Tweets

Walking home from downtown, and I’ve got dinner!

This Family Income Calculator (from @EconomicPolicy) shows what motivates so many bootstrapped founders:

https://www.epi.org/resources/budget/

In America, going from "single, no kids" to "family, with 2 kids" is a massive financial jump:

$36k --> $82k (after tax income!!!)

With wage…

BTW – If you own your own business, I highly recommend working with your kids!

I did two types of projects with my 4 kids (aged 13-20) over the summer.

1. Real work projects: they helped me edit my YouTube videos, update my blog, bookkeeping, edit my podcast show notes, create…

Made it to Revelstoke. The air is so much cleaner out here! ❤️

I also recommend @adamwathan & @r00k's episode on "how to stand out when applying for jobs at a small tech company:"

Web: https://share.transistor.fm/s/39765eda

🍎 @ApplePodcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/152-ben-orenstein-how-to-stand-out-when-applying-for/id931714873?i=1000506941662

🟢 @Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vPveEyAGgQfqHGcJhGdOS?si=t3NK6Cd6QEucuStNLbJYwA

🌥️ @OvercastFM: https://overcast.fm/+heX4beVWg

@Shpigford It’s not ideal, but you can share/save a link with a timestamp in @OvercastFM.

Ok, I just had my son edit the newest video on my channel.

Who wants to see it?

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn_aenqkZ3g https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1651693787746549760

I'm loading up @TimLeland's info for tomorrow's episode of @buildyoursaas. 🙌

Lots of great stuff on:
- bootstrapping on the side
- what it takes to go full-time on a project
- bootstrapping with kids https://twitter.com/TransistorFM/status/1670852230352896000

“Google searches are a good proxy for ‘what level of the stack are potential customers operating at right now?”’

“If someone has in their head ‘get a WordPress site,’ [despite their higher aspirations for their site] you want to meet them where they are.” https://twitter.com/asmartbear/status/1665386748807979008

Here's the wildfire smoke forecast for today:
https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

A massive portion of Canada and the United States is affected (to varying degrees) by smoke from burning fires.

BC and Alberta have been breaking heat records up to 37C (98F) all of May.

This wasn’t a red-bull-infused
all-nighter.

Very calm. People just did what they wanted. Some just came to hang out and have a drink. Others showed demoed what they were working on.

Mostly just listening to music together, working on laptops, and being social. 👍

At first glance, success can be perplexing:

"Why did one person succeed with that idea while another didn't?"

Often, it's the sum of "small bets" beneath the surface that matters: a person's experiences, experiments, connections, and insights gleaned over many years.

I like this metaphor.

Thinking in terms of “XP” feels healthy: you have a finite number of points, how do want to spend them? (No overdraft!)

Your time, attention, and energy is limited. https://twitter.com/mattwensing/status/1656525118179254272

I love simple features like this:

"Auto-load my guest's profile from Twitter, so I don't have to manually add it to my podcast show notes."

(Getting ready to get this @buildyoursaas interview with @aarondfrancis published!) https://twitter.com/TransistorFM/status/1655992306552680448

Your customers have to:

a) be able to find you (distribution)
b) feel like you're the best choice (reputation)

This is why marketing is hard: in any market with incumbents, your product needs to fight for discoverability and reputation ("This is the best product to choose").

Important to realize: not every spouse is (or wants to be) a "superhuman."

It's OK to be a "normal human!"

It's reasonable for your spouse to expect you to just work normal hours, contribute meaningfully to housework and childcare, and have downtime.

https://twitter.com/SVAssertions/status/1654546400871346179

"When the buffet of life presents you with opportunities, it's hard to say no.

The problem with overeating is you can't fit anything else in. When you've squeezed your schedule, finances, energy, and family to the limit, there's no margin left."

https://justinjackson.ca/the-principle-that-changed-my-life

Just got my @bannerbearHQ 🧸 from @yongfook in the mail!

Trying out multiple things today:

- new camera + lens (Canon)
- teleprompter (Glide Gear)
- new mic boom arm (@elgato wave)
- background corner light

Working on more studio stuff today with Lorinda.

One thing @theKevinShen recommends is creating a Pinterest board to create a feel for the backdrop you'd like.

Here's mine:
https://www.pinterest.ca/mijustin/video-studio-background-and-backdrops-and-items/

@petersuhm There are some good bootstrapper podcasts that have just started up. A few off the top of my head:

@pushtoprodpod - https://www.pushtoprod.show/

@startupapart - https://startupapart.com/

@nontechpodcast - https://nontechfounders.transistor.fm/

Stephen Hawking was quite concerned about AI:

“Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded.”

@Shpigford I use @Netlify

@tommyvedvik The biggest benefactors of the ChatGPT plugin marketplace will be bigger (existing) companies: Zapier, Wolfram, etc.

Wow. Carrd is a phenomena!

Well done @ajlkn and team! 🎉

https://twitter.com/ajlkn/status/1638583227991334917?s=46&t=xyX4ISH1y8eo0WCgQ-duKw

This piece by @asmartbear is so good.

“Customers are where you discover how to upgrade your strategy. Since you know your initial strategy is wrong, following customers’ lead is how you correct it.”

https://longform.asmartbear.com/predict-the-future/

🎯

Build a business for a better life! https://twitter.com/ChristineCarril/status/1632428013924020236

I often think about this chat I had with @nathanbarry in 2016:

"I think we have one of the best possible markets in the world and one of the best business models."

In my experience, SaaS and/or digital products have provided the best margins and lifestyle (as an indie founder).

Do I know anyone who works at @Patreon, specifically on the integration side?

We're working on something cool at @TransistorFM and would love to have a contact there.

@christophrumpel @taylorotwell Love this. I gotta go next year!

🔥🕺🏼

🎯

Good quality work is necessary but not sufficient for success. https://twitter.com/jayclouse/status/1626930051089416193

This week, @joshuaanderton redesigned one of @transistorfm's highest-traffic landing pages. Here's the case study that shows you how we changed it (and built a custom UI / audio player inside of @statamic).

Full video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IH3ZoM9aPg

@jsonperl @Cleveland_PL This is the ultimate “real life Zoom background”

Doing the @Patreon Creator Survey.

They explicitly call out "Member shoutouts in podcast episodes" as a perk for a podcast's patrons.

At @TransistorFM, we've noticed this is the most simple & effective perk to offer supporters; they love getting a shoutout + link in show notes.

@kylegawley @levelsio If you read the whole policy, it explicitly says they will remove any posts mentioning links or usernames to "prohibited 3rd-party social media platforms"

There are specific examples of what you can't say anymore:

“follow me on Instagram”
“check out my profile on FB / mastodon"

When looking at past mistakes, it's healthy to ask: "What did I learn?"

But when we're looking toward the future, we want to be mindful of the risks we take.

There are consequences for every action.

Learn from mistakes, but also learn to make better bets.

Love podcast projects like this:

@tnorthcutt's son (Kyle) is 11 years old. He has a show where he interviews people about their careers.

Here's an episode where he interviews @typeoneerror about being a programmer and a firefighter!

👨‍💻🧑‍🚒💻🔥🚒

https://kidslearncareers.com/39

These departures are massively bad news for Twitter.

These two were responsible for ad sales + brand safety for advertisers (90% of Twitter's revenue).

They were the two primary people on that Spaces call with Elon yesterday (meant to calm advertisers).
https://twitter.com/sarafischer/status/1590829648039985152

So good. ❤️ https://twitter.com/calebporzio/status/1587527203008528385

Just published this video with lessons from the @TransistorFM team retreat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck3cbAO-fUo

Balaji’s rhetoric is completely incoherent. https://twitter.com/liron/status/1583676196826492934

What happens when people start going to AI for answers instead of Google search and Wikipedia?

How does the AI decide what to suggest?

What are the knock-on effects of these suggestions?

https://twitter.com/Altimor/status/1583341896666996738

@rezzz @nbashaw @every Let's test this out! I'll publish this on my blog and see if I can get this post to rank for "how to plan your remote work retreat" on Google.

I'll report back with the results. 👍

Pick a direction, move in that direction, see what you discover, evaluate how it feels.

Being a successful founder usually means making a series of bets, many of which will fail.

If you’re investing years of your life trying to build a business, you should be rewarded financially for all that previous effort.

Too often, founders deny themselves a good salary.

"What's the last podcast you started listening to?"

☝️ Want to grow your podcast? Study what makes someone START listening to a new show. 👍

@iamjeremyenns' recent favorite:

🧠 BRAINS podcast by @Julian & @csallen

(Time to release a new episode boys!)

Answered @mbuckbee's question about "sponsoring podcasts" and gave a shout out to:

- The folks at @podglomerate and @GumballFM
- The @ChemForYourLife podcast
- @mjwhansen & @leenyburger's "supporter model" for their podcast (@SoftwareSocPod)

https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasting/comments/xciarj/comment/io5jeeg/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

🏹 “Put more wood behind fewer arrows.”

If a company like Google (with almost infinite resources) has to “put more resources towards fewer products,” than so do we. 😄

Podcasters on @TransistorFM can now run multiple ad campaigns at the same time. 💪

Automatically insert audio clips into all of your episodes at once, or choose specific episodes where you'd like your campaign applied.

Example: "use specific ads on episodes for programmers"

@dvassallo @JackEllis @earthlingworks One small bet at a time seems to be the key. (And to eject projects that don’t grow fast enough by year 2-3)

For funded startups, $20k MRR doesn’t mean much.

But, for indie entrepreneurs like us, this was a big deal.

Shortly after going full-time, I went on the @IndieHackers podcast and said this:

https://share.transistor.fm/s/7e7020f7

Up until that point, we’d only worked remotely.

To be in person felt special: working side-by-side, taking coffee breaks, and hanging out at night.

When we look back on everything we’ve done with @TransistorFM, these in-person moments are the most significant.

@adamwathan 💯

Once you’ve been through the cycle a few times you see the advantage of targeting customers who are already in motion.

@DruRly A few of my faves

- @mjwhansen
- @arvidkahl
- @adamwathan & @steveschoger
- @nathanbarry
- @robfitz
- Paul Jarvis
- @studiofellow

I've also self-published a few books: @marketingdevs and @joltbook.

Details:

The winner will automatically be selected (by @ContestKit) on June 21, 2022.

I'll DM the winner, order the mic on Amazon, and ship it to them.

@TransistorFM is a small indie team (only four people), so any amplification you can provide is a huge help to us!

As predicted:

https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/clubhouse-social-audio-executive-departures

"Building a technology company is an infinite assumption machine. There are tens of thousands of variables that all affect each other." – @itsurboyevan

https://every.to/napkin-math/the-inventor-of-the-iphone-has-some-thoughts

We'll need to pick up momentum if we're going to keep that #1 spot. 🙏

@adamwathan WOW! 😍

This looks incredible.

Can't believe how many good DOS games came out in 1989.

https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-list.php?tp=4&year=1989&ord=4

(And, I guess Prince of Persia came out for Mac in 1989, and PC in 1990?)

SMS providers must ❤️ 2FA.

🎯

Elon saying “Twitter must be politically neutral” is overly simplistic.

Neutral according to whom? Neutral by whose standard?

Real-life content moderation is not that easy. https://twitter.com/polotek/status/1519505315288342532

@Kantrowitz @kyurieff I have multiple teenagers.

Teens #1 and #3 use Snapchat exclusively for DMing their friends.

(Teen #2 uses Discord mostly, Teen #4 uses iMessage mostly)

Honestly, I’d be happy if he just dedicated as much money towards fighting climate change as he does in crypto.

Andreessen penned an essay on how we need to invest in, and build, real-world solutions.

But so far he’s been all talk, very little action.

@jayclouse Too many creators underestimate the power of THE MARKET.

Because we're creative, we think that building something cool will automatically make it desirable.

But consistent, growing, sales revenue comes from giving customers something they're already searching for.

<Increase prices>

"Wow! Profitability is up 30%!"

But here's what you can't measure:

👉 What are people saying about this change in Slack groups?

"Ugh. They just increased prices again. Anyone have a better alternative?"

I read this as "I prefer founders who sweat a lot" and I was like... YES! THAT'S ME. 💦🙋‍♂️

https://twitter.com/nihalmehta/status/1512113849880690697

The @TransistorFM team is planning a retreat in September in Montreal.

We’re looking for accommodation for 4 people, and would prefer separate suites + bathrooms. (Plus a common room we can all hang out in)

Anyone know of awesome boutique hotels or rentals I should check out?

Here's a longer (13-minute) video on YouTube about @taylorotwell's thoughts on attracting more young developers to frameworks like @laravelphp and @rails:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQnpcnVefEw

This is the feeling you want.

Customers are in motion, the market has momentum, and you're just doing your best to steer yourself as you're propelled by the energy of the market.

@TheEricAnderson VIDEO!

I don't see any videos on @use_theta's Twitter account or a YouTube channel on your website.

Record a screencast every week of you, and others, using the product, and publish it on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Are 40+ people cool enough to be on indie hacker twitter

Can't wait to hear @taylorotwell's keynote at the next @LaraconUS.

@mjwhansen I've had good results from Riverside, Squadcast, and Zencastr. 👍

However: I *always* record a backup copy of my audio on Quicktime (and ask my guest to do the same).

Most marketing problems can be solved with a qualitative approach OR a quantitative approach; and both can be equally successful!

Some marketers are guided by their intuition, and others are guided by datapoints.

Some folks are long-term planners; others are more in the moment.

@GuillaumeMbh If I could only follow one person, I’d probably quit Twitter and just use email. 😂

@mjwhansen Umm... This is a total Google+ throwback!

Natalie Nagele: @natalienagele

Natalie is the leader I want to be more like. Her "people-first" approach to being the CEO at @Wildbit has created a calm (but effective) work culture.

I've just subscribed to their new newsletter:
https://wildbit.com/newsletter

@Swizec This episode is a good example of how to have a respectful conversation with someone who believes in conspiracy theories.

https://overcast.fm/+Cuhv84gSU

It seems insane to me that devs are just blindly installing packages all day (some of which are installing their own packages/dependencies).

It's a huge tree of dependencies, and nobody's checking for malicious software in there? 🤔

Observe customers and cut out cruft

Every product category has old, entrenched products built with old assumptions.

Connect with customers, discover what they don’t like about current solutions (too slow, too buggy, weird UX patterns, pricing), and then build a better solution.

For folks like Rogan, “free thinking” means interviewing folks on the fringe like Dr. Malone.

His bias is to ignore the established science, and to seek out (and amplify) rogue opinions.

It’s done under the banner of “revealing the hidden truth,” but it’s trash science.

💯 https://twitter.com/mariepoulin/status/1494164979867549697

A few podcast website designs I dig:

❤️ the simplicity of @adamwathan's here: https://fullstackradio.com/

🧘‍♂️ overall vibe of @HeyHeyESJ's: https://followfridaypodcast.com/

👨‍🎨 the color schemes / layout of @mackenziechild's happy hues: https://www.happyhues.co/palettes/12

"My inspiration was @patio11. I loved the idea of having a tiny little business. That was my absolute dream. I was not that ambitious, but I found myself being forced to change my dream [because we were growing so fast]."

A highlight from @peldi's @IndieHackers interview:

Often, we mistake the feeling of being wildly busy with being in “flow.”

“Whoa! This day went by quick! Tons of meetings, client requests, projects, podcast interviews… I hardly had time to check my email!”

Sailing on calm seas is better than being tossed around by waves. ⛵️

At Transistor, we were using Loom for sending screen recordings to customers and team members.

We switched to @ZipMessage last month and I’m glad we did. Really great product.

Having the ability to post videos back and forth is so helpful; much easier to clarify a point.

“If Musk had exercised his stock options as they vested, he would have ended up with a tax bill of $598.9 million.

Instead, he waited until his stock options were on the verge of hitting their 10-year expiration date. And he’s facing an estimated $12.5 billion tax bill for it.”

Keep in mind: a great headline won't matter if there isn't already demand for what you're selling.

A headline just lets customers know: "We've got what you want."

https://twitter.com/peeplaja/status/1471104860946894859

@jasonlbeggs @TransistorFM @statamic @Netlify @tailwindcss @jonbuda ✅ Upgraded to Tailwind 3.0
✅ Removed old/deprecated Tailwind styles
✅ Showed me new Tailwind stuff: JIT, Arbitrary values, etc
✅ Helped fix Git issues on my local machine
✅ FINALLY switched from using master to main (updated Netlify build settings to use main)

Nice feature @m1guelpf! 🔥

https://elpais.com/tecnologia/transformacion-digital/2021-11-20/que-tus-amigos-digan-vamos-a-comprar-la-constitucion-de-ee-uu-y-que-casi-lo-logremos-es-increible.html

(also: 👀 @megamaker)

Philosophy of attracting good employees:

“Be the kind of people other people want to work with.”

“Work on the kinds of projects other people want to work on.”

“Develop the kind of culture other people want to be a part of.”

@MikeMichalowicz @BankMercury Here's some background (2018 article): https://justinjackson.ca/solorisk

@PierreDeWulf @CicmilJovan Yup. But not in Canada.

I know quite a few founders who pay themselves 100% in dividends here. (You can make payments whenever you want)

I wish more folks would do this kind of cost/benefit analysis with crypto projects.

(Nicholas has a PhD in CompSci from Berkeley)

What are end-users getting for this increase in complexity? Is it worth it?

Also, Nicholas didn't even mention the ecological costs... https://twitter.com/ncweaver/status/1457680926096314375

@arvidkahl @yongfook @TransistorFM 1. The story arc of “$0 to traction” is the most interesting. After that, as @yongfook said, it’s just not as compelling.

2. Competitors being able to see all your financials puts you at a serious disadvantage.

3. Other types of negative attention (copycats, trolls, etc)

@aeduhm I’ve started an open community for podcasters here: https://podcasters.meeps.app/

Pretty powerful stuff from @WilliamShatner on @ChrisCuomo's show:

"Space is cold and ominous and ugly; there's death there. And you look down on earth, and there's this warm, nurturing planet. That's death up there and life down here."

https://youtu.be/qCFJktZnjjE

This is actually an important point: many successful founders aren't clairvoyant geniuses.

Many of us are just fools who found a pocket of pent-up demand and went after it.

https://twitter.com/NathanG/status/1449074857266884611