Tweets

A podcast listener has to cross a greater threshold than someone reading and article (or watching a video).

Deciding to listen to a podcast is a commitment; you want to know that it’s going to be worth it.

If you've ever felt metaphorically "punched in the face" by someone online: I know how much it sucks.

I hope this thread helps you recognize:

- you're not alone
- their behavior is not OK
- comments from a toxic person have nothing to do with you

There’s a reason there are so many coffee shops:

Lots of people want coffee, and will buy a cup every day, consistently.

The same has to be true for SaaS:

Lots of people have to want your software, be willing to pay for it, and actually show up and use it consistently.

Yesterday, I wrote about how easy it is to sell ice cream on a crowded beach: http://justinjackson.ca/beach

Today, I’m at the local fair.

There are hundreds of vendors.

But there are also huge crowds who are hot and thirsty; lots of demand for cold drinks!

Go where the crowds are!

Congrats on the launch @freekmurze! 🙌

Looks awesome. https://twitter.com/freekmurze/status/1167452766706503680

🎯

“Long after the work is gone, if you do things right, you’ll have good people, friends, co-workers, future co-workers around you that will be much more valuable than the things you created.” – @simplebits

https://link.medium.com/4cAZKx2iPX

Great advice. 👍 https://twitter.com/housecor/status/1141299695626702848

Surprised by how much money VCs make. 😵

https://medium.com/s/story/how-venture-capitalists-make-money-9af5cc3ff2ef

@mokagio This one here:

https://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Triumph-American-Imagination/dp/0679757473/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=walt+disney&qid=1556863531&s=books&sr=1-1

Got to check out @JordanGal's new @CartHook office and hang out with some other folks in #pdx yesterday!

Entrepreneurship is (probably?) not for everyone.

But... it's increasingly accessible to more folks.

Folks can move out of San Francisco, and build a little company of their own in Memphis, Salt Lake City, Omaha, etc...

Even if they earn less, they can have a better life.

In about 45 minutes, join @r00k, @JordanGal, and myself for a friendly debate about SaaS pricing. 😅

https://www.youtube.com/justinjackson/live

Loved hearing @CasJam chat with @r00k. This caught my ear:

"I've been paying http://followup.cc $15/month for 4-5 years. That app runs my life."

☝️ this is one advantage of charging a "lower" price point. People happily pay for years, and don't even think about canceling.

“The flip side of intelligence is the ability to rationalize bad decisions rather than admit your mistakes.”
— Byrne Hobart

It's the actions we take every day, for years and years, that eventually lead up to a given result.

Nothing is a "sudden success."

It's years of tiny investments that produce the big payoff.

(Hat tip to @JamesClear for this one)

I think the Spotify/Gimlet deal will have the opposite effect on Apple:

- They've reached peak iPhone
- They need to find growth elsewhere
- They're investing hugely in original content for their new streaming service
- Gimlet is an original content play

https://twitter.com/nbashaw/status/1093210862603497474

I was too scared to watch Gremlins in 1984.

Watching it tonight with my boys.

(Hope I'll be ok 😅)

We hear it all the time: "Follow-up emails are important!" But remembering to do it is hard.

My friend @singlefounder is tackling this problem with his new app, by helping folks do "follow-ups at scale." 👌

It's on @producthunt today! 🎉
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/bluetick-io

Hell hath no fury like a DHH scorned. https://m.signalvnoise.com/our-book-launch-was-botched-and-its-been-crazy-at-work-trying-to-fix-it-99b68fb775d5?source=twitterShare-a02dd1574d08-1541731051

Here's why I chose @laravelforge + Digital Ocean for managing WordPress/PHP servers.

OMG. This new idea from @studiofellow is exactly what someone like me (a person who hacks around in dev tools) needs.

"Design right on top of the live site."

https://mod-dot.com

You can read my whole "unconventional bootstrapping" series (from the beginning) here:

https://justinjackson.ca/bootstrap/

Blast from the past:

@kevinrose and @garyvee on stage at FOWA 2011 talking about:
- how having kids changes you as an entrepreneur
- the importance of simplicity in app design

The two are related! If you want to improve your home life, reduce the complexity of your work life.

🚀 Big day!

My long-time friend @kylefox launched Rewardful on @producthunt today:
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/rewardful

☝️ go show him some ❤️!

I just updated this post I wrote in 2013:

"When you work full-time, and you have kids, where do you find time for your side-project?"

https://justinjackson.ca/where-do-you-find-the-time-for-side-projects/

Still dreaming of building your own web app?

You might like my new show with @jonbuda: "Build Your SaaS"

Here's the latest episode:
https://share.transistor.fm/s/f3e2f886

Yes, success often requires sacrifice.

The important part is choosing the *right things* to sacrifice.

Here's my show & tell: I'm working on http://productvalidationchecklist.com and just released a new episode of Build Your SaaS http://saas.transistor.fm.

Whoa. @james_clear on CBS.

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/961231956670341120

"Form follows function."
☝️ this is true in business.

Beware of the temptation to make "function follow form."

This is where you get something (cool new tech, an empty lot, a business for sale) and you think:

"What could I fit into this space?"

Congrats to @spencerfry and his team: Coach is now @podiadotcom!

I've been using it since 2016 – best platform for creating memberships, online courses, and selling digital downloads I've found. 🔥

https://www.producthunt.com/posts/podia-2

old geeks are the best geeks

Showing this to my kids for the first time. So excited. 💾

“While feeling sorry for yourself is about thinking “I deserve better,” gratitude is about thinking “I have more than I deserve.””
— Amy Morin

Email stats don't tell us when people actually *read* email.

They tell us when people *open* email (in the morning).

I've said this before, I'll say it again:

"If you think the only people consuming your APIs are developers, you're doing it wrong."

This book looks fascinating:

"Our human tragedy is that the more we consume, the hungrier we get."

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/readouts/behave-the-biology-of-humans-at-our-best-and-worst/

Thank you for the reviews, upvotes, and comments on @producthunt today! 🙌

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

My book, @marketingdevs, is being re-released today.

It covers some of the hardest topics indie developers face (including sales!)

By popular demand: "how to create a paid membership site."

https://justinjackson.ca/membership/

Move over Seinfeld, there's a new show in town:

"Politicians in restaurants eating poutine."

https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/872263834559549440

This piece by @bentossell is 💯

“The Non-Technical Guide to Launching Products & Side Projects”

https://medium.com/startup-grind/the-non-technical-guide-to-launching-products-side-projects-1c5a9562fdb3

Your product has to be something that makes peoples lives SO GOOD that they can't stop talking about it.

Great products are easy to market.

Here's a tool you should set up every time you create a new marketing site:

https://tinymarketingwins.com/search-console/

#tinymarketingwins

Turned @SingleFounder & @robwalling into a cartoon to help answer this SaaS marketing question.

Full video here: https://tinymarketingwins.com/saas-marketing/

My daughter got me this for Christmas and thinks it's the funniest thing ever. 😂

When you make something,
whether it's a blog post, a product, an app, or an object,
just focus on *who it's for* and *how it helps them*.

My friend @kylefox just shared this great da Vinci quote with me: https://medium.com/product-people/i-wasted-4-years-of-my-life-doing-this-60e2d21b642#---0-96.m6iwblcq7

You don’t really learn business skills until you start practicing. https://medium.com/product-people/i-wasted-4-years-of-my-life-doing-this-60e2d21b642#---101-137.vulkcdbmm

Going to 😴 but I just did this brain dump and I'd love your input. Help refine my thinking.

If you're building a product, you should be able to answer this question:

"What other product are you stealing time and attention from?" ⏰👀

Customers don’t care about how "awesome" your idea is.

They just want someone to solve their problem.

Three things that have always gone together:

Python, Linux, and Six Pack Abs.

Instead of jumping straight to my screen I'm doing some ☕️ + 🤔 + 📝

Working on the draft of my new book: Jolt!

"Asking for a favor is like withdrawing cash from the bank."

It's odd that everybody is copying other people's marketing.

If you want to get noticed, you have to be different; rise above the noise.

Shaming people doesn't motivate them.

This is what self-discipline looks like:

You close Twitter on your desktop, take out your phone, and open the Twitter app on there.

Creativity (by it's very nature) is divisive. So, yes: some people won't like what you've made.

We create with the hope that *some* will.

Teach a person a tactic, and it will work for a day.

Teach them *how to think* and they'll prosper for a lifetime.

I wish I could push one button that would display "BED TIME" on all the devices in the house.

Then I want my Roomba to put my kids to bed.

Close Twitter.

Get bored for 1/8th of a second.

Open Twitter back up again.

Actual scene from my dream last night:

"Growth hack this!" (throws grenade and leaps from plane)

Marketing for Developers - a new book http://buff.ly/1dfzaXO

Good products start with the line:

"People need me to..."

not

"I want to...".

@r00k all i see here is 'impenetrable deeply' 😳

(jk - this is actually really reassuring. thank you!)

If you want to try out the other site, I just made a starter pack featuring "people who build cool/fun web projects."

Think: folks sharing cool visualizations (@samwhoo, @warsh33p), fun codepens/projects (@anatudor, @cassidoo), creative web design (@jackmcdade).

Today is International Podcast Day!

If you’ve been wanting to start a podcast on @TransistorFM for awhile, DM me!

I’ve got a 40% off for 4 months coupon I can send you today.

Coca-Cola is successful because people who drink Coke drink 8 cans a week.

Starbucks is successful because people order a drink every day.

In so many businesses, purchase frequency is king.

Number of customers x purchase frequency = sales volume

Software and AI are still very much in silos.

Even with APIs & @Zapier, stuff isn't very well connected:

- automated bank feeds break all the time
- Siri still can't create an event in my Google Calendar
- people still need to manually copy data from one system to another

In 1999, I met @TheMuska at Slam City Jam in Vancouver. He was at the height of his popularity. His pro model was selling 10,000 units a month, and he was one of the first playable characters in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game.

But then, all the money and fame ran out.

"Right…

Biggest surprise from the latest @noplanstomerge:

Buying a house for $235k and $209k?!!?!

Housing prices in Asheville and Buffalo are very different than here. 😅

This box from @noahkagan has got me intrigued.

I’m going to open it later today! 👀

Do you ever think: "Wow, if I could buy stock in that person, I would?"

What kind of evidence (behavior, work, attributes, etc.) are you seeing in that person that leads you to that thought?

The future of podcasting is "the independent media brand."

"Right now, the shows that are thriving are the independent, boutique, bootstrapped podcasts: @hubermanlab, Tim Ferris, @FoundersPodcast."

– @davidrosenthal, @AcquiredFM

As predicted: Joe Rogan signs new $250 million deal with Spotify.

What's interesting is the show will no longer be exclusive to @Spotify – it's also going to be distributed on @ApplePodcasts, @YouTube, etc.

Source: @hotpodmedia

100%

In my experience, a Main Street business is 10x harder to run than a tech company: inventory, cash flow, ordering, theft, fixtures, scheduling staff, point of sale tech, lease costs, etc

Running a snowboard shop was way more complex than running @TransistorFM. https://twitter.com/adamwathan/status/1746018328689185033

Another beautiful day on the mountain today.

Happy new year! 🎉

During my trip to Europe, I met up with numerous @transistorfm customers.

One customer I spoke with had recently switched to us from Libsyn.

He'd wanted to switch to us for years but was worried it would be too much of a headache.

Once he pulled the trigger, he was impressed…

Berlin ❤️

Amazing venue for @FullStackEU #fseu23!

“Draw a box around what you want your ideal day to look like. Within that box, optimise. But if things come up that take you away from that box, say ‘no thank you’.” – @JamesClear

(via @AliAbdaal)

@louisnicholls_ @tylertringas @derrickreimer Success really is the culmination of multiple strengths, assets, connections, skills; all of which accrue over time.

A good wave (market) will attract all sorts of surfers (founders). Not everyone’s equal.

One thing that’s difficult to replicate is “time spent in the water:”…

If you don't protect it, the calm you have in your business will erode.

Everything you say "yes" to increases your ongoing commitments and obligations. These commitments reduce your margins.

It's what causes founders to wake up and say: "I don't like running this anymore."

Reddit asking the important questions

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/13v6w1j/dads_of_reddit_at_what_point_did_your_sneezes_get/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

Just renewed my @every subscription!

Thought-provoking writing on business and tech, presented in a clean (ad-free) way.

Well worth it. 👍

Quick camera test! Which do you prefer?

Which indie products have you bought so far this year?

Yesterday, Lorinda cleared out my office & started positioning my desk and existing camera according to the principles in @theKevinShen's course

I was surprised at how much better the shots looked, even without adding anything new!

(The only light source here is an open window)

If “AI replacing jobs” is a trend, folks who “embrace AI” to get new jobs will have to compete with millions of other folks who lost their jobs.

It’s also likely that these new “AI-assisted” jobs will pay less.

This is why we need public policy. https://twitter.com/gregisenberg/status/1648677168379994115

Made a bunch of new onboarding videos for @transistorfm today!

Because features and UIs change so frequently, I tried not to overthink these:

- Hit record
- Record in one take
- Edit
- Publish to YouTube

Not perfect, but I want to be in the habit of redoing them more often.

@rrhoover Roller Coaster Tycoon 🎢

Build in public:

@joshuaanderton and I just made a bunch of updates to @TransistorFM's SaaS marketing site to improve:

- search rank for some key terms
- add some custom @statamic "widgets" to make updating the site easier

Will publish a video shortly to this thread.

To me good critique and creation go hand in hand.

They’re both necessary.

Sure, bad critiques abound, but that doesn’t mean we should silence thoughtful analysis on topics like AI.

The potential ramifications of AI are significant; the topic requires serious scrutiny. https://twitter.com/tobi/status/1602058577174269953

@sivers Founders make this mistake all the time:

"If only 1% of visitors buy, then we'll earn $millions/year!"

As long as you're pulling numbers out of the hat, you also have to consider numbers below one percent:

0.5%, 0.0009%, 0.000000002%.

Until you know, you don't know.

Every AI-generated microphone I've seen looks so wrong.

Wow! This is inspiring.

👏 Yvon Chouinard https://twitter.com/TristanSnell/status/1570168149936578561

Here’s a highlight thread of my first day at @PodcastMovement.

Started the day with @BryanBarletta and @webby2001’s @SoundsProfNews sessions.

Not allowed to talk about it 🤫 but it’s been really good. #pm22

Killer idea from @CasJam on how to use @zipmessage to create a “podcast voicemail box” on @TransistorFM:

(I’m going to do this for @buildyoursaas shortly)

https://transistor.fm/listener-questions/

My guess is that Jacey didn't actually hear me on the @IndieHackers or @ProductHunt podcasts... 🙄

Marketers: stop scraping podcast RSS feeds and sending spam. 🙏