MegaMaker 2022
77 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 111 ratingsA podcast for indie entrepreneurs: software developers, app builders, product people, creators, bootstrappers, and makers.
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Episodes
Bootstrapping with kids and waiting to launch
February 14, 2022 21:05 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBJosh and Justin recorded this on Jan 19th, 2022. Show notes Meeps – the best way to start a membership site Why haven't we launched yet? The anxiety of not being able to sleep as an entrepreneur: "how am I going to make this work?" How much revenue does the MegaMaker community make per year? Bootstrapping with kids Survey results ProBar.co – track your progress towards a goal publicly Find Josh and Justin online: Joshua Anderton on Twitter: @joshuaanderton Joshua's person...
Which part of the product will get traction?
December 16, 2021 01:54 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBSorry this episode is late! Josh and Justin recorded Dec 1st, and I'm publishing it two weeks later. Show notes Justin's Black Friday results When should we launch? January 15, 2022 Francesco's tweet about Typefully revenue vs Mailbrew Tweet: "With startups, the amount of reward you get (revenue) is based on demand: "How strongly do people want what you're selling?"" Find Josh and Justin online: Joshua Anderton on Twitter: @joshuaanderton Joshua's personal podcast: https://w...
How many early access customers did we get?
August 16, 2021 08:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MBIn this episode, Josh and Justin discuss when to open up a SaaS for early-access; and how they're going to use Meeps to make it better. Show notes Early-access homepage Our early access email How we're running early access for Meeps Tweet: anyone else noticing a slow August? How Justin does marketing at Transistor Find Josh and Justin online: Joshua Anderton on Twitter: @joshuaanderton Joshua's personal podcast: https://www.ramen.fm Justin Jackson on Twitter: @mijustin Su...
Is Josh ready for early access?
August 09, 2021 08:00 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBIn this episode, Josh and Justin discuss when to open up a SaaS for early-access; and how they're going to use Meeps to make it better. Show notes Casey Neistat interview Sign up for Meeps early access! Meeps video update Find Josh and Justin online: Joshua Anderton on Twitter: @joshuaanderton Joshua's personal podcast: https://www.ramen.fm Justin Jackson on Twitter: @mijustin Support the show: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Please! Share the show with your friends. T...
What it takes to run a paid online community (8+ years)
July 19, 2021 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBI had a conversation about building online communities on Twitter Spaces that I wanted to share with you. Show notes Thanks to Vineet Sinha for organizing the Twitter Spaces: https://twitter.com/VineetSinha Find Josh and Justin online: Joshua Anderton on Twitter: @joshuaanderton Joshua's personal podcast: https://www.ramen.fm Justin Jackson on Twitter: @mijustin Support the show: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Please! Share the show with your friends. The best way to bu...
Is truly possible to validate a product idea before launch?
July 12, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.4 MBIn this episode, we answer some questions from MegaMaker members: Val asks: "I'm super curious about this: How much of starting Meeps was a "hunch" rather than a structured discovery?" Ben asks: "Validation, what are ya'll trying right now/soon to get a signal if you're onto something? Also, is there a "company-wide" donut Friday? 😉" Tom asks: "Yes, specifically user discovery: how do you validate that the customer has, knows about, and will pay to solve the problem?" Jon: "(Fr...
Josh gets some runway
June 28, 2021 18:00 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBIn this episode: Joshua Anderton gets three months of runway so he can work full-time on Meeps.app. Show notes The benefit of the TALL stack: https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1409304136504414210 MegaMaker community on Meeps: https://megamaker.meeps.app/ How did validation work with Transistor? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNDgRcJYAEg Product Hunt Ship: https://www.producthunt.com/ship Justin's barber: https://www.instagram.com/brett_thebarber/ Matty Conrad: https://www....
Observing customer demand (plus: we reveal the name)
June 14, 2021 08:00 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBThis episode Joshua Anderton and Justin explore customer demand; how to recognize it, and where to find it. Plus: what do you think of the name? 😅 Show notes The best way to build a membership directory: https://meeps.app Taylor Otwell's Laravel framework: https://laravel.com Adam Wathan and Tailwind CSS: https://tailwindcss.com Podcast hosting: https://transistor.fm Theme music: Striker-metal.com Find Josh and Justin online: Joshua Anderton on Twitter: @joshuaanderton Josh...
First, a little background
June 07, 2021 08:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThis season, Justin is making his first investment in Joshua Anderton. In this first episode they talk about the idea for a new SaaS app. Show notes Online community for indie makers: https://megamaker.co Upscribe: https://upscribe.net Justin's blog post: https://justinjackson.ca/solorisk Family Budget Calculator: https://www.epi.org/resources/budget Okanagan Developers group: http://okdg.org Podcast hosting: https://transistor.fm Theme music: Striker-metal.com Find Josh an...
Teaser: trying something new for 2021
June 01, 2021 20:41 - 5 minutes - 5.45 MBI'm doing a new season of MegaMaker. This season I'll be investing in Joshua Anderton, and partnering with him on a new project. The first episode is coming soon! You may have noticed: I've deleted all past episodes from this feed. Now I have Transistor.fm, and it's going well. So, for the first time ever, I'm in a position to invest in someone else. That's what we're going to be doing here on MegaMaker. And my first investment is going to be in Joshua Anderton. He's built a pro...
A time capsule of bootstrapping anxiety
March 11, 2019 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBBack in July 2018, right before we launched Transistor, I was so stressed out about money. What's happened since then? Show notes Read: Bootstrapper's Paradox My interview Jason Calacanis Transistor's revenue numbers are public Podcast hosting: Transistor.fm Theme music: Striker-metal.com Find Justin online: Send Justin a message on Twitter: @mijustin Follow me on Twitch Subscribe on YouTube Support the show: Leave a review on iTunes! Join MegaMaker Club ★ Support this p...
Archive (2019): A time capsule of bootstrapping anxiety
March 11, 2019 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBBack in July 2018, right before we launched Transistor, I was so stressed out about money. What's happened since then? Show notes Read: Bootstrapper's Paradox My interview Jason Calacanis Transistor's revenue numbers are public Podcast hosting: Transistor.fm Theme music: Striker-metal.com Find Justin online: Send Justin a message on Twitter: @mijustin Follow me on Twitch Subscribe on YouTube Support the show: Leave a review on iTunes! Join MegaMaker Club
To be a winner, you need to be a loser
October 01, 2018 22:00 - 41 minutes - 38 MBWe're getting it all wrong: you have to lose a few hands if you're going to figure out the winning strategy.
Why are you doing everything yourself?
July 11, 2018 12:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBBeing a solopreneur doesn't mean you don't get outside help.
What it's really like being a solopreneur
June 06, 2018 08:55 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBJustin and Nathan Allotey look behind the scenes of an indie business
Bootstrapping punk – MxPx
May 03, 2018 08:00 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBMike Herrera, frontman for the punk rock band MxPx, talks about kickstarting their new album.
061 - You're out of touch
April 17, 2018 14:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBWhen you're building a product, whose opinion should you listen to?
060 - Big news: I’m building a SaaS in 2018
March 08, 2018 09:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBJustin has big news he's been sitting on for awhile.
059 - Buying bread ain't romantic
February 26, 2018 09:00 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MB"Dad that's a lot of money to spend at Safeway!"
058 - I spent $30,000 looking for product-market fit
February 22, 2018 00:41 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBThousands of dollars were pouring into my account. And I was miserable.
057 – Harder than ever to be a solopreneur (what's going to happen in 2018?)
December 23, 2017 00:22 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB2017 proved that it's harder than ever to be a solo-founder. Niches crumbled. Marketing channels were saturated. Competition increased. And more than ever, consumers got tired.
056 – My highlights and fails from 2017
December 10, 2017 23:15 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBHear Justin's year in review: what worked, what didn't, what am I going to change in the future?
055 – What's really been going on?
October 06, 2017 17:40 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBWelcome back MegaMaker fans! There's been a lot going on. There's been some big changes in Justin's life. Listen to hear how he's making course corrections.
054 – Do this before you do ANYTHING else
August 15, 2017 00:30 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBHave an idea for a new project? Here's what you should do first (before you write any code!)
053 - A marketing tactic no one is talking about
May 26, 2017 21:21 - 6 minutes - 5.77 MBWant to increase sales? Do this first.
052 - Help! The robots are coming
May 12, 2017 21:52 - 9 minutes - 9.19 MBWhat does the future of work and entrepreneurship look like? Here is what you need to know to run a business in a world filled with artificial intelligence, robots, and automation.
051 - Stay up until your eyeballs bleed
April 21, 2017 21:30 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBHow do you go from no audience, no idea, and no revenue to quitting your day job? Justin tells his story.
050 - How I make my money
April 14, 2017 12:01 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBJustin does a revenue breakdown for his various projects.
049 – Build things without code
April 07, 2017 17:23 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBJustin talks about the fundamental truth to building products AND shares some "old person" computer nostalgia.
048 - Sell more beer
March 25, 2017 06:04 - 8 minutes - 8.03 MBI've been thinking a lot about how important it is for potential customers to "see your product used in public."
047 - Why I'm moving to YouTube (and why you should too)
March 17, 2017 10:00 - 8 minutes - 8.1 MBI've been blogging since 2008 and podcasting since 2012. Why, in 2017, am I starting a YouTube channel?
046 - Three tips for aspiring solopreneurs
March 04, 2017 06:54 - 9 minutes - 9.24 MBLooking to make an independent living from the things you make? Is passive income a myth? In this episode I share three lessons I've learned from my first year of going solo.
045 - What are you plans, maaaaaan?
February 24, 2017 13:01 - 12 minutes - 12 MBWe're two months into 2017. What are your plans? Justin shares his goals for this year (revenue, and what he's going to change)
044 - What the heck happened last year?
February 17, 2017 13:05 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBWelcome to 2017! In this episode Justin reviews what happened with the 2016 maker challenge.
043 - How do you get out of a creative rut?
November 18, 2016 19:56 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBWhat do you do when you lose your motivation? When you haven't created anything in weeks? When you no longer like the project you're working on? Justin's had a hard couple of weeks. How can he get back on track?
042 - The struggle is real
November 11, 2016 13:00 - 8 minutes - 7.42 MBPeople want to make progress in their lives. Every single one of us wants a better life. We’re all striving for more.
041 - Addicted to progress
November 04, 2016 12:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBEveryone dreams of a better life. But how do you achieve it? Justin gives some context to the idea of "living the dream."
040 - Four years lost & wasted
October 22, 2016 03:09 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBJustin sneaks out of the house on a cold, dark autumn night and records an episode. Topic: why you should learn from practitioners, not professors.
039 - Are you a Solopreneur or a Teampreneur?
October 07, 2016 17:06 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBWhat kind of entrepreneur are you? Do you want to be like a solo artist, or do you want to be part of a band?
038 - What motivates people to buy?
September 30, 2016 20:18 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBLearn how to make things that people actually want. Justin is joined by author Alan Klement to talk about the "Jobs to be Done" framework .
037 - Find and validate good product ideas
September 23, 2016 13:00 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBAfter a long hiatus, Justin is back to talk about a system for discovering what people want, and building solutions they'll actually buy.
036 - Starting with no audience, no idea, and no revenue
September 02, 2016 18:33 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBWhat are the different stages to being a solopreneur? Your customers don't want to just "consume your stuff." They want to achieve something! They have a destination in mind.
035 - Being in traffic almost killed me
August 19, 2016 12:00 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBHow do you quit your day job? You need the freedom ladder.
034 - Should you start a SaaS company in 2016?
August 12, 2016 23:37 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBStartups like Slack, Basecamp, and Freshbooks make millions of dollars in monthly recurring revenue by using a model called Software as a Service (SaaS). Should you get into the business? This episode isn't just for programmers and startup people! Lots of lessons for makers of all sorts.
E033 - Where were you?
August 05, 2016 18:57 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBReal life keeps going, even when you're launching something new. Listen to the podcast for people who make stuff on the internet and earn their income from the things they create.
E032 - Last chance!
July 23, 2016 01:02 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBHow do you get people to know you exist? Be unexpected. Justin talks about his new book (justinjackson.ca/jolt) and talks with Mikael Cho from Crew in Montreal. They're the awesome makers behind Unsplash.com
E031 - Don't be like the Rolling Stones
July 15, 2016 12:05 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBEveryone's trying to be a unicorn. I just want to be like Fat Mike.
E030 - Like a kid in a candy store
July 08, 2016 11:07 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MB"The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change." Justin opens up about how his MegaMaker project is going, and what the future holds. (First episode of Season 3)
E029 - In Real Life
June 02, 2016 18:35 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBWhat happens when you meet people from the internet IRL? Also: last episode of Season 2!
E028 - Stay hungry
May 25, 2016 23:18 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBDo you know about the Desperation Scale™? Listeners asked me to be more honest about the struggle. So here it is!