Indie Bites

Peter Suhm is the co-founder of Reform, a tool that lets you easily create simple, brandable forms. Peter is also part of the Tiny Seed 1st batch, where he was working on a product called branch Branch. After that didn't work out, he went through a period of testing and validating ideas.One of those ideas was a investor update tool, where Peter discovered how convoluted creating a form with existing tools was. Using Twitter and a very early stage MVP, he validated the idea for Reform and got to work building.Since then he's had #1 Product of the Week on Product Hunt and is now working through the challenges of building features and growing revenue. You might have also heard Peter on the Out of Beta podcast, which he co-hosts with Matt Wensing.➡️ Get the uncut, 30 minute conversation with Peter on the Indie Bites membership here.What we covered in this episode:Coming up with the idea for ReformValidating the idea for ReformWhy build a product in such a competitive marketWhere form builders keep messing upGetting to #1 Product Hunt of the weekWhen is the right time to launch on PHMarketing and growth tests for Reform going forwardContinuing to try things that don't scaleWhere should founders start with marketing?Peter's approach to product developmentThe feedback loop of TwitterThe upsides of raising Tiny Seed moneyRecommendationsBook: Traction by Gabriel WeinbergPodcast: Tropical MBAIndie Hacker: Derrick ReimerFollow PeterTwitterPersonal SiteFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A Wallet2 Hour Podcast CourseSponsor - Fathom AnalyticsFor the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

Brian Casel is a veteran of the bootstrapping game, having left his full-time job back in 2008. You might have heard him on the Boostrapped Web podcast where he shares his journey starting and building software products. Over the years Brian has pretty much done it all, built software businesses, courses, productized services and even sold some along the way. Most recently, Brian has been working on ZipMessage, a new way to communicate asynchronously.➡️ Get the uncut, 60 minute recording with Brian on the Indie Feast membership here.What we covered in this episode:Where did the idea of ZipMessage come from?How Brian validated ZipMessageBrian's unconventional approach to validationWhy Brian raised funding from Calm Company FundHow can people go from freelancer to productized serviceThe importance of building processes in productized servicesWhy Brian didn't follow his passion for musicRecommendationsBook: Shoe Dog by Phil KnightPodcast: SmartlessIndie Hacker: James McKinven (errm...)Follow BrianTwitterPersonal SiteFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A Wallet2 Hour Podcast CourseSponsor - Fathom AnalyticsFor the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

In 2019 Daniel Vassallo left his $500k salaried job at Amazon to go indie. In the 2 years since he left Daniel has placed many small bets, something he's become known for. In particular Daniel has seen success from his Info Products and building his audience on Twitter, which has grown from 0 to 91k. He wrote a short book on the good parts of AWS, which has made $126,000, then following the Twitter growth, wrote a book called Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience, which has made $244,000. He shares all of his revenue reports in his Profit and Loss community, which in itself has made over $30k in the past year. In total, and in just over 2 years, Daniel has made $570k in revenue and $306k in profit since leaving his job at Amazon. But he's gained something he didn't have while working for someone else, freedom.➡️ Get the uncut, 80 minute recording with Daniel on the Indie Feast membership here.What we covered in this episode:Leaving a $500k job at Amazon to go IndieThe trap of judging your life based on financial valueWhy the initial focusing on one product didn't work out for DanielWhere the small bets mindset originatedHow to deal with context switching with small betsDealing with an uncertain incomeWhy info products work well for a small bets strategyHow book publishers work and how we can apply their methodsThe importance of the "small" in small betsHow you can build a twitter audience like DanielWhy Daniel started making wooden cutting boardsHow he made $2,600 from one tweetRecommendationsBook: Anti Fragile by Nassim TalebPodcast: Indie HackersIndie Hacker: Peter AskewMore on DanielTwitterOn the IH podHis most popular articlesFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A Wallet2 Hour Podcast CourseSponsor - Fathom AnalyticsFor the longest time, website analytics software was seriously bad. It was hard to understand, time-consuming to use, and worse, it exploited visitor data for big tech to profit. I've spent countless hours in Google Analytics dashboards trying to figure even out the most basic metrics.This is exactly why I signed up for Fathom as soon as I heard Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis were building it.Fathom is simple website analytics that doesn't suck. It's easy to use and respectful of privacy laws, with no cookies following your users around the web. They're also a bootstrapped, sustainable business so I love supporting them. Yes, it might feel strange paying for analytics at first, but once you realise the real cost of free Google Analytics and realising how easy to use Fathom is, you won't go back. You can install the lightweight code on as many websites as you want and quickly see the performance of all your sites.Link → https://usefathom.com/bites

Harry Morton is the founder of Lower Street Media, a podcast production agency that specialises in premium podcasts for ambitious companies. Lower Street are the agency behind top shows such as Secret Leaders, Technology Untangled and WFH Daily. Harry's business has skyrocketed since COVID, doubling in size of revenue and headcount in the last 6-months as more companies start to realise how effective podcasting can be. Harry also runs Single Track Conf, a 3-day mountain-biking founder retreat.➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less (use "bites" for $10 off)What we covered in this episode:Why start an agency? it's not exactly a dream business to start.How Harry grew Lowerstreet through cold outreach1st client, Ultimate Leadership PodcastWhy the productising model didn't work out for LowerstreetWhat Harry did in the early days for growthHow losing 30% of revenue was a catalyst for growthDoubling the agency revenue in 6 monthsQuitting his job with no savings to start LowersteetNot knowing what to do when starting the companyAddressing shiny object syndromeWhy focus vs portfolio of projects argument is BSThe secret sauce for making a sh*t hot podcastHow to make a show that stands outStarting a mountain bike communityRecommendationsBook: Out on The Wire by Jessica AbelPodcast: StartupIndie Hacker: Andrew WilkinsonFollow HarryTwitterLinkedInFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletSponsor - 2 Hour PodcastYes, that's right, I'm sponsoring my own show 🤯After producing hundreds of podcasts for myself and clients, I've been pouring all of my knowledge into my new course, 2 Hour Podcast, which shows you how to start, grow and monetize a podcast that takes you less than 2 hours per week.I know lots of people who want to start a pod and reap the rewards, but struggle to find the time, which is exactly why I made this course.I've taken a three-pronged approach to making a podcast efficiently. The first is a step-by-step video guide to creating your show, covering everything from branding, to editing to hosting. The second part is a 90 minute tutorial where I make a my own podcast completely from scratch, recording the first episode with Arvid Kahl, using the tips from part 1. The final prong is my full Notion system for creating my show, including my episode CRM, guest and outreach templates, plus an episode briefing doc.Head to 2hourpodcast.com to get the full course and get $10 off with the code "bites" at checkout.

Jack Ellis is the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, started with Paul Jarvis in 2019. Jack handles the technical side of the business, but isn't afraid to get on the mic on their podcast, Above Board, or send out some spicy tweets. Jack also runs the Serverless Laravel course, which he launched back in 2020. After this conversation Jack has turned into a true friend, speaking with me for several hours after, a genuinely nice chap. You’re going to want the same thing after listening to this pod. Jack talks with great wisdom on how to approach bootstrapping a SaaS company and taking on a huge incumbent.➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less (use "bites" for $10 off)What we covered in this episode:What is Fathom AnalyticsJoining as a co-founder after the company was foundedHow Fathom startedHow did they know Fathom was going to workWhat growth tactics did Fathom use to grow?How did they convince people to pay for analytics?The trade-off of free softwareHow do you compete in a market with a huge incumbentStarting a medium competitor, PicoBenefits of having a co-founderQuitting a job for Jack's first side-projectStarting a course (Serverless Laravel) that made $150,000RecommendationsBook: 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeoplePodcast: Huberman LabIndie Hacker: N/AFollow JackSpicy TweetsPersonal WebsiteFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletSponsor - Part Time Tech JobsThank you to my friend Charlie from Weekend Club for sponsoring this episode, with his new project Part Time Tech Jobs, which is a fantastic site for finding and posting, you guessed it, part time tech jobs If you’re looking to transistion from a full-time role to indie hacking, finding a part time role might be just the thing for you to de-risk that transition. And on the other side, if you’re looking to hire great entrepreneurial talent without breaking the bank, this is where you should post.So if you’re looking for a part time tech job, head to parttimetechjobs.co or if you’re looking for tech talent, use the code INDIEBITES for 80% off all featured posts.

Pete runs No CS Degree, among other things, sharing stories of people who have made it as a developer, without going down the traditional route of getting a computer science degree, showing how it's possible to earn a nice salary without going to university. He has also started High Signal, a community for revenue verified entrepreneurs, a site for finding fully remote companies (sold) and finally made 2 courses where you'll learn how to both monetize and grow your newsletter.➡️ Here's my course on starting a podcast in 2 hours or less.What we covered in this episodePete's crazy backstoryHow he got into entreprenuershipMost inspiring story from No CS DegreeHow does Pete get revenueGetting a sponsor for a courseHow do you grow a newsletterLaunching a monetize your newsletter courseDoing a bundle deal with other indie hackersStarting the High Signal communityWhy some paid communities are badPete's nifty pricing trickLaunching a job boardRecommendationsBook: Mindset by Carol DweckPodcast: Indie HackersIndie Hacker: Lachlan KirkwoodFollow PeteTwitterWebsiteFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletThanks to this episode's sponsor, ChurnkeyIt can be a huge challenge to keep churn down when your SaaS product starts to see traction. The founders of Churnkey know exactly how much of a challenge this can be, having collectively grown three SaaS companies to over $4m in ARR.They realized that they were thinking about cancellations all wrong. A relationship with a customer doesn’t stop with the “Cancel” button. So they built Churnkey, which reduces churn by up to 42% with custom cancellation flows. For every customer who clicks “Cancel,” Churnkey offers up dynamic offers that encourage customers to stay subscribed.Just connect Stripe and plug in a small bit of code. In minutes, you’ll be reducing churn by immediately unlocking subscription pauses, dynamic offers, and cancellation insights. See how much revenue Churnkey can recover for you. Visit churnkey.co to start your free trial.

Mike Slaats is the founder of Upvoty, an instant feedback software which has recently hit $17k MRR. Mike also runs the SaaS pirates community, where he talks all about running a SaaS company. Previously, he scaled Vindy, an only marketplace for home development to 1m ARR in 5 years.What we covered in this episodeWhy did you start Upvoty?Stopping a $1m business to start from scratchWhy your work should be fulfillingShould you be passionate about your audience?How to validate your ideaHow Mike got his first customers for UpvotyThe value of an MVP and a landing pageWhy you should build runway or have an alternative income sourceHow you can make your own luckWhy indie hackers should build a personal brandMike's one bit of advice for founders; validateHow to build an MVP with the BML frameworkRecommendationsBook: Intercom on MarketingPodcast: How I Built ThisIndie Hacker: Arvid KahlFollow MikeTwitterYouTubeSaaS PiratesUpvotyFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletThanks to Weekend Club for sponsoring Indie Bites.‘I absolutely love being part of Weekend Club.’‘Huge fan of Weekend Club and I love being part of it.’‘Absolutely love this community.’These are real testimonials for Weekend Club - the internet’s most helpful community for bootstrappers. If you’ve ever struggled meeting other solo founders and staying accountable, then this is for you.We offer weekly Saturday deep working sessions with up to 30 bootstrappers, such as the founders of Simple Poll and VEED, an active Slack community and over 100 software discounts.Go to weekendclub.co and enter a very limited promo code ‘Indie Bites’ for 50% off your first month.

Noah Bragg is an indie hacker in its truest form. Building in public hacking away on his project, Potion, which is a a way to host your Notion pages as websites behind a custom domain. He's also the co-host of the Product Journey podcast, where he speaks with his co-host Ben about their progress on their respective side projects.What we covered:The goal of building a huge businessProject: Coffee PassWhen to decide to stop a projectFailing after 2 years working on somethingFirst project as an indie hacker: SupportmanSelling SupportmanStarting Potion$250 to $3,000 MRR in 4 monthsHow to do a successful product hunt launchHow to get a product hunt maker grantFocusing on product instead of marketingFinding the right market / a growing marketDealing with competitionRecommendationsBook: ReWorkPodcast: My First MillionIndie Hacker: Kenneth CasselFollow NoahTwitterPotionWebsiteProduct Journey PodcastFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletSponsor - UpvotyDo you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.Sign up here.

Andy Cloke is the founder of Data Fetcher, a platform for running API requests in Airtable, which is currently doing around $3k MRR. Andy has started many projects in the past, his most recent one, Influence Grid, was sold for $55k back in mid-2020, having only started it 7 months before. In this episode we talk about his framework for finding trending ideas, building a product and being successful with marketing as a developer. We also talk about the process of selling your product and how to make that go smoothly.What we coveredAndy's backgroundKabooshiWhy Andy started Influence GridHow to leverage Exploding Topics to find trending ideasGetting validation for your ideaUsing cold outreach to grow a platformRocket ReachDoing SEO from the startHow he grew Influence Grid to $3k MRRWhy decide to sell Influence Grid?Should you go through a platform for an acquisition?How to best prepare for a small acquisitionWhat Andy bought himself after selling for $55kWhat he did after the acquisitionThe process of finding a new ideaSoftware Ideas by Kevin ContiMicro SaaS by Tyler TringasWhy Andy started Data FetcherHow Data Fetcher has grown to $3k MRRAndy's framework for finding a successful ideaHow to push through when things aren't going so wellRecommendationsBook: Blue Ocean StrategyPodcast: Startup to LastIndie Hacker: Jon YongfookFollow AndyTwitterData FetcherFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletSponsor - UpvotyDo you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.Sign up here.

Baird is a 4x SaaS founder based in Charleston, SC. His background is in sales, marketing, and support. He bootstrapped and grew two SaaS companies to over $1M in ARR. When he isn't working on Churnkey's sales and marketing, he is on the water with his wife and daughter.What we covered in this episode:The big challenges faced when bootstrappingDid Baird always want to bootstrapWhy leave a job to start a companyDid he ever get funding from utalkHow did Waave come about?How to avoid quitting when times get toughGetting early customers in for WaaveWhat was different when they launched Zubtitle (108k MRR)Why they started a new business completelyWhy churn is such a difficult problem to solveIs it harder or easier to do B2C vs B2BHow to manage context switchingHow to make time to run 3 huge businesses at onceRecommendationsBook: Range by David EpstienPodcast: Indie HackersIndie Hacker: Nathan BarryFollow BairdTwitterChurnkeyFollow MeTwitterIndie Bites TwitterPersonal WebsiteBuy A WalletSponsor - UpvotyDo you want to build the best product possible? Then listening to user feedback is one of the best ways to do so. Because by listening to the problems of your users, you can build a real problem-solver that they'll love.Upvoty is a user feedback tool that gives your user's a voice and makes it really easy at the same time for you to prioritize what to build next. By installing Upvoty's feedback boards, you'll have all of your user feedback in one central place and it will really help you connect with your customers and understand their needs. On top of that, you can close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap. Your users will be actively involved in building new features and will love you for that.Try Upvoty 14-days for free and with the code 'INDIEBITES' you'll get a 10% discount on any of their plans.Sign up here.