Shows
Indie Hackers#283 – Making $8k/mo Targeting $100M/yr with Lukas and Liz Hermann of StageTimer.ioLukas (@_lhermann) and Liz Hermann (@lizmhermann) talk having ambition as an indie hacker, scratching other people's itches, having kids or spouses to help run your empire, making $8k/month from a simple idea, and charting a course to $100M/yr with (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).2023-06-1549 min
Startups For the Rest of UsEpisode 659 | Indie Hackers' Newfound Independence + The SaaS Playbook with Courtland and ChanningIn episode 659, Rob Walling speaks with Courtland Allen and Channing Allen, the co-founders of Indie Hackers, to talk about their newfound independence since they are no longer owned by Stripe.
For the first half of the episode, they turn the tables and interview Rob about his new book, The SaaS Playbook.
They also share a bunch of theories about entrepreneurship and investing.
Topics we cover:
4:46 - About Rob’s new book - The SaaS Playbook
6:47 - Why did Rob hire a writing coach?
12:35 - Rob’s decision to launch a Kickstarter for his...2023-05-021h 10Indie Hackers#255 – The Drive to Make Money, Defining Life Principles, and Courtland Wins $10k from Vincent Woo of CoderpadVincent Woo (@fulligin) sold his company for tens of millions of dollars. He joins the pod to talk to Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen) about advice for fledgling indie hackers trying to make money, the purpose of business, defining principles for one's life, and why he shouldn't have to pay Courtland for a $10,000 bet he lost.2022-05-2755 minIndie Hackers#250 – Italy, COVID, Indie Creators, and our A.I. Future with Channing Allen of Indie HackersMy twin brother Channing (@ChanningAllen) joins the show for the first time, for a casual chat about our recent trip to Italy, the best and worst parts of getting COVID, the future of media companies and indie creators, and DALL-E 2 and the future of AI.2022-04-2324 minIndie Hackers#211 – Making 5-figures a Month as an OnlyFans Creator with Aella and Savannah SoloToday I'm talking to two of the top creators on OnlyFans: Savannah Solo and Aella. Each of them is earning 5-figures a month on the platform, which sits at the intersection of the creator economy and porn. (NSFW… depending on where you work.) In this episode we talk about the stigma of making a living from porn, marketing strategies to get huge on social media, and the future of independent creators on the internet.Savannah's NSFW Twitter: https://twitter.com/savannah_soloAella's NSFW Twitter: https://twitter.com/aellagirlAella's safe-for-work Twitter: https://twitter.com/aella_girlCourtland's OnlyFans page: https://on...2021-06-1056 minIndie Hackers#185 – How Courtland Allen Built Indie Hackers, with Ben and David from AcquiredI've been procrastinating sharing my own story on the Indie Hackers podcast for years now. But when Ben and David (the co-hosts of the Acquired podcast) asked if they could interview me, it was impossible to put it off any longer. They're among the best podcast storytellers I know, so before you do anything, search for "Acquired" in your podcast player and subscribe to their excellent show! In this episode, Ben and David walk through my entire startup history, including my early childhood and college years. We talk about the creation of Indie Hackers, how I got it off...2020-12-171h 40Indie Hackers#169 – Thinking One Step Ahead to Grow Your Business through PR with Dmitry Dragilev of JustReachOut.ioJust because you built it doesn't mean people will come. And just because you got press for it doesn't mean the people who came will stay. As the founder of PR startup JustReachOut.io, Dmitry Dragilev (@dragilev) knows these lessons well. With his website, Dmitry helps early stage founders not only get PR wins, but capitalize on the gains for the long term. In this episode, Dmitry shares his knowledge of the most important things to do (and avoid) in your quest for press as a startup founder.2020-08-111h 05Indie Hackers#168 – Grinding It Out to Build a Million-Dollar Poker Business with Jonathan LittleJonathan Little (@JonathanLittle) got his start by making millions at the poker table, and then found a way to turn his favorite card game into an online coaching empire that brings in millions of dollars per year. His "secret" is a combination of consistency and love: Jonathan has authored countless books, YouTube videos, quizzes, webinars, podcast episodes, and more, and part of why he's able to work so hard is because he genuinely loves poker. In this episode, Jonathan and I talk about intentionally develop skills with a specific future in mind, how to find purpose in your career...2020-07-3050 minIndie Hackers#167 – The Most Sensible Debate on Hustle Culture and Work-Life Balance with Natalie Nagele and DHHIf you want to build a successful business, you have to be ready to work 24/7/365 to have a shot at success… or do you? Both Natalie Nagele and DHH bootstrapped their internet businesses to millions in revenue, yet they took different paths to get there, with DHH only putting in a small number of hours vs Natalie who ate, slept, and breathed her job as a founder in the early days. In this episode we discuss whether or not DHH's approach is truly repeatable for others trying to get their businesses off the ground, the limits to human productivity an...2020-07-241h 52Indie Hackers#166 – Writing Code to Sell $200,000/Month of Cookies with Sam Eaton of Crave CookieWhen Sam Eaton hears a new idea, it's all he can do to contain his excitement and dive right into the code. So when his sister told him she wanted to start a cookie delivery business, there was never any question that he'd apply his indie hacker skills to help out however he could. And to great effect — today they're selling hundreds of thousand of dollars worth of cookies every month. In this episode, Sam and I discuss the advantages of target your local community as a niche, ways to leverage scarcity and social proof to increase sales, and ho...2020-07-181h 00Indie Hackers#165 – The Power of Unbundling Communities with Greg IsenbergGreg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) has spent years practicing the art and and studying the science behind building hit viral products. Today he's using his skills to build a communities design firm called Late Checkout, based on his theory that the best products come from unbundling parts of much larger communities and social networks. In this episode, Greg and I discuss the work that goes into building viral products, how to use niches to gain an advantage as an indie hacker, and why the massive growth of large platforms like Twitter and Reddit has created a short window of time for...2020-07-0941 minIndie Hackers#164 – Facing Down an Existential Threat to Your Business with Scott Keyes of Scotts Cheap FlightsFrom tourism to transit, the travel industry has taken a bigger hit than any other during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite this, Scott Keyes (@smkeyes), the founder of Scott's Cheap Flights, has managed to stay optimistic. In this episode, Scott and I discuss the frightening state of the travel industry and the economy as a whole, why a curated product is superior to a comprehensive one, and the keys to building a 7-figure paid newsletter that's capable of weathering even the darkest of storms.2020-06-191h 27Indie Hackers#163 – Bootstrapping from an Investor’s Point of View with Rob Walling of TinySeedRob Walling (@robwalling) spent years bootstrapping successful SaaS businesses, and today he's helping others do the same as the founder of TinySeed, the first accelerator for bootstrappers. In this episode, Rob and I discuss common misconceptions around fundraising, how to succeed as a founder from an investor's point of view, and why now is the best time to be an indie hacker.2020-05-2859 min
Indie Hackers#162 – Building the House You Want to Live In with Steli Efti of CloseWe've heard a lot about what it's like to build a company from scratch, but what's life like after you've made it? In this episode, Steli Efti (@Steli) returns to the show for a casual chat about his experience being the CEO of a profitable and growing SaaS business for years. We talk about the importance of "building the house you want to live in," how to guide a company through its awkward teenage years, and how Steli is planning to get through the pandemic and the looming recession.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers...2020-05-181h 11
Indie Hackers#161 – How to Make Millions by Writing Online with Sam Parr of The HustleSam Parr (@theSamParr) returns to the podcast for the second time. You may remember his journey as the midwesterner that went from running a hot dog stand to creating an 8-figure ad-supported newsletter. In this episode, Sam shares how he's now on track to build an 8-figure paid newsletter — Trends.co — and how other indie hackers can do the same. We talk growth strategies for media businesses, advertising vs subscription revenue, and why learning to write persuasively is the most important skill any founder can have.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/161-sam-parr-of-the-hustle2020-05-0859 min
Indie Hackers#160 – Validating and Building Your Ideas Without Code with Bram Kanstein of No-Code MVPBram Kanstein (@bramk) has more experience validating, building, and launching online products than almost anyone, and more success than most. One of his earlier creations, Startup Stash, still retains its title as the most-upvoted Product Hunt submission of all time. Today, Bram spends just as much time teaching others as he does making himself. In this episode, Bram and I talk about the importance of being an early adopter, the best strategies for finding new ideas, and why "mindset" is the first thing he teaches in his new course, No-Code MVP.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https...2020-05-0143 min
Indie Hackers#159 – Storytelling, COVID-19, and Viral Startup Growth with Tomas Pueyo of Course HeroTomas Pueyo (@tomaspueyo) is the author of the the mega-viral article "Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now," which was shared by over 40 million people in a single week after it was published in March. He also happens to be an expert on storytelling, and the VP of Growth at a unicorn startup called Course Hero. In this episode, Tomas and I discuss the universal structure of stories as problem-solving devices, why founders and makers should always think about problems first, and how he applied his storytelling and growth marketing skills to write one of the biggest articles of the...2020-04-2440 min
Indie Hackers#158 – Communicating During Crisis with Rand Fishkin of SparkToroRand Fishkin (@randfish) has been doing something a lot of founders are afraid to do: He's blogging about the coronavirus pandemic directly from his company website, for all his customers to see. And it's working! Not is he providing useful advice for founders and marketers, but he's also setting an example for how others can do this same. In this episode Rand and I sat down to discuss the changing nature of the online conversation around COVID-19, how founders and businesses can communicate effectively and empathetically in this environment, and the most important things to get right when preparing...2020-04-161h 07
Indie Hackers#157 – Listening to Users and Growing to $100,000 MRR with Baird Hall of WavveBaird Hall's (@BairdHall) first attempt at starting up didn't go so well. When all was said and done, he'd burned through his savings without finding a working business model, and he and his co-founder were forced to sell the business for parts. In other words: they were ready for round 2. In this episode, Baird explains why he can't stop bootstrapping businesses, why it's important to work together with a great team, and how listening to users helped him grow Wavve and Zubtitle to over $100,000/month in total recurring revenue.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers...2020-04-1052 min
Indie Hackers#156 – Surviving a Recession as an Indie Hacker with Amy Hoy of Noko and 30x500Amy Hoy (@amyhoy) didn't merely survive the 2008 recession: she built multiple profitable online businesses that grew to support her and, eventually, to generate over $1M in annual recurring revenue. Amy and I sat down for a casual conversation (which we livestreamed to YouTube) about the looming recession, how Amy made it through the last one, and how founders should be thinking about their businesses going forward.2020-04-011h 09
Indie Hackers#155 – Finding the Right Models for Growth with Brian Balfour of ReforgeEver since I came across his blog years ago, Brian Balfour (@bbalfour) has been one of the most influential people for how I think about growing online businesses. Not only is Brian a successful blogger, but he's also served as the VP of Growth at HubSpot and founded four companies. His most recent business, Reforge, generates millions in revenue helping tech professionals boost their skills. In this episode, Brian explains why it's crucial to have a visual model for growth, shares his models for growing Reforge, and discusses why sometimes the best thing you can do is the exact...2020-03-1951 min
Indie Hackers#154 – The Right Way to Talk to People About Your Business with Rob Fitzpatrick, Author of The Mom TestCustomers will lie to you. So will your friends and family. It's one of the most surprising things you discover when you talk to people about what you're building. Rob Fitzpatrick (@robfitz) should know. He spent years making a habit of talking to customers, only to learn the wrong lessons and have his startup flame out anyway. There had to be a better way. In his book, The Mom Test, Rob shares his strategies for talking to customers the right way, gathering accurate feedback, and even finding people to talk to in the first place. And in this episode...2020-03-131h 06
Indie Hackers#153 – Quick Chat with William Candillon of Start React NativeWilliam Candillon (@wcandillon) didn't plan to become an indie hacker when he first started making coding videos on YouTube. He just wanted to learn more efficiently and hold himself accountable. Three years later, he's built an audience of tens of thousands of viewers, and he's making over $6,000/month teaching what he's learned about React Native. In this episode, Will and I talk about why building in public, sharing transparently, and being vulnerable make it easier to succeed as an indie hacker.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/153-quick-chat-with-william-candillon2020-03-1048 min
Indie Hackers#152 – Picking the Right Market to Get Started In with Justin Jackson and Tyler TringasTransistor.fm founder Justin Jackson (@mijustin) goes head-to-head with Earnest Capital investor Tyler Tringas (@tylertringas) on the topic of picking the right market. The decisions you make when you're just getting started on a project carry the most weight and might affect your life for years to come. How big of a market should you target? How important of a problem should you solve? What does Justin mean when advises working on a "main dish" instead of a "side dish?" And how do a serial founder's views on this topic differ from an investor's?Transcript, speaker information...2020-03-051h 11
Indie Hackers#151 – Striking the Right Balance as an Indie Hacker with Sergio Mattei of MakerlogSergio Mattei (@matteing) might be the most energetic founder I've had on the podcast. After discovering the world of online maker communities, he built his own from scratch—Makerlog—and grew it into something special through his passion for sharing and celebrating others' achievements. In this episode, Sergio and I discuss the importance of finding balance in all things as a founder: gathering insights from users vs your personal vision; seeking feedback from the market vs chasing validation from other makers; and getting things done on a consistent basis without letting productivity hacks and hustle culture overshadow the people and...2020-02-2848 min
Indie Hackers#150 – Acquiring the Experience to Make It as a Solo Founder with Jen Yip of Lunch MoneyJen Yip (@lunchbag) is the founder of Lunch Money, a budgeting app that's going head-to-head with big names like Mint and YNAB. The catch? She's a solo founder, doing 100% of the work on her own. In this episode, Jen and I cover the wide breadth of experiences and skills she's gained in order to make this possible, her strategies for working hard enough to catch up with competitors but soft enough to avoid burning herself out, and why she's doing this all as a digital "snowmad" who works overseas during the winter.Transcript, speaker information, and more...2020-02-2553 min
Indie Hackers#149 – Generating Passive Income by Teaching What You Know with Greg Rog of LearnUXGreg Rog (@greg_rog) is one of the few indie hackers I know who's actually managed to build a passive income business. His website, LearnUX.io, makes over $10k per month, yet he spends less than a day each month updating the content and answering questions. His secret? A combination of hard work over a sustained period of time, obsessive focus on making a 10x better product, and embracing no-code tools to support automation despite knowing how to code himself. In this episode, Greg walks me through his story, his successes, and his failures, and we discuss why teaching...2020-02-191h 00
Indie Hackers#148 – Quick Chat with Nathan Rosidi of Strata ScratchNathan Rosidi has bootstrapped his side project, Strata Scratch, to 2500 users and over $1,500 in monthly recurring revenue. In this episode we discuss the lessons he's learned from past failures, how to prioritize what to work on when you're getting ideas from so many different people, and why it's both a blessing and a curse to be able to take things slowly as an indie hacker.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/148-quick-chat-with-nathan-rosidi2020-02-1228 min
Indie Hackers#147 – Having Fun on the Path to Independence with Cory Zue of Place Card MeCory Zue (@czue) made over $26,000 in profit from multiple side projects in 2019, including a printable place card business and a Django-powered SaaS template. In this episode Cory explains how his journey began by taking a sabbatical from work, he lays out his plan to reach financial independence by 2023, and he shares some tips for ensuring your indie hacker journey is an enjoyable one the whole way through.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/147-cory-zue-of-place-card-me2020-02-1253 min
Indie Hackers#146 – Refusing to Take No for an Answer with Alexandria Procter of DigsConnectAlexandria Procter (@alexprocter101) is the last person you would ever describe as timid. When the bureaucracy at her college in South Africa failed to address a massive student housing crisis, Alex taught took things into her own hands, learned to code, and created a startup to help. In this episode, Alex and I talk about the personality traits and the economic realities that drive people to take risks and solve problems. We attempt to answer the question, "What do founders in the developing world have that founders elsewhere do not, and vice versa?" Alex also shares the incredible story...2020-02-041h 08
Indie Hackers#145 – The Slow, Deliberate Process of Making a SaaS Business Work with Jane Portman of UserlistJane Portman (@uibreakfast) is no stranger to making money online. Not only has she run a successful consultancy for nearly a decade, but she's also published 4 books and become a leading authority on UX and product design. So when Jane decided to start a SaaS company—Userlist— she was surprised to learn just slow and difficult the process can be. In this episode, Jane and I discuss the variables that makes companies faster or slower to grow, the importance of nailing your customer messaging so people understand what it is that you do, and her tips for how other foun...2020-01-301h 03
Indie Hackers#144 – Putting People First as a Founder with Vlad Magdalin of WebflowVlad Magdalin (@callmevlad) might just be the most principled founder I've had on the podcast. "When it came to making hard decisions, I've leaned more on my morality rather than my business sense. That's what I regret the least." Sticking to his heart has paid off. Not only has he built a company that's changing and improving lives by the millions, but he's also grown it to millions in revenue and 155 employees. In this episode Vlad and I talk about the ups and downs of raising money from investors, the impact of building something that empowers your customers to...2020-01-241h 08
Indie Hackers#143 – Following Your Passion to Become an Indie Hacker with Pete Codes of No CS DegreePete Macleod (@petecodes) didn't have a cushy fallback plan when he set out to become an indie hacker. Eight months ago he was unemployed, and a few months after that he was working a minimum wage job with dangerous clientele. He knew figured his best bet would be to strike out on his own: "I don't really have anything to lose at this point, so I suppose I'll just go for it." Today he runs No CS Degree, a profitable online business that helps aspiring software engineers who don't have the stereotypical credentials. In this episode, Pete and I...2020-01-1855 min
Indie Hackers#142 – Building the Ultimate Lifestyle Business with Dmitry Dragilev of JustReachOut.ioWhen Dmitry Dragilev (@dragilev) looked at the personal lives of his business heroes, he didn't like what he found. "Horrible family lives. Just horrible personal relationships." He knew he wanted something different, so he made the conscious decision to prioritize his family life and build his business around that. In this episode, Dmitry and I talk about how he was able to bootstrap from $0 to $30,000/month in revenue working just 25 hours a week, as well as how his business JustReachOut.io helps indie hackers do PR with less time, effort, and money.Transcript, speaker information, and more...2020-01-1456 min
Indie Hackers#141 – Bootstrapping an App to Millions Through Sheer Persistence with Cesar Kuriyama of 1 Second EverydayWhen Cesar Kuriyama (@cesarkuriyama) first got started, he had nothing but a dream of freedom, an app idea, and a rapidly declining bank account. When every dev shop in New York City turned him down, things looked dire. But through sheer persistence and a penchant to seize every opportunity in front of him, Cesar managed to create an experience that people loved, give a talk on the TED main stage, launch a successful Kickstarter campaign, bootstrap his app to millions of dollars in revenue, and even get it featured in a Jon Favreau movie. In this episode we break...2020-01-021h 33
Indie Hackers#140 – Vital Learnings from Bootstrapping and Selling a $55k a Month Business with Arvid Kahl of FeedbackPandaIn the span of two years, Arvid Kahl (@arvidkahl) and his partner Danielle Simpson (@SimpsonDaniK) went from new idea, to $55k a month in revenue, to selling their business, all without hiring a single employee. In this episode Arvid and I discuss the ideal market size for indie hackers to target, the importance of building with a specific audience in mind, and the vital learnings from Arvid's past businesses that contributed to his recent success.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/140-arvid-kahl-of-feedbackpanda2019-12-161h 13
Indie Hackers#139 – Pursuing a Mission While Bootstrapping to Millions with John O'Nolan of GhostWhen John O'Nolan (@JohnONolan) set out to create Ghost, he made an unintuitive decision for a mission-driven founder: to use his skillset to tackle the *obvious* thing to work on, rather than chasing the most *interesting* thing to work on. But 8 years later, and perhaps as a direct result of that decision, Ghost finds itself in one of the most interesting places of any indie business I've had on the show: reinventing online publishing in the the midst of a crisis for journalism, and making close to $2M/year while doing it.Transcript, speaker information, and more...2019-12-131h 05
Indie Hackers#138 – Finding a Positive Feedback Loop to Profitability with Robert James Gabriel of HelperbirdRobert James Gabriel (@RobertJGabriel) never had it easy growing up. Before he was finally diagnosed with dyslexia at age 17, he had teachers counsel him to drop out of school and was told he would never amount to anything. But with some positive encouragement from a few helpful mentors and individuals, Robert found his way, learned to code, and became a prolific indie hacker. In this episode Robert and I discuss the psychological effects of being trapped inside both negative and positive feedback loops, his strategy for coming up with dozens of product ideas, and the story behind how he...2019-12-0936 min
Indie Hackers#137 – Creating an Ecosystem for Millions by Building for Yourself with Taylor Otwell of LaravelWhen Taylor Otwell (@taylorotwell) first sat down to create Laravel, he had no idea it would be the seed of an ecosystem that would revitalize an entire programming language. He was just building it for himself. In the years to come, his "build it for myself" strategy would continue to pay off, resulting in numerous million-dollar products such as Forge, Envoy, Spark, and Nova. In this episode Taylor and I discuss his strategy for turning his own problems into a source of product ideas; how to have extraordinary impact as a solo founder and self-described "regular guy;"and the...2019-11-271h 07
Indie Hackers#136 – Happy Customers, Happy Wife (and Co-CEO), Happy Life with Dave Sims of FloifyDave Sims (@floifydave) has bootstrapped two tech companies to millions of dollars in annual revenue, and with the help of his wife and co-CEO, he's running them both at the same time. With his latest business, Floify, he's proven that you don't have to know a ton about an industry to discover an opportunity and build a valuable idea… but you do have to learn, and learn rapidly. In this episode, we discuss exactly how Dave came up with his idea by keeping his eyes open to problems and opportunities in everyday life, how he built the right product by...2019-11-1859 min
Indie Hackers#135 – Quick Chat with Stefan EndressDespite running a successful design agency that caters to big-name clients like FKA Twigs, Stefan Endress (@stefanendress) has known for years that he wanted to build a product of his own and be an indie hacker. In this episode, Stefan and I dig into what it's like running an agency while developing a new product on the side, how to surmount the challenge of finding customers by focusing on people like yourself, and why bringing a unique style and brand to your business may be more important than having a unique product idea.Transcript, speaker information, and...2019-11-1527 min
Indie Hackers#134 – Code vs No-Code with Ben Tossell of Makerpad and Sahil Lavingia of GumroadThe no-code movement is picking up steam, with more people than ever building apps and businesses without knowing how to code themselves. Ben Tossell (@bentossell), the creator of Makerpad, is betting his business that no-code is the future of work. However, Sahil Lavingia (@shl), the founder of Gumroad, isn't so sure that code. In this episode, I hosted a lively discussion between these two thoughtful bootstrappers about code vs no-code. Which approach should a new indie hacker should take? What gaps in the market are opening up due to the changes in tooling landscape? And what does the future...2019-11-111h 05
Indie Hackers#133 – Quick Chat with Anne-Laure Le CunffAnne-Laure Le Cunff (@anthilemoon) is working at the intersection of neuroscience and entrepreneurship to produce content that inspires, educates, and sustains makers like you. In this episode, we talked about how Anne-Laure builds free products that are good for the world while monetizing related products, how she juggles multiple career paths simultaneously by maximizing overlap, and how to combine multiple interests into a single niche topic that's unique and differentiated.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/133-quick-chat-with-anne-laure-le-cunff2019-11-0829 min
Indie Hackers#132 – Niching Down to Find Product-Market Fit with Ryan Born of Cloud CampaignWhen Ryan Born (@_RyanBorn) first emailed me about becoming one of Cloud Campaign's early customers, I replied with a long list of reasons why I wasn't going to use it. Two years later, he's generating over $25,000/month in revenue and growing at 32% month-over-month! In this episode, Ryan shares how he found his way to product-market fit by interviewing hundreds of people to find out who is and who isn't his ideal customer. He also discusses the advantages of picking a niche, the ins and outs of running Facebook ads profitably, and how dipping his toe in the water of...2019-11-041h 02
Indie Hackers#131 – Funding for Indie Hackers with Tyler Tringas of Earnest CapitalTyler Tringas (@tylertringas) may not look like Tarzan, but that hasn't stopped him from expertly swinging from vine to vine. Since we last spoke in episode 10, Tyler transitioned from founder to investor, sold his SaaS business, and is helping to spearhead a whole new approach to funding indie hacker businesses. In this episode, Tyler and I discuss the existing VC model and why it doesn't work for bootstrappers, a new funding model that bootstrappers should all be paying attention to, and why he's betting that "90% of startups fail" should no longer be the accepted wisdom.Transcript, speaker...2019-11-0234 min
Indie Hackers#130 – Iterating Your Way to Founder-Product Fit with Zach Resnick of EasyPoint ConciergeZach Resnick (@TrumpetIsAwesom) began travel hacking as a broke college student looking for a way to see the world without spending thousands of dollars on flights. Today he's used his vast knowledge of the travel industry to create EasyPoint, a concierge service and that's generated almost $60K/month in revenue this year. In this episode, Zach emphasizes the criticality of product-founder fit, weighs in on the benefits of working with friends, and reflects on the winding path he's taken to build a business that customers both love and pay for.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www...2019-10-281h 11
Indie Hackers#129 – Quick Chat with Dominic Monn of MentorCruiseDominic Monn (@dqmonn) created a marketplace for mentors where none existed, and quickly grew it into a positive revenue stream. What's more, he did it while enduring a 3-hour commute and working a demanding internship. In this episode, we discuss how Dominic leaned heavily on cold outreach to populate his marketplace, the joy of reaching out to (and hearing back from!) satisfied users, and the importance of planning when most of your day is already booked with a full-time job.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/129-quick-chat-with-dominic-monn2019-10-2529 min
Indie Hackers#128 – Finding 22,000 Paying Customers Despite Stiff Competition with Tyler King of Less Annoying CRMWhen Tyler King (@tylermking) set out to build Less Annoying CRM, he knew he was entering a crowded market full of well-funded competitors focused on astronomical growth. So instead he took the slower, surer path to success, and bootstrapped his way to 22,000 paying customers and over $2.6MM in annual revenue. In this episode, Tyler and I discuss his insights for making it work in a crowded industry, why he went from avoiding customer service to prioritizing it over everything else, and how he makes the tough choices when facing dilemmas that don't have an obvious answer.Transcript...2019-10-211h 10
Indie Hackers#127 – Quick Chat with Ghyslain Gaillard of Indie LondonGhyslain Gaillard (@iamghyslain) of Indie London knew that he wanted to be at the heart of the indie startup scene in Europe, but when he couldn’t find his birds of a feather, he decided to start his own meetup from scratch. In this episode Ghyslain and I discussed the major benefits of getting energized with a group of like-minded indie hackers, why it's so worthwhile to ask others for help, and the practical value of cold outreach in growing your product.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/127-quick-chat-with-ghyslain-gaillard2019-10-1827 min
Indie Hackers#126 – Finding Success by Staying Optimistic with Ketan Anjaria of HireClubKetan Anjaria's (@kidbombay) path to success was paved with hardship. He was flying high in the 90s dot-com boom, until he lost his job in the crash. His funded startup won awards at TechCrunch Disrupt and earned him interviews with Time magazine, until it ran out of money and he had to shut it down. But despite the setbacks, Ketan always managed to rediscover his optimism and try a new path forward. In this episode, we discuss the importance of not giving up in accomplishing your goals, why community is an underrated foundation for building a business on top...2019-10-131h 19
Indie Hackers#125 – Quick Chat with Danielle Johnson of Leave Me AloneDanielle Johnson (@dinkydani21) is no stranger to the challenge of building an online business. So when she hit on a new idea for a product that could solve a problem better than the competition, she made sure to learn from her past mistakes and do things differently this time around. In this episode, Danielle and I chat about how she went from an idea to an MVP with 50 beta testers in just two weeks, her strategies for successfully launching her product multiple times, and why she and her co-founder are committed to building their business transparently.Transcript...2019-10-1138 min
Indie Hackers#124 – Talking to Customers and Growing to $50,000 a Month with Sarah Hum of CannySarah Hum (@SarahHum) got a job working at a big tech company, in part because she wanted to learn how create a startup of her own. But it didn't take her long to realize the truth: the best way to learn is to dive in head first. In this episode, Sarah shares how she went from employee to founder, why she chose to bootstrap her company and travel the world rather than staying in SF and raising money, and how she's steadily grown her revenue to over $50k/month.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers...2019-10-0756 min
Indie Hackers#123 – Quick Chat with Louis Nicholls of Sales for FoundersLouis Nicholls (@louisnicholls_) never intended to build the audience he server. He just wanted to help people, even if it meant doing it for free. Thousands of email subscribers later, he's been able to build a successful course teaching sales to founders, and he's made over $40,000 in its first three iterations. In this episode, Louis and I talk about SaaS vs info products, the importance on starting small and making incremental improvements, and why "be helpful on the Internet" is possibly the best advice for startup founders.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/123...2019-10-0534 min
Indie Hackers#122 – Filling a Gap and Bootstrapping to $1M with Josh Wood of HoneybadgerJosh Wood is living an indie hacker dream: from freelance developer to co-founder of Honeybadger, a monitoring tool for developers that generates over $1M a year in revenue. Even better, he only works 30 hours a week. Josh joined the show to talk about the reward of switching from selling his time to selling a product, how Honeybadger filled a gap left by declining incumbent players, and why building a customer-friendly low-churn business is a solid way to achieve long-term growth, even if sales and marketing aren't your strong suit.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers...2019-09-3057 min
Indie Hackers#121 – Quick Chat with Mubashar Iqbal of Pod HuntMubashar Iqbal (@mubashariqbal) has always been a maker first and an indie hacker second. That much is obvious from his track record of building 80+ side projects. But recently, he's taken his "work on things you love" mindset and applied it to a business of his own: Pod Hunt. In this episode, Mubs and I discuss strategies for crafting successful consumer-facing products and he shares his thoughts on why you should always prioritize product-founder fit.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/121-quick-chat-with-mubashar-iqbal2019-09-2834 min
Indie Hackers#120 – Seeking Truth as a Founder with Patrick Campbell of ProfitWellPatrick Campbell (@Patticus) grew up as farm boy from Wisconsin. But after getting tired of working in bureaucratic environments, he cashed out his 401k to bootstrap his own business in 2012. Patrick joined the show to discuss the importance of finding the root cause of problems in your startup, to talk about why pricing and churn are major levers of growth that shouldn't be ignored, and to share how he grew ProfitWell to over $10M/year in revenue.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/120-patrick-campbell-of-profitwell2019-09-241h 37
Indie Hackers#119 – Sales Tips Every Founder Should Know with Steli Efti of CloseSteli Efti (@Steli) knows more about sales than anyone else I know. He's also the founder of Close.com, a profitable all-in-one CRM tool doing many millions in revenue, so he's the perfect person to answer the question: What should founders know about sales? So in this episode, my goal was to extract as many founder-specific sales tactics as I could from Steli. Whether you're growing a business now, or it's something you hope to do in the future, Steli's advice isn't something you can afford to miss.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com...2019-09-2045 min
Indie Hackers#118 – The Magic of Choosing a Great Market with Justin Jackson of TransistorJustin Jackson (@mijustin) has spent a lifetime as an entrepreneur, working on products, hosting podcasts, running communities, creating courses, and more. But it wasn't until he created his newest business, Transistor, that he fully realized the power that comes from choosing the right market as a founder. Justin joined me on the podcast to talk about the advantages of solving a straightforward problem, the importance of finding the truth in the early days, and why it might be worth it to wait for the right idea for the right market.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www...2019-09-161h 06
Indie Hackers#117 – Becoming Indistractable as a Founder with Nir Eyal, Author of HookedBeing an indie hacker is the ultimate responsibility: If you don't get things done, nobody else will. It's up to you consistently execute well, day after day. But how exactly you do that? Nir Eyal (@nireyal) joined me on the podcast to answer that exact question. After years of research into what separates those of us who execute on what we commit to doing vs those of us who get distracted or lose motivation, he's broken down his findings into a process any founder can use to become "indistractable."Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers...2019-09-1338 min
Indie Hackers#116 – Exploring Ideas and Exploiting the Good Ones with Justin Mares of Kettle and FireJustin Mares (@jwmares) is the founder of not one but two companies in the health food space, each of which he's simultaneously bootstrapped to over $10,000,000 in annual revenue. In this episode we covered why you should avoid having a scarcity mentality when coming up with an idea to work on, how to alleviate market risk by running a smoke test, and how Justin was able to rapidly grow his businesses by bringing growth know-how from tech to the industry of consumer packaged goods.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/116-justin-mares-of-kettle-and-fire2019-09-101h 07
Indie Hackers#115 – Quick Chat with Harry Dry of Marketing ExamplesHarry Dry (@harrydry) is the founder of Marketing Examples, a fast-growing showcase of successful startup marketing stories. Since launching the site a few months ago, he's grown his email list to 5000 subscribers, won product of the week on Product Hunt, and is approaching $1,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Harry joined the show to talk about reducing the risks of being a founder, how to grow your Twitter following, and the importance of building the product that only you can build.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/115-quick-chat-with-harry-dry2019-09-0628 min
Indie Hackers#114 – The Business of Podcasting with Jeff Meyerson of Software Engineering DailyJeff Meyerson (@the_prion) is the host of Software Engineering Daily, a popular podcast that averages 20,000 downloads a day. It's also a successful business that generates close to $60,000/month in advertising revenue. Jeff joined the show to talk about the business of podcasting: What goes into producing an episode? How do you ask great questions? What's the best way to grow your listenership and land lucrative advertising deals? And what lessons from podcasting apply more broadly to all indie hackers?Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/114-jeff-meyerson-of-software-engineering-daily2019-09-0259 min
Indie Hackers#113 – Quick Chat with Ben Orenstein of TupleBen Orenstein (@r00k) is the founder of Tuple, a remote pair programming app for the Mac that fills the void left by ScreenHero's disappearance. Ben joined the show for a second time to catch us up on Tuple's progress as a profitable pre-launch business. We talked about the benefits of creating a public roadmap that you can share with customers, the importance of learning by selling, Ben's gameplan for Tuple's public launch, and why it's important to focus on growth long before launch day.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/113-quick-chat-with-ben-orenstein2019-08-3031 min
Indie Hackers#112 – From Side Project to Full-Time Founder with Tommy Griffith of ClickMindedWhat happens when the money you're making from your side project eclipses your salary from your full-time job? Tommy Griffith (@TommyGriffith) found out in the best way possible when he began generating six figures in revenue just a few years after he started teaching people everything he knew about SEO. Today his business, ClickMinded, generates over $40,000/month. In this episode we discuss the best ways to bootstrap an email list, why it takes 1000 days for a side project to replace your salary, and how a taste of freedom can make you unemployable.Transcript, speaker information, and more...2019-08-261h 05
Indie Hackers#111 – Quick Chat with Jessica Chan of Coder CoderJessica Chan (@thecodercoder) is the founder of Coder Coder, a collection of resources that help self-taught web developers learn to code the same way that she did. Jessica joined the show to share how she came up with her idea and got her first users, how she grew her Instagram account to 30k followers and her website to over 60k visits per month, and how she plans to make a living from her business as an indie hacker.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/111-quick-chat-with-jessica-chan2019-08-2329 min
Indie Hackers#110 – How to Prepare for Success From the Beginning With Chris Savage of WistiaWhen Chris Savage (@csavage) and his co-founder started their business, they were convinced that they'd be able to sell it within six months. They never would've guessed that 13 years later, not only would they still working on Wistia, but the business would be $17M in debt. In this episode we talk about pivoting from a bad idea to a good one, prioritizing long-term thinking from the very beginning, and how Wistia turned $500k in losses into $6M in profit in a single year.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/110-chris-savage-of-wistia2019-08-191h 04
Indie Hackers#109 – Quick Chat with Reilly Chase of HostiFiIn the early days of his business HostiFi, it seemed liked the deck was stacked against founder Reilly Chase (@_rchase_). From encountering frustrating roadblocks while he learned to code, to getting banned from forums where his customers hunt out, everything he tried was an uphill struggle. Today, however, just one year after launching, he's pushed through and reached the milestone of $100,000 in ARR as a one-person startup. Reilly came on the podcast to talk about keeping expectations low in the beginning, making it work when you've chosen a small niche, and how to avoid giving up with nothing you're...2019-08-1632 min
Indie Hackers#108 – Keeping It Simple to Build a Multimillion-Dollar Business with Sam Parr of The HustleSam Parr (@TheSamParr) describes himself as a midwestern small business owner who discovered the Internet, and his journey from running a hot dog stand to building a media empire seems to prove that. His current business, The Hustle, generates 8 figures in annual revenue from newsletter advertising alone, a feat Sam attributes to great copywriting, relentless experimentation, and the massively underrated power of email. In this episode we talk about how founders can build profitable businesses by resisting the urge to make their tech businesses more complex than they need to be, why it's important to borrow lessons from businesses...2019-08-1354 min
Indie Hackers#107 – Quick Chat with Joe Howard of WP BuffsJoe Howard (@josephhhoward) is the founder of WP Buffs, a productized service business in the WordPress space that he bootstrapped from $0 to over $70,000/month in revenue. We had a quick chat about how Joe launched his business and found a paying customer in just a few days, how to make more money by raising your prices, and why it's important to keep things simple as a founder.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/107-quick-chat-with-joe-howard2019-08-0931 min
Indie Hackers#106 – Creating a $200k Side Project Without Writing a Line of Code with Ben Tossell of MakerpadAs the community manager for Product Hunt, Ben Tossell (@bentossell) saw over 80,000 new product launches and met hundreds of inspirational makers. So when learned that he could use a new breed of tools to make his own products without learning to code, it felt like unlocking a new superpower. Many dozens of apps and Ben created Makerpad, where he creates tutorials and collect resources to help others like him become no-code makers. In this episode we talk about how Ben grew Makerpad to over $100,000 in revenue in 6 months with almost no expenses, and why he has no plans to...2019-08-0551 min
Indie Hackers#105 – Charting Your Own Course as a Founder with Jason Fried of BasecampJason Fried (@jasonfried) doesn't intend to be controversial or to change people's minds, but he seems to end up doing both of these regardless. Since launching Basecamp in 2004, he's grown the business to tens of millions of dollars in annual *profit*, and gathered a collection of strong and often counterintuitive beliefs along the way. In this episode we discuss how to take advantage of building an independent company, when to focus on a product and when to let it go, how to learn from the past without fooling telling yourself a false narrative, and the importance of blazing your...2019-07-301h 09
Indie Hackers#104 – Quick Chat with Dianna Allen of Budget Meal PlannerDianna Allen (@diannamallen) is the creator of Budget Meal Planner. In just two months, she's gone from having an idea to getting thousands of signups, articles on Lifehacker, and three #1 milestone posts on Indie Hackers. In this episode Dianna shares the story behind how she came up with her idea, validated it, and got her first users, and we break down what's made it so successful so far. Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/104-quick-chat-with-dianna-allen2019-07-2628 min
Indie Hackers#103 – Finding Success by Working on Things That Matter with Hiten Shah of FYIRather than pursue a traditional career, Hiten Shah (@hnshah) decided to follow the choose-your-own-adventure life of being a founder. Since then he's launched more than 30 products, including five multimillion dollar products and a few spectacular failures as well. In this episode we talk about embracing and reflecting on failure, making better business decisions through research, the importance of sharing and teaching what you've learned, and how to make sure you're working on what matters.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/103-hiten-shah-of-fyi2019-07-231h 09
Indie Hackers#102 – Quick Chat with Pat Walls of Starter StoryPat Walls (@thepatwalls) joined the podcast to talk about quitting his job and going full-time on his bootstrapped business (Starter Story), how he launched a second business (Pigeon) and found his first 10 paying customers in under a month, and his strategies for juggling multiple projects at the same time.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/102-quick-chat-with-pat-walls2019-07-1935 min
Indie Hackers#101 – How to Execute Well and Beat the Competition with Eric Zhang of Scalable PressEric Zhang dropped out of school to pursue his startup, got accepted to Y Combinator, and found traction in the open source community. But when he found himself no longer excited to show up to the office, he realized something crucial was missing with his business: a workable business model. In this episode Eric and I discuss his decision to quit his startup and how he ended up helping grow a bootstrapped business to over $100MM in revenue in an industry rife with well-funded competitors.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/101-eric-zhang-of-scalable-press2019-07-121h 06
Indie Hackers#100 – From Aspiring Billionaire to Indie Hacker with Sahil Lavingia of GumroadAfter leaving his post as employee #2 at Pinterest, a teenage Sahil Lavingia (@shl) raised millions in funding from high-profile Silicon Valley to build a unicorn startup that could change the world — Gumroad. Today he lives in tiny Provo, Utah, spends much of his time learning to write and oil paint, and runs Gumroad as an indie business with the goal of making himself happier. In this episode we talk about what happened in between, and the lessons Sahil learned that can help every indie hacker create better lives for themselves by building more "successful" businesses.Transcript, speaker in...2019-07-052h 04
Indie Hackers#099 – Overcoming Fear and Paralysis to Build an Industry-Changing Business with Aline Lerner of Interviewing.ioAlthough Aline Lerner (@alinelernerllc) graduated from MIT and worked as a software engineer for years, some of her most impactful learnings came from the time she spent working as a cook and moonlighting as a recruiter. Putting all of her experiences together, she realized that hiring in tech could be so much better, and so she started Interviewing.io, a company that has since grown to millions in revenue. In this episode we talk about finding the activation energy to get started, juggling the 50+ responsibilities of being a founder, how to build a team of people you're lucky to...2019-06-281h 12
Indie Hackers#098 – How to Make $2.5MM as a Solo Founder by Teaching What You Love with Adam WathanAlthough Adam Wathan (@adamwathan) dropped out of college (twice!), he's one of the most voracious learners to ever appear on the podcast, and he's built a wildly successful business for himself by teaching others what he's learned. We cover Adam's journey from college dropout to software engineer, the lessons he learned from his first "failed" business, how he creates free content to build an audience, and the techniques he's used repeatedly to drive millions of dollars worth of demand for his books and courses.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/098-adam-wathan-of-refactoring-ui2019-06-211h 33
Indie Hackers#097 – Paying It Forward with Kindness to Build a $1.2MM Community with Rosie Sherry of Ministry of TestingDespite being an introvert, Rosie Sherry (@rosiesherry) knew that she needed to build a community that software testers deserve: the Ministry of Testing. In this episode, we discuss how Rosie created a community so tight-knit that people have its logo tattoo'd on their bodies, how she grew it to $1.2M in revenue without relying on ads, and how she did it all while raising and homeschooling 5 kids.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/097-rosie-sherry-of-ministry-of-testing2019-06-141h 06
Indie Hackers#096 – How Three Founders Created a Profitable Business That They Haven't Even Launched Yet with Ben Orenstein of TupleWhen Ben Orenstein (@r00k) decided he wanted to start a company, the biggest risk in his mind was a hurdle he'd already cleared: not deciding to start in the first place. In this episode we talk about the early days: how Ben met his two co-founders, came up with an idea, sold over $8000 in pre-sales, and grew revenue to ramen profitability, all before launching their product.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/096-ben-orenstein-of-tuple2019-06-071h 02
Indie Hackers#095 – Reaching $20MM/year Building Hundreds of Products with Chad Pytel of thoughtbotThrough his consultancy, thoughtbot, Chad Pytel (@cpytel) might be the only first-time founder who's turned hundreds of ideas into actual SaaS products that people love. In this episode, Chad shares his thoughts on the advantages (and disadvantages) of consulting vs building scalable SaaS products, how he grew thoughtbot from nothing into a 100-person consultancy on track to generate $20MM in revenue this year, and the lessons he's learned from 15 years as a first-time founder.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/095-chad-pytel-of-thoughtbot2019-05-311h 00
Indie Hackers#094 – How to Build a Better (Funnier!) Brand for Your Business with Allie LeFevere of ObedientIf it isn't fun, Allie LeFevere (@AllieLeFevere) doesn't want anything to do with it. It just so happens that, in a world full of undifferentiated products and fear-based marketing, fun and humor are the missing ingredients that founders need to set their brands apart. In this episode, Allie shares the fundamentals behind solid brand marketing that every early-stage founder should know, how to sell more (and have a good time doing it) by using fun to connect with your customers, and the things she's learned as the founder of both a scalable product business and a digital marketing agency.2019-05-241h 21
Indie Hackers#093 – Things You Learn from Starting 23 Businesses with "Parallel Founder" Danielle BaskinDanielle Baskin (@djbaskin) gets really excited about new ideas. So excited, in fact, that she can't resist bringing them to life by making them into products. Then turning those products into businesses. Then never shutting those businesses down. In this episode, Danielle shares the lessons she's learned starting 23 businesses since 2007 and continuing to run all of them in parallel, indefinitely.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/093-danielle-baskin-of-dialup2019-05-171h 12
Indie Hackers#092 – The Business of Bringing People Together with Derek Andersen and David Spinks of BevyDerek Andersen (@DerekjAndersen) and David Spinks (@DavidSpinks) have a lot in common. Each of them felt alone in what they were striving for, brought together like-minded people, and ended up growing communities and building businesses around them. After a string of startup failures and hardships, Derek turned a small support group of entrepreneurs into the global community for founders that is Startup Grind. David turned a small group of community builders into CMX, the premier community for community builders world-wide. In this episode, we talk about why every founder should care about community, and how bringing together like-minded people...2019-05-031h 06
Indie Hackers#091 – Making It Happen as an Early-Stage Founder with Mark Fershteyn of RecappedMark Fershteyn (@markfersh) always knew he wanted to start a business, but there was just one problem: He didn't know what that business would be. Of course, this wasn't enough to stop a determined founder in his tracks. And so, fueled by raw optimism and a refusal to lose, Mark embarked on a years-long journey to build a promising business, discovering and overcoming dozens obstacles in the process. In this episode, Mark shares the story behind his business, Recapped: recovering from failures and false starts, dealing with the stress caused by a dwindling bank account, finding product-market fit through...2019-04-261h 00
Indie Hackers#090 – Inventing the Company That's Right for You with Natalie Nagele of WildbitNatalie Nagele (@natalienagele) is not a fan of following "the rules" when it comes to building her company. In the 18 years since she and her husband Chris started Wildbit, not only have they grown it into a profitable operation that employees over 30 people, but they've done it their way: with remote a team, 32-hour work weeks, numerous product launches, and an obsessive focus on the happiness of their customers and employees. In this episode, Natalie and I dive deep into what's she's learned running a tech business for almost two decades, including why she thinks you should learn from...2019-04-191h 09
Indie Hackers#089 – From Fireman to First-Time Founder with Matt Verlaque of UpLaunchMatt Verlaque (@MattVerlaque) is no stranger to hard work. But when he decided to leave his job as a fireman to build a tech business, he embarked on a path of learning and uncertainty very different than the world he'd known. In this interview, Matt tells the story behind how met his cofounder Jake, came up with a business idea, learned how to code, overcame a stagnant business model that wasn't working, and built a profitable business that generates over $65,000/month in revenue as a first-time founder.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/089...2019-04-121h 03
Indie Hackers#088 – Sage Advice (and Reasons You Probably Won't Follow It) from Jason Cohen of WP EngineNot only has Jason Cohen (@asmartbear) bootstrapped a software company from $0 to over $1M in revenue, but he's done it four times! The stories behind Jason's successes are plastered all over the Internet for anyone to find, so I decided to take a different approach: I skipped Jason's backstory and instead proceeded to squeeze him like a sponge to extract every ounce of advice I possibly could in the hour we had together. The result is a wide-ranging discussion about the best path for reaching your first $10k/month in revenue, the lies we tell ourselves as founders, and...2019-03-311h 08
Indie Hackers#087 – Examining the Repeated Successes of a Product-Focused Solo Founder with AJ of CarrdThe anonymous "AJ" (@ajlkn) is one of the most prolific and multi-talented creators I've ever had on the podcast. His rare combination of developer expertise, design skills, and product sensibilities have allowed him to release a string of popular products that have racked up millions of users and downloads over the years. Maddeningly, AJ also has a knack for the business side of things, having grown his latest project Carrd to $30,000/mo in revenue as a solo founder and developer. In this episode we dive into exactly how he works his magic, analyze the most important decisions he's made...2019-03-291h 15
Indie Hackers#086 – How to Build a Life You Love by Quitting Everything Else with Lynne Tye of Key ValuesAfter spending years pursuing a career in science, Lynne Tye (@lynnetye) shocked her family and colleagues by dropping out of grad school. Thus began a months-long journey of discovery and experimentation that eventually saw her managing 150 people at a high-profile tech startup. But when Lynne realized the fast-paced startup lifestyle was not for her, she quit that, too, and began her search all over again. In this episode, Lynne shares the story behind how she took her career into her own hands, learned to code, and started a business doing what she loves.Transcript, speaker information, and...2019-03-221h 40
Indie Hackers#085 – Building a Business Meant to Last with Peldi Guilizzoni of BalsamiqTwenty pages into reading his first business book, Peldi Guilizzonni (@peldi) closed it for good and told himself, "This is not for me. I'm never going to start a business. It's insane." Not long after that, he rolled up his sleeves and got started building Balsamiq Mockups, which would go on to employee dozens of people, serve thousands of customers, and generate over $6M per year in revenue. Over ten years later, it's still going strong. Learn about the path Peldi took to get where he is today, why he's a legend among bootstrappers, and how he's building a...2019-03-1546 min
Indie Hackers#084 – Creating Better Products Through Marketing with Tim Soulo of Ahrefs"Whenever you work for a big company and they don't help you work on your ambitions, you start doing something on the side. That's what always happens." In this episode, Tim Soulo (@timsoulo) details the winding path he took to quit his job, build his own profitable online businesses, and eventually become the Product Advisor and Chief Marketing Officer of Ahrefs, which generates over $1M in revenue per employee.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/084-tim-soulo-of-ahrefs2019-03-081h 03
Indie Hackers#083 – The Trial-and-Error Path from $0 to $1 Million with Dominic Wells of Human Proof Designs"It doesn't necessarily feel that real at times." Dominic Wells (@human_proof) didn't initially set out to create a million-dollar business. However, he was so determined to find a way out of his job teaching English that he would write blog posts on his iPad in between classes. In this episode we dive into Dominic's winding path into building and scaling a profitable Internet business, why affiliate marketing is a great way to break into entrepreneurship for engineers and non-technical founders alike, and why the best advice is to just get started.Transcript, speaker information, and more...2019-03-011h 06
Indie Hackers#082 – Lessons Learned from a Lifetime of Bootstrapping with Rob Walling of Drip and TinySeedAt first, Rob Walling (@robwalling) didn't know what he wanted to create — he just knew that he was tired of working for other people. After he spent his savings to buy an online business, however, he found himself in a do-or-die situation. In this episode Rob tells the story behind how he dove into the deep end of what would become almost twenty years of building online businesses, culminating in the 8-figure sale of his email marketing company Drip. We also discuss Rob's latest project, TinySeed, the first startup accelerator designed for bootstrappers, and why he believes now is a...2019-02-221h 06
Indie Hackers#081 – Bootstrapping to Millions in Revenue, Not Once, But Twice! with Ajay Goel of GMassAjay Goel (@PartTimeSnob) loves to code. He also loves to grow profitable Internet businesses. In 2003, Ajay transitioned from making websites for clients to building his own email marketing application, Jangomail, which he eventually grew to over $5M in annual revenue and sold to a private equity firm. He then retired to a life of luxury, conversation, and relaxation, and lived happily ever after… or did he? In this episode, we dive into the pitfalls of bootstrapping vs fundraising, the strategic decisions that differentiate big wins from HUGE wins, and why Ajay felt the need to come back for round tw...2019-02-111h 04
Indie Hackers#080 – How to Accomplish Something Extraordinarily Great with Daniel Gross of PioneerDaniel Gross (@danielgross) has a tendency to view pretty much everything in life as a game. So when it came time to start a new business after selling his first startup to Apple, he decided to make it into a game that could change the world. In this episode, Daniel talks about what it takes to build a massively impactful project, how to minimize the effects of luck, and the habits you should develop to become a more successful founder.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/080-daniel-gross-of-pioneer2019-02-041h 00
Indie Hackers#079 – Things Every Founder Should Know About Growth with Julian Shapiro of Bell CurveAfter helping dozens of Silicon Valley startups grow their businesses, Julian Shapiro (@Julian) knows a thing or two about growth. In this episode, he shares some strong opinions about why every company should run ads, why e-commerce is more promising than SaaS, and how you should prioritize your focus as a founder to ensure you start a business that can grow.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/079-julian-shapiro-of-bell-curve2019-01-251h 13
Indie Hackers#078 – Taking on Google and Facebook as a Solo Open-Source Founder with Evan You of Vue.jsWhen Evan You (@youyuxi) decided to create his own front-end JavaScript framework, there were already mega-popular competitors in the market from no other than Facebook and Google. Still, Evan forged ahead to build something that would satisfy his own tastes, and it turned out millions of people wanted the same things he did. Learn how Evan built his open-source project Vue.js into one of the most popular in the world and grew it to over $200,000 in annual revenue via Patreon.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/078-evan-yue-of-vue2018-12-1458 min
Indie Hackers#077 – Iterating Your Way to a Product That Customers Find Valuable with Andy Cook of TettraRather than jump immediately into writing code, Andy Cook (@AndyGCook) and his cofounder Nelson (@nelsonjoyce) began their journey by spending weeks talking to and learning from potential customers. This wasn't their first time around the startup block. But to their surprise, when they finished their product and it was time for people to start using it, nobody wanted to. Learn how they iterated on their idea to turn it into a business that now generates hundreds of thousand of dollars in revenue.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/077-andy-cook-of-tettra2018-12-071h 03
Indie Hackers#076 – Becoming Better Leaders to Build Better Companies with Keegan and Cameron of Torch.ioCameron Yarbrough (@yarbroughcam) and Keegan Walden (@keeganwalden) created a company that combines software and coaching to help leadership teams improve their job performance in a measurable way. In this episode, we discuss how they've applied their own teachings to their roles as founders, and how they've grown to become to the kinds of people who can work together to build a successful business.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/076-keegan-and-cameron-of-torch2018-11-3057 min