Tweets

By popular demand, I've finally fixed the link to my daughter's story about a squirrel here:

🐿 https://justinjackson.ca/words.html

The rhetoric about Bitcoin improving the lives of poor El Salvadorians is ridiculous.

"Salvadorans are learning why the rest of the world doesn’t use Bitcoin as a currency for everyday transactions."

They just saw 1/5 of their wealth disappear.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-07/risk-of-using-bitcoin-as-currency-btc-plunges-el-salvador-wallet-faces-glitch

Yes!!! Often, a product’s bio on Twitter does a better job of describing the product than their homepage. https://twitter.com/amandanat/status/1444421574304546817

Before and after

(swipe down for after pic) https://twitter.com/wynnandrewj/status/1440316680391958533

Example:

I signed up for Canva in 2015, and used it a ton.

But in the last few years, I've let my usage slip. They sent lots of prompts to reengage me, but none "moved me" to use it.

Last week, I had a project that needed it. Instant motivation! I paid $119.40 to reactivate.

I agree with this. Good points. 👍 https://twitter.com/destraynor/status/1440366977806045188

@falicon Ok, but what does that look like, practically?

For example, Twitter already has a decentralized competitor (Mastodon) that hasn't gained traction.

Is there something about traditional (centralized) apps that make them more compelling/attractive for widespread use?

@yarobagriy I don't understand what you mean.

As in: online communities (like Twitter, MegaMaker, etc) will now be owned equally by users?

How will that work?

@dr Well, @TransistorFM is made out of love and magic

🎯 A calm, sustainable, pace is best. https://twitter.com/sarah_edo/status/1427313366142537734

“There is massive unmet demand for climate investments, and humanity’s only shot is if we get as many people and as many resources focused on solutions.”

More of this please! 👏 https://twitter.com/SexyLikeMeiosis/status/1427260335938023432

@mattmedeiros You're correct, in a sense.

But more and more people are starting to "idolize" the freedom and quality of life you get from running a small, profitable indie company.

Getting to my first $100k/year was life-changing for me.

Building @TransistorFM with @jonbuda, even more so.

You want to make podcasts more like social media?

Have you looked at YouTube comments lately?

Have you seen how creators get penalized by centralized algorithms?

Most importantly: how listeners *actively* searching for these types of features?

(I haven't seen much evidence)

Yes!

VCs: start by acknowledge that you *do* have influence on the founders and startups you invest in (don't pretend it doesn't exist).

You can't have a healthy relationship if one party abdicates all of their responsibility from the get-go.

https://twitter.com/chrismessina/status/1422972054354096128

“In the pursuit of having ‘the most interesting life’ for my vlog, I really cannibalized my life.”

So many creators are on a path that isn’t sustainable. (I’ve been there)

There’s so much the audience doesn’t see!

Lots of folks saying: "Good advice comes from experience."

But, how do you know somebody's past experience will relate to you and your situation?

How repeatable is advice that comes from somebody else's experience?

🔥🇨🇦 “With climate change, Canada is a flammable country.”

Forest fires in Canada used to be fairly rare.

Now, there are record-breaking fires burning in BC, Manitoba, and Ontario.

The smoke is everywhere.

https://youtu.be/SwVOLqSiNlo

Ok. @jonnyplatt and https://seoscout.com/ is in!

So now we're at:

████████░░ 80% towards our goal! 🙏

Investors like @sacca have been raising the alarm for years.

His new fund @lowercarbon is deploying millions to fight the climate change problem.

We need more VCs like this. 🌱👏

(I wish I had enough $ to become an LP)

https://lowercarboncapital.com

I’ve long been an advocate for rethinking “remote work” (which people assume means working from home) as “flexible work” (work wherever, and however you’re happiest and the most productive). https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/395237537452548096

Wow. This podcast is so good.

@nbashaw and @danshipper get into some really vulnerable stuff as co-founders.

It’s the human side of startups that we all need. 🙏

https://overcast.fm/+n7WRzb6Ms

Has anyone here figured out a solution to audio-sync issues in Zoom (when using Cam Link 4k and USB audio interface)?

https://youtu.be/R114_m7Ay3c

Babies born in 1980:

Do you consider yourself an "old Millennial" or a "young Gen X?"

This is just it: without underlying customer demand, all your subsequent efforts are wasted.

First: customer demand.
Next: product that meets demand.
Then: marketing. https://twitter.com/adswithleah/status/1397905806306197504

🎯 "The long term health of Bitcoin and crypto is better judged by the size of cryptocurrency reddit and twitter, of crypto events and meet-ups, than recent prices. Crypto is volatile, but it's not a bubble." – @NathanTankus

However, the healthiest ecosystems all have multiple providers:

Multiple web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)

Multiple podcast apps (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, @OvercastFM)

Multiple email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Hey, Superhuman, Zoho, Apple Mail)

Twitter has been called "the cocktail party of the Internet"

But we say stuff here that we'd never say if we were in the same space:

"I hate the new design of X; it's awful"

We express views like this freely online, but it would be rude if the designer was with us in the room.

@christophrumpel my guess: making a baby? 🤫

This is a good time to reflect:

"Do my actions reflect my values?"

"Do the people I follow, read, and support online reflect my values?"

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1155484069590794240

@pjrvs surprise pizza is the best pizza

Update: I can now submit a new podcast RSS feed to Apple's Podcast Connect! 🙌

✅ RSS feed is being read properly
✅ Artwork bug is fixed
✅ Was able to submit with no errors

First, in true Apple fashion, they didn't let me (or @TransistorFM) know any of this was coming.

There was speculation, but no official word from anyone at Apple.

The only thing we knew was yesterday, as reported by @Podnews, submissions went offline.

Glad that @joshuaanderton is talking about founder depression.

(It’s way more common than people think!)

https://overcast.fm/+T1MwFkMrg

In grade 9 I wanted surfer hair like that but instead got http://nerdmullet.com

Almost every endeavor will have "the dip," where your initial enthusiasm wears off, and the going gets tough.

It's probably a better rubric for bootstrappers; especially since Godin talks a lot about the importance of quitting.

Not everything is worth a slow slog.

@typeoneerror In one way, you *want* survivorship bias when studying SaaS.

These are the SaaS that "made it," but that's also what most founders want!

If we include "all founders who start a company" the data isn't going to be helpful either; because failure in business has multiple causes.

If we go back to Gail's story, this is what "slow ramp of death" looked like at CC:

Oct 2000: launched
Apr 2001: 100 customers
Sept 2001: 1000 customers

Seems pretty fast actually! What's the problem?

Scale. "We had 25 employees; we weren't even close to covering our costs."

I'm not sure if Constant Contact's "long slow SaaS ramp of death" story is applicable to bootstrappers.

- $107 Million IPO in 2007.
- Spearheaded a brand new category for SMBs (email marketing).
- Acquisition was largely done through radio + Chamber of Commerce presentations

Also, today’s devs aren’t the same people who lived through the tech bubble crash of the early 2000s.

The demand for devs is going to continue to accelerate. Salaries at FAANG companies are $350k-$500k.

The incentives are there for individual devs (and companies) to level up.

Just discovered this Swedish podcast for developers on @TransistorFM!

I don't understand what they're saying but it's fun hearing the odd English word: "Agile," "Scrum," "work/life balance." 😄

But, if you speak Swedish, you should definitely subscribe:
https://developerspodcast.transistor.fm/subscribe

I don't generally believe in this "woo" stuff, but I've definitely been feeling these "Mercury in retrograde" effects.

(h/t to @yongfook's excellent update newsletter)

@m1guelpf Time definitely goes faster. (But it might be correlated with just having more responsibilities, especially when you have kids).

Biggest thing is I had pretty strong beliefs in my 20s (religion) that definitely had a negative impact.

Those beliefs kept me stagnant emotionally.

Thanks for using Transistor! 🙌 https://twitter.com/kaleighf/status/1359564594335936516

As products move upmarket, they leave behind unserved gaps in the market.

But those gaps often consist of SMBs who want:

"The basics done well, at a more affordable rate."

In the beginning, you have to prove yourself!

Your product hasn't built any trust. There's no reason to market it as a "premium service at a premium price."

Many of the luxury brands you know today had humble beginnings.

Most folks have to start small.

https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/a26934683/evolution-gucci-designer/

Again, I can see social apps being useful when you’re alone, and want to instantly connect with folks. (Perfect for pandemic interaction, really)

I’m not saying I don’t enjoy parts of Clubhouse (I do!)

But it’s still early.

(It wasn’t that long ago that millions of people were really excited about HQ Trivia as an app and concept.)

@spencerfry @naval 🙄

Umm, how are popular Clubhouse moderators / club owners not also gatekeepers?

Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces: which social audio app does GenZ and Millennials prefer?

@AlisterSarah_ gives her opinion here:

https://link.medium.com/ugxVwTDZqdb

I enjoy conversations on Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, but I think folks are too bullish on the format.

@HeySaiK @pandemona @sandofsky @Stammy @clickflickca @nickjmauro Yes! I’m super excited about the possibilities with @TwitterSpaces as well.

I wrote a few quick thoughts about it here:

https://transistor.fm/spaces-clubhouse/

@r00k 🎧 Lots of folks still sleeping on "The Future Belongs to Creators."

(originally hosted by @nathanbarry & @BarrettABrooks, but now hosted by @charliprangley, @HaleyJanicek, and Miguel Pou)

https://share.transistor.fm/s/9b072ff0

High-volume example:

💰📆 If you want to make $10k / month...

📊 And your margins are 80%,
💲 and your price is $25,
👥 you'll need 400 sales/month

☝️ most SaaS is high-volume (~400 customers to earn $10k / month)

Hey folks, I just did a massive purge of “cold subscribers” from my newsletter list.

If you didn’t get today’s newsletter, but want to keep getting emails from me, you can subscribe here:

http://justinjackson.ca/newsletter

“This is what Donald Trump [and his enablers] have unleashed upon the United States: an unprecedented act of domestic terrorism.” – @DavidCornDC

🔁 In business, customer acquisition & retention needs to be repeatable at a scale that supports your desired outcome.

“Software is all about volume.” – @ianlandsman

You’ll need a steady flow of new customers + existing customers who show up consistently.

🥰 Keep in mind, you can’t just capture demand; you also have to satisfy it.

You’ll need strong product instincts and skills for:

- building features people want to use
- developing an overall experience that keeps people coming back
- helping customers make consistent progress

Yes, the journey matters.

But it also feels good to “arrive.”

@csallen listening to @IndieHackers.

I want to hear/see “Courtland as Kenny G.” 😄

Maybe we should have an open mic night at the next @MicroConf? 🙏

Out for a walk, and listening to @adamwathan and @justinvincent chat about distribution on the Techzing podcast. 🤙

https://overcast.fm/+OJ6zeUEI

I’m here for this... but where is Adobia Fuegos? 🔥 https://twitter.com/pablostanley/status/1338855738651840513

Questions to ask when exploring a new market:

1. Are they searching for what you're thinking of building?
2. How do you know? What evidence do you have?
3. How motivated are they? How willing to pay?
4. Are they already convinced they "need X," or do they still need convincing?

@hnshah FW: Top secret stuff (don’t share)

I’m bullish on alcohol sales after the pandemic as well: once everyone has the vaccine, there’s going to be a shit-ton of partying. https://twitter.com/helena/status/1333861238225334272

💯 The “it helps me sleep at night” factor is huge.

When I was doing one-time sales, I was always anxiously thinking about the next launch.

Once we hit “default alive” with @TransistorFM, my stress went down considerably. https://twitter.com/cgimmer/status/1333867910075473921

I'm still slightly bearish on MRR that's connected to info-products (newsletters, memberships, etc).

That MRR seems much more fragile, and not as reliable as what you get with SaaS.

I could be wrong (we might be in a new era of Substack newsletters that have amazing retention).

We need to be careful about what we own.

Many possessions require too much maintenance.

Almost all possessions need storage space.

Needy possessions reduce your margin.

One way to increase your happiness to make sure the things you really want to do don’t get crowded out by the things you don’t want to do.

@christophrumpel are you building a todo app

It feels like there are 3 stages of making money as an indie maker:

- Not enough money: not earning enough to cover basic bills.
- “Just squeaking by": earning *just* enough to cover bills, but not really thriving.
- Abundant money: lots of margin.

Which stage are you at?

@MrSimonBennett This needs to be your next marketing task: ranking for “alternative to.”

“The weather is the conductor of the symphony of leaf blowers.” – @DCoulbourne

(If you’re not listening to @noplanstomerge, what are you doing with your Saturday?)

@arvidkahl Yes, and:

Bootstrapping forces you to say “yes” to the right things: the right market, the right timing, the right fit for you as a founder.

If you’re considering building a product where many people have failed, you should be highly confident that the tectonic plates of the market have shifted.

“I’m going to do it better” isn’t enough.

https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1318850487895183361?s=20

@hunterwalk Pricing strategy is certainly more nuanced than “raise your prices.”

In most categories, price points are anchored by the big incumbent.

https://justinjackson.ca/charge-more

Netlify! Noooooooooooo 😢

The https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/ website is down.

Tim Ferris: “Nearly all of my friends who have audiences of 1M or more have had these threats...” 😨

https://tim.blog/2020/02/02/reasons-to-not-become-famous/

We all wanted the yellow Sony Walkman because all our friends had the yellow Sony Walkman.

“Most people want to buy what other people have already bought.”

“Maybe for my 40th birthday I can get myself a Chase card.” – @DCoulbourne, @noplanstomerge

It looks like Jeremy Rifkin has some good thinking on this:

"In a digital society, marginal costs fall to near zero. This is a fundamental change in prevailing business models: economies of scale no longer apply."

https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Jeremy-Rifkin-on-How-to-Manage-a-Future-of-Abundance?gko=5fad8

@awilkinson is it http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/

(This is a business metaphor)

If you have a new take on an established category, you’ll often discover pent-up demand:

“Thanks goodness you started something! I’ve been waiting for someone to come and shake things up.”

(Examples: Stripe, @TransistorFM, Square, @mightycal_, Slack, @tuple, @wpengine)

If you're looking for a senior-level Java or Python developer, DM me.

I know a good full-stack dev from Cincinnati, OH.

“There’s a mismatch between how we’ve constructed cops and what they actually do.” – @barryfriedman1

Thanks Ryan! Those numbers are going 📈! https://twitter.com/rjs/status/1277337284359024640

@matteing Game changer.

Constant exposure to other cultures, other ideas, other ways of life:

Also: California beaches would become much more popular.

@seb_sebsn iOS is an operating system. MacOS is an operating system. Windows is an operating system.

Traditionally, you haven’t had to pay to build an app for an OS. (Especially if you’re bringing your own customers).

https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1273655616897273858?s=21 https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1273655616897273858

It’s OK to question the existing structures. It’s OK to evaluate alternatives. It’s OK to try other approaches.

Naturally, completely removing all police overnight is probably not wise.

However, we *should* invest in alternatives to the police and test their efficacy.

I’ve been enjoying @mrbrettkelly & @cfoandrew’s podcast lately.

If you like the other bootstrapped podcasts (@buildyoursaas, @artofproductpod, etc) you’ll like this one. 👍

https://overcast.fm/+G3OrfnfWE

My first impressions of loading up Google Classroom with my kids was the same as @khoi’s:

“The app isn’t just spare, it’s barren; it’s task-oriented and optimized for assignments, not learning-oriented and optimized for people.”

https://www.subtraction.com/2020/05/19/google-classroom-and-how-spaces-value-people/

Just published a bunch of my thoughts on this here:

https://transistor.fm/joe-rogan-spotify

Jackasses (like me) in the tech sector think we’re “super awesome entrepreneurs.”

But we’re beniftting massively from open source and low fixed-costs.

And, with our high profit margins, we also have the luxury of making a few mistakes!

Brick-and-mortar businesses can’t.

Too often, the “provide more value” mantra turns into: “I’ll give people what I think they need.”

“On March 19, I suddenly had a high fever and a stabbing headache.”

Scientist who fought Ebola and HIV reflects on facing death from COVID-19.

“Let’s be clear: Without a coronavirus vaccine, we will never be able to live normally again.”

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/finally-virus-got-me-scientist-who-fought-ebola-and-hiv-reflects-facing-death-covid-19

Realizing that many of you use this framework:

Idea ➡️ Execution (and validation is a part of execution)

That’s not how I think about ideas and execution.

What kind of product would we build if we had to start now?

@jonbuda and I talked about it here (23:17) on @buildyoursaas:

https://overcast.fm/+MBmXxszmw/23:17

Are you an 80s kid? Check out this stuff I just got from Bryce at Okanagan Skate Co. https://www.pscp.tv/w/cWzZjTM4NTU1MXwxenFLVmxhUUFnQUpCf8X7kdii59mwukEoakfWVmp-x0abM_ShQBOz3zlQut0=

Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) thinks we need to build. What should we be building? https://www.pscp.tv/w/cWs1ZjM4NTU1MXwxbER4TGdNTWVydkptmOEz8L-cF6lL4NVYHJ6gcidqIod2tuiZEUeKs_2-PWw=

Love this from @simonsarris:

“Much of good design is refusing to do what’s bad.”

@simon.sarris/designing-a-new-old-home-part-2-2a5ea1a1b2b3" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://medium.com/@simon.sarris/designing-a-new-old-home-part-2-2a5ea1a1b2b3