This week, I got on my first post-COVID trip and headed to Denver, Colorado for MicroConf 2023. It. Was. Awesome. Unsurprisingly, being in the same room with 250 other bootstrapped SaaS founders is one of the nerdiest things you can do. And it was as enlightening as it was nerdy. I just arrived back home … Continue reading MicroConf US ’23 Recap — What Happens When 250 SaaS Founders Meet
Category: Bootstrapping
ChatGPT: Goldmine or Minefield for Indie Hackers?
Everybody in the indie founder community is talking about ChatGPT. Some founders discover how powerful it is as a writing tool, others have it build their products, and some entrepreneurs are even building businesses on top of OpenAI's conversational chat-based AI. Beyond that, it's a meme now: everyone is talking about how everyone is talking … Continue reading ChatGPT: Goldmine or Minefield for Indie Hackers?
The Art of Naming Your Business
Earlier this week, fellow creator and podcaster Jay Clouse renamed his podcast from "Creative Elements" to "Creator Science." That podcast isn't a new project: it has been live for 140 or so episodes already. But the name needed to change to align with his other products. That must have been quite a bandaid to rip off. If … Continue reading The Art of Naming Your Business
The SaaS Solution-Workflow Fit
Every single founder out there quickly hears about the product-market fit. But many entrepreneurs go for years before thinking about another such "fit" that is pivotal in how well your market responds to your product. Let's talk about the Solution-Workflow Fit. As a software entrepreneur, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of … Continue reading The SaaS Solution-Workflow Fit
Securing your SaaS
When acquirers consider purchasing your Software-as-a-Service business, they want to see many things: an impressive customer base, a promising growth trajectory, and solid financials. But no matter how good these numbers look, you'll never be able to sell your business if it isn't secure. Nobody wants to buy a ticking time bomb. So let's look into … Continue reading Securing your SaaS
Stair-Stepping with Plugins: Platforms to Build On
I was talking to Colleen Schnettler earlier this week, and she's a glowing example of stair-stepping your way into software entrepreneurship. She started out with consulting, saw evidence of a need with her clients, built a plugin for a popular platform, sold it back to them, and ended up creating a bigger SaaS business from there. Plugins, add-ons, and … Continue reading Stair-Stepping with Plugins: Platforms to Build On
Writing for Founders
Wait, one more thing to do? Aren't founders busy enough trying to build a business? I get it. The founder's life could use fewer commitments, nor additional ones. Self-funded entrepreneurs already wear too many hats and juggle dozens of tasks at any given moment. But what if I told you that taking up writing could … Continue reading Writing for Founders
Be The Kindest Person in the Room
In a world of hostility and cut-throat competition, most founders keep to themselves. They build their businesses in stealth mode, get defensive when people question their ambition, and rarely contribute to their communities, afraid to be called out or receive the wrong kind of attention. But is fear-based entrepreneurship truly the path you want to … Continue reading Be The Kindest Person in the Room
The Monkey and the Pedestal
Earlier this week, I talked to Laura Elizabeth, co-host of the Non-Technical Founders podcast, about prioritizing things on the solopreneur journey. We chatted about when to delegate, how much structure and process a business should have, and how we often fail to take the important leaps and go for the small steps instead. That reminded … Continue reading The Monkey and the Pedestal
Expanding Your Opportunity Surface
Founders talk a lot about luck. When we're successful, we are at the right place at the right time. When we're failing, we dust ourselves off to go ahead and shoot another shot, temping fate once again. But what is luck — and can we influence it? I believe so. And I'm not talking about … Continue reading Expanding Your Opportunity Surface