Tweets

Growth tactics for SaaS really depend on your product category.

Overall, SEO has been a consistently good channel.

In our category (as with most web hosting) affiliates work well.

Participating in communities has been helpful too (for me: Reddit, @megamaker, Twitter, Discord)

🤔 Given today's trends, what advice would you give an 18 year-old in 2021?

🏫 Should they go to college?

🏭 Which careers / business categories should they investigate that have strong potential?

🙏 Other personal growth advice?

I'm working with @joshuaanderton on @meepsapp:

"A better way to create online communities and memberships."

We've just launched a "coming soon" page on @ProductHunt:

https://www.producthunt.com/upcoming/meeps

Anyway, @joshuaanderton and I discuss a bunch of this (founders being motivated primarily to provide for their family) on tomorrow's episode of @megamaker.

You can get it here:
https://podcast.megamaker.co/subscribe

The irony is: the stage of life where you could really use the flexibility + financial margin of an established indie SaaS is when you’re 25 with a newborn. 😜

(But that’s the hardest time to do anything extra, much less start a business!)

At the buffet of life,
we don't need to fill our plate
with every opportunity
that comes our way.

If you leave some space,
you'll feel better.

Men: read the whole thread. https://twitter.com/julie_cohen/status/1370013467500044289

Any SaaS/bootstrapping-related questions you want to ask?

I have a bit of time.

Reply to this tweet, or...

Join the live audio-chat here:
https://jam.systems/saas-club-q8ix

Everything you need to know about Canada is in this Wikipedia article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraft_Dinner

The best way to reduce your stress is to have fewer obligations.

@Shopify @tobi What indie businesses really need is an alternative to Amazon’s search engine.

Shopify should be helping indie shops network their inventories together to create a giant (searchable) inventory powered by small shops.

What’s your favorite room in your house?

What makes it good?

Cool feature that allows you to legally use commercial music clips in your podcast (which hasn’t been possible up until now).

BUT... this only works if you distribute your show exclusively to Spotify (won’t work with @ApplePodcasts, @OvercastFM, @pocketcasts, @CastroPodcasts). https://twitter.com/mignano/status/1316371730605187072

Republicans: vote him out.

If he was your CEO, you would be embarrassed to hear him speaking like this.

Plus: he's a terrible conservative! He doesn't live out any Christian values. Fiscally, he's abysmal.

All politicians are shades of grey, but Trump is truly awful.

Clearing up some misconceptions:

https://justinjackson.ca/misconceptions

I know I use this metaphor all the time but...

🤯 this is incredible.
🏄‍♀️ congrats Maya Gabeira! https://twitter.com/GWR/status/1304044985042505729

Having an audience certainly provided me with an advantage in the podcasting space, but it's no substitute for overall customer demand.

I'd take "thousands of non-fans actively searching for a solution" over "thousands of Twitter fans" any day.

First, let's get some semantics out of the way.

When I talk about a "market" I'm describing *the sum of demand* for a particular thing:

1) Number of potential customers
2) How much they spend
3) The frequency at which they buy
4) Their willingness to pay

@jmitch @davidfano @SlackHQ @discourse @CircleApp @srcasm @DavidSpinks @hueypriest I was on Discourse + Slack for years.

Just switched to @playgrouphq + Slack and love it.

Here's a quick video on how it works.

Yes, you can be inspired by your heroes' stories.

But ultimately, what we learn from their stories is simply this: "they caught a good wave."

The takeaway: learn how to spot, catch, and ride a good wave.

In a closed ecosystem, the spoils almost always go to the reigning platform owner.

In an open ecosystem, the benefits are more evenly distributed.

Don’t think creators haven’t learned lessons from the record industry giving control to iTunes, or newspapers giving control to FB.

Personally, I think this is going to piss off his audience. Currently 0% listen on Spotify.

(Until now, he’s refused to have the show on Spotify)

VCs are prone to a particular version of this.

They'll say something like: "Podcasting is sub-optimal because it's not centralized. Nobody owns the platform so it's hard to monetize it."

🤣 THAT'S WHY WE LOVE IT.
❤️ RSS is beautiful.
🙅‍♂️ We don't want FB/Goog/Amzn to own it.

Here's what the desktop version looks like:

Customers aren’t waiting around so they can be handed a bag full of “value.”

Customers want something; businesses respond. They initiate; we respond.

If you're a Canadian business (freelancer, solopreneur, SaaS) a great hedge in a recession is to serve American clients, and charge in USD.

Right now, the American dollar is worth 40% more, meaning every $1 USD turns into $1.40 CAD.

It's like getting a 40% raise! 😮

I just made this video where I compare the checkout UX on @LightspeedHQ, @shopify, and @Square (@weebly).

If you know a small business trying to make the jump online (especially for pickup and delivery) please share it with them. 🙏

https://youtu.be/A9e2RKUhE9A

It's fascinating to me that two entrepreneurs can put in the same amount of effort, but get very different revenue outcomes.

What factors do you think makes the biggest difference when it comes to earning more revenue?

"How do you feel right now?"

"Umm, I have this low-level anxiety, about what might happen."

"To the business?"

"Yeah, the business. How would we handle a downturn?"

@jonbuda and I got raw in tomorrow's episode of @buildyoursaas.

http://saas.transistor.fm/subscribe

I've also just updated "How to start a podcast in 2020:"
https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast

Hey, how are you doing today?

Our tendency is to overthink customer motivation.

@gzaltman's research on consumer behavior underscores this:

"Human beings are not as logical as we might imagine. They are driven by feelings."

https://www.inc.com/logan-chierotti/harvard-professor-says-95-of-purchasing-decisions-are-subconscious.html

“Culture is a comfort! Snobs: let people like what they like.” – @hodgman

BTW - I don't think podcasters *should* necessarily be paid to stream their content on Spotify (right now, individual shows can monetize however they please).

It's just interesting to observe the contrast between the different models (music vs podcasting).

You can definitely target a customer type ("Small SaaS companies") but the next step is to figure out *how they spend their money*:

The @firefox podcast has a fascinating look at the carbon footprint of a single podcast episode:

https://irlpodcast.org/season5/episode3/

Related.🤣

https://twitter.com/MCamerlengo/status/1185376018808430596

Helping @jonathanstark switch from Simplecast to @transistorfm for podcast hosting https://www.pscp.tv/w/cF6yITM4NTU1MXwxcm14UFh3TVp6RHhOgWldUiwmBAtGQZQuHMO0WjbP4TA24mXT6oAJCfu4Fdo=

Examples:

Atomic Habits by @JamesClear – “Every action you take is a vote for who you are.”

Getting Real by @dhh & @jasonfried – “Build a software business on your terms without taking funding.”

Story Brand by @donaldmiller – “The customer is the hero of the story.”

@code @LostInTangent Thanks everyone! Here's the solution:

- Cmd + Shift + L will select all occurrences (and then you can paste / type text)
- Cmd + D will select one line at a time (and then you can paste / type text)

Now *this* is cool.

Supporters on @podhuntapp can now add short, teaser clips to their episode submissions.

If you're looking for a product idea, start with the market!

Look for existing momentum.

Then look for opportunities.

@jasonfried @jonbuda We'll publish the whole conversation on our podcast: @buildyoursaas.

Subscribe here to get it on Tuesday:
https://saas.transistor.fm/subscribe

Anyone in NYC going to see @IronMaiden tonight? Thinking of going. 🤘

It's super weird to me that @stripe doesn't provide an automated way for me to sync my active customers to @Mailchimp, @ConvertKit, etc...

There are lots of band-aid solutions (Zapier, ListBuilder)

But they only provide one-way sync (and don't remove inactive customers). 🤷‍♂️

Workers want health.

They want to reduce their stress, get more (and better) sleep, to spend less time commuting, and to be more physically active.

I start answering support email when I get up at 7am.

It’s almost 11pm and I just answered four more live chat tickets.

I also write/update help docs 2-3 times per day.

This week I’ve created two public tutorial videos (and probably 3-5 more help videos for individuals).

Every time you experiment, you're making progress.

If you're operating on a hunch, you're likely wasting a lot of time and effort.

Make an educated guess (yes!) but test those assumptions as soon (and as cheaply) as you can.

THIS!!!

(Especially for conferences that don't pay their speakers)

Speakers spend an enormous amount of time, energy, and money preparing their talk.

The *least* you can do is give them a video of their talk. That's an asset they can use.

https://twitter.com/lovevalgeisler/status/1097508583040827393?s=21

I was born in 1980.

I have no generation? 🤔

https://twitter.com/billevenson/status/1086764086887702528?s=21

Just published part 1 of my conversation with @asmartbear.

We talked about the challenges of bootstrapping:

"It's really hard to get 1,000 customers."

📺 https://youtu.be/ESZ3ViBEC3U
🎧 http://productpeople.tv/97

I like everything that @Signalnoise makes. 😍

What seems obvious to experienced programmers is a mystery to a beginner!

So helpful to get live help from folks like @freekmurze 🎉

@ajlkn 😲 my 10 year-old and my chihuahua!

The power of digital is it’s infinitely scalable:

Google: $615.96 makes profit / second
Microsoft: $531.21 profit / second
Facebook: $329.09 profit / second

As business models go, it's hard to beat SaaS or PaaS.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1020916743311536129

🎙️ Anyone here want to join me in the @Producthunt podcast creators group?

https://www.producthunt.com/makers/67-podcast-creators/preview

If I was bootstrapping Twitter, I would try:

- Free to follow and read tweets
- Pay to unlock ability to tweet ($5 one time?)
- Pay monthly to unlock premium features: analytics, ability to edit tweets, greater distribution... ($20 / month?)
- App Store for devs (20% cut)

#MicroConf has the best people. Such an incredible conference. 🙌

Whoa! @marketingdevs now has more than 1,000 upvotes on @ProductHunt 🎉

https://www.producthunt.com/posts/marketing-for-developers-2-0

Most solopreneurs in 🇨🇦 (@wesbos, @adamwathan, myself)...

- charge in USD
- pay lower corporate tax than in 🇺🇸
- don’t worry about health insurance
- have access to high-speed internet

It’s a great place to start a bootstrapped company.

Just published something @IndieHackers!

@mijustin/i-spent-30k-looking-for-product-market-fit-60ec0a2092" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.indiehackers.com/@mijustin/i-spent-30k-looking-for-product-market-fit-60ec0a2092

"How long have you been thinking about cancelling?" is a particularly good question.

It shows you that churn is a LAGGING indicator.

People decide to cancel months in advance. It just takes them time to pull the trigger.

Apple says “health” is a big part of their future plans for iOS.

If this is true, they should have settings that help people *reduce* the use of their devices.

Personal progress almost always comes from the people you meet, and the insights they give you.

Somebody in 🇨🇦 please fix small business banking.

I'm with @scotiabank currently and paying really high fees:
- $1 for email transfers
- $20 - $30 / month for my CAD account
- $20 - $50 / month for my USD account

As much as I'd like to stay home, nearly all the advances I've made were the result of getting on an airplane and hanging out with people in-person.

You have to travel. Go to events. Get out of your hometown.

“What you should know as a founder of a software company” by @ivmirx

https://qotoqot.com/blog/founder-skills/

"Everyone hates X and wants it to be easier."

☝️ look here for new product ideas.

(From my chat with @adamwathan)

I think about this conversation with @nathanbarry frequently.

Some markets are bigger, easier to reach, and more eager to pay than others.

Here's a recent talk I gave at a university:

"Build without code."

I think you might dig it:
https://youtu.be/PA2O3N9q03c

Ultimately, every product needs word-of-mouth to succeed.

Nothing beats having someone recommend your product to a friend.

Consistent effort over time pays big dividends.

"Dad, your YouTube channel is pretty good but your videos need to be more funny and cheesy and random." - my 7 year old.

Just created a quick teaser for http://tinymarketingwins.com

Launching soon!

It's almost 2017! I just posted "Year in Review for Makers" on @producthunt: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/year-in-review-for-makers

Who else is on their computer right now?

The reason people buy a product is they imagine their lives better with that product, than without it.

^ inspired by @alanklement's book

Prediction: in 20 years we’ll have self-driving cars and robot assistants but we’ll still need to call a plumber.

Considering a B2C subscription / SaaS business?

Good research thread on Reddit: services people happily pay for.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/50c0bi/what_monthly_subscription_is_worth_it/?st=ISIEL2KE&sh=dd9f41b4

Dear @Microsoft: we don't want Outlook. We want @sunrise. We'll pay for it too.

I'm currently tweeting from a kayak on the ocean. Ask me anything.

Love this idea:

“It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.”
— Jerry Sternin

I ❤️ @sivers' rule for public speaking:

"Cut out everything that's not surprising"

The same rule applies to email.

Just sent a thank you note to all my customers.

If you're one 3,674 people who have invested in my work: THANK YOU! 🙌

“Bet on your strengths.”
— Gary Vaynerchuk

I ❤️ nice internet people.

Every time I see @LarsLofgren speak, I'm like: "damn he's good."

Great talk at #MicroConf

Love this:

"Be of service. It’s hard to fail if your goal is to help others.” - @amirkhella, #microconf

Pro tip: if you need to wake up early, don't go to bed late. 😣

Getting someone to buy your thing is not “ultimate product validation.”

(That’s just good marketing)

Aim for usage + satisfaction.

Photo from the top of @SilverStarMR. Lots of snow up there, but the valley below looks almost tropical. #vernonbc

The best way to make better things is to keep making things.

Marketing for Developers: A guide to marketing your software, apps, and digital products. On @ProductHunt https://www.producthunt.com/books/marketing-for-developers

"I'm convinced that half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance."

– Steve Jobs

14 years ago Lorinda and I got married!

🎉💘

Marketing is about building awareness for your solution so that when the customer is ready to buy they think of you first.

Observation: the kids opened their gifts and played with their new toys for a day..:

... and then they went back to playing Minecraft.

Really cool: map of internet attacks in real-time http://buff.ly/1ow92in

Why was Basecamp your best idea?

"Basecamp was special because it was forged out of constraints." - @dhh http://buff.ly/1mfAUtI