Code and Conquer - The Indie Hacker Podcast

Janu Lingeswaran, founder of Featherflow and Boilerplate Hub, shares his entrepreneurial journey from product manager to running a successful MVP agency generating $8-15K monthly. He discusses strategies for sourcing quality developers and managing remote teams. Janu emphasizes effective SEO for bootstrapped businesses and the unique challenges of the German startup ecosystem. He also offers practical advice on work-life balance and navigating the transition to entrepreneurship, advocating for community building among indie hackers. A must-listen for aspiring founders!

Alex Suzuki, creator of Strich.io, shares his transformative journey from agency owner to solo developer. He discusses his strategic move to focus on building niche B2B products, emphasizing the importance of passion in entrepreneurship. Alex reveals how he competes effectively with larger firms and maintains a healthy work-life balance. He offers insights into navigating enterprise sales, the complexities of SDK development, and the critical role of building credibility through partnerships. This conversation highlights the joys of sustainable indie hacking.

Dmytro Krasun, Founder of Screenshot One, shares his inspiring journey from a single $7/month customer to achieving $10K MRR. He discusses the challenges of bootstrapping and the critical role of customer support in product development. Dmytro emphasizes the importance of targeting a specific customer profile and the balance of passion and perseverance. He also opens up about mental health, navigating burnout, and why authenticity matters in business. This conversation offers practical wisdom for aspiring indie developers and founders.

Steve Ridout, the founder of ReadLang, transformed his own struggles with learning Spanish into a thriving language learning tool. He shares his remarkable journey from launching ReadLang to selling it, and then buying it back at a fraction of the original price. The conversation highlights his success with word-of-mouth marketing, challenges of operating as a solo founder, and the balance between product development and marketing. Ridout also reflects on pricing strategies and the surprising correlation between his productivity and revenue growth.

In this episode, we're talking to Lukas Hermann, founder of StageTimer - a specialized timer for live events that grew into a successful B2B product. He later expanded with Rundown Studio, bringing comprehensive event planning tools to production teams. We dive deep into product development strategy, exploring how Lukas grew StageTimer to 10k+ MRR by carefully choosing which features to build and which to reject. He shares his experience with one-time payment models and finding the right pricing strategy for event professionals. We also get real about the challenges of running a tech company in Germany, from complex business structures to tax implications, and discuss why Lukas turned down a 500k acquisition offer to pursue his bigger vision. Other topics include building a marketing strategy without aggressive advertising, scaling a B2B product, and Lukas's three-mountain approach to building progressively larger companies. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation about building profitable B2B products outside the usual indie hacker space, and I think you will too. Let's jump right in! ___ Lukas Twitter: https://x.com/_lhermann Stagetimer: https://stagetimer.io/ Rundown Studio: https://rundownstudio.app/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

Ali Salah, founder of Instatus, shares his journey of bootstrapping the company to nearly $30k MRR. He discusses the importance of financial planning and overcoming skepticism from peers while highlighting the advantages of being based in Egypt. Ali dives into hiring practices, choosing full-time staff over freelancers and how he navigated U.S. C Corp complexities. He emphasizes the role of SEO in driving traffic and offers strategic insights for aspiring indie hackers on patience and starting small for long-term success.

In this episode of Code & Conquer, Tobias interviews Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally Forms. They discuss the origin story of Tally, the challenges faced by bootstrapped startups, and the strategies they've implemented to grow their user base without a massive marketing budget. Marie shares valuable insights into their unique pricing model, the importance of customer support, and their vision for the future of Tally. #MarieMartens #TallyForms #IndieHacker #Startups #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #TechPodcast #ProductLedGrowth #OnlineForms #BootstrapStartup #SaaS #ProductDevelopment #FoundersJourney #PodcastInterview #TechCommunity #UserExperience #CustomerSupport #GrowthStrategy #BuildingInPublic ___ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup 00:29 Meet Marie Martens: Founder of Tally Forms 01:16 The Birth of Tally: From Hotspot to Form Builder 03:45 Navigating a Competitive Market 05:31 Growing Tally: From Zero to Thousands of Users 08:04 The Free Tier Strategy 12:20 Customer Support Challenges 16:01 Building a Team and Scaling Up 18:23 Future Vision and Potential Risks 23:40 Achieving Financial Milestones 24:26 Navigating Business Growth 26:19 Profitability and Personal Milestones 27:48 Scaling Challenges and Strategies 32:36 Exploring New Marketing Strategies 34:38 SEO and Content Marketing Insights 36:27 Building in Public and Community Engagement 40:48 Target Audience and Market Focus 44:50 Final Thoughts and Advice for Indie Hackers ___ Marie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarieMartens Tally Forms: https://tally.so/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

Alex Szczurek, co-founder of Baked.design and creator of Uncover.lab, dives into the world of productized services. He shares insights on scaling a subscription-based design studio and navigating the challenges of client retention. The conversation touches on managing burnout and maintaining a work-life balance while growing a business. Alex discusses the importance of social proof in marketing and how building a strong social media presence can attract customers. He also emphasizes the value of community engagement and the role aesthetics play in user satisfaction.

Nathan J. Powell, a seasoned UX designer and founder of Beyond the Pixel, takes listeners on a captivating journey from stepping away from the internet for three years to launching new ventures. He discusses the triumphs and trials of Nusii, a product that faced growth challenges. Nathan shares insights on the importance of user experience, revealing how an app doesn't have to look perfect to succeed. He also emphasizes critical lessons learned from his failed startup Feature Flux and the value of customer feedback in building successful products.

Thomas Sanlis, a seasoned Indie Hacker with over six years of experience, shares his inspiring journey in the world of indie hacking. He discusses his successful projects, Uneed.best and Vue Developers, and the challenges of launching platforms amid fierce competition. Sanlis emphasizes the significance of automation for efficiency and the importance of a resilient mindset. He also reveals strategies for marketing and growing projects, personal experiences with DDoS attacks, and the balance between passion and profit in maintaining a sustainable indie business.