No More Mondays
Dan Rowden and James McKinven
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No More Mondays peels back the curtain to see what it takes to build an indie business. Following the journey of indie hackers Dan Rowden and James McKinven as they navigate building a micro-SaaS studio and a podcast respectively.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Jun 15, 2022
19: When you run out of motivation
This week Dan moves closer to finishing his Twitter course and gets geared up for a big Product Hunt launch while I battle with another tough week of low motivation and no money.
What we covered in this episode:
* Is ilo a bad name?
* How do you title podcast episodes?
* Sponsor - Paddle
* Dan moves towards launching his course
* Should he do a PH launch for the course?
* Dan get’s prepped for launching ilo Thread Analytics
* Dan builds a little utility product, AdapterPay
* Should more indie hackers build small products?
* Building to solve your own problem
* James had a pretty rubbish week
* How to deal with picking yourself up after a tough week
* How to get more clients, quickly
* Tweets
* Dan
* James
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Paddle
In this market it’s harder to grow. And when you do, there are more operational distractions slowing your momentum. Like building and maintaining a global payments and billing system. Or reconciling revenue data.
Paddle and ProfitWell are coming together to take the load off your finance and engineering teams.
We make subscription billing, payments, tax, and growth products that “do it for you.” In turn, you focus on what really matters - your team, customers, and products.
Find out more at Paddle.com
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
Jun 7, 2022
18: Is ilo a bad name?
This week Dan finally launches his marketing site and gets the itch to start another new product, while I have a bit of a battle to find clients and someone said my website was rubbish.
What we covered in this episode:
* James loses his Twitter streak
* Sponsor - Paddle
* Paddle Documentary
* Dan launches his new marketing site
* New Product Hunt pages
* Should Dan rebrand ilo?
* Should Dan build ANOTHER product?
* Dan’s progress on Twitter for Developers Course
* A new Ghost theme for courses?
* James has a bad week
* Someone tells me the PodPanda website is 💩
* Matt Evans offers to build a new one
* Permissionless apprentice - Jack Butcher
* My sister’s Notion avatar
* How can my sister make money?
* Indie Bites episode recording with Marie Ng
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Paddle
In this market it’s harder to grow. And when you do, there are more operational distractions slowing your momentum. Like building and maintaining a global payments and billing system. Or reconciling revenue data.
Paddle and ProfitWell are coming together to take the load off your finance and engineering teams.
We make subscription billing, payments, tax, and growth products that “do it for you.” In turn, you focus on what really matters - your team, customers, and products.
Find out more at Paddle.com
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
May 30, 2022
17: Mental health and going viral
This week Dan goes hard on the marketing site for ilo and is busy with the new Ghost v5 launch, while I go viral taking down a certain microphone but had a tough mental health week.
What we covered this week:
* ilo marketing site, paid trials
* Dan goes Climate Positive
* Ghost v5 launch
* Dan thinks about Cove again
* Skipped Indie Bites - bad week
* dontbuyayeti.com goes viral
* Viral tweet
* Went to The Podcast Show in London
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Paddle
In this market it’s harder to grow. And when you do, there are more operational distractions slowing your momentum. Like building and maintaining a global payments and billing system. Or reconciling revenue data.
Paddle and ProfitWell are coming together to take the load off your finance and engineering teams.
We make subscription billing, payments, tax, and growth products that “do it for you.” In turn, you focus on what really matters - your team, customers, and products.
Find out more at Paddle.com
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
May 23, 2022
16: Products as marketing & James gets out of debt
This week I sell my car to kickstart project get James out of debt, Dan launches a bunch of new marketing products for ilo and I practice my street hustling skills at a pub in London.
What we covered in this episode:
* Building dontbuyayeti.com
* James sold his car
* Project get James out of debt
* Sponsor - Upvoty
* James street hustling at Indie Beers
* Should you get business cards?
* Back to 1 a week with Indie Bites
* Dan’s week of focus on ilo
* Building an impression predictor
* Jack Ellis’ tweet
* Free follow tracker for ilo
* ilo.so/elonmusk
* Dan hit’s $100k ARR
* Tweets
* James
* Dan
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Upvoty
As an indie hacker building your product, how often do you ask for user feedback? Because if you listen to the problems of your users, you can really understand their pain points and solve their problem, building a product they love.
Upvoty is a user feedback tool that makes it easy for you to listen to your users and prioritize what to build next.
Install Upvoty's feedback boards and you'll have all of your user feedback in one place. You can also close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap, allowing your users to be actively involved in building new features and love your product even more.
Want to give it a go? Upvoty has a 14 day free trial and 10% off any plan with the code "No More Mondays".
→ Try Upvoty here
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
May 17, 2022
15: Your questions answered (Q&A special)
This week, we’ve got a special episode for you as we answer your questions from Twitter. We answer life’s big questions like what we’d work on if money were no object, what the best things about this podcast are and what really is enough.
What we covered in this episode:
* TikTok update
* If money were no object, what would you work on? from Hrishi
* What project should Dan go all-in on? from Jack Ellis
* How do each of you balance multiple projects at the same time? from Ryan Gilbert
* What's the best and worst thing about being public on NMM? from Mark Jeffrey
* How much do you spend on SaaS tools every month? from Matthew Reid
* Why is a physical business not considered bootstrapping? From Matt Evans
* What does 'enough' actually look like? from John Speed
* Tweets:
* James
* Dan
Links:
* Indie Bites with Dago Renouf
* Paul Jarvis' "Enough" article
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Upvoty
As an indie hacker building your product, how often do you ask for user feedback? Because if you listen to the problems of your users, you can really understand their pain points and solve their problem, building a product they love.
Upvoty is a user feedback tool that makes it easy for you to listen to your users and prioritize what to build next.
Install Upvoty's feedback boards and you'll have all of your user feedback in one place. You can also close the feedback loop by setting up your Changelog and Product Roadmap, allowing your users to be actively involved in building new features and love your product even more.
Want to give it a go? Upvoty has a 14 day free trial and 10% off any plan with the code "No More Mondays".
→ Try Upvoty here
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
May 12, 2022
14: Multiple projects vs single focus, what is better?
This week, the multiple projects vs single focus debate comes up again, Dan and I discuss our TikTok challenge progress and we have a fancy new jingle at the end of the episode.
What we covered in this episode:
* Updates on our TikTok challenge
* After a few years, is $4k MRR any good?
* Dan's tweet
* Justin Jackson False positives article
* Multiple projects vs single focus, which is best?
* James' tweet
* New Transistor theme out for out website
* James releases 2 Indie Bites episodes
* Our new jingle
* Tweets
* Dan
* James
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - ZipMessage
ZipMessage is a video messaging tool designed for asynchronous conversations.You send a link to a customer, a coworker, a new hire, or anyone else you want to exchange screen and/or camera messages with. You can reserve your personal url where others can message you, or integrate it into your website.
Use it for free forever or upgrade for the full async experience on ZipMessage. “No More Mondays” 10% off your first 3 months.
→ Try ZipMessage here
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
May 3, 2022
13: $1k in course pre-sales and new download milestones
This week we kick off our TikTok challenge, Dan made $1,200 launching his new course and my cat Alfie finally gets the recognition he deserves.
What we covered in this episode:
* Our TikTok progress
* Dan’s planning week
* Working on a new theme, Orbit
* Dan’s new Twitter course
* A surprising Twitter stat
* James’ viral tweets
* James’ cat is more famous than him
* Virality is scary
* James’ sticks to his Indie Bites schedule
* 8k downloads in one month
* A easy peasy Lemon Squeezy chat
* Should we get a jingle?
* Tweets
* Dan
* James
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Sponsor - 4dayweek.io
As indie hackers we’re always trying to squeeze extra hours in our day to work on our side projects. What about if you had a whole extra day to work on your projects, while still getting a full-time salary?
4dayweek.io is the place to get a Software Job with a better work-life balance. All jobs have a 4 day work week contract and most are only 32 hours per week. Find the best remote tech jobs from companies with a great work-life balance at 4dayweek.io or hit the link in the show notes.
👉 Try it here.
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
Apr 25, 2022
12: Our plans to become TikTok famous
This week James overhauls his entire website and doesn’t tell anyone, Dan gets featured in TechCrunch and we discuss our plan to become TikTok stars.
What we covered in this episode
* James is back in his podcast booth
* James writes an article about microphones
* Sponsor - 4DayWeek
* Where Dan should go with ilo?
* Features, marketing and churn
* Getting feedback from users
* Should Dan make a Twitter course?
* The impact of a TechCrunch mention
* Our TikTok challenge! Follow us:
* Dan (Twitter Tips)
* James (Whitstable Craft Co)
* James overhauls his entire website (classic indie hacker)
* James’ Indie Bites updates
* Why do we buy courses we never do?
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Sponsor - 4dayweek.io
As indie hackers we’re always trying to squeeze extra hours in our day to work on our side projects. What about if you had a whole extra day to work on your projects, while still getting a full-time salary?
4dayweek.io is the place to get a Software Job with a better work-life balance. All jobs have a 4 day work week contract and most are only 32 hours per week. Find the best remote tech jobs from companies with a great work-life balance at 4dayweek.io or hit the link in the show notes.
👉 Try it here.
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
Apr 18, 2022
11: Growth, lifetime deals and saying no to clients
This week Dan finally comes to his senses on client work, we talk about how many eggs he gets through in a week and why we’ve both decided to make it big on TikTok. James hits some nice milestones, sticks to his deadlines and has a quandary about burning the midnight oil.
💬 Want to join in the conversation? Discuss this episode on Twitter
👉 Dan's egg boxes
What we covered in this episode
* How many eggs does Dan get through
* How do we grow the pod
* Tom Elliot's quote tweets
* Sponsor - Paper Website
* Dan's updates:
* Lifetime deals for SaaS (funding secured tweet)
* Cove launch
* No more client work
* TikTok?
* James & Dan’s TikTok challenge
* James
* Working late / hitting deadlines
* Combining PodPanda & 2 Hour Podcast
* Doing something with the course
* 2 episodes of Indie Bites out
* Hit 50k downloads
* Content before tools
* James' tweet
* Dan's tweet
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Paper Website
Do you want start writing more consistently? Or perhaps start documenting your indie hacker journey building in public? Then you should check out Paper Website. Paper Website's amazing AI let's you start a micro-blog directly from your journal, just using pen and paper.
All you need to do is set aside 5 minutes each day to write, snap a picture of your handwritten page, and Paper Website will turn it into your very own micro-site, complete with powerful website analytics, and newsletter capabilities so you can grow an audience of millions all from the comfort of your notebook.
Try Paper Website for free for 30 days, then use code "Monday20" at checkout, we are offering 20% off their ultimate package.
→ Try Paper Website here
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
Apr 11, 2022
10: Time off and building for fun
Today Dan is back with a bang, rekindling his Cove side project with a splattering of new features, but that’s left him with some doubts about doing a Ghost agency. Meanwhile I take a very lazy day off and secure my biggest ever sponsor for Indie Bites.
What we covered in this episode
* Dan’s knee update
* Arvid’s episode
* Sponsor - ZipMessage
* Dan updates
* Enoying working on Cove again
* Adding new features
* Dan reads Rich Dad Poor Dad
* ilo’s trial conversion conundrum
* Using Rrticle as a Ghost blog
* Should Dan still do his agency?
* James updates
* James takes a day off
* New Indie Bites schedule
* Biggest sponsor ever with Weekend Club
* James did a photoshoot
* Dan’s tweet
* James’ tweet
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - ZipMessage
ZipMessage is a video messaging tool designed for asynchronous conversations.You send a link to a customer, a coworker, a new hire, or anyone else you want to exchange screen and/or camera messages with. You can reserve your personal url where others can message you, or integrate it into your website.
Use it for free forever or upgrade for the full async experience on ZipMessage. “No More Mondays” 10% off your first 3 months.
→ Try ZipMessage here
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo (Analytics for Twitter), a collection of products and themes for Ghost and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Dan, but also left my full-time job in 2021. I get most of my income producing podcasts for clients but it’s my aim to turn my own podcast into a profitable, sustainable business. I run the Indie Bites show, which is 15 minute conversations with indie founders, currently doing about $700 a month in revenue. I also have a podcast course called 2HourPodcast and a handmade leather wallet business, both of which I’d like to grow over the year.
→ James' Twitter
→ Indie Bites - Indie founder chats
→ 2 Hour Podcast - Podcasting course
→ Whitstable Craft Co - Handmade leather wallets
→ PodPanda - Podcast editing
playlist_add
Apr 4, 2022
9: How to stay consistent w/ Arvid Kahl (The Bootstrapped Founder)
Dan is off this week, so the Bootstrapped Founder, Arvid Kahl is filling in for him. Arvid and I talk how I can be more consistent, why Arvid spends all week watching Twitch to help him write his newsletter, and I try to pronounce a German word forgetting Arvid was German.
Arvid Kahl built bootstrapped business called FeedbackPanda to $55k MRR which he then exited for a life changing amount of money. From then he went onto write the book Zero to Sold, which is a must read for any indie hacker. Arvid wasn’t satisfied with just one book, so he wrote another! His latest book The Embedded Entrepreneur delves into how to build an audience-driven business. Relentless Arvid hasn’t stopped there, as he recently launched the Find Your Following Course, which will give you the playbook for growing your Twitter audience. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned his blog, podcast and now YouTube channel, The Bootstrapped Founder.
What we covered in this episode:
* Who is Arvid Kahl?
* James…
playlist_add
Mar 28, 2022
8: A good month all around
Today we talk about a record breaking month for both of us, why it’s sometimes difficult to enjoy success as an indie hacker and I try and convince Dan not to start freelancing again.
What we covered in this episode:
* James steals some art
* James' setup
* Dan invents bike couriering
* Sponsor - Talk to Stefan
* James' best month ever for all projects
* Feeling bad for doing well
* Dan's income 15% down on 2021
* James' talks about desk pads
* Introducing Poddy the Pod Panda
* Launching Thread Analytics for ilo
* Dan updating ilo's marketing site
* Dan launches his new theme, Track
* Dan has a bloody good month too
* Dan buys another domain (of course)
* The great trading time for money debate
* James' tweet
* Dan's tweet
* Dan gets jacked
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Talk to Stefan
Talk to Stefan is coaching for founders by my good friend Stefan Manku (although he doe…
playlist_add
Mar 21, 2022
7: When should you take time off?
Today Dan and I talk about when you should take time off as an indie hacker, some fun ways to spice up your workspace and we giveaway a t-shirt.
What we covered in this episode:
* Approaching 3k downloads
* When you should take time off
* Having art in your workspace
* Sponsor - Upvoty
* Remembering Tolta
* ilo Threads
* Launching a new theme
* Brett and Sahil Indie Bites
* Best day of downloads ever
* Buying indiebites.com
* Handmaking my own leather items
* Dan’s tweet
* James tweet
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Upvoty
As an indie hacker building your product, how often do you ask for user feedback? Because if you listen to the problems of your users, you can really understand their pain points and solve their problem, building a product they love.
Upvoty is a user feedback tool that makes it easy for you to listen to your users and prioritize what to build next.
Insta…
playlist_add
Mar 14, 2022
6: Updates to ilo and growing Indie Bites
Dan and I talk about some cool new features he’s added to his Twitter analytics service ilo, how I’ve quadrupled my earning potential for Indie Bites and why Dan is now considered a veteran.
Got a question or want to add to the conversation?
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What we covered in this episode:
* McKinven Sr. ran 5k
* New Apple products
* Sponsor - Talk to Stefan
* ilo’s thread analytics
* ilo’s new engagement rating
* ilo’s updated email digest
* Dan’s knee
* Dan’s viral tweet
* Should James launch a video service?
* Increasing earning potential for Indie Bites
* Planned vs unplanned podcast recordings
* Custom order leather goods
* How to name a company
* Plans for next week
* Dan’s Tweet
* James' tweet
Links:
* Dan's ilo dashboard
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Talk to Stefan
Talk to Stefan is coaching for founders by my good friend Stefa…
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Mar 7, 2022
5: Running out of money
Today Dan and I talk about what I did when I ran out of money this week, how Dan made $1k in February with Ghost themes and what the real Twitter growth secret is.
Discuss this episode on Twitter 💬
What we covered in this episode
* Note taking on paper vs on apps
* Sponsor - ZipMessage
* James running out of money
* Getting new clients for a productized service
* Avoiding burnout
* Changing the Indie Feast membership
* Dan makes $1k in Feb from Super Themes Co.
* Dan’s theme with Ali Abdaal
* Should Dan change ilo’s pricing and free trial?
* Email digests vs in-app usage
* The real Twitter growth secret
* Dan’s Tweet
* James’ Tweet
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - ZipMessage
ZipMessage is a video messaging tool designed for asynchronous conversations.You send a link to a customer, a coworker, a new hire, or anyone else you want to exchange screen and/or camera messa…
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Feb 28, 2022
4: A $120k MRR one-person business - Brett Williams, Designjoy
Today we are joined by our very first guest on the show. Brett Williams runs Designjoy, a one-man productised service that is doing over $130k MRR. Dan and I give you our regular updates, then we catch up with Brett to ask him how he built such an impressive business, some tips on creating a compelling productised service and if Brett should maybe look to scale things back.
What we covered:
* Dan has torn his ACL
* James hasn't torn anything
* The single focus vs portfolio of projects debate
* Dan & James updates
* Dan's tweet
* James' tweet
Interview
* Introduction to Brett
* Sponsor - Talk to Stefan
* Convincing Brett to buy a microphone
* Origins of Designjoy
* Leaving a job at $80k MRR
* How Brett grew Designjoy
* How Dan added $30k MRR with a tweet
* The processes behind a productised service
* Should Brett scale back Designjoy?
* Trading time for money vs products
* Advice for anyone building a productised service
* Going from 140 to 4,700…
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Feb 21, 2022
3: Closing down a side project
Today Dan and I talk about why Dan’s closing down one of his projects, whether or not he should make a course and we debate having a portfolio of projects vs a single focus.
💬 Discuss this episode on Twitter!
What we covered in this episode:
* James in NYC and Dan in a cyclone
* Sponsor - Upvoty
* Why Dan is closing his side project, Gloat
* Dan’s new productized service
* Should Dan create a Ghost related course?
* Dan looking for help with Gloat Hosting
* Our first guest next week - Brett from Design Joy
* Comparing yourself to others
* Multiple side projects vs a single focus
* Dan’s Tweet
* James' Tweet
Links:
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Upvoty
As an indie hacker building your product, how often do you ask for user feedback? Because if you listen to the problems of your users, you can really understand their pain points and solve their problem, building a product they l…
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Feb 14, 2022
2: We accidentally made $2k sponsor revenue. Now what?!
Today Dan and I talk about how we got $2,000 of sponsors in a day, why Dan lives in Mauritius and my editing process for podcasts.
💬 Discuss this episode on Twitter
What we covered:
* Buying Dan a new mic
* How we got $2,000 of sponsors in 1 day
* Sponsor - Talk to Stefan
* How do we split the money?
* Why Dan lives in Mauritius
* James’ first YouTube video
* How Dan has grown his Twitter
* What Dan been working on
* What James’ been working on
* James’ Indie Bites editing process
* James’ New York trip
* James’ tweet
* Dan's tweet
Links:
* Dan's ilo dashboard
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
→ Sponsor the show
Today's sponsor - Talk to Stefan
Talk to Stefan is coaching for founders by my good friend Stefan Manku (although he does work with some employees and/or managers) When you're feeling stuck, not sure which direction to go, feeling overwhelmed with too much to do or needing clarity, Stefan is the g…
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Feb 7, 2022
1: A $7k MRR SaaS studio and a $700 podcast
Welcome to No More Mondays, the podcast where two indie hackers, James McKinven and Dan Rowden talk about building their indie businesses. This is an intro conversation to me and Dan, what we’re working on and what the podcast is all about, but as you’ll see from the start, it didn’t all go smoothly.
💬 Discuss this episode on Twitter
What we covered:
* Why start a podcast?
* Why “No More Mondays”?
* What James is working on
* What Dan is working on
* What to expect from the podcast
* James’ tweet
* Dan's tweet
Links:
* Dan's “Monday” tweet: https://twitter.com/dr/status/1418562907500056586
* Austin Kleon books: https://austinkleon.com/steal-audiobook-trilogy/
* Arvid Kahl's new Twitter course: https://findyourfollowing.com
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a micro-SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo…
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Jan 29, 2022
No More Mondays Trailer
Welcome to the No More Monday’s podcast, the show where two indie hackers talk about growing our indie businesses. I’m your co-host James McKinven, and I’ll be joined every week by Dan Rowden as we share an insight into what goes into building a bootstrapped business.
Follow the show on Twitter and get involved
→ @nomoremondaysfm
About Dan
Dan is the founder of a Micro SaaS studio called Monday, where he runs a portfolio of SaaS products currently doing $7k a month. This included ilo Analytics for Twitter, a collection of products and themes for Ghost publication platform and Dan’s new referral product, Refermo, which he’ll be launching during this show. Last year, Dan left his job to pursue indie hacking full-time.
→ Dan's Twitter
→ ilo.so - Twitter analytics
→ Gloat - Ghost host
→ Cove - Commenting for Ghost
→ Super Themes Co. - Ghost themes
→ Refermo - Referrals/affiliates for Paddle-powered SaaS
About James / Me
I’m at a slightly earlier stage than Da…
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