thanks for sharing it @denvercoder! 🙌

https://twitter.com/denvercoder/status/1079201125901824000?s=21

🏭 While platforms like AWS are great, I worry about centralizing all that power in Amazon's hands.

🤔 I wonder if we could return to keeping servers under our desks, but leverage new distributed computing tech to give us the same redundancy + scalability.

🤑 In two hours I'll be going live with @tylertringas to talk about "funding bootstrapped startups."

🤔 What questions should I ask him?

📺 You can watch live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqcpb15RZo

People say "I don't like unsolicited advice."

I think the deeper truth is people don't want to receive advice from folks they don't *trust*.

Without a context of trust, you'd be foolish to follow anyone's advice.

The "Deploy to @heroku" button makes it easy for anyone to deploy source code from GitHub to Heroku (no manual steps).

One thing I'd ❤️ to see: Heroku pays the developer a commission anytime someone deploys code using this button.

🤔 Good way to fund open-source projects?

Chicago! I ❤️ your city.

Amazing people.
Beautiful architecture.
Incredible food.

Back to 🇨🇦 now, but I'll be back.

(And launching @TransistorFM tomorrow!)

I’m not opposed to paying sales tax, I just abhor the administrative burden it puts on small companies.

It feels like collection and remittance should be at the payment processor level (this is something @Gumroad did for VAT and it was hugely helpful).

🎉 I'm turning 38 on Sunday (also Father's Day!).

📰 In tomorrow's newsletter, I'm sending the most important lesson I've learned in all my years: http://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

👉 Getting the sale isn't enough.

Your product needs usage to succeed.

- "I ordered the book, but never read it."
- "I bought this app, but I never logged in."
- "I backed it on Kickstarter, but it just sat in its box."
- "I got the upgrade, but I kept using the old version."

Damn, I love when @asmartbear writes!

"It’s always 10x more valuable for a business to grow faster than it is for the business to save money."

https://blog.asmartbear.com/more-value-not-save-money.html

"Chances are good that you've found product-market fit if a customer gives you a lot of their time, money, and can't stop talking about the product." – @hnshah

Why isn’t “I already bought this product” an option here?

This is how 100% of all Slack calls start.

(@jonbuda and I recording the @TransistorFM show 😂)

If I didn’t love the BC ⛰ so much, I’d probably build my next startup in Ottawa:

- home to @Shopify
- affordable housing
- good employment options for other family members
- lots of local talent to hire when you need to scale
- 🛫 1 hr to Toronto, 2 to NYC
- 🇨🇦 capital city

This AMA with @patio11 is good.
https://blog.hntokyo.io/patio11-ama-hn-tokyo/

I especially enjoyed the two questions posed by @SachaGreif 👍

(The first is a solid business question. The second seems designed to get a reaction out of Patrick 😜)

I'm planning on building a SaaS in 2018. Partnering with a friend in 🇺🇸.

More info:
https://justinjackson.ca/now/

I've seen so many "online communities" come and go (private Slacks/Forums/Groups).

Really proud of what we've built at @prodpeopleclub. Folks regularly say it's the most active + positive group they're apart of.

Going strong since 2013! 🙌

New video: @FredRivett asked me how I would get more traffic for http://usercompass.com. 🤔

Here's my response 👉 https://youtu.be/AT2KUPDnzeI

"Switching costs killed my old startup. It's one thing to build software, it's another to get users to change their habits." – @brennandunn

I've just been booked for a @ProductHunt Live!

🤜💥🤛

Get notified here:
https://www.producthunt.com/live/justin-jackson

I'd forgotten about the wisdom @garrettdimon shared in his @marketingdevs case study.

If you want to start your own business, take note! 💯

Makers are increasingly product focused.

We *should* be results focused.

What do we enable users to do that they couldn't do before?

Bookmark this tweet if you've ever wondered:

"What's it like having kids?"

https://twitter.com/Shpigford/status/892480598652198914

The biggest threat to a product (or service) is the customer finding a better way to get the job done.

Quicker, cheaper, easier...

When you're doing "marketing" you're making a promise to potential customers.

To succeed, you have to be able to deliver on that promise.

It's not real until you put it out in the world.

https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/871840142654402564

Hello friends. I'm featured on @IndieHackers today. 🙌 Really proud of this interview:

https://www.indiehackers.com/businesses/marketing-for-developers

This piece by @cliffordoravec is 💯 @cliffordoravec/the-epic-guide-to-bootstrapping-a-saas-startup-from-scratch-by-yourself-part-1-4d834e1df8c1#---0-185.vocfytdji" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://medium.com/@cliffordoravec/the-epic-guide-to-bootstrapping-a-saas-startup-from-scratch-by-yourself-part-1-4d834e1df8c1#---0-185.vocfytdji

The biggest challenge with running your own business?

“The will to persist.” ✊

Even when it’s going good, it’s exhausting! 😄

My book (@joltbook) is on @ProductHunt today! 🙏💃🎉

https://www.producthunt.com/books/jolt-make-your-product-stand-out

"These kitchen cabinet handles have been perfectly engineered to catch headphones and RIP THEM OUT OF YOUR EARHOLES"

Being a parent is the hardest thing I've ever done. By far.

It's the best. ❤️

A note to employees working 80 hours per week: unless you own a majority of the company, you're getting a raw deal.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/how-i-get-my-employees-to-work-80-hours-a-week/article27047497/

A lot of software products miss a huge opportunity: printable reports that could make a user look like a hero in a meeting.

Show me something cool/fun you've built on the web. ✨

I'll go first: My oldest son and I built a browser game called Table Flipper to help folks burn off office anxiety/anger. 😅

https://megamaker.ca/tableFlipper/

My middle son made this video trailer for it.

(And my youngest helped…

Hanging out with a bunch of folks who ❤️ RSS at the @Nationals game.

My boys are cooking their own dinner tonight 👀

Evening walk

B2B vs B2C feels like a flimsy distinction, especially in today’s economy.

If someone buys an expensive camera for personal use, and then two weeks later decides to start shooting weddings, would they be considered an SMB?

In this scenario, is the camera company B2B or B2C?