Code and Conquer - The Indie Hacker Podcast

Ever wondered how to crack the SEO code as an indie hacker? In this episode, Tobias sits down with Yossi Zegev, founder of SEO Stuff, an affordable SEO tool designed specifically for indie hackers and bootstrappers. Yossi shares his journey of launching SEO Stuff in a super scrappy way, starting with just a logo and search bar. He opens up about the struggles of failing projects before finally striking gold with SEO Stuff's genius pricing model focused on credit packs instead of subscriptions. The conversation dives deep into the world of SEO - how to find the right keywords, understanding search volume and difficulty, and optimizing content for Google's ever-changing algorithms. Yossi provides a refreshing perspective on the role of AI, advocating for human-written content enhanced by AI assistance. But it's not just about SEO. Yossi also drops some major wisdom about the indie hacker journey, emphasizing the importance of business skills over complex tech. His advice for aspiring indie hackers? Work fast, release fast, validate fast - and be willing to pivot when something isn't working. Whether you're an SEO newbie or a seasoned pro, this episode offers tons of valuable insights into building successful indie products people actually want to pay for. ___ Chapters 00:00 Introduction to SEO Stuff 02:07 Understanding SEO and the Value of SEO Stuff 07:02 Targeting the Right Keywords 11:47 Competition in the SEO Market 15:28 Getting Data for SEO Tools 22:25 The Scrappy Launch of SEO Stuff 30:11 Growing Traffic and Revenue for SEO Stuff 32:12 Pricing Changes and Customer Behavior 39:47 The Importance of Business Skills 44:18 Balancing Technical Skills and Efficient Tech Stacks 54:28 The Future of SEO 01:01:49 The Role of AI in the Artist Community and the Importance of Credit 01:04:05 The Limitations of AI-Written Content and the Future of SEO Optimization 01:06:01 Introducing Write SEO: Using AI to Create High-Quality Content 01:15:30 Disappointment with Google's Progress in AI Technology 01:18:38 Advice for Starting an Indie Hacker Career: Validate Ideas and Listen to Feedback ___ SEO Stuff Website: https://www.seo-stuff.com/ Yossi's Twitter: https://x.com/HeyImYossi My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, host Tobias Arweiler talks to Michael Koper, the solo founder of Nusii, an online proposal software for creative professionals. Michael shares the origins of Nusii, starting as a side project with a co-founder over 10 years ago before eventually acquiring it himself. He discusses navigating the ups and downs of growing Nusii, including hitting plateaus, dealing with the challenges of lifetime deal customers from an AppSumo promotion, and his frustrations with SEO and content marketing. Michael opens up about the financial realities of indie hacking, from living on limited runway when he first went full-time to buying out his co-founder. He also reflects on building the indie hacker lifestyle he wanted, balancing work with spending time with family in Spain. Throughout the conversation, Michael shares honest insights and practical advice for aspiring indie hackers on topics like pricing, lifestyle creep, and finding product/market fit. ___ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview of Nusii 02:53 Plateaus in Business Growth 08:00 Buying Out a Co-founder 14:57 The Importance of Pricing 37:08 Navigating the Challenges of AppSumo Customers 45:05 The Benefits of Living in Spain as an Indie Hacker 59:31 Avoiding Lifestyle Creep: Prioritizing Freedom and Flexibility ___ Nusii's website: https://nusii.com/ Michael's personal website: https://michaelkoper.com/ Michael's Twitter: https://x.com/michaelkoper My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode of Code & Conquer, Dominik Sobe, a full-time digital nomad and indie hacker, discusses his journey as a solopreneur and the development of his product, HelpKit. He shares his experience of overcoming burnout and the importance of having a supportive community. Dominik also talks about the power of building in public and how it helped him gain traction for his product. He shares the creative idea of creating a fake customer support shop as an April Fools' joke and the positive response it received. Overall, Dominik emphasizes the importance of finding the right market fit and leveraging creative marketing strategies as an indie hacker. Dominik Sobe discusses his journey as a digital nomad and indie hacker. He shares how he transitioned from wanting to become a management consultant to becoming a software developer and building his own products. He talks about the benefits of being a digital nomad, such as living in affordable locations and experiencing different cultures. He also discusses the importance of healthcare and insurance while traveling and provides insights into finding a balance between work and enjoying the travel experience. In this final part of the conversation, Dominik discusses the sketchy parts of living in Southeast Asia, including safety concerns, theft, corruption, and drug laws. He also shares his plans for the future, including growing HelpKit and potentially selling it to achieve financial independence. Dominik emphasizes the importance of finding a community of like-minded people, both online and offline, to combat loneliness while nomading. He advises new indie hackers to try many different things, focus on marketing and distribution, and be comfortable with failure. --- Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Technical Difficulties 18:08 Building in Public and Finding Initial Traction 30:08 The Value of Side Projects and Prioritizing Mental Health 43:11 Navigating Healthcare and Insurance 56:19 Finding Work-Life Balance 01:06:26 Is Digital Nomadism Right for You? 01:20:09 The Future of HelpKit and Financial Independence 01:29:11 Struggles and Demoralization as a Founder 01:37:25 Finding Community and Combating Loneliness as a Nomad 01:46:06 Excitement for Analog Photography and Advice for New Indie Hackers --- Dominik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/sobedominik HelpKit: https://www.helpkit.so/ NomadKit: https://nomadkit.co/ FilmTypes: https://www.filmtypes.com/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, we go behind-the-scenes with Justin, the creator of Quda- a platform for bite-sized educational content and expert Q&A. Justin shares his incredible journey transitioning from the music industry into the indie hacker life, while juggling a day job and family. Hear the fascinating story of how he built Quda using no-code tools to solve his own pain points around learning and knowledge sharing. We dive deep into Justin's monetization strategies, pricing psychology, and the common trap of indie hackers undercharging. He also discusses exploring additional revenue streams like coaching subscriptions. Justin offers authentic insights into embracing an indie hacker mindset, the power of taking imperfect action, and finding the motivation to work on your startup efter hours. Whether you're technical or non-technical, this episode packs tonnes of value for anyone building an indie business. Tune in for an inspiring and incredibly useful conversation! Let Justin's story and advice motivate your own indie hacking adventures. Chapters: Chapters 00:00 Justin's Journey to Indie Hacking 06:03 Introduction to Quda 08:57 Creating a Platform for Short-Form Learning 12:23 Building a B2C Social Platform 19:22 Choosing to Focus on One Product 25:14 Maintaining Motivation and Enjoyment in the Process 28:08 Considering Marketing Strategy Before Launch 34:41 The Importance of Getting the Product in Users' Hands 38:39 Introduction to Repodcasted 39:08 Building Products that Scratch Your Own Itch 40:06 Finding the Right Motivation and Time 40:46 Different Approaches to Building Products 41:14 Marrying Approaches to Your Temperament and Constraints 42:03 Balancing Time and Constraints 43:27 The Challenges of Indie Hacking with Kids 44:21 Managing Time with a Day Job and Family 45:50 The Importance of Loving What You Do 46:20 The Freedom to Experiment with Low-Cost Projects 47:37 The Business Model of Quda 48:37 The Value of Knowledge and the Future of Quda 49:48 Micro Products within Quda 50:56 The Importance of Profitability 51:43 The Business Fundamentals of Indie Hacking 52:23 Getting Educators on the Quda Platform 53:48 The Attraction of Asynchronous Q&A on Quda 55:13 Reaching Out to Creators at the Right Time 56:35 Handling Rejections and Persistence 57:32 Dealing with Rejections and the Importance of Persistence 58:06 The Importance of Persistence and Reaching Out 59:01 Overcoming Perfectionism and Learning Through Doing 01:01:13 The Value of Learning Through Doing 01:02:12 Embracing Imperfection and Learning from Users 01:03:11 Excitement about Text-to-Coding and AI Robotics 01:06:40 The Importance of Building and Finding a Technical Co-founder 01:11:24 Advice for New Indie Hackers: Just Start Building --- Justin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinQuda Quda: https://askquda.com/ --- My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠ Find our product here: ⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, Steve McLeod shares the lessons he's learned from building and growing his SaaS product Feature Upvote. Steve discusses his unconventional journey from an IT consultant to a successful indie hacker, including the surprising ways his target market evolved over time. The conversation covers Steve's approach to pricing and customer acquisition, as well as his decision to launch a coaching business alongside his core product. Steve offers counter-intuitive advice and insights that challenge common indie hacker wisdom, providing a refreshingly honest look at the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial path. Whether you're just starting your first indie project or looking to take an established product to the next level, this episode is filled with practical wisdom that could reshape your strategies and mindset as an entrepreneur. ___ 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:02 Discovering the Indie Hacker Community 03:16 Finding Unexpected Customers 04:13 The Pricing Dilemma 05:26 Choosing the Right Target Market 06:32 The Pros and Cons of High Pricing 07:29 Managing Customer Support Expectations 08:19 The Challenges of Running a 24/7 SaaS 08:59 The Importance of Launching Early 09:41 Validating the Product Market Fit 10:11 The Decision to Bootstrap Feature Upvote 11:44 Overcoming the Fear of SaaS Downtime 12:49 Choosing the Right Product Idea 13:33 Dealing with Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome 14:27 Acquiring the First Customers 15:52 Building Credibility in Online Communities 19:34 The Importance of Being Helpful in Communities 20:58 The Journey from Zero MRR to Sustainable Income 22:25 The Challenges of Content Writing 23:41 The Definition of Bootstrapping 25:03 The Decision to Persist or Quit 26:18 The Value of Transparency in Marketing 27:34 Dealing with Self-Doubt and Seeking Support 29:08 The Ever-Present Self-Doubt in Entrepreneurship 30:47 The Effectiveness of Different Marketing Strategies 31:59 The Impact of Competitors on Customer Feedback 33:14 The Balance Between Transparency and Competition 34:39 The Importance of Listening to Your Customers 35:48 The Trial and Error of Marketing Techniques 36:46 The Value of Expert Help in Marketing 37:34 The Importance of Getting Started with SEO 38:28 The Impact of AI on SEO 41:11 Creating Long-Form Content for Marketing 42:27 Reusing Content for Different Platforms 44:41 Launching a Coaching Business 45:48 Setting Premium Prices for Coaching 49:39 Balancing Coaching and Business Expansion 53:29 The Future of Feature Upvote and Coaching 55:13 Finding a Balance in Entrepreneurship 58:21 Excitement for HTMX 01:02:57 Advice for Bootstrappers: Charge More ___ Steve's Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveofmcleod Steve's personal website: ⁠https://steveofmcleod.com/ Public Lab: ⁠https://featureupvote.com/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm Find our product here: https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, I sit down with Kevon Cheung, a leading voice in the #buildinpublic movement. Kevon shares his unique journey from studying business in university to becoming a self-taught developer and then transitioning into teaching others how to build an audience while creating products. We dive deep into the strategies and mindset behind building in public effectively. Kevon explains how to genuinely engage with your target audience, come up with interesting content ideas from real interactions, and build trust over time. He dispels common myths and provides practical tips on using platforms like Twitter, newsletters, and even YouTube for your building in public efforts. Kevon also discusses when building in public may not be the best approach for certain business models. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the importance of blending into communities, soliciting feedback, and earning in public based on your behind-the-scenes work. Whether you're an indie hacker, creator, or just someone looking to build an engaged audience, this episode is packed with insights from one of the experts in the building in public space. Tune in for a masterclass on authentic audience-building from Kevon "The Broccoli Guy" Cheung. --- 00:00 Introduction and Background 00:54 Transition to Indie Hacking 10:09 Building an Audience from Scratch 16:25 Creating Engaging Content 25:54 Creating Valuable Content for Niche Audiences 29:21 Generating Content for B2B Products 32:26 Creating Genuine Content 33:12 Creating Multiple Pieces of Content 34:00 Engagement Bait vs. Genuine Engagement 35:19 Using Feedback to Improve Products 36:28 Building Trust and Gaining Fans 37:36 The Importance of Email Newsletters 38:34 The Power of Email as a Communication Channel 41:52 The Benefits of Email as a Platform-Independent Channel 43:28 Not Every Piece of Content Will Go Viral 46:42 Considering YouTube as a Content Platform 51:44 The Story Behind the Broccoli Logo 55:13 Exploring SaaS Ideas 57:41 Blend into the Community and Build in Private --- Kevon's Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeetKevon Kevon's personal website: https://kevoncheung.com/ Public Lab: https://publiclab.co/ My own website: ⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm Find our product here: https://repodcasted.com

I sat down with Juho Makkonen, founder of the marketplace platform ShareTribe, to discuss his unique approach to building a mission-driven, “steward-owned” company. We covered Juho’s journey creating ShareTribe, combining no-code convenience with developer extensibility. He shared his motivation behind structuring the company through a stewardship model, where employees hold voting control. Juho explained how ShareTribe makes decisions, distributes profits, and stays focused on purpose over profits. He also discussed his passion for exploring stewardship principles more broadly. His advice to entrepreneurs - know your “why” and ensure alignment between your motivations, business structure, and funding. --- ShareTribe's website: https://www.sharetribe.com ShareTribe's Balanced Blog: https://www.sharetribe.com/balanced/ Juho's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kusti My own website: ⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠ You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm Find our product here: ⁠https://repodcasted.com⁠

In this episode, I chat with Louis Pereira, the founder of AudioPen.ai. Louis talks about his journey from running his family's traditional offline businesses during the day to building online products at night. We discuss: How Louis got into indie hacking and consistently building side projects The origin story of AudioPen - how a weekend hackathon project turned into a viral sensation Louis' approach to customer support and product development as a solo founder The pros and cons of using no-code tools like Bubble to build your MVP Louis' thoughts on competition and copycats in the world of indie hacking The role of luck versus perseverance in finding product-market fit Why Louis structures his side projects to be as automated as possible Louis Twitter: https://twitter.com/louispereira Audiopen: https://audiopen.ai/ --- Our Website: ⁠⁠https://www.codeandconquer⁠.fm⁠⁠ Our Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/CodeConquerPod⁠⁠ Tobi's Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/icebearlabs Find our product here: ⁠https://repodcasted.com⁠

We're excited to have Dan Mindru on the show this week! Dan is an active maker and launcher, known for his funny takes on Twitter and products like Clobbr, Crontap, Hunted Space and his latest creation Shipixen. In this episode, Dan shares his journey from joining the maker community in January 2023 to rapidly building and launching new products every few months. We get into the ideas and motivations behind some of his creations like the Hunted Space dashboard for tracking Product Hunt launches and Shipixen, his very own boilerplate and website builder. Dan also explains his process for quickly testing and building new products, the role of emotional connections in the indie maker community, as well as his thoughts on pre-selling, marketing channels and more along the journey. Tune in for an authentic look into the mind of a productive maker! Dan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/d4m1n Shipixen's Website: https://shipixen.com Hunted.Space's Website: https://hunted.space/ --- Our Website: ⁠https://www.codeandconquer⁠.fm⁠ Our Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/CodeConquerPod⁠ Tobi's Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/icebearlabs Find our product here: ⁠https://repodcasted.com⁠

In this episode of the Code & Conquer Podcast, we have a special guest, Lera Kuntsevich. Lera is an indie hacker and the founder of Clipwing.pro, a video editing tool designed to conquer TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube shorts. During the interview, Lera shares her journey into the world of indie hacking and provides insights into her motivation behind creating Clipwing. She also discusses the concept of building in public and the benefits of creating video content. Join us as we delve into Lera's experiences, the challenges she faced while building Clipwing, and her thoughts on using platforms like TikTok within the indie hacking community. Lera's unique approach to sharing her journey through memes adds a fun and engaging aspect to her build in public strategy. Lera's Twitter: https://twitter.com/thiswillblossom Clipwing Pro: https://clipwing.pro/ Website: https://www.codeandconquer⁠.fm Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/CodeConquerPod Tobi's Twitter: https://twitter.com/icebearlabs Find our product here: ⁠https://repodcasted.com⁠