IndieRails

Jason Swett is well-known in the Rails community for his podcast, Code with Jason, and his book, The Complete Guide to Rails Testing. Jason joins us to talk about his recent transition back into consulting after working for companies for the past few years. He shares about various projects he's been working on, building his personal brand, and his newest coaching service.Jason is also hosting the 2nd iteration of Sin City Ruby at the Tropicana Las Vegas! Get your ticket and come meet Jason, Jeremy, Jess and a host of other Ruby friends!Links:TwitterWebsiteBookSin City RubyMentioned:Friendly.rb talkMillion Dollar Consulting, Alan Weiss

In this episode, we dive into the multifaceted world of technology, creativity, and storytelling. We have the honor of hosting Ayush Newatia, a seasoned Ruby developer whose expertise extends beyond the intricacies of code. Ayush is not just a maestro in programming; he is an independent developer at radioactivetoy.tech, a creator of SaaS apps like Scattergun, on the Core Team of Bridgetown, podcaster at Just a Spec and he's also the accomplished author of the The Rails and Hotwire Codex. Join us as we flip through the pages of his coding journey!Relevant Links:WebsiteTwitterThe Rails and Hotwire Codex (Book)Scattergun (SaaS) Bridgetown (Core member)Just a Spec (Podcast)

Get ready for an insightful conversation as we sit down with the dynamic Adrian Marin, who has had an extraordinary year making waves in the Ruby world. From taking Avo, his custom Content Management System for Rails, to the next level, to the launching of Friendly.rb, a fresh and vibrant Ruby conference in the heart of Bucharest, Romania.Adrian doesn't stop there; he's been on a whirlwind journey, embracing the global Ruby community by attending conferences far and wide. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of developing Avo, the inspiration behind launching Friendly.rb, and the invaluable experiences gained from being a prominent presence at ruby conferences around the globe. Oh, did we mention that he also started a podcast?If you're curious about Avo, Friendly.rb, the Friendly Show or simply interested in the adventures of an entrepreneur who's had a monumental year, tune in and discover the vibrant world of Adrian Marin.Relevant LinksWebsiteTwitterMastodonAvoFriendly.rbFriendly Show

Jess and Jeremy discuss an excellent question posed by Nate Vick: What are you looking for in a new client? Whether you're looking for a new client, new target market for your product, or a new job, identifying the people you will be serving (or want to be serving) is a critical step to finding success and happiness in business. Join us as we contemplate and examine Nate's question in our own businesses. Hopefully it will get you thinking about your own!

John Nunemaker is a long-time Rails developer known for his writing on the RailsTips blog, his open source gems like HTTParty and Flipper, and his work at Ordered List, GitHub, and now Box Out Sports and Fewer & Faster. He joins us to share about his developer journey, the origins of the Flipper gem, and the creation of Flipper Cloud. Relevant LinksWebsiteTwitterGitHubBox Out SportsFlipper CloudFewer & FasterSpeaker DeckRailsTipsFlipper HTTParty

Bram Jetten joins us for a special episode, recorded on the second day of Rails World 2023. (BIG thanks to Buzz Sprout for sponsoring and making this happen!) Bram is a maker of many things, but his two main focuses are an open source project Spina CMS, and the SaaS business he helped found and build called PlanGo: software for driving schools.Links:https://bramjetten.dev/TwitterProjects:Spina Pro (currently developing) A pro version of Spina CMSSpina CMS An open source Rails CMSSpina Shop An e-commerce plugin for SpinaPlanGo 🇳🇱 My SaaS-business targeted at driving schoolsMr. Hop 🇳🇱 Webshop selling specialty craft beersRobodash A bg/cron-job monitoring tooliPad app for my grandma with Alzheimer's I made a calendar app for my grandma

Greg Molnar joins us for a special episode, recorded on the first day of Rails World 2023. Greg is an OSCP Certified Ethical Hacker and an independent Ruby developer. We talk about his consulting work, his Rails Tricks newsletter, his newsletter product Pombo Mailer, and his new book Secure code review for Rails Developers.Relevant LinksTwitterWebsiteRails TricksPombo MailerSecure code review for Rails Developers

Jeremy just recently gave a talk at friendly.rb titled "Making it as an Indie Developer". Part of the talk was about managing yourself and we wanted to do a deeper dive into that topic. As an indie developer (or could be applied to other categories like business owners or founders) , how do you manage the business, your career, motivation, goals, health, pipeline, workflow, etc??They don't have all the answers, but Jeremy and Jess bring their nearly 30 combined years of experience to share how they make it as indie developers.

Robby Russell is founder and CEO of Planet Argon, one of the oldest Rails development agencies, now in it's 21st year. Robby shares how he got started in Rails and how he grew Planet Argon to the organization it is today. Some listeners might remember him as "Robby on Rails" from the early Rails era; Robby is also the creator of the popular dev tool, Oh My Zsh. In addition to these, Robby hosts the Maintainable Software Podcast, where he speaks with seasoned practitioners and shares valuable insights into navigating legacy code and technical debt. His passion isn't limited to tech, though. He's also the guitarist for The Mighty Missoula, an instrumental art rock band from Portland, Oregon. From coding to music, Robby truly encompasses a diverse spectrum of interests.Relevant LinksPlanet Argon's Ruby on Rails consulting servicesMaintainable Software PodcastRobby on Rails (old Rails blog)@[email protected]@robbyrussell

In this episode, Adam McCrea joins us to talk about building and growing Judoscale (previously, Rails Autoscale) an autoscaler originally released in the Heroku Marketplace, and now available for Render, with other platforms to come. Adam shares about building a product on the side, launching on the Heroku platform, the process of a rebrand, and making the transition to full-time indie business owner.Adam McCrea:TwitterJudoscale:WebsiteMentioned in the episode:HerokuRenderFly.ioNate BerkopecTinySeed

In 2007, young aspiring software engineers Matt & Jason set out to build the perfect startup: a SaaS product. They did everything right. They had plenty of runway, moved in with Jason’s mom and eat, slept and breathed their startup. It had all the right features. It didn’t work. But they knew they could build good software and set out to start consulting. Fast forward several years later and they’re a growing team of friends building products. How’d they do it? Listen in to find out!Matt Gordon:TwitterLinkedInExpected Behavior:WebsiteTwitterProducts:DocRaptorBurndownMentioned in the episode:First DocRaptor site on archive.orgWords with Friends

Get ready for an electrifying episode that will leave you in awe of the incredible Nadia Odunayo! 🎉 Join us as we unravel the remarkable journey behind The StoryGraph's meteoric rise to one million users as a one-woman dev. This conversation is full of inspiration, motivation, and pure fun and a goldmine for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts.Nadia OdunayoWebsiteTwitterMastodonThe StoryGraphRob Frelow (Co-founder)WebsiteTwitterMastodonInstagramTikTokMentionedGetting to One Million Users as a One-Woman Dev (RailsSaas)The Case Of The Vanished Variable - A Ruby Mystery Story (RubyConf Mini)PivotalTrackerThe Mom TestYNABFIRE movementSaron Yitbarek

Join us as we listen in to Khash as he shares his story of startup failures & successes, consulting and employment in between and navigating political, economic and geographical constraints. Khash Sajadi - Founder & CEO www.cloud66.com** 3 Months Free Coupon for New Users **Cloud66 has offered IndieRails listeners a special offering. The coupon is for new users only and includes 3 months for free on the developer plan.Coupon name: IndieRails

In this episode Jess walks Jeremy through a retro of Blue Ridge Ruby, a first ever ruby conference put on by a first time ever promotor. Jeremy gets personal as he breaks down the business of putting on a conference. Listen in to see what it takes, how much it costs, was it worth it and will there be an 2nd edition???https://twitter.com/blueridgerubyhttps://ruby.social/@blueridgeruby

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of web application security, marketing, building a company and the delicate art of balancing it all. Our special guest is the remarkable Michael Buckbee, co-founder of Wafris, a new open source web application firewall that helps developers secure their web applications. But Michael isn't just an expert in cybersecurity; he also brings a unique perspective to the table with his extensive background in marketing...something all indie developers and bootstrappers need to tap into. Join us as we explore the journey of Mike and Wafris!Links:https://wafris.org/https://twitter.com/mbuckbeehttps://expeditedsecurity.com/https://elements.heroku.com/addons/expeditedsslhttps://elements.heroku.com/addons/expeditedwafhttps://elements.heroku.com/addons/ipinvestigatorhttps://elements.heroku.com/addons/expeditedcdnMentioned:https://justinjackson.ca/https://github.com/sidekiq/sidekiqhttps://www.foragoodstrftime.com/https://app.harmonizely.com/expedited/wafrishttps://businessofsoftware.org/talk/how-to-negotiate-the-long-slow-saas-ramp-of-death/Deploy Empathy

Jeremy & Jess were in cohort 23 of Daniel Vassallo's course, A Portfolio of Small Bets. After a few weeks of letting it all sink in, they share some of the things they learned, key take-aways, and more.

In this episode, Ernesto shares his journey from freelancing to building an agency, managing a remote and international team, creating productized services, and technical sales and marketing.Find ErnestoTwitterMastodonMore about OmbuLabsOmbuLabsFastRuby.ioUpgrade JSTune ReportMentioned in the PodBrennan Dunn RoadmappingBureau of DigitalDonutKnow Your TeamNate BerkopecKent Beck tweetChatGPTGitHub Copilot

Pascal on Twitter | Mastodon | Website (https://pascallaliberte.me)Some of Pascal's work...https://modestjs.works <= online book about principles for a more modest JavaScript culturehttps://sharpen.page/ten <= learn about buyer psychology over 10 weekshttps://pascal.works <= where to find links of my stuff onlineBooks mentioned:The War of Art by Stephen PressfieldPrinciple-Centered Leadership by Stephen CoveyWhat Color is Your Parachute by Dick Bolles(On Jobs-To-Be-Done theory)Competing Against Luck by Clayton ChristensenDemand-Side Sales 101 by Bob Moesta

In this episode, Chris shares a wealth of knowledge about creating businesses. He talks about how GoRails got started, almost failed, and was then jolted back to life. From his early childhood of building and selling with his parents, to branching out and expanding his portfolio of products from a solo operation to one with multiple hires, Chris' journey provides plenty of opportunities to learn by example. Whether you're starting your own business or looking to expand an existing one, Chris' story offers valuable lessons that can help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals. Chris on TwitterBusinesses/Products:GoRails.comJumpstartRails.comHatchbox.ioRailsBytes.comMore can be found on excid3.com and remoteruby.comMentioned Links:How Derek Sivers Uses Ruby And His Programming PhilosophyKeryxPaul Graham default dead or default aliveSmall BetsWardley MapsBunny.netBlue Ridge Ruby

Moncef's story is sure to be an inspiration to anyone looking to start their own business. In this episode, he shares his journey from Morocco to UVA, AOL, and several other interesting experiences, ultimately leading to the creation of his own company: Ruby on Mac. Join us as we learn about the mistakes he made along the way and how he gained the training and confidence to leave the security of his full-time job and start a business!Ruby on MacMoncef's TwitterMoncef's Personal Site30x500 AcademyCode for America18FThe fastest and easiest way to install Ruby on a Mac in 2023How to fix "command not found" after installing gemsWhich Shell Am I Using? How Can I Switch?How to customize Git preferences, macOS preferences, and GitHub repos in Ruby on Mac Ultimate

In this episode Dave Paola shares with us the behind-the-scenes of starting a software consultancy. We especially get into hiring and in onboarding junior developers. Dave talks about his new program The Agency of Learning, async vs sync, spikes, first drafts, PRs and so much more! Dave's TwitterDave's Personal SiteSierra RailsSierra Rails Junior Developer ProgramExposing your Ignorance (Sierra Rails podcast)Hiring Junior Devs BootcampJunior Developer Hiring RubricThe Agency of LearningEngineerKitBird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and LifeOn Writing: A Memoir of the CraftFiring Well

0:20 - Questions from Eli If you were to start over with no skills or experience... - https://twitter.com/mojojoflow/status/16252331327638814940:35 - If I'd known then what I know now - Jess' start2:20 - 20 years ago Jeremy - Jeremy's start3:10 - Ruby's sharing culture3:45 - Working on teams4:05 - Benefit of Working at an agency5:00 - Building a network early on5:45 - Indie and working with others6:17 - Working on things on the site8:30 - Cattle not pets, diversifying income9:30 - Felix Dennis - Getting too focused on a single craft, idealism13:15 - Small Bets - diversifying income streams14:17 - Service vs Products17:20 - Taking more risks with extra margin23:00 - Outsourcing

In this episode we go full send on the business side of IndieRails and explore with Colin how buying/selling a small SAAS works (as small as a couple of hundred MRR to 5m ARR) and the differences in building a company and buying.Colin shares his knowledge and experience in going from many startup attempts to now buying multiple established software companies through his holding company Verne. Colin Keeley on TwitterIndiePE.com (courses)ColinKeeley.com (writing)Verne (holding company)Scout, Ottomatik and Blinksale5:40 - Seller Financing8:40 - Selling a business9:02 - Why buy vs build?11:15 - Are you a starter or a scaler?12:30 - Getting experience running a saas as a developer13:34 - Buying/Selling example breakdown15:00 - ROI on buying a business (double your money slide)15:50 - Brokers and Marketplaces acquire.com16:05 - How to make your company attractive to PE17:25 - How much cash would you need to buy a business?18:23 - SBA Loans18:45 - How to raise money?19:40 - Constellation Software20:55 - Partial / Minority Equity21:30 - Due diligence21:54 - How do you find a partner?22:40 - Andrew Wilkinson & Chris Sparling23:50 - Due diligence on the deal side (course & community)24:30 - Working in an industry that you know. “All software tastes like chicken.”25:30 - Game plan after acquisition27:55 - Customer trust: in brand or person/founder?30:10 - Marketing and Using Twitter31:00 - https://typefully.com/ (writing threads)31:45 - Promotional channels32:45 - What should you be building right now?

Joe Masilotti shares his journey getting into coding, going independent, consulting in iOS and Rails, building in public, and starting RailsDevs.LinksJoe’s WebsiteJoe’s TwitterHotwire dev newsletterTurbo Native workshopRailsDevsBeing more intentional in 2023

Your hosts:Jeremy SmithJess Brown The One Person FrameworkA toolkit so powerful that it allows a single individual to create modern applications upon which they might build a competitive business. The way it used to be.