Tweets

What's it really like bootstrapping in 2018?

Read the whole series here:
https://justinjackson.ca/bootstrap/

Been chewing on this Seth Godin podcast for the past couple of days.

This episode especially:
https://www.akimbo.me/blog/episode-14-genius

Content creators: are you making more, or less, than you were 12 months ago? 🤔

@podiadotcom is doing a survey here:
https://podia.typeform.com/to/rtKltS

I think this post is resonating because the "reality of bootstrapping" is quite different from people's perceptions.

https://twitter.com/hnshah/status/1041779023100227584

2014: Washington Post (est. 1877) sells for $250 million
2018: Time (est. 1923) sells for $190 million

2012: Lucasfilm (est. 1971) sells for $4.1 billion
2014: Minecraft (est. 2009) sells for $2.5 billion

🤔 Crazy to see how little $ these old media brands are being sold for.

👋 Welcome to all the new email subscribers who came to me through "The hidden cost of bootstrapping." http://justinjackson.ca/cost/

📆 My unconventional funding experiments start this Saturday.

✉️ http://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

Bootstrapping a SaaS – how to forecast MRR revenue https://www.pscp.tv/w/blG3KzM4NTU1MXwxT3lLQVFkanpBTktiszWkURnp04UJw6TI3cJS5Nny2inxzpUnf975BQxUMRI=

Really excited about tomorrow's newsletter. 📰

You can get it here 👉 http://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

😳 Trying this livestream thing.

"PHP Deathmatch - trying to install @statamic @laravelphp"

On Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/megajustin

On YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Lt4imMNsM

📊 Stats from my mailing list:

21 Protonmail addresses
486  / iCloud / Mac addresses
931 Hotmail addresses
964 Yahoo addresses
15,807 Gmail addresses 👀

📩 You can join here! http://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

Just so you know how my brain works:

Right now I'm considering whether I should start a YouTube channel called "Gluten free cereal reviews."

Food for 🤔

https://twitter.com/Suhail/status/1015639342570561536

Always invest in 🍕

https://twitter.com/morganhousel/status/1014230724730335237

After last week's nail-biter, there's a new episode of "Build Your SaaS" up now ("I see Spots.")

You can subscribe here:
https://saas.transistor.fm/subscribe

My new podcast with @jonbuda (Build Your SaaS) is now on @thepracticaldev! 🙌

https://dev.to/buildyoursaas

These computers are just no good.

Apple can fix this, but they need to pay attention to how pro customers use their laptops every day.

https://twitter.com/amirkhella/status/1003775782362087424

New plan: ditch @TransistorFM and build the next GitHub. 😆

https://twitter.com/paulbiggar/status/1003693593326784517

🎙 Awesome interview by @iamashley on @IndieHackers:

"How @Armstrong bootstrapped Niice to 100,000 users." 📈

https://www.indiehackers.com/forum/bootstrapping-niice-to-100-000-users-8a0d335928

Late night Twitter, 10pm - midnight Pacific, is consistently the most interesting for me.

🤔 Let’s say you were creating Twitter, but in 2018.

What business model would you implement from the beginning?

“You don’t need to be an entrepreneur for the rest of your life. Sometimes getting a job is the best thing you can do.”
– @garrettdimon #microconf

“Build a marketing platform before you build a product.”
– @patio11 #microconf

“It pays to send multiple follow-up emails!” – @SingleFounder at #microconf

Wow. @avclark’s just launched a new website for his podcast, and it looks awesome:

http://thegentlymad.com

Awwwww yeaaah! 🔥

@MattGiovanisci just launched his new podcast on @TransistorFM! 🙌

Listen on @ApplePodcasts 🎧 https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/money-lab-with-matt-giovanisci/id1376903878?mt=2

About @patio11:

Patrick is one of the best storytellers I've met.

And he's been sharing his story, and the lessons he learned along the way, from the time he created his first software company.

He doesn't always send a newsletter, but when he does, I read it right away.

@earthlingworks @Shpigford It’s not for me (that’s for sure).

I’m going to keep hiding in these Canadian mountains.

🏔

New look for @TransistorFM's "Build your SaaS" podcast. What do you think?

https://saas.transistor.fm/

Good thread 👍

https://twitter.com/jhooks/status/971215329354399744

Getting some @megamaker magnets made. ⚡️

Want to start sending @prodpeopleclub members more swag like this. 👍

Hot damn @pjrvs writes a good newsletter.

https://mailchi.mp/pjrvs/you-inspired-me-to-quit-my-job?e=c7139c9a02

Hi 👋

You really need to start from:
"Where is there demand?"
"What do customers want?"
"What do people struggle with?"

THEN go out and figure out what form the solution will take. Always do what's best for the customer (as long as you can do it profitably).

At its heart, web design should be about words. Words don't come after the design is done. Words are the beginning, the core, the focus.

https://twitter.com/nicoleslaw/status/951282898300219392

@zapier Which SaaS have the most annual revenue per employee?

Here are the top 7:

1. MailChimp
2. Basecamp
3. Campaign Monitor
4. Atlassian
5. ConvertKit
6. Salesforce
7. Shopify

“The desirability of your product trumps almost everything else.”

@MrAlanCooper/roi-does-not-apply-d2bc0f3b71db" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://medium.com/@MrAlanCooper/roi-does-not-apply-d2bc0f3b71db

I’m not saying positioning is the *only* thing you need; but the market you choose, and how you orient yourself towards them, is very important.

"I’m seeing a lot of folks quitting their jobs expecting to make $100k+..."

Good roundup by @hustletostartup on what to do before you quit your job: https://hustletostartup.com/before-you-quit/

"Remind yourself, over and over, that feelings are real but they aren’t reality. You can feel like life means nothing. True feeling. Important feeling. TRUE that you feel it, BUT...whether life has meaning? Not up to us. Facts and feelings: equal but different." – @danharmon

The current trend in content marketing?

People are tired of content.

They're hungry for interaction.

Talking to lots of solopreneurs who are feeling unmotivated in December...

https://buff.ly/2z6kj7U

Just published my 2017 highlights + fails

(and my plans for @megamaker in 2018)

https://youtu.be/jsdpeEnFjXk

If you lost all your family income tomorrow, how many months would you be able to live without changing your expenses?

Personal recommendations are an indicator that you’re on to something:

“I just bought this, and this is how it changed my life...”

☝️ folks (usually) only share products that have given them progress.

@laravelphp @taylorotwell I'm going to learn to build a Laravel app RIGHT NOW so I can be ready. 😄

As a kid who’d been hanging out in BBSes and alt.2600 in the early 90s, “Hackers” felt special (even though they got tons wrong).

“Sneakers” is still (probably) the best made hacking movie, but “Hackers” is my favorite.

@marketingdevs Interesting observations from today:

1. Twitter is driving way more sales than in the past.
2. Email is driving less % of sales than it normally does.
3. Simple emails (less text, no images) with one offer are performing better than emails with multiple deals.

When @asmartbear writes, I listen.

http://blog.asmartbear.com/brittleness.html

Great post Jason! 🙌

Huge congrats to @limedaring for publishing her new book today! 🙌

(it's design fundamentals for non-designers) 👍

https://hellowebbooks.com/learn-design/

YOUNG DUMB DOMAINZ

https://twitter.com/mattwhitlockPM/status/918634280309411841

"The world will be a better place when we have more self-taught, self-supporting entrepreneurs with real businesses." – @MarcEglon

Show a programmer your API and they see plumbing.

Teach a manager how to use your API, and they feel like they've got goddamn SUPER POWERS.

Best startup t-shirt designers?

So far I have:
- @KidPickSell
- @kylesteed
- @steveschoger

Lots of landing page submissions, thank you!

Before we go too far, you'll need these 3 ingredients first:
https://youtu.be/roMpTWmhD6k

Old grumpy internet users are the best internet users.

https://twitter.com/ianlandsman/status/866807005205471232

Our instinct is to target people who are "starting out."

But it's actually better to target folks who have already started. ⚡️

Jekyll isn't the answer for 90% of bloggers.

(If your solution includes a troubleshooting section that looks like this, it's too complex)

☝️ In the future, I'll be creating a follow-up video to this on: "How to get traffic for this landing page that you've just created."

6/ Ultimately, it's traction that matters. If you're working on something that's not gaining momentum, switch to something else!

5/ Becoming known for 1-2 things is usually better than trying to be known for 100 things (trust me, I've tried).

“Introducing IndieDojo: the bootcamp for indie hackers & bootstrappers” by @SachaGreif https://medium.com/indiedojo/introducing-indiedojo-the-bootcamp-for-indie-hackers-bootstrappers-76a8077c0d60

Hey NYC + #laracon friends: I'm doing brunch at Landmarc, 10am Thurs if you'd like to join me! 🍳☕️

(By Central Park)

Alright! Headed to ❤️NYC!

"People need my product!" (But do they want it?)

https://justinjackson.ca/need-want/

Ok, I like Patrick's ratio better. 👌

https://twitter.com/BFTrick/status/875731882914320386

How to start a SaaS (the unsexy way):

https://youtu.be/HFW2kCA6BX0

Most of the emails I get are ​addressed ​to me, but they're not ​about ​me:
"Justin, can you promote this?"
"Justin, can I pick your brain?"

How do you quit your job and go indie?

"It took 4 years."

Brand new video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/JGBAyzw0dG8

STAY UP UNTIL YOUR EYEBALLS BLEED!

New episode of @megamaker out now:
http://podcast.megamaker.co/51

So good to catch up with @itsdavemartin (from @helpscout) at #microconf.

He's a good dude. 👌

Kelowna ✈️ Vancouver ✈️ Las Vegas

See you soon #MicroConf!

This is me 100x a day.

https://twitter.com/vongxla/status/850103130486439938

I've been doing this too! 🙌

https://twitter.com/wesbos/status/849689026437238785

“A teenager’s software company” https://medium.com/product-people/jason-frieds-teenaged-software-company-a9b0e4b08308#---0-121.b13hvy7eg

I just answered all the questions people asked me on my @IndieHackers interview.

Want to ask me a question?

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

So close to 1000.

https://www.youtube.com/justinjackson?sub_confirmation=1

"The coffee shop referral" should be the ultimate goal for any product.

People like it so much they have to share it with their friends.

When it comes to marketing, who do you admire, and why?

(For me it's @natekontny because his marketing looks more like "helping people")

Awww yeaah! @adamwathan's been showing this to me on Skype. Looks soooo good!

https://adamwathan.me/2017/03/02/whats-kitetail/

What makes a good landing page?

https://tinymarketingwins.com/comingsoon/

☝️ just added a PDF guide and a big list of tools to that post. 💯

I've heard from Denver locals: Bardo Coffee is always packed. Owners focus on making amazing coffee.

Code quality doesn't always matter. 😉

Awwww yeaaaaaah! Can't wait to see you in NYC! 🙌

https://twitter.com/LaraconUS/status/832342240462852096

What can punk bands and startups learn from each other?

Here's a cartoon of my chat with @mikeherreraTD!

Listen: http://idobi.com/show/the-mike-herrera-hour/

Quit focusing on *you* and focus on *them*.

Quit worrying about how *you* look, and make *them* look better.

I grew up listening to @mxpx, so it was a blast chatting with @mikeherreraTD on his podcast:

http://pca.st/episode/7747fae0-d22e-0134-ebcf-4114446340cb

To celebrate the launch of @tinymktgwins today, there's prizes from @balsamiq, @zencastr, @nusiiapp and more!

https://tinymarketingwins.com/prizes/

Why aren't people buying your new app?

Well... I'm still using Adobe Fireworks CS5 from 2010. 😂

Old habits die hard!

Alright, here's the new video:

"Why I'm moving to YouTube (and why you should too)"

https://youtu.be/5A4eSHoKDwM

“Should you separate your marketing site from your web app?” by @mijustin https://medium.com/tiny-marketing-wins/should-you-separate-your-marketing-site-from-your-web-app-4e9be0e57194?source=twitterShare-a02dd1574d08-1483828137

A continual challenge I have when writing:

My initial impulse is to play it safe, and make myself look reasonable.

But...

(Sidenote: my 7 year old tells me he regularly visits my channel, hits "Like" and then leaves, "because your videos are boring, dad.")

A person's worldview is a stubborn, entrenched thing.

I'm sending my list a sneak peek of my year-in-review tomorrow morning:

"First year going solo."

https://cards.twitter.com/cards/pt2jpq/2s6oa

At $29 / month, @withcoach's Pro plan is a steal right now:

https://www.withcoach.com/justin

I'd grab it while you can! (Price is going up soon)

My thoughts on MegaMaker - 043 - How do you get out of a creative rut? on @ProductHunt #comment-391020" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.producthunt.com/posts/megamaker-043-how-do-you-get-out-of-a-creative-rut#comment-391020

Had a really nice chat with @ebarbaric on his podcast:

"From side projects to freedom (with 4 kids in tow)"

http://po.st/fExTq8

🐳 My answer to: "What are the must read books for entrepreneurs" https://askwhale.com/q/5c14a0/what-are-the-must-read-books-for-all-entrepreneurs Books by @Sivers, @dhh, @jasonfried, @alanklement

Another thought: when I’m using my MacBook, I’m not using the built-in keyboard. I’m using external peripherals. How will I use TouchBar?

“Programmers who learn marketing skills have the ultimate combination” https://medium.com/product-people/programmers-dont-need-a-co-founder-89c3da48312d#---0-68.7ye6l9u7q

It's 🇨🇦 Thanksgiving right now.

But it's also 7 days until the re-launch of @marketingdevs! 🙌