Michael Sitver - Podcast Details

Shows

Build Your SaaSThe gang goes to MontréalThe whole Transistor team got together for a retreat in Montréal. Jon, Justin, Helen, and Jason chat about the experience. What should we talk about next? Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbuda, @jsonpearl, and @helenrylesLeave a review/comment on Podchaser; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: support@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Jason CharnesMitchell Davis from RecruitKit.com.auMarcel Fahle, wearebold.afAlex PayneBill CondoAnton Zorin from ProdCamp.comHarris Kenny, Intro CRM podcastOleg KulykEthan GundersonWard Sandler, MemberspaceRussell Brown, Photivo.comNoah PrailColin GrayAustin LovelessMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, FathomD...2022-10-1845 min

Build Your SaaSJon & Justin reveal everything (part 2)It's the fourth anniversary of Transistor's public launch! This is part 2 of "Jon and Justin answer your questions."(00:37) - When did you start paying yourself how much you wanted to make? (01:39) - Any broad advice for startups? (11:43) - How did you decide on your tech stack? (14:21) - How did you prioritize features? (15:54) - Were you embarrased by the first version you shipped? (17:53) - How did you decide on pricing? (21:12) - How would you have found employees without your network? (27:30) - Do you have more or less freedom or stress in your lives? What should we...2022-08-1636 min

Build Your SaaSBootstrapping in France (Baptiste Jamin from Crisp)Baptiste Jamin co-founded Crisp with a friend he met in high school. Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):1:42 – Crisp competes with massive companies: Zendesk, HelpScout, Intercom2:52 – How did Crisp get started? (they started young!)4:40 – The key insight that lead them to start Crisp 🔥7:03 – "Being young and in France, how much did you know about the startup ecosystem?"9:39 – How they bootstrapped Crisp in their twenties 🔥12:52 – Market insights and how they found their first customers 🔥16:02 – How they got a surge of new customers 🔥22:39 – Why Crisp charges LESS than their competitors 🔥30:14 – What it's like to have a customer base that is comprised of m...2022-07-121h 07

Build Your SaaSWhat's it like getting acquired by Spotify? (Dave Zohrob from Chartable)Dave Zohrob is the co-founder of Chartable (a podcast analytics startup), talks about selling his company to Spotify in February 2022. Highlights (go straight to 🔥 for the best stuff):1:00 – What's the Spotify office in New York like?5:24 – Dave's first startup: he started an indie record label (Tellall Records)7:12 – Founding in Chartable in 20178:00 – Behind the scenes: talking to Chris Enns (our editor at Lemon Productions)9:50 – Dave's first business as a kid: publishing programming tutorials on the internet (Qbasic.com)12:25 – What made you want to make money on the internet?14:25 – Do all geeks have the intuition to start a business? (Justin...2022-06-1456 min

Build Your SaaSGoing from $0 to $2 million in ARR in 7 years (the Missive story)Philippe Lehoux and his two co-founders started working on Missive around 2015, and just passed $2 million in annual recurring revenue.0:00 – Getting to know Philippe, and what it's like living in Quebec3:09 – How Missive got started: "how can we quickly collaborate on an email as a team?"8:15 – How they get most of their customers10:30 – How their first product (Conference Badge), funded the development of Missive13:55 – How the market dictates most of your success16:30 – How they deal with competitors28:00 – Another example: Crisp is competing head-to-head with Intercom30:25 – Why indie startups should compete on priceWhat should we talk about next?Twi...2022-04-261h 00

Build Your SaaSWhy Customer Support = Startup SuccessHelen and Justin talk about the importance of customer support for indie SaaS companies.1:08 The hardest part about podcasting is doing it every week1:38 We just launched the new podcast website themes feature.2:24 Getting feedback, or seeing people use your product, is fuel for indie makers6:08 Helen's experience doing Customer Success for other companies: education, ConvertKit, MakerPad.8:53 Justin's tweet: "Customer Support is the most under-appreciated role in SaaS."10:00 The different forms of customer support: pre-sales, in-depth bug fixing, answering questions.12:45 How does the Transistor team differ when we do support?14:39 What Justin's learned from Helen in terms of...2022-03-2249 min

Build Your SaaSFounders' retreatJon and Justin recorded this episode sitting on the same couch!Photo of the Coeur de BoeufThe last time we were together in person: April 30, 2019 [Photo]2022 roadmap planning. We're exploring what we'd like to accomplish this year. Update and improve the podcast website builderBuild new podcast website templates based on LiquidAdd tools that help podcasters promote their showContinue to improve our Dynamic Audio Insertion featuresCreate new features that help podcasters monetize their showSales/marketing planning:Reaching out to major affiliates to see how we can better partner with themLooking at ways of rewarding our customers for referring through R...2022-01-1819 min

Build Your SaaSBrian Casel, of Bootstrapped Web, chats about his new appIn this guest episode, Justin chats with Brian Casel.Bootstrapped Web podcastZipMessageBrian's other projectsWhat should we talk about next?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a review/comment on Podchaser; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.comMitchHarris Kenny, Intro CRM podcastOleg KulykViolette Du GenevilleTake It EV podcastEthan GundersonDiogoChris WillowBorja SolerWard Sandler, MemberspaceEric LimaJames Sowers (like Flowers)Travis FischerMatt BuckleyRussell BrownEvandro SassePradyumna Shembekar (PD)Noah PrailColin GrayJosh SmithIvan CurkovicShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon BennettMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Dan B...2021-12-071h 26

Build Your SaaSWhat does my daughter think of the podcast industry?In this bonus episode, Justin interviews his 18-year-old daughter, Sadie, about:A Gen Z perspective on podcastingWhy women are the future of podcasting: Edison Research"Now, look at the rookies – 47% are men, but the majority, 53% are women.""Most women get their podcast recommendations from Spotify, social media, or their friends."We talk a lot about podcast advertising, podcast ads, and how the adtech industry should think differently about how they target women."Most podcast ads are just men talking to men."What should we talk about next?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a review/comment on...2021-11-2629 min

Build Your SaaSA few questionsThis week Jon and Justin discussed:Tweet: what should we talk about?Justin's daughter wrote an article for the Transistor blog: https://transistor.fm/gen-z/ Customer case studiesDynamic audio insertionIntegration with DescriptBook: Range by David EpsteinWhat should we talk about next?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a review/comment on Podchaser; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Anton Zorin from ProdCamp.comMitchHarris Kenny, Intro CRM podcastOleg KulykViolette Du GenevilleTake It EV podcastEthan GundersonDiogoChris WillowBorja SolerWard Sandler, MemberspaceEric LimaJames Sowers (like F...2021-10-1251 min

Build Your SaaSWhy should we care about our customers' feelings?This week Justin chats with Michele Hansen, founder of Geocodio. I got fired up about interviewing customers! Get Michele's new book! Deploy EmpathyListen to Michele's podcast: Software Social"Empathy is a skill you can learn."Get Michele's newsletter"There's so much shame in the tech community."What are the boundaries for deploying empathy? When, and how, do we deliver critiques?Podcast: a respectful interview with a flat-earther "This book isn't just about deploying empathy to customers, it's also about learning to be more empathetic to your family, friends, coworkers."31:30 – we start discussing customer interviews"It was easier for me t...2021-09-081h 08

Build Your SaaSThis is a big step for usThis week Jon and Justin discussed:Our values determine how we make decisionsHiring FT: we hired Jason Pearl!Summer SaaS slowdownTweet: worst month everConvertKit’s public numbersWhat should we talk about next?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a comment on PodHunt; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:MitchHarris Kenny, Intro CRM podcastOleg KulykViolette Du GenevilleTake It EV podcastEthan GundersonDiogoChris WillowBorja SolerWard SandlerEric LimaJames Sowers (like Flowers)Travis FischerMatt BuckleyRussell BrownEvandro SassePradyumna Shembekar (PD)Noah PrailColin GrayJosh SmithIvan CurkovicShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Be...2021-08-1751 min

Build Your SaaSIs venture capital bad?This week Spencer Fry, founder of Podia.com, joins Justin Jackson to talk about venture capital and bootstrapping.Spencer's tweet: "The hostility that the bootstrapper community has towards the VC community continues to perplex me."Justin's interview with Jason Calacanis (2013)VC bragsRoy Bahat on Big Technology Podcast: Why VCs are mad06:30 "Capital changes lots of dynamics in society. It's not neutral." – Justin JacksonSilicon Valley: No Revenue (video)Blog post: Podcasts and capitalHow venture capitalists make moneyThe rise and fall of Quibi: from raising $1.75 billion before launch to shutting down just 6 months laterTweet: the negative effects of overcapitalizationTweet: Big-name VC...2021-08-031h 04

Build Your SaaSBasecamp | Hiring | How to have a calm companyThis week Jon and Justin discussed:BasecampNote: we recorded this before Casey Newton's second article on Basecamp came out.Also: this article is a really thoughtful take on the whole situation.Ruby/Rails open source world.https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/effect-of-the-last-week-on-ruby-on-rails/77702 SO EXCITED: HELEN IS ON THE TEAM! 🎉https://transistor.fm/helen/ Cost/benefit analysisIt’s really difficult to make that calculation: should we commit to this? How do we know that the cost will be worth the benefit?For example, we could invest $100k + 6 months of time into building a mobile app for private podcasts, under the ass...2021-05-0449 min

Build Your SaaSWe're doing this and it's weirdReal humans making a business together:Taking the leapWhy is Justin jealous of Ben?Pros and cons of building a remote company in 2021Limited exposure to your co-founderWhat would take to get Jon to move to Canada?Story: confronting a burglar with a crowbarThe algorithm rewards you for being earlySpending a lot of time on ClubhouseApple Podcasts going into subscription podcasts roundtable“Podcasting needs better distribution”“Podcasting needs better discoverability”“There needs to be the Adwords for Podcasting.”☝️ BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FORHow are we going to scale our SaaS?How does investing $500,000 in the podcast ecosyste...2021-01-2638 min

Build Your SaaSPodcast companies losing money?Jon's back! He and Justin share their feelings/thoughts about the new year:Closing the door on the pastExciting revenue milestonePodcast companies losing moneyhttps://podnews.net/update/pocket-casts-for-salehttps://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/15/spotifys-big-bet-on-podcasts-is-failing-citi-says.html https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/15/apple-podcast-subscription-service/Twitter's Trump banhttps://twitter.com/evan_greer/status/1347948903921045511https://www.fastcompany.com/90592060/capitol-attack-fascism-surveillance-censorship https://medium.com/craft-ventures/section-230-mend-it-dont-end-it-e33799a43a5f https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/1348355023101685761https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/how-big-tech-impeached-donald-trump/617643/What should we talk about next?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a comment on PodHunt; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Ema...2021-01-1944 min

Build Your SaaSJason Fried – you can't control the marketThis week, Justin and Jason discuss the dynamics of market demand.Justin's original tweetJason's responseWhat should we talk about next?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbuda, @jasonfriedLeave a comment on PodHunt; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Take It EV podcastEthan GundersonAnton ZorinBill CondoChris WillowMason HensleyBorja Soler teami.ioWard from MemberSpace.comTravis FischerMatt Buckley, from NiceThings.io Russell BrownEvandro SasseNoah Prail, eventOneHQ.comRobert Simplicio, Simplicio.comColin Gray alitu.comJosh Smith, hellosift.comShane Smith, dev.transistor.fmAustin LovelessMichael Sitver, letterjoy.c...2020-12-2954 min

Build Your SaaSWhat happened after Simon went full time on his SaaS?This week, Justin catches up with Simon Bennett of Snapshooter:Every once in a while, we highlight one of our listeners who are building their own SaaS.This week: Simon Bennett, comes back to tell us what's happened since he left his full-time job 7 months ago.Looking for automatic backups for Digital Ocean, AWS, WordPress, or Laravel? Check out https://snapshooter.io.Simon had just put his kids to bed (he's in the UK) and sat down in his office to have a chat with Justin.What should we talk about next?...2020-12-1553 min

Build Your SaaSLandsman on softwareJustin is joined by everybody's favorite Twitter Uncle: Ian Landsman (founder of HelpSpot).Ian's encounter with his internet hero Joel SpolskyDo you get worried that this all going to go away?How scared should we be of the competition?How do you hedge your bets?We prognosticate about what our bootstrapper friends' blind spots are. 🤣We both ask for investors live, on air.How founders should manage their personal finances.How our past experience can make us blind to opportunities.How can devs connect with marketers?Which startups would we invest in.What should we talk abo...2020-11-1847 min

Build Your SaaSHow fragile is the prosumer SaaS market?We're back! Justin's voice sounds terrible (sorry!)When is the next wave of economic despair going to happen?The maker/creator market is on 🔥 right now. How long will it last?How "soft" is the prosumer market? How fragile is it?A BUNCH OF NEW TRANSISTOR FEATURES:Zapier integrationPodcast:lockedEasily submit your podcast to the major podcast directories.Podcast distribution checklistHow do you work on your startup when you're feeling down?"There were weeks when I got almost nothing done because I was stressed out about the state of the world.""It's hard to force yourself to do crea...2020-11-1130 min

Build Your SaaSWhat it takes to launch a SaaSWe have a bonus episode for you this week!Justin was on the Framework podcast.Check out the other Spec.fm showsSubscribe to Framework in OvercastWant to reply to something we said?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbuda, @tomcreighton, @therobhayesLeave a comment on PodHunt; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Take It EV podcastEthan GundersonHelmut IrleColt BorgMarc BeinderAnton ZorinBill CondoSofia QuinteroChris WillowMason HensleyBorja Soler teami.ioWard from MemberSpace.comTravis FischerMatt Buckley, from NiceThings.io Russell BrownEvandro SasseNoah Prail, eventOneHQ.comRobert Simplicio, S...2020-09-221h 09

Build Your SaaSTHE FEARJon and Justin talk about "optionality" in bootstrapping. (Justin is concerned, Jon thinks we should just enjoy the moment).DHH: "Part of what gave us the confidence to turn down the whole world of venture capital was a small sale of equity to Jeff Bezos. That gave our personal bank accounts just enough ballast that the big numbers touted by VCs and acquisition hunters lost their lure."Are we at peak podcasting? Things are good right now - will they be good for 10 years? 20 years? Fred Wilson: "Taking money off the table."How much did the founders of B...2020-09-1540 min

Build Your SaaSDo you really need to build an audience?Late-summer update! This week on the program, we bring you a super spicy interview that Justin did on the TechZing podcast.Do you really need to build an audience before you build your product?Justin's tweetThere's this idea that you need to grow an audience, talk to an audience, and then build something they want. Is that really necessary?IndieHackers interview with Vincent Woojustinjackson.ca/surfingTweet: what do we mean when we say "audience?"Want to reply to something we said?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbuda, @justinvincentLeave a comment on the TechZing episode page.Leave...2020-09-081h 22

Build Your SaaSBreak outMid-summer update! This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:If you're bootstrapping SaaS, how many monthly trials do you need?Tweet: "You probably need more trials than you think."Breaking out of your own way of thinking"All it took was someone talking to me to have a different way of thinking about it."Want to reply to something we said?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a comment on PodHunt; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Colt BorgMarc...2020-08-0446 min

Build Your SaaSTalking about an acquisitionThis week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:Updates on Transistor: new API is almost done, static site generator, growth slowed in June?Questioning whether we should slow down for the summerTalking about the Simplecast acquisitionWhat would sell for? Mike: “Anything that’s a life-changing amount.”Want to reply to something we said?Twitter: @buildyoursaas, @mijustin, @jonbudaLeave a comment on PodHunt; it's like Reddit, but for podcasts.Email us: mail@transistor.fm★ Bootstrapper shout-out of the week:Nusiihttps://nusii.comProfessional proposal templatesThanks to our monthly supporte...2020-06-3052 min

Build Your SaaSIt's just too muchThis week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:A friend, whose SaaS has grown 300% since the beginning of the quarantine. They just hit $6k in MRR.At that stage, he's in the "almost but not yet."You're either:Brainstorming how to make money fasterBrainstorming how to work lessDifferent stages:Pre-launch stage: you're working on your product on the side. It's fun! There's nothing stealing your time and attention because you don't have customers yet.The beta stage: still pretty fun! You have a few customers who are using your product, and maybe paying you money.The "...2020-06-1639 min

Build Your SaaSWaking upStructural racism affects every part of the economic system. It affects bootstrappers too! It defines:Who we hireWho we invest inWho we promoteWho we chat withWho sees our numbersWho we invite to speakWho gets access to our platform"It's not just about being oppressed or being an oppressor, it's about resisting oppression and resisting being an oppressor; being an ally, being an advocate for social justice." – Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (clip)Right now, in cities across America, people are protesting systemic violence and oppression against Black people.We (Jon and Justin) are waking up to ho...2020-06-0926 min

Build Your SaaSWhy there's no episode today👋 Justin here. This episode is to let you know why there's no episode today. (I've had a few DMs from folks that were worried!)We're good; we had some server trouble this morning that took all our time and attention today. We're hoping to be back next Tuesday with a full episode.Thanks everyone; we appreciate your support! ✌️Special thanks to Dean Layton James, from CloudPeriscope and Benedikt Evans from UserList for giving us ideas on how to fix our issues today! ❤️You can reply to this podcast here:Twitter...2020-05-2704 min

Build Your SaaSBuilding software for 2030This week on the program, Justin and Jon talk about:The new Transistor UI, and how folks are responding to it."Damn the torpedoes!" – seeing if our update worked in IE11 after we deployed.Tobias Lütke, Shopify: “All the trends have been accelerated. The pandemic has moved everything forward 10 years. So now we need to build 2030 level software in 2020.”Restaurant trends:https://www.exploretock.com/https://themargins.substack.com/p/doordash-and-pizza-arbitrageBug bounties - what do other SaaS companies do with these?Mike Myers on ConanYou can reply to this podcast here:Twitter: @buildyo...2020-05-2046 min