I'm the co-founder of Transistor.fm (podcast hosting and analytics). I write about SaaS marketing, bootstrapping startups, pursuing a good life, building calm companies, business ethics, and creating a better society.
This isn't normal, Jesse
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Happy Sunday! Here are a few things on my mind... Jesse is not building a normal business.Jordan Gal's Offsite Podcast is one of those podcasts I listen to on the way to work to get inspired. His recent conversation with Jesse Hanley (founder of Bento) is worth listening to: Jesse is a solo SaaS founder who's built an incredible business while living in Japan with no employees. 🤯 How I'm making cartoon animation with AII've always been interested in animation, and two of my kids are hoping to pursue traditional animation and filmmaking in school. I've been wanting to play around with Sora 2 and see how it does with animation. Here's my first video, a cartoon theme for the Mostly Technical podcast: I'm using a technique I learned from Framer here. I also made one for the No Plans to Merge podcast: I've written a longer blog post on how I did this, but essentially, I:
Ian's been running his SaaS for 20 years 🤯My friend Ian Landsman just wrote a post commemorating two decades of running HelpSpot (his bootstrapped business). Back in 2005, I was using an absolutely terrible help desk at work. I knew there had to be something better.
So my wife and I made a decision: We sold my car to fund the company.
Here's the thing: with today's tools and frameworks, I could probably build that HelpSpot v1 in three weeks. But in 2005, it was six months of grinding or it wasn't going to happen.
Give us a hero to root forClaire Vo had a great post about what building in public really needs from a founder: With the rise of the hype/launch video, founders need some real talk: many of you aren't charismatic on-screen.
Buyers and future employees will want more. Smile, convey you’re having fun: give us a hero to root for.
Remind us: why you? Tell me a story; give me something to anticipate.
Thoughts? Let me hear them! Also, if you have a friend who would like this, please tell them to subscribe! Cheers, PS: if you want to hear more of my thoughts about talking to high school students about entrepreneurship, listen to the latest episode of The Panel |
Justin's newsletter
I'm the co-founder of Transistor.fm (podcast hosting and analytics). I write about SaaS marketing, bootstrapping startups, pursuing a good life, building calm companies, business ethics, and creating a better society.
Hey friends, Justin and Brian are going live at 12:15 pm Pacific today: Here are a few ideas we might chat about: Distinct phases of a startup in year 1. Building a marketing website with V0 Brand loyalties. (Example: OpenAI vs Anthropic) People craving “calm” media? Derek Sivers’ “play the counter-melody” Robot butler? Come join us in the chat! BTW – anything else you'd like us to chat about? Cheers,Justin Jackson – BlueskyBrian Casel – Bluesky | Twitter PS: thanks to everyone who shows up...
Happy Sunday! Here are a few things on my mind... Why is it hard for founders to be successful a second time? In the latest Mostly Technical episode, Ian Landsman asks Jeffrey Way (founder of Laracasts) why he hasn't tried building a second product. Jeffrey: No, because I feel like it just never works. It's almost as if you can launch something and make money; it's like hitting a jackpot in a weird way. And you see it all the time: incredibly successful people try to do it a second time, and...
Hope you're having a good Sunday! (And happy Thanksgiving Weekend if you're Canadian). Here are a few things on my mind... When customers lean in Another great article from Rob Snyder on what "customer demand" looks and feels like: "You'll hear concepts like 'pain points' and 'problems' that make sense and sound right... But, as you've likely experienced, you can have someone complain about their big problems and pain points, who agree that your product would solve these pain points and...