Build Your SaaS

More honest updates from Jon and Justin on what it's like to be building Transistor.fm:People can't believe that we're using this in production.Why SaaS feels better than other businesses we've been involved with."Kubernetes sounds like a Russian swat squad."There's a temptation to over-engineer things; but there's only two of us working on Transistor!The enterprise sales process seems like it's too much for our small bootstrapped company.Looking back, we were wrong about who are customers were going to be.You won't believe what Justin's been sending to customers. 😳★ Thanks to our sponsors:ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.ioShow notes:Tweet from Caddy's engineerPodcast: Protect the HustlePodcast: Not OverthinkingRuben's new app: DocsketchYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Josh SmithIvan CurkovicBrian RheaMiguel PiedrafitaShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett Corey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan Buda danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)ProfitWell.comRedash.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin share some honest updates about as they continue to build their SaaS (Transistor.fm):Justin swears in this episode.We're half way through 2019!?!Jon is wondering if donuts are big in Canada.Official Transistor start dates:May 2017: actual incorporation dateJanuary 2018: Jon and Justin sign partnership documentsAugust 2018: official launch"Some days I feel like I've been doing Justin thinks business is a lot like fishing."Transistor's launch has felt different than other products I've been involved with."Jon is debating whether some integrations are worth it: "The nature of the web and APIs are amazing but it sure does take up a lot of resources."★ Thanks to our sponsors:ProfitWell gives you free subscription metrics for your SaaS. Just plug in your billing system (Stripe, Zuora, Braintree, Chargebee, Recurly are all supported) and get free access to your MRR, churn, cohorts. Sign up for free at profitwell.com.Redash is is a BI tool for people who love SQL. Connect your database, query, visualize and share your data in minutes. Need to report on your weekly goals and metrics? Mention "Build your SaaS podcast" and get 50% off your first 3 months! Sign up at redash.ioShow notes:justinjackson.ca/jumpTwitter thread about fishingNieman Lab article on new Apple Podcast desktop appApple’s original“podcasting on iTunes” announcementYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Ivan CurkovicBrian RheaMiguel PiedrafitaShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett Corey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)ProfitWell.comRedash.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin share some honest updates about as they continue to build their SaaS (Transistor.fm):Jon asks: "how do you prioritize with limited resources?""Working on something for an hour only isn’t really feasible. it takes about 20 minutes just to back into it."Justin is thinking about "the myth of the niche market"This latest revenue update has Jon and Justin scared. 😱★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq is giving a shout out to their ADMIN team members. They are the unsung heroes of any well-run software business, and rarely get any spotlight. Without their tireless work, none of it would be possible. Anna, Joy, Amanda and Natalie: thanks for everything you do. You're the "oil" that keeps our engine running smoothly, but you’re also the oil that completes our Balsamiq dressing! balsamiq.com/companyClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Myth of the niche marketTransistor's revenue numbersYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Ivan CurkovicBrian RheaMiguel PiedrafitaShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett Corey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Happy Two-Four ya hosers! After a Canadian long weekend, Jon and Justin convene to talk about:Justin thinks non-alcoholic drinks are going to be huge.Jon just shipped an update that puts RSS feeds on a CDN.We're still struggling to "find the time" to work on big features.Building things slowly vs BEING IN A RUSH!★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: You can meet the support team at balsamiq.com/support - they're awesome people.Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Derek Sivers on the Tim Ferris Showsivers.orgDerrick Reimer on moving onArt of Product productYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Ivan CurkovicBrian RheaMiguel PiedrafitaShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett Corey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin are wrestling with thoughts about growth:"Our current rate of growth is nice: it feels sustainable." – Justin"It feels less sustainable for me, because I'm working a full-time job." – JonWe’re able to keep up with demand, and enjoy the process.There are all these stories about folks whose companies are growing like crazy. They’re just always adding more people, more process, more stress. Do we want that?Peldi tells this story about starting Balsamiq. He said his launch was like “holding on to a rocket ship with his fingernails.”Some folks would say we should be capturing more of the market. There’s this idea that you can’t be satisfied with what you have. That you have to juice every bit of growth you can.But then you’re building all of these dependencies that you have to keep up even when the market goes down.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: If you’d like to help in make Balsamiq Wireframes better, and help them shape the future of wireframing, join their Customer Advisory Board at balsamiq.com/support/makeusbetterClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Greg Wade, the baker that Jon apprenticed with, just won a James Beard award.Peldi's interview on Indie Hackers.Paul Jarvis on growth and sustainability.Bootstrapped Web podcast: Jordan loves building his team.You can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Miguel PiedrafitaShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett - SnapShooterCorey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin are back from Portland and wrestling with ideas, bots, and CMSes:Justin's spouse wants to know why we wouldn't sell for $5 million (and each get $2.5 million)Jon found some bot traffic that we need to eliminate from our analytics, and it's giving him a Postgres headache.Justin is trying a bunch of different CMS options: Vapid, Statamic in an effort to get off WordPress.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.comClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Book: Company of One by Paul JarvisBook: Sourdough a NovelPRX User AgentDave Zohrob from ChartableVapid.comJustinJackson.ca (built on Statamic)Statamic.comYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Miguel PiedrafitaShane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett - SnapShooterCorey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin do a founder retreat in Portland with Darby Frey and Shay Howe (Lead Honestly). We hashed out some ideas for:How do you start building a really big feature?What does version 1 of our "dynamic content" feature look like?Setting up Mixpanel: creating event triggers, funnels, and onboarding.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.comClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Lead HonestlyPhoto: We got to hang out with some cool folks in PortlandHow to host a “tiny” conferenceHow to host a retreatHiten Shah: "Hiten bombs" articleYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Shane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett - SnapShooterCorey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

If you're struggling with pricing your app, listen to this episode! Ben Orenstein, Jordan Gal, Patrick Campbell, and I discussed whether "charge more" is always the right answer.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.comClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:YouTube LiveJustin's article: Should we always charge more?Ben Orenstein, Tuple.appJordan Gal, CartHookPatrick Campbell, Price IntelligentlyJustin Jackson, Transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Shane SmithAustin LovelessSimon Bennett - SnapShooterCorey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon is away so Justin called up Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel. In this episode we covered:How Laravel become the most popular backend framework on GitHub.Surprise! Taylor wasn't really into computers before he created Laravel.What was Taylor's motivation? Why did he create this, even though there were other alternatives?What's Laravel's secret? Why did it succeed?How is Laravel a business? How does it earn revenue?"Before Laravel, there were a lot of programmers that were burnt out on PHP. These folks hated their job. But after Laravel, they enjoyed their job more. It helped them in a personal way."Here's the timeline we discussed:2010: Taylor starts working on Laravel.2011: Taylor launched version 1.0 of Laravel.2013: Taylor launches an ebook2013: Start working on Forge2013: First Laracon conference (90 people)2014: Launches Forge at Laracon (240 people)2014: after a month he had 1000 customers, $90k / ARR almost right from launch. (He thought it would maybe make $2-$3k / month). Plans started at $10 / month.End of 2014: decided to go full-time on Laravel.2015: Full-time on Laravel, developed a competitive nature, really driven to see Laravel 2015: Launched Envoyer.io 2016: Launched Spark, as a “SaaS starter kit.”2016: First full-time employee, Mohamed Said.2017: Launched Laravel Echo, Passport, Notifications. 2017: Second hire, 2018: Laravel Nova.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.comClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Taylor Otwell on TwitterTaylor Otwell's podcastLaravel.comLaracon - the Laravel conferenceJustin's article: Why many products struggle, and only a few succeedJeffrey Way and LaracastsCreate your own podcast at transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Simon Bennett - SnapShooterCorey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon's away! Today I talked to Spencer Fry, from Podia about:How do you find a good startup idea?What are the worst types of companies to start?Should you raise money or bootstrap?Why the target market for your product matters.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.comClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Podia.comCarbon MadeSpencerFry.comSpencer on TwitterCreate your own podcast at transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Corey HainesMichael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack EllisDan BudaDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Recorded on April fools day! Here's what we covered:If you're bootstrapping, when should you get a salary?An update on the worst day ever. (We're fine now)A SPECIAL SURPRISE"It feels like there is this convergence in podcasting and I don’t know what to do about it."Anxiety and insecurity about "missing out on better opportunities."★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.comClubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Caddy ServerLets EncryptBook: Profit FirstTransistor's SaaS revenue metricsCreate your own podcast at transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Michael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom AnalyticsDan Buda, danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

On Sunday, we had a service outage. Jon and Justin talk about what happened:TLS / SSL day of horrorSunday morning Justin started getting messages from a few Android users that they couldn’t download episodes.Then, the afternoon hits, and we started getting a flood of tweets, DMs, text messages, and support requests.We talk about how we fixed it, and what we'd like to change for next time.Also: how we're earning 29% of our SaaS revenue. (A channel we didn't expect)★ Thanks to our sponsors:Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.Show notes:Our status site: status.transistor.fmDHH on service outagesDHH's postmortem on Basecamp's outageThe affiliate program we use is Rewardful.Create your own podcast at transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Michael SitverPaul Jarvis and Jack Ellis, Fathom AnalyticsDan Buda, danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Lots of interesting items this week:Justin got a personal message from an NFL playerJon moved everyone over to the new CDNPodcasting has a lot of confusing paradigms for usersIt took two days of transferring files (just under 1TB)Justin signed up for the Transistor as if he was a customerHe live-streamed the whole thing (got tons of good input from live chat)Jon is wondering how we're going to handle hate speech on the platform★ Thanks to our sponsors:Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.Show notes:Paul Jarvis got Justin Jackson, from the NFL, to give me a messageDropzone.jsS3 accelerate bucketsLivestream of Justin signing up for TransistorArticle: People on the internet can be meanCreate your own podcast at transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Dan Buda, danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Good stuff this week:Justin wants to know: when's the last time you changed your business' homepage?Jon does a deep dive into Apple's podcasting docs.Justin built a status (uptime) page for Transistor using Tailwind.Jon thinks there is enterprise demand for private podcasts.Justin chats about Startup Kung-Fu.They both chat about specialists vs generalists.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.Show notes:Adam Wathan, Rebuilding Transistor UI in TailwindContent blocking in Firefox (they block embedded tweets)Status.Transistor.fmStartup Kung-Fu by Jason CohenCreate your own podcast at transistor.fmYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to our monthly supporters:Dan Buda, danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Good stuff this week:Jon ran into Myke Hurley at the Cards Against Humanity office.Whether you should work from home or the office.Spotify analytics update in Transistor.How do you feel about "walled gardens?"Sometimes the best plan is to do nothing. Just wait and see what happens.Billing updates for delinquent customersDid someone try to phish us on-air?★ Thanks to our sponsors:Balsamiq.cloud: They make a low-fidelity wireframing tool, specifically geared for non-designers. Get in the zone, and I feel creative right away. Try out their free trial: balsamiq.cloud.Clubhouse.io: Clubhouse is the first project management platform for software development that brings everyone together. It's designed for developers, but product folks, marketing, support folks love using it. Get two months free: clubhouse.io/build.Show notes:Mac Power Users in ChicagoRelay.fm – Myke Hurley's podcast networkUproar over Apple Podcasts episode numbersChurnBuster blog on dunningJason Cohen’s Startup Kung-FuJustin Jackson: How to make money podcastingYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Dan Buda, danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Balsamiq.cloudClubhouse.ioGetRewardful.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin share their progress on:The bandwidth / CDN cost problem (and how it might affect our profitability).Marco Arment: "It would cost them probably thousands of dollars a month in bandwidth and CDN costs to host our show."We made a decision on whether we'll take investment now. (Hats off to Earnest Capital, TinySeed, and Indie.VC for offering such great options!)Should founders use their savings to fund their company? What about credit cards?When should we start hiring people?What about government-funded community loans for startups? ~9% interest.Nathan Barry: "You should get a loan when you don’t need it because once you do it won’t be available."Our accountant might be a socialist. ;)Can you really "build something out of nothing?"★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Show notes:Marco Arment talks about bandwidthI tested our new CDN on Mike Vardy’s podcast (Twitter video)Earnest CapitalTinySeedIndie.vcGovernment funded loans: BDC and Community Futures in Canada.Nathan Barry on "solving the cash crisis."Everything is a RemixJustin's article: "How startup growth really works."Matt from Supercomputer’s bug reportYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Alitu.comPodcastinsights.comGetRewardful.comDan Buda @danielbuda, danbuda.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta) Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This week, Jon and Justin are wrestling with some heavy startup founder topics:What should your SaaS company's gross margins be?How much is bandwidth going to cost us? How does it affect our margins?Example: [Account A] does 495,000 downloads in a month, average file size is 8 MB, that’s 3960 GB of bandwidth in a month. If bandwidth is $0.01 per GB, that’s $39.60 just for bandwidth for that one account. And that’s if we can get it that cheap. Otherwise, we’d pay $198 on AWS, or Azure. If we used Google Cloud it’d be $316.The burden of keeping our service up rests on Jon's shoulders. How can we reduce the risk?How can we increase platform resiliency, automation, and improve our internal customer service tools?★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.GetRewardful.com: Guess what? Affiliates is providing almost 30% of our revenue. Rewardful makes it easy for SaaS companies to start an affiliate program on Stripe.Show notes:LeadEdge Capital: “Gross margins for SaaS typically range from 60% to more than 80%."Quora on SaaS gross margins.Most users don't realize how much bandwidth costs (Twitter)An explanation of bandwidthIs 1 GB equal to 1024 MB or 1000 MB?Z-cast closes up shopWe're talking to someone at Cloudflare (tweet)Jamie's blog: Implementing ImpersonationYou can reply to this podcast here:Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Alitu.comPodcastinsights.comGetRewardful.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta) Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Dave Zohrob, the CEO of Chartable, chats with Justin about bootstrapping a startup in the podcast space. We cover:Why Jon and Justin started TransistorNavigating co-founder relationshipsHow to stand out and build a podcast audience in 2019Our thoughts on Anchor (this was recorded pre-acquisition)This is a re-broadcast of the Chartable Radio podcast.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.Show notes:Podnews on the Spotify dealNicholas Quah on the Spotify dealNational Geographic: Valley of the BoomApple is investing big in content: they've signed deals with Spielberg, Oprah, Jennifer Anniston. What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Alitu.comPodcastinsights.comGetRewardful.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta) Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode:Jon and Justin open up about the challenges of bootstrapping "on the side." How things have gotten harder (in some ways) now that we have customers.Jon is finding it hard to juggle his day job, and getting time to build the "big features."Justin flip-flips back and forth about investment. Would investors and advisors meddle too much?We also discuss the Spotify rumors: buying Gimlet for $200 - $230 million?Also, a theory about why Apple should have made Gimlet an offer.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.Show notes:Podnews on the Spotify dealNicholas Quah on the Spotify dealNational Geographic: Valley of the BoomApple is investing big in content: they've signed deals with Spielberg, Oprah, Jennifer Anniston. What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our monthly supporters:Alitu.comPodcastinsights.comGetRewardful.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta) Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, Jon and Justin discuss the golden rule for growing your audience. This could mean:How to get more paying customers for your software product.How to get more followers on Twitter.How to get more podcast listeners.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.Show notes:Read this episode as a blog post!On Reddit: “Tips for increasing Twitter followers?”Steve Schoger’s design tips on TwitterCarbon: cool tool for devs to use to share programming screenshots.What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Alitu.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave YoungBrad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertDan EricsonMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Podcastinsights.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode Jon and Justin discuss talk about how you should think about your software product's competition.Why you shouldn’t focus on the competitionIt’s a distraction. The main point by many folks is: “when you focus too much on the competition, it means you’re not focusing enough on your customers.”It causes anxiety.“Last summer, I stopped[reading industry news]. I had just reached the point at which I could feel an unhealthy level of toxicity piling up inside of me. I felt myself getting too involved, too absorbed, and a bit too anxious about what I was missing, and about what I knew or didn't know, but thought I should know. I was checking Twitter too often and reloading sites too often. If someone told me about something I hadn't heard of, I felt like I should have already known about it. Industry news was becoming an addiction.” - Jason FriedIt’s too tempting to copy features. “Copying skips understanding. Understanding is how you grow. You have to understand why something works or why something is how it is. When you copy it, you miss that. You just repurpose the last layer instead of understanding all the layers underneath.” – Jason FriedIt can lead to feature creep. company A is doing this, company B is doing that, so let’s do them all. also, paralyzing indecision and no real thought about why you’d be building a feature.“I wouldn’t advocate spending much time worrying about the competition — you really shouldn’t waste attention worrying about things you can’t control — but if it helps make the point relatable, the best way to beat the competition is to last longer than they do.” – Jason FriedWhy you should focus on the competitionIt’s a way of understanding your customers. You should be aware of why customers are choosing (or not choosing) the competition. It’s more competitive now. I wrote a post about this. “It's getting more expensive to build SaaS companies and exits are weak.” Mattermark, 2016. “We're not building these basic CRUD apps like we used to be able to. The stuff's too competitive now.” – Rob Walling. "No one wants to admit it, but the old ‘your product must be 10x better than existing solutions’ trope is dead. I think this is one of the most hostile times for startups that we’ve had, really. Products are better, and competition is enormous." – Zach HolmanIt’s a way of revealing opportunities. “Everybody's drilling for oil in the same spot because some other guy found oil there already.” – Nick Quah. What’s everyone else missing? Where’s the untapped well?You’re stealing time, attention, and money from somebody, and it’s not always who you think!(Article) When Uber launched, they stole customers from the taxi industry. When the iPhone launched, Apple took customers from Kodak and the film industry.How to think about the competitionSWOT. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What are their opportunities? What are their threats? Do SWOT on yourself too!User interviews. One of the best ways to do user research is to interview folks who are actively using the competition! What brought them to start using it? How’d they find it? What was going on in their life at that time? Why do they keep using it?When people switch. If people switch away from you to a competitor, that’s a great time to ask questions. "The only two people who can give you real feedback about your product are people who just purchased it and people who just canceled.” – Jason FriedThink about how you can outlast them. What are practices you can put in place that will help you outlast the competition? “Whenever a startup goes out of business, the first thing I get curious about are their costs, not their revenues.” – Jason FriedFigure out how you can make things easier.How can you make your app easier to use than the competition?Look for unmet desires. What are the unmet needs of users using competitors’ products? Search Twitter, support forums, etc for instances of people complaining. What are they complaining about?★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.Show notes:Val Sopi's new startup: ClaritaskPodnews on Anchor and "podfading"Worrying about the competition is pointlessHow much should a startup worry about the competition?Seriously don’t worry about the competitionHow to think about startup competitionWhy I don’t stress about the competition Does bootstrapping make you worry about the competition?Why reading about your

We received some product marketing questions from Nirav Mehta: How to get the word out about your SaaS?Should you pursue partnerships?How can you get distribution for your software product?What marketing channels work best?Build anticipation before you launchOne big opportunity many folks miss is building up anticipation before they launch. Examples:Adam Wathan and Steve Schoger shared design tips on Twitter and on their blog for 6 months before they released their book, Refactoring UI.Derick Reimer allowed people to “Claim their username” for Level.App before he launched. So far 5,787 people have registered.Ben Orenstein talked about Tuple.app, his new product, on podcasts for months before they launched. Build a reputation for being helpfulAdam, Steve, Derrick, and Ben also have something else in common: they were consistently helpful to their respective audiences for years before they launched anything.Being helpful now, in forums, on Twitter, in podcasts, on your blog, in your mailing list, at conferences, at meetups, in email, is an investment in your future.It’s an advantage that can’t be easily copied or replicated.Bake SEO into everything you doThe most underrated, and often under-pursued, grow strategy is investing in Search Engine Optimization.“SEO is the biggest growth lever that you have and it's something that you should prioritize." - Ryan Hoover, Product Hunt”Think about it, when people have a desire to solve a problem, what do they do? They Google it! If your product is the answer to people’s question, you want to make sure they can find it on Google. Quick SEO tips: Explore what questions are asking on: Answerthepublic.com.Use a tools like Ahrefs.com on your competitors’ sites! See what keywords people are using to find their site, and what their most popular pages are.Make sure you have Google Search Console set up for your website. They have a new “Performance Report” that will show you what keywords people are using to find your site, and where you could rank better.Focus on what matters on each page:Main title - should feature the focus keywords, preferably at the beginning of the title.Subheader or first paragraph – expanded description, should also feature the focus keywords.Alt text in images – alt text was designed to show text when an image is not loading properly, or if someone has to use a screen reader. This text is read by Google as any other content.Meta description – a short, concise (usually 300 characters or less) description of a webpage, shown in search results.Keep a document on “blog post title ideas.” For example, I can see, through all my research, that “podcast distribution” is a good keyword combination to pursue. So I could write a blog post with the title: “Podcast distribution made easy - 5 steps.”Write these authoritative guide on a topic. Ben Orenstein noticed that there weren’t any good pair programming guides, so he wrote one! http://learntopair.com. These guides typically get shared a lot, which means you’ll get high quality backlinks to your site (which is important for SEO).People will also search for “[competitor name] alternatives.” Those are great keywords to target.The big list of marketing channels:Ads: Facebook Ads, Adwords, LinkedIn ads, etc. Partnerships: finding influencers that have a similar audience to you, and cross-promotingSEO: getting backlinks to your landing page from other sites, and ranking for certain keywordsContent marketing: blogging, infographics, viral videosPlatform marketing: engaging in Facebook Groups, on forums, in comments threadsDirect mail: sending your prospects stickers, postcards, or letters by postEvents: attending tradeshows, conferences, and meetups and handing out business cards (or other swag) with your website addressThings to remember:Marketing doesn't work like a jackpot. You're not going to hit that "one thing" that works and creates an avalanche of sales. Instead of "putting it all on black," it'd be better for you to diversify your marketing investments: you'll get customers from a variety of channels and tacticsMarketing is a lot like physical fitness. Small gains every week give you biggest gains in the long term. It's like hitting the gym once on January 1st and expecting to look like Arnold Schwartnegger. You've got to do something every week to get good results overall.Last: for many of you, marketing is a big, hairy, ugly problem. And what's the best way to deal with a big overwhelming problem? Break it into smaller pieces.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start,

Jon Buda and Justin Jackson make predictions for the tech industry, the podcasting space, and the startup ecosystem.Predictions for 2019There will be a global economic downturn. Companies will be looking for more affordable marketing spend. Brands that don't have a strong relationship with their audience will lose.This could be increase the number of companies who invest in podcasting. Audio is still a "good deal" compared to other communication channels.Related: will we see the big “5” (Squarespace, etc) advertising less?2019 will be the year of non-gaming livestreaming. More programmers, business people, podcasters will be livestreaming. Plus: more audio-livestreaming.Related: Podcasting without editing will become more popular. No intro music. Just recorded live with an outline, and published immediately.Podcasting will grow to 800,000 shows. (Currently ~619,000 in Apple Podcasts)In 2018 Spotify went from 10-25% marketshare of the podcast player market. I think it will grow again to 35%. (Justin admits he was wrong about this tweet).Continued focus on "mindful technology." Very possible that iPhone will have a "dumb phone" mode: only texting, phone calls, and GPS. All other apps will disappear from your homescreen when enabled. Smart speakers will not have a big effect on podcast consumption. I think they will become more popular, but I don’t see people using them to listen to podcasts. (These folks think it will be big, I disagree. Currently 1% of listenership) Apple is going to make a big media move to challenge Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It will finally break iTunes apart on desktop. Maybe we'll see a standalone desktop Apple Podcasts app?More branded podcasts and production companies. (example)Dynamic content (outside of advertising) will be bigger.More traditional media brands will buy podcast related IP. Podcasts turning into → TV shows. For example: Homecoming on Amazon Video.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.Show notes:CleanIn2019.comAtomic Habits - IdentityBen Orenstein interview on Product PeopleFast Company: Dumb phoneSSL for all Transistor users!We used Caddy Server for our SSL implementationWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Alitu.comDarby FreySamori AugustoDave Young (new)Brad from CanadaKevin MarkhamSammy SchuckertBrand ShouterMike WalkerAdam DuVanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Podcastinsights.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, we talk about the different types of customers for a SaaS:B to C: selling to consumers. Here, we'd think of products and services like Verizon, iPhone apps, etc...B to Prosumer: selling to prosumers. Prosumers are power users; serious hobbyists. Sometimes, they earn a bit of money from their hobby. Examples: a photographer who shoots a few weddings a year, a painter who sells a few paintings on the side, or a podcaster who has a few supporters on Patreon.B to Aspirational: selling to aspirational business owners. Rob Walling uses Pat Flynn's "Smart Passive Income" audience as an example. Sometimes called "wantrepreneurs," these are folks who are willing to invest money in their business startup. B to very small business: selling to solopreneurs, or teams of 2-3.B to small business: this is selling to regular small businesses. Loosely defined as teams of 10-100.B to enterprise: depending on the industry, "enterprise" might mean any company with more than 250 people. However, "large enterprise" is probably 5,000+.★ Thanks to our sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Want to podcast in 2019? Transistor is cooking up something special for the new year.Show notes:Startups for the Rest of Us: 421Jason Cohen interview on Product People: 98Transistor's revenue numbers are publicMike Vardy's podcastTaylor Jackson's photography podcastJason Resnick's podcastMatt's Bet on the Web show for IonicCards Against Humanity's podcastDrift's podcastProfitWell's podcastPodcast2019.comWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Alitu.comSamori AugustoMike WalkerBrad (from Canada)Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDan EricsonSammy SchuckertDave Giunta (JOOnta)Podcastinsights.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Justin gets interviewed by Harry Duran on the Podcast Junkies show, and answers questions about:Is podcasting really having it's moment now?Is now a good time to invest in the podcasting industry?How is Transistor going to be different than other competitors?Who should be starting podcasts right now?Can anyone be a podcaster?Is podcasting a "mindful technology?"★ Thanks to our two sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Show notes:Podcast JunkiesProduct People (Justin's first show)Ira Glass and Alex Blumberg on Without FailMatt's Bet on the Web show for IonicWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Alitu.comSamori AugustoMike WalkerBrad (from Canada)Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Podcastinsights.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode Jon talks about why he decided to partner with Justin (even though he'd already built the product).★ Thanks to our two sponsors:Alitu.com: Alitu removes all the tech headaches associated with producing your podcast. They take care of processing, editing & publishing your podcast. Go to Alitu.com and check out their video demo.Podcastinsights.com: If you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast. Podcast equipment guides, how to make money. Join millions of readers learning all about how to start, grow, and monetize a podcast at podcastinsights.com.Show notes:New Yorker: The friendship that made Google hugeArticle: Why you need a cofounderCards Against Humanity's 99% percent off saleDuchess Bakeshop Hogwarts CastleHogwarts Castle on RedditWe are on Baremetrics Open StartupsTool: Chartable lets you see podcast chartsConan Needs a FriendWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Alitu.comSamori AugustoMike WalkerBrad (from Canada)Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Podcastinsights.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How did you split equity in Transistor? How do I start a podcast? How do you say Adam's name?★ Thanks to our sponsor: podcastinsights.comIf you want to get into podcasting, check out Podcast Insights. They’re a great resource for folks who want to start and grow a podcast.Show notes:Episode 2: How to find a cofounderPlace to buy a startup: Flippa and Empire FlippersJustin’s article: How to make a podcastVideo: Creating a podcast from nothingPodcastinsights.comTool: Chartable lets you see podcast chartsMicrophone: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USBPop filter: Find one that will work with your mic. This one is a good start.Headphones: Sennheiser HD 202 IIEditing software: Garage Band or Screenflow (for Mac) and Audacity (for PC)Cover art: Canva or SnappaWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Colin GraySamori AugustoMike WalkerBrad (from Canada)Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta (JOOnta)Podcastinsights.com Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Why do you want to start a podcast?Grow your business: Get more clients – Nate TechNest Real EstateBrand / PR – Drift Seeking WisdomGrow your audience: Matt and Alex with SupercomputerGet ad sponsorships: you'll need a really big audience for this (30,000+ downloads per episode)Patreon: you'll need a fairly large audience (Taylor Jackson has 160,000 YouTube subscribers)Sell your own products / services: in addition to ads, Adam Wathan promotes his course on his podcastConnect with your audience: Taylor Jackson PhotographyIncrease social proof.Identify yourself as an expert.Contribute to a community, or industry, or culture: Ashley Baxter’s Bootstrapping DigestPut your POV out in the world: Rework, Good News PodcastIdeas on how you can use your podcast to reach your goals:Private feed just for your team / employeesQ&A: get users, customers, audience to leave you a voicemail. Answer 1 question per week.Interview your customers: interview 1 customer per week. Ask them about their business, how they’re using your product.Expert tips: if you’re a professional (lawyer, accountant, coach), give your listeners an actionable piece of advice every week. Give them one thing to improve every week.Read your blog posts: already writing a blog post ever week? Just read it “audible” style for your audience.Recycle your best talks / videos.Conferences: give attendees a private feed of all the talks!Share your journey.Show notes:The 8 types of podcast formatsLeave us a question at transistor.fm/voicemail. We will answer those next week during American Thanksgiving show.Create a podcast for your employeesWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Colin Gray – Alitu.comSamori AugustoMike WalkerBrad (from Canada)Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta (JOOnta) Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin respond to the new funding options available for bootstrappers, mainly Earnest Capital.The GP, Tyler Tringas, told us what types of companies he's looking to invest in:Organic customer acquisition channelsLow levels of structural churn (ready to stay customers for a long period of time)Founder is a good fitProduct launched and has revenueIn a space that Tyler feels comfortable withThey're looking for a 3x-5x return from their investment; which they'll take from founder earnings. (Read more about that here)Show notes:Underground gangsters cave in Austin, TXArticle: New forms of funding for bootstrappersBuffer buying out investorsDHH on Earnest CapitalIndie VC: companies we invest in grow way fasterDHH tweet on paying meager salariesEarnest CapitalTyler Tringas' introductory blog postYouTube LivestreamIndie.vcTiny Seed FundWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmThanks to our Patreon supporters:Samori Augusto - thebicrowd.comMike WalkerBrad (from Canada)Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Tyler Tringas recently announced Earnest Capital; a new way for bootstrappers to raise money for their startups. Should Jon and Justin consider this type of funding for Transistor?What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:Earnest CapitalTyler Tringas' introductory blog postYouTube LivestreamIndie.vcTiny Seed FundThanks to our Patreon supporters:Mike WalkerBrad from CanadaDarby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How much does it cost to run a SaaS in 2018? We take a look at our bootstrap expenses.Every business accrues monthly expenses. The danger? Business owners can get in the habit of spending money, believing that "you gotta spend money to make money."Transistor's expensesStart up:Logo and branding: $2,500 Stripe Atlas: $500Legal: $366.45 Monthly expenses:Editing: $320 / monthAWS: $300 / monthMedia: $60 / monthYearly expenses:Domain: $100 / yearIncorporation: $200 / yearAccounting: $2k / yearWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:Patio11's reply to Justin's tweet: "It is far, far, far easier to create something that will increase the revenue of your business by $200 a month than it is to squeeze $200 out of the expenses."Our branding designer is Dylan Wells.Thang PhamThanks to our Patreon supporters:Brad from CanadaDarby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

If you used computers in the 80s and 90s you're going to love this episode.Apple IIe in the school computer labThe original Macintosh"I wanted an Amiga so bad!"The BBS scene: Wildcat, Roboboard/FX, being a SySopCompuserve and AOLTandy 1000, 386, 486, building your own PentiumFave games: Commander Keen, King’s Quest, Wolfenstein, Doom, Duke Nukem, Raptor, Apogee GamesOur first websites: high school swim team website, snowboarding website (with a guestbook)Our first computer businessesIt's a fun one. ;)What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:PC Magazine: the forgotten world of BBS door games Jon’s first computer: CompuaddJustin posted this on a usenet group in 1994: Absolute Future BBS!Justin’s first web company: Mediahead ProductionsJon’s first web company: Creatively AwareJon’s TV recommendation: Halt and Catch Fire (NY Times review)Thanks to our Patreon supporters:Darby FreyKevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Here we are at episode 30! Just found this old 2012 interview with the founder of MailChimp, before they became a $4.2 billion company. This quotes is awesome:Back in 2001, we had multiple customers who needed help sending their email newsletters. They were using really big, expensive, bloated software. We had some “scrap code” lying around, so we modified the code and turned it into an email newsletter app for them. We opened it up to the public, set up some Google Adwords, and basically forgot about it. Then, in 2005, we noticed it was a better business than our web-dev agency so we decided to take all of 2006 to wind down the agency business and beef up MailChimp’s features. We officially hit the “reset button” in 2007 and became a product company.More recently, MailChimp was in Forbes:Ben Chestnut and his cofounder, Dan Kurzius, have both profited richly from their patience. With $600 million in revenue, Mailchimp is in the black and has more than doubled its estimated valuation to $4.2 billion in the last two years, giving Chestnut, 44, and Kurzius, 46, its sole owners, stakes worth $2.1 billion each.Even more interesting for us:Mailchimp, launched in 2001 and remained a side project for several years, earning a few thousand dollars a month. Then in 2007, when it hit 10,000 users, the two decided to commit full-time. This was the part that surprised me: MailChimp was a side-project for 6 years (earning just a few thousand to start).Especially interesting in light of this DHH quote I shared in a previous episode:If it takes five years to get to the point where the business can pay two salaries, it's possible that the business isn't destined for that long-term.Bootstrappers need to be more patient! (And maybe keep their day job)What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:MailChimp in Forbes MagazineBill Irwin’s tweetAn interview with Ben ChestnutWe can still do a lot to slow climate change. DHH: why is We Work promoting burnout?ProfitWell EngageGood News PodcastThanks to our Patreon supporters:Darby Frey – LeadHonestly.com Kevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

After one failed attempt, we're back with a new episode. Sorry it's late!"We, as the customer, are paying people who make apps so that their good work continues."Responses from last week's episode: "What should our one main metric be for our SaaS?"Adam: “Don’t focus on MRR. That’s a cop out. Focus on increasing downloads.”Daniel: “Justin should get out and sell like crazy.”Colin and others said: “Re-examine your pricing.”What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:Justin starts his own Patreon: "I want to keep writing and podcasting honestly no matter what."MxPx's KickstarterCaddyServer – “Caddy is the HTTP/2 web server with automatic HTTPS.”Please review us on iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!Thanks to our Patreon supporters:Kevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:Startups for the Rest of Us – EP260 “The one metric that matters”Nathan Barry – Solving the cash problems from self-funding rapid growthNathan Barry – From losing money to a 51% profit margin in 5 monthsCaddyServer – “Caddy is the HTTP/2 web server with automatic HTTPS.”Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!Thanks to our Patreon supporters:Kevin MarkhamAdam DuvanderDave Giunta Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin are back from Portland and the XOXO festival.In the last few weeks we've had a chance to interact with many of our customers in-person:Nate Smoyer – "I’ve been using the podcast as a prospecting tool. Signed one dreams client two weeks ago. Interviewed with one yesterday. Got invited to lead a panel and live podcast for an industry event."Kyle Marshall – Kyle's creating multiple shows for MediaLab in Calgary.Matt Cassinelli and Alex Cox have a new podcast called Supercomputer.Jaime Macías has a great show called Open Tabs.How big is the podcast market?How many podcasts are there? Over 550,000 shows on iTunes and over 18.5 million episodes.64% of the US population is familiar with the term “podcasting” – up from 60% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)44% (124 million) of the US population has listened to a podcast – up from 40% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)26% (73 million) listen to podcasts at least every month – up from 24% in 2017 (Infinite Dial 18)17% (48 million) listen to podcasts weekly – up from 15% in 2017We recorded this episode liveWatch on TwitchWatch on YouTubeWatch on PeriscopeWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:Thanks to Kevin Markham for being our first Patreon supporter! Also thanks to Adam Duvander and Dan Weaver.Back from XOXO 2018Justin's bootstrapping articlesTwitter poll: What are most podcasts doing wrong?Seth Godin's podcast Akimbo"Branded podcasts are ads people actually want to listen to" - Fast CompanyPlease review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What does "bootstrapping" mean really?For most folks, bootstrapping means self-funding your business from revenues. It means not taking Venture Capital, not taking Angel funding. It's a little bit of a religion and like so many religions different people have different definitions of what it takes to "fit in." Some people say you can't even take money from friends and family. If you take any outside money, you're no longer a part of the bootstrappers club.We recorded this episode liveWatch on TwitchWatch on YouTubeWatch on PeriscopeWhat do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fmShow notes:Thanks Tyler Tringas!Article: Bootstrapper's Paradox (on Indie Hackers)Getting Real by 37signalsTool: Forecast your MRR revenueNatalie Nagele's tweetJoel Gascoigne's tweetWatch our live Twitch recording (or watch on YouTube)Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Nick Quah shared this in his recent newsletter, commenting about podcasts:[I have] this feeling that everybody’s drilling for oil in the same spot because some other guy found oil there already.Nick thinks podcasters have two options:Build something that does the same thing for the same audience, but do it better. If this is the case, he says, “you better bring it.”Or, “identify and pursue a pocket of pent-up demand that has yet to be unleashed.”Note: apologies about Justin's audio in this episode! We'll fix that for next time.What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fm Show notes:Why many products struggle, and only a few succeedClubhouse.io – Jon's new project management software for Cards Against Humanity.Perennial Seller by Ryan HolidayAlitu – edit your podcast in the browserPodcast Royale – Adam Clark's podcast production companyAuphonic – automated audio post-productionProfitWell – SaaS metricsStripe's built-in SaaS metricsWatch our live Twitch recording (or watch on YouTube)Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

SaaS conversation rate cheatsheet:Credit card upfront:Visitor to trial: 0.75% - 1%Trial to paid: 40% - 60%No credit card upfront:Visitor to trial: 5%+Trial to paid: 8% - 20%Transistor's conversion rates since launch:Total traffic since launch: 40,162 unique pageviews, 11,614 visitorsTotal new trials since launch: 32 (out of 49 active trials total)Conversion %(visitor to trial): 0.3% (should be 0.75% - 1%)Conversion %(trial to paid): 8.9% - 16.7% (should be 40% - 60%)July was 17.9%June was 29.6%May was 48.7%What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on Tung.fmOtherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fm Show notes:BaremetricsChartmogulProfitWellStripe Billing - “go to Stripe, and then billing menu”Marco's tweet - donation support for podcasts in OvercastPlease review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] your own podcast at transistor.fm Show notes:Cards Against HumanityLaracon Chicago (photos here)Photos from Transistor's launch weekThe new Transistor websiteJon's new signup pageWe were #1 on Product Hunt!★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In 2013, I interviewed Jason Calacanis, the angel investor.One of the things I asked him: "Why do venture capital investors take these big risks with their money?" "There's a lot of money in the world. There are trillions of dollars just sitting around, and people are bored. The money is bored! Money wants to burn! Money does not want to sit in a safe."Uh. What an interesting idea: "the money is bored."Jon Buda and I are bootstrapping Transistor.fm and Spots.fm. We've invested our own money into both of these projects.When you're self-funding a startup, your money is the opposite of bored. Your money is stressed. You're caught between these two realities: you're investing real time and money into the product, but the product isn't yet giving you anything back.For example, we're launching Transistor.fm on August 1st.Right now we have 51 early access customers and $781 in MRR.Let's say that when we launch on August 1st, we double MRR to $1,500.To get to $21,000 in MRR (enough for Jon and me to focus on Transistor full-time), it will take five years (assuming 10.0% exponential growth and 5.0% churn).Five years. 60 months. That's a long time to wait for a paycheque.There's this tricky tension when you're bootstrapping a SaaS. On one side, you're investing in this product that could be an incredible asset.If Transistor hits $20,000 a month, that's dependable, recurring revenue.But on the hand, investing all that time and money in something that isn't a sure bet is a risk.It's easy to see why bootstrapped founders get stressed. It's easy to see why many experience burnout and have to quit.That's something Mike and Fred talked about on their podcast, Hit Reply.Bootstrappers who are building something new have to walk this fine line:We need to invest a considerable amount of effort to launch our product.But we also need money to live, and it can be years before a SaaS can support you full-time.Which has me thinking about Basecamp.What Jason Fried and DHH achieved with Basecamp is what most bootstrappers aspire for. Heck, most of us would be happy for even a fraction of their success.They've long been the example of how you can self-fund a product, bring it to market, grow it, and have it succeed.But the story many of us are telling ourselves about how they achieved that success isn't quite right.Yes, they've bootstrapped Basecamp since 2004. But in 2006 they didn't something a lot of us bootstrappers haven't paid a lot of attention to. They took investment!I recently read this interview with DHH on Startup.co. The interviewer asked:"As you’ve built Basecamp you’ve been very vocal about resisting the temptation of unicorn culture. How have your perspectives changed?"David's answer is interesting:It wasn’t without temptation or struggle to stay like this. Especially in the early years, before our bombastic views on venture capital, the IPO rat-race, and other ills of funding were known. We had, I think, close to 50 different VCs get in contact. Ironically, part of what did give us the confidence to turn down that whole world 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.This is something the bootstrapping culture doesn't think about a lot.37signals, the poster child of the bootstrapped world, took investment two years after they launched the product.That Bezos money didn't go into the company. It went into their personal bank accounts.Jason and David were able to hedge their bets. That Bezos investment removed a lot of the stress and risk that comes from bootstrapping a product.Bootstrappers have created a religion out of building something from scratch and self-funding the entire thing.But what if that ideology leads to burnout? Or bankruptcy? Or not being able to go the distance?Here's David again:"I really wish that more founders who are on to something could find ways to diversify their accounts just enough to dare go the distance."It's something we need to think about.What do you think?Leave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Otherwise, get us on Twitter: @transistorfm or email us: [email protected] to get notified when we launch? Sign up at transistor.fm Show notes:Product People, 33, with Jason CalacanisForecast your MRR (a tool by Baremetrics)Hit Reply, ep 3, with Fred and MikeFoundation podcast, 26, Jason Fried interviewStartup.co interview with DHH★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Three tweets TuesdayJustin Kan: "B2C is a gamble while B2B is (more) within your control."Stephanie Hulburt: "We have a philosophy of “no hard sells” and it has served us well. If someone’s not convinced we move on; we don’t hang on trying to convince one person. It’s tempting to defend yourself, but not good for business."Naval on making decisions:"If you can’t decide, the answer is no. If two equally difficult paths, choose the one more painful in the short term. Choose the path that leaves you more equanimous in the long term."Show notesJohn FogertyJustin Kan: “Why I Love B2B over B2C”Naval: How to get rich(without getting lucky)Muneeb Ali: “Hard conversations, easy life. Easy conversations, hard life.”Follow Stephanie Hulburt on Twitter!Book: Difficult ConversationsTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinLeave a comment on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.Leave a comment on CastBox, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How to build anticipation for your product launchHave a mailing list! Email them consistently during development.The week of launch you should send the following emails:Pre-launch announcement: "We're launching in a week!"Day before announcement: "The launch is tomorrow. Here's how much it will cost."Launch day email: "We're launched! Sign up here"Day after email: "You've still got time to sign up."Launch discount is ending email: "This is your last chance to register"Use services like Product Hunt, Product Hunt Ship, BetaList, to build anticipation.On Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Instagram: constantly send out product updates.Building anticipation before you launch is the most underrated tool you have for your product launch.Show notesSpots.fm - “what if advertising on podcasts was as easy as advertising on Facebook?”Taylor Otwell, creator of LaravelSee you at Laracon!Video: Buddy Guy'Meet Me in Chicago' at the Hollywood Bowl 8-21-13.Product Hunt ShipBetaListAdam Wathan at MicroConf talkThe Best Pizza in ChicagoChicago vs New York Hot DogsAnthony Bourdain on ChicagoWe’re going to XOXO 2018!Transistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!Check out these new shows on Transistor:Goodstuff.fmatU2 podcast Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin are still moving forward with Transistor. We're planning to launch in July. But we're being realistic: this could be a slow-growing business. The good news? We're both okay with that. We talked through different funding scenarios – VCs, fund-strapping, bootstrapping – and realized what really matters is building something meaningful with people we like. In the meantime, Justin is exploring a side project called Spots.fm (think Calendly for podcast sponsorships). The plan is to start manually, helping a few podcaster friends fill their ad slots, before we build any software.Show notes:Spots.fm – "what if advertising on a podcast was as easy as advertising on Facebook?"Spots.fm/story - the Spots story so far.SaaS Your LaterDerek Sivers - Start now, no funding neededTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show!Check out these new shows on Transistor:Remote RubyThat's a thing?Tech Nest - Real Estate podcast Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Show notesJustin’s Instagram TV episodeMegaMaker.coIndie VCCanada’s Startup VisaTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Show notesTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Show notesThis is the recording from the Art of Product Podcast. Full episode will be there!Ben Orenstein on TwitterDerrick Reimer on TwitterDerrick's new app: level.appTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jon and Justin are probably 1-2 months away from the launch of Transistor.fm. That means we need to figure out pricing.“In your early stage two things are essential: your customer focus, and your value metric. If you can nail these two things (even if you get everything else wrong) you’re typically fine." – Patrick CampbellWe've both worked in SaaS before, but we're trying to not pretend we know everything. We want to do this right, so we reached out to two experts this week: Patrick Campbell (from Price Intelligently) and Rob Walling (from Drip)."I can only think of a couple ways to charge more than your competitors. First, have features that no one else has (that people are willing to pay for). Or, you can position yourself differently by saying: 'we are the podcast host for businesses.' Or, you can do high-touch sales. The sales process allows you to charge more." – Rob WallingShow notesFull interview with Patrick Campbell on Product PeoplePrice intelligentlyPatrick Campbell, founder of Price IntelligentlyRob Walling, founder of DripTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – it helps other folks find the show! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Today's show is not a full episode! Jon and I have been busy with our day jobs, plus Memorial Day, and didn't have time to record a show.But, to be honest, this pricing discussion isn't something we can solve in a 30-minute conversation. We've realized it's going to require more research. We need to talk to folks who know more than us. So that's what we've been doing. This week, I have a call booked with Patrick from Price intelligently, as well as Rob Walling (who just his company Drip). I'm hoping to get some useful insights on pricing from these folks. Mostly so we don't make the same mistakes that other SaaS companies have made. These chats will also benefit you, the listener, because we'll be sharing as much as we can in future episodes.As a teaser, I'm going to share a phone call I had with Nathan Barry. He has one of the fastest growing SaaS products in existence right now: ConvertKit.They just crossed 1 million dollars in MRR. That's an Annual Run Rate of $12.8 million! They've grown fast, and Nathan's had to learn fast. So here are some of his thoughts on the pricing of podcast hosting. Show notesPrice intelligentlyNathan Barry, founder of ConvertKitConvertKit's revenue numbersTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustinGive us some love on Breaker, the podcast app for Android and iPhone.★ Please review us in iTunes – T-shirt contest! Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We're hoping to launch Transistor officially in July 2018.And that means we need to figure out a pricing strategy. What types of tiers and plans should we offer?SaaS pricing examples:HootsuiteWPEngineSumoStatusPagePatrick Campbell, from Price Intelligently, says there are three aspects of a pricing strategy:Positioning: who are the right customers for your product? How will you target and attract them?Packaging: what features are included in each tier? What value does each type of customer want from your product?Pricing: putting a price on your tiers that reflects the value your customer receives.Where did we get stuck? Jon and I started by looking at who had signed up for early access to Transistor:Hobbyists – podcasting for fun, two people talking, no advertising.Prosumers – side-project podcasting, may have a bit of income, want to go pro.Solopreneurs – solo founders building smaller tech products. Small tech teams – teams of 3-10 people building larger software products.Bigger brands / enterprise companies.This list brought up a question: how do we define our target customer? Is "podcast hosting and analytics for professionals" too broad?Here's our homework for this week: we're going to let this simmer, we're going to talk to smart people about pricing, and we're going to come back to this next week.Question of the week:Tweet to @jon and @mijustin and let us know: how should we price our SaaS?Show notesJason Fried - Ass pricingPatrick Campbell - Price Intelligently Jason Cohen - WPengine tiered pricingTransistor.fmTransistor.fm on InstagramTransistor.fm on TwitterJon Buda is back on Twitter: @jonbudaJustin Jackson on Twitter here: @mijustin★ Please review us in iTunes – T-shirt contest! Leave a review you’ll be entered to win a limited edition Transistor t-shirt! Thanks to our monthly supporters Rewardful.com Mitchell Davis from sixsides.co Bill Condo (@mavrck) Ward from MemberSpace.com Evandro Sasse Austin Loveless Michael Sitver Dave Giunta 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★