Tweets

Looking more and more apocalyptic the closer I get to home. (Driving north to Vernon, BC from the USA border at Midway). 😞

A missed branding opportunity for episode 666 of @startupspod. 🤘

(great episode @robwalling & @derrickreimer!)

The decisions we make can have a profound effect on our quality of life.

Each decision kicks off a cascading set of consequences, not all of which are anticipated.

A few examples:

1. Deciding to get a pet
2. Deciding to do FB ads
3. Deciding to do enterprise sales

nbd just listening to podcasts on my apple goggles

#WWDC23

Launching something new at Hack Night tonight ✨

https://mijustin.github.io/fun/fun.html

Alright, presenting my giant backdrop of (transistor) radios! 📻

(Well, technically, many of them are tube radios. But they're all cool).

Feels like I need to bump up the brightness on my key light.

We're also thinking of backlighting these with leds.

I demoed the latest version of the studio setup for @mjwhansen (we have an episode coming out tomorrow on @buildyoursaas).

New gear:

📋 Teleprompter: @GlideGear
📟 Teleprompter display: LILLIPUT A11
💡 Hanging light bulbs: Swpeet Pendant Hanging Light

My friends @mbuckbee & @rmcastil are on @ProductHunt today:

https://www.producthunt.com/posts/ip-lookup-by-wafris

Go give them some ❤️!

And try out their lookup tool to see if your IP address has previously been used for malware, etc...

Even the folks at Goldman Sachs (!!?) are concerned about AI replacing jobs:

“Technological change… has displaced workers at a faster pace than it has created new opportunities since the 1980s.”

When Twitter was really good, it was a place that facilitated connections.

Often, the key moments in life occur because of “who you know” and “who knows you.”

This still happens for me on Twitter, but not nearly as much.

The change in prices for US for consumer goods (since 2008).

🏥 Hospital services: up 99.8%
👩‍🎓 College tuition: up 64.4%
👶 Childcare: up 62.1%
👨‍⚕️ Medical care: up 57.2%
🥘 Food: up 52.8%
🏡 Housing: up 48.3%

“Wisdom involves using our powerful intellect to recognize the consequences of our actions and to think of the well-being of the whole. Unfortunately… we have lost the long-term perspective, and we are suffering from an absurd and very unwise belief that there can be unlimited…

By relying on ChatGPT, startups face the same platform risks they've encountered on Twitter and other centralized platforms.

They can:

1. Build your product's features into ChatGPT
2. Increase the cost of API access
3. Control who is featured in their plugin store

Wowser I get a lot of email on the 1st day of every month. 😅

Great video by @jmckinven on “how to start a podcast from scratch” on the @TransistorFM YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/xcyHT1ZLd9Y

Is it bad to release a YouTube video on a Friday afternoon?

What’s “generally” the best time to publish a video for a prosumer / SMB audience?

I love getting this kind of feedback from new @TransistorFM podcasting customers. 🥰

Good advice for compelling storytelling (from the creators of South Park):

https://youtu.be/vGUNqq3jVLg

Also applies to the newsletters you write, the podcasts you record, your blog posts, etc…

The hope with entrepreneurship is that all the money you risk, time and energy you spend, sleepless nights, disappointments, setbacks, and failed experiments you experienced along the way will be worth it.

YES PLEASE. 🙏 https://twitter.com/adamwathan/status/1615544615960219648

Just got an interesting DM from a SaaS founder doing $ multi-millions in ARR.

"After the price increase, revenue and profit went up, but # of new subscribers started going down. This caused MRR growth to slow."📉

Specifically: customers stopped recommending the product as much.

Watching @photomatt's "State of the Word 2022" and learned about @WPOpenverse.

They scour the web for high-quality free music audio tracks that podcasters can use for their intro music.

We'll definitely be sharing this with our @TransistorFM users. 👍

#SOTW

@joshuaanderton @TransistorFM Our tech stack for our website is:

CMS: @statamic + @laravelphp
CSS: @tailwindcss
JS: @Alpine_JS
Server mgmt: @laravelforge
Hosting: @digitalocean

This has been @jsonperl's project, and he did a really great job. 🙌

cc @BryanBarletta one thing that's cool: both timestamps (in show notes) and MP3 chapters shift when you insert pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and post-rolls!

I've seen small, bootstrapped companies agonize over privacy laws, GDPR compliance, and security concerns.

"Elon puts rockets into space, he’s not afraid of the FTC" is peak billionaire entitlement and hubris.

Build in public:

The idea of rebuilding the @TransistorFM marketing site was overwhelming.

Instead, I'm working with @polarizetech to iteratively improve different sections of the website.

(It's also a good example of how to customize @statamic CMS and @tailwindcss styling)

Great question on @IndieHackers from @bennyhatch:

"What's your philosophy/strategy for building a purpose-driven business?"

I wrote more about this here:
https://justinjackson.ca/pessimistic

I received 26 responses to this when I published it on my newsletter.

I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. 👍

A lot of people don’t know that I opened two snowboard shops in my early 20s.

It was fun to reminisce about all that with @CasJam (and compare it to running a tech startup today) https://twitter.com/OpenThreadsPod/status/1576889812786741252

These AI are nailing "canadian hoser playing hockey."

These days, @mariepoulin has a really successful course: Notion Mastery.

But back in 2019, she and @typeoneerror were focused on helping other people create courses with their company Okie Dokie.

She "fell into" doing Notion training almost by accident.

A good determinant of “market pull” is putting up a simple page like this and seeing how many people respond.

(A fancy landing page isn’t going to magically create more demand)

@adamwathan @itstimwhite 🙏 @stripe should just offer "Merchant of Record" as a service.

Jon and I are going through sales tax stuff right now and this Stripe Tax + Taxjar/Avalara stuff is a nightmare.

🔥🚒

@TransistorFM http://Transistor.fm is an indie, bootstrapped, startup.

While we're not immune from all effects of a recession, being indie gives us significant advantages:

- We have no VCs to appease
- We have low overhead
- We're profitable

This means we can stay focused on customers 💯

I go into detail on *how* to build something people desire here:

https://justinjackson.ca/build

This is why understanding history is so important: you can see entrepreneurs and inventors building on pre-existing momentum.

There's a clear line between the early diaries of the 1700s, daily planners, PDAs (like the Newton, Palm), and devices like the Blackberry and iPhone.

The macro implications of our micro desires:

👍 As business owners, we want to raise our prices.
🙅‍♂️ However, we don't want to pay higher prices ourselves.
📈 But if every business raises its prices, inflation goes up.

The full @Patticus interview is now up on my YouTube channel:

"Why I'm selling my bootstrapped startup (@ProfitWell) to @PaddleHQ now, in 2022."

https://youtu.be/IvB98pzqfnA

"The advice to anyone listening is: don't underestimate the velocity of your market. If you're in a market that is squeezed, I would say go to another market (unless you're a glutton for punishment)." – @Patticus, @ProfitWell

Great thoughts on choosing a good SaaS market. 👍

@TransistorFM If you're starting a company, ask yourself: what do I want to get out of this?

When you build a product, you're making a bet. You're betting that your personal investment of time, resources, money, and passion is going to give you a return.

Be clear about what you want.

👋 If you host a podcast, and aren’t currently using @TransistorFM for hosting, could you DM me?

I have something new I’d like to test out with a few folks.

Thanks! 🙌

Pay special attention to existing momentum: are people already in motion? What does customer velocity look like currently in that market?

Do I know any Canadian founders who have moved completely away from traditional business bank accounts (Scotia, RBC, etc) and are using @Wise exclusively?

(I use Wise, but also have USD & CAD biz accounts at traditional banks)

For me, it's a mix of:

❤️ doing product & marketing (podcasts, videos, blog posts)
❤️ the freedom and flexibility I get from being my own boss
❤️ serving the podcasting category and customers
❤️ making good $ and providing for my family
❤️ working with the @transistorfm team

@dr “I run a software company”

“I run a software company that helps people do X”

Jane Portman: @uibreakfast

Jane is a tenacious founder! She’s been building businesses for years, and is now the co-founder of @userlist.

Follow her for UX advice, and to follow her journey growing @userlist.

Yup. This is exactly my setup: https://twitter.com/taylorotwell/status/1500473534346375178

In the past, provocateurs pushed the limits in media like South Park, Borat, stand up.

But back then, people didn’t get their news from South Park, or form opinions on important topics like vaccines from George Carlin.

They provoked thought, but weren’t our sole source of news.

Age 37:
- got depressed
- got a therapist
- spoke at @laraconus for first time

Age 38:
- @jonbuda and I start http://Transistor.fm

Age 39:
- Transistor hits $30k in MRR
- Jon and I go full-time on Transistor
- Gave one of my fave talks at @LaraconUS

Today, I spoke to a college class about UX.

As a case study, I signed up for @TransistorFM as if I was a new use, and we talked about all the friction points in our current signup process.

It's clear: there are tons of things we could improve!

My commute is what pushed me to look for remote work.

At the time, I couldn’t afford a family home close to downtown in the big city (anything cycling distance was too expensive).

Moved to a ski town in BC and got mountains + lakes, plus I could afford a home close to downtown.

Working harder (on its own) doesn't make you more successful.

https://justinjackson.ca/work-harder

In 2022, more entrepreneurs should seek to understand the Prosumer category.

There’s a spectrum of serious hobbyists, aspiring creatives/makers, and brand new (tiny) SMBs that are worth considering (and who make incredible customers), but are outside of traditional B2B.

Just got my first new pair of headphones since 2014. 🥳

Testing them out; about to record a @buildyoursaas with @jonbuda!

Good business ideas come from bumping around in a space.

It’s your personal experience, and hearing the experiences of others, that will generate the insights you’ll need to create compelling products.

Also: anyone who can stand me mousing around, not using keyboard shortcuts, and generally just being a noob, deserves a medal. 🏅

A lot of pieces of popular wisdom have a missing half.

Examples from @liz_listens:

"You can't change other people... *and* you might influence them to change."

"Self-care isn't selfish... *and* sometimes we call things 'self care' that actually are kind of selfish."

Fascinating podcast case study:

@AishaZaza's fitness podcast, The Mindset Mile, got initial traction on @ApplePodcasts, but then exploded on @spotifypodcasts.

Now 93% of listens come from Spotify.
Only 6% of listens come from Apple.

There's a persistent myth that founders can somehow "create" demand at scale.

Customer demand is shaped by tons of factors; many of which are outside our control.

I've seen this principle confirmed over and over again: it's better to respond to people who are already in motion.

This is why you want to be continuously cultivating new experiences.

Over time, you accumulate all these bits, and they just float around. Gradually, these small bits start to coagulate together.

Eventually, they "clot" and form a new idea.

@Harris_Bryan Yes! @TransistorFM is doing our first sale ever:

🎙 20% off one year of podcast hosting

https://transistor.fm/blackfriday/

This is a mantra I can get behind: https://twitter.com/CassidyRColeman/status/1461838023159529472

It's possible to be an optimist and also be careful & mindful.

It's possible to be an optimist and still thoroughly evaluate new ideas.

It's possible to be an optimist and still consider the deeper ethical, moral, and structural issues at play.

For those of you calling for regulation: great!

Please support tax increases on frequent flyers as its potentially society's best way to address the problem.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1212975640317591554

I agree: a tiny % of tech folks flying less won't change much.

My motivation is to create awareness.

We need social, political, and corporate alignment on these issues.

The only way (I know of) to get there is to spread knowledge about the problem.

https://twitter.com/swaycopy/status/1458135657033912320

Our beliefs are often a reflection of those around us; the people we hang out with most.

This doesn’t mean there’s no objective truth; just that we perceive truth through the screen of our group’s beliefs.

Really great interview with @nathanbarry by @JimWHuffman.

Loved the format. 👍

https://overcast.fm/+sz4xngUlM

One of our customers was killed by drunk driver on Sunday.

Absolutely heart-wrenching; especially for his wife and two kids. 💔

I've just donated to their GoFundMe; if you can contribute, please do. 🙏

https://twitter.com/TransistorFM/status/1451243143672721409

The true test of any idea, opinion, or strategy is longitudinal: measuring the variables that matter over decades.

We often take tactical cues from other people, but you won't know their results until time has passed.

It might seem like a good idea now; but not later.

This new @meepsapp feature creates a print-on-demand merch store that automatically does printing + embroidery + stickers, fulfillment, and shipping (through @Printful)

It just runs itself!

Good thread:

https://twitter.com/smdiehl/status/1445795667826208770?s=21

I took a marketing lesson from @peldi, @balsamiq, and the @honeybadgerapp folks, and started giving away awesome @TransistorFM swag.

People ❤️ it!

This @meepsapp / @printful integration allows you to create an automated swag shop: it does all the fulfilment + shipping for you.

Invariably, the founders/teams who succeed are excited about their product category & market, and curious about their customer's motivation & behavior.

@patio11 @dominicstpierre @TransistorFM @JoshDoody New name suggestion:

"Two Nice Mics with Patio11"

Just voted in 🇨🇦 #Elxn44

🟩 I voted for Andrea Gunner, @okshuswapgreens

I was impressed with her openness to new ideas, and thoughtfulness throughout her campaign.

After watching the debates, it was clear she would be an incredible representative for #vernonbc in Ottawa.

If MailChimp's revenue was $800 million/year, that's a 15x valuation.

ConvertKit's revenue is $29 million/year; so that's a $435 million valuation?

This is a major concern:

“The Bitcoin network uses more than 7x times as much electricity as all of Google’s global operations. Could it be greener? Using renewables to power mining means it won’t be available to power a home, a factory or an EV.”

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html

@RphGrc What's a practical example of that? How will that feature make a regular person's life better?

@CupOJoseph Are there some examples of this happening already?

If these are community-run; will "founders" be a thing of the past? Who will lead these new apps?

Will funding be a thing of the past? If not; why would VCs fund apps like this?

"Questioning everything" is like throwing away all that humans have learned and gained.

🌍 When NASA, astronomers, and pilots assure us the earth is round, it's OK to believe them!

Human progress is the result of many iterations; let's not go backwards.

Most of the time, when my thinking was challenged, I didn't like it. Strong emotions emerged; I'd react with passionate arguments.

I'm sure many of the people challenging me thought: "This guy is never going to change his mind."

But over time, their evidence convinced me.

It's fairly normal for folks in their 20s, newly independent from their parents, to explore their individualism.

They're deciding "this is what I believe."

An important step, at that stage, is to be challenged by professors, mentors, peers: "How do you know that's true?"

It seems that opportunities are the result of two factors:

1. The privilege we're born into
2. The experiences, knowledge, skills, relationships, and resources we cultivate

We already have "Podcasting 2.0."

It's the ongoing effort to improve podcasting's RSS spec, with new metadata, new tags, and yes, new interactive possibilities.

Most importantly, it's open source:
#overview--libraries" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://podcastindex-org.github.io/docs-api/#overview--libraries

After weeks of wildfire smoke, we finally have some clean air on the horizon for #vernonbc! 🙏

@SquadCastFM @EspreeDevora And @TransistorFM would be interested too!

Holy crap: nearly 287 survey responses so far.

👏 thanks so much for sharing it in your Discord groups, iMessage groups, etc.

Think we can get it to 500? 😮

Lots of people asking this question.

The answer: 0% would have converted without the demo call, because these companies won't even consider paying unless you do a call with them.

https://twitter.com/DustinLeblanc/status/1418641522015211527

I make radio on the internet https://twitter.com/MorningBrew/status/1415428848964055044

@r00k For me the best has been:

“100% remote but I work at a coworking office with people I love.”

This piece about New York coming back to life really made me want to go back to New York.

The sites, the sounds, the feel of that city; there’s nothing like it.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/14/how-a-city-comes-back-to-life

And here's the Reddit AMA if you want to ask questions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/nrjsao/im_40_years_old_and_i_finally_bootstrapped_a_saas/

When I say "polished" I'm referring to the "sheen of professionalism."

Doing a presentation the "polished, professional" way (where everything is scripted, and delivered with fake enthusiasm) isn't engaging.

Be real. Show some humanity!

The challenge for Twitter: IRL, these use-cases have established social conventions.

For example: if you're about to attend a local meetup, you probably already have an idea of what's expected, and how to behave.

But here, the norms aren't clear, and use-cases often collide.

@adamwathan Brown bear brown bear what do you see?

(That entire book is forever imprinted in my memory)

@petersuhm lol. here you go.

Yesterday (before @CaseyNewton's second article came out), Jon and I recorded a conversation on Basecamp.

Many of you will know that we've been fans of theirs for a long time. This was a tough one to process.

https://overcast.fm/+MBmWjR6V4

Working remote saved me 2 hours of driving a day, which (since 2012) allowed me to:

- start multiple podcasts
- launch @megamaker
- write more
- start consulting
- write a few ebooks
- speak at my first tech confs
- launch a course
- launch @TransistorFM

https://twitter.com/celienboillat/status/1388015378706665472?s=21

It’s also wild for me to see all these new, young indie makers, creators, bootstrappers who are in their teens and 20s.

(I didn’t know this whole world existed until I turned 28)

It’s inspiring to see all these younger folks getting started so early.