Code and Conquer - The Indie Hacker Podcast

Tobias Arweiler
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Code and Conquer - The Indie Hacker Podcast

Welcome to the Code and Conquer Podcast, hosted by Tobias Arweiler, indie hacker and founder of Ice Bear Labs. Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of indie hackers, exploring their journeys, challenges, and triumphs. Every episode features a one-on-one conversation with a unique entrepreneur, focusing on their experiences, wisdom, and insights. From $0 MRR to successful startups, learn from these inspiring stories and discover what it takes to turn your dreams into reality. Grab a cup of coffee, relax, and get ready for an hour of captivating conversation. Subscribe now! 😎🚀🎧

  1. 7. FEB.

    #033 Building a $15K/Month MVP Agency with Janu Lingeswaran

    In this episode, Janu Lingeswaran shares his journey of building Featherflow, an MVP agency that helps entrepreneurs build their software products. After working as a product manager while running his agency on the side, Janu recently took the leap to focus full-time on his business. We discuss how he built his agency to $8-15K monthly revenue, his strategies for finding quality developers globally, and his approach to managing client projects. Janu also talks about Boilerplate Hub, his curated directory of SaaS starter kits, and shares insights on effective SEO strategies for bootstrapped businesses. The conversation covers the challenges of being an entrepreneur in Germany, building a business without venture capital, and finding your community in the indie hacker space. Janu provides practical advice on transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship and maintaining work-life balance while growing multiple projects. Key topics: Building and scaling an MVP agency Finding and managing remote development talent SEO strategies for bootstrapped businesses The German startup ecosystem Building in public and community building Work-life balance as a solo founder --- FeatherFlow: https://feather-flow.com/ BoilerplateHub: https://boilerplatehub.com/ Janu's BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/janu.lol Janu's Twitter: https://x.com/JanuBuilds My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    1 Std. 1 Min.

  2. 24. JAN.

    #032 Scaling Down to Scale Up with Alex Suzuki

    Alex Suzuki shares his fascinating journey from running a successful agency to becoming a solo developer building Strich.io, a specialized barcode scanning SDK. Unlike many startup stories of scaling up, Alex chose to scale down - leaving his agency to focus on what he loves most: building products. In this episode, we dive deep into how Alex competes with venture-backed companies as a solo developer, why he chose to focus exclusively on web-based barcode scanning, and how he manages to serve enterprise clients while maintaining work-life balance. Alex offers candid insights about navigating enterprise sales, handling procurement departments, and finding success in a technical B2B niche. Whether you're interested in building developer tools, serving enterprise clients as a solo founder, or finding your path to sustainable indie hacking, this conversation offers valuable lessons from someone who's chosen the road less traveled. Key topics: Transitioning from agency owner to solo developer Building and selling enterprise B2B products Competing with larger companies in a technical niche Managing work-life balance as a solo founder Navigating enterprise sales and procurement Finding happiness in building products --- Alex Suzuki's Website: ⁠https://alexsuzuki.com/ Alex Suzuki's BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/alexsuzuki.com Strich.io: https://strich.io/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    1 Std. 2 Min.

  3. 10. JAN.

    #031 The Art of Not Giving Up with Dmytro Krasun

    In this episode, Dmytro Krasun shares his journey of building Screenshot One, an API business that grew from a single $7/month customer to $10K MRR. Dmytro opens up about the challenges of bootstrapping, the importance of customer support, and why he chose to focus on a seemingly "boring" product. He discusses his approach to handling copycats, the value of positioning your product correctly, and why sometimes passion follows success rather than precedes it. The conversation dives deep into mental health as an indie founder, balancing workload, and the art of perseverance when things get tough. Dmytro shares invaluable insights about focusing on a specific customer profile, the power of authenticity in business, and why choosing the right market size matters. Whether you're a solo developer considering building an API business, a founder struggling with motivation, or simply interested in the realities of bootstrapping a successful SaaS, this episode offers honest perspectives and practical wisdom from someone who's been through it all. Key topics: Growing from first customer to $10K MRR The importance of customer support in product development Handling anxiety and burnout as a founder Product positioning and market selection Why not to give up when things get tough --- Dmytro's Website: https://dmytrokrasun.com/ Dmytro's Twitter: https://x.com/DmytroKrasun ScreenshotOne: https://screenshotone.com/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    1 Std. 7 Min.

  4. 13.12.2024

    #30 Selling your startup and buying it back with Steve Ridout

    In this episode, we're talking to Steve Rideout, founder of ReadLang, who turned his own struggle with learning Spanish into a successful language learning product. We dive into his journey of building ReadLang from a simple translation tool to a $10K+ MRR business, including its unexpected detour through Duolingo - where Steve not only sold his company but also helped create Duolingo Stories, before buying ReadLang back at a quarter of the original price. Other topics include how Steve achieves growth purely through word of mouth, his experience with freemium pricing from $10/year to $48/year, and how he's managing to thrive in an increasingly AI-dominated language learning space. We also talk about the challenges of being a solo founder, when to focus on product versus marketing, and the surprising observation that his best revenue months coincide with when he works the least. ___ Steve's Website: https://steveridout.com/ Steve's Twitter: https://x.com/Steve_Ridout Readlang Website: https://readlang.com/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    1 Std. 8 Min.

  5. 29.11.2024

    #029 Building for Tech B2B with Lukas Hermann

    In this episode, we're talking to Lukas Hermann, founder of StageTimer - a specialized timer for live events that grew into a successful B2B product. He later expanded with Rundown Studio, bringing comprehensive event planning tools to production teams. We dive deep into product development strategy, exploring how Lukas grew StageTimer to 10k+ MRR by carefully choosing which features to build and which to reject. He shares his experience with one-time payment models and finding the right pricing strategy for event professionals. We also get real about the challenges of running a tech company in Germany, from complex business structures to tax implications, and discuss why Lukas turned down a 500k acquisition offer to pursue his bigger vision. Other topics include building a marketing strategy without aggressive advertising, scaling a B2B product, and Lukas's three-mountain approach to building progressively larger companies. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation about building profitable B2B products outside the usual indie hacker space, and I think you will too. Let's jump right in! ___ Lukas Twitter: https://x.com/_lhermann Stagetimer: https://stagetimer.io/ Rundown Studio: https://rundownstudio.app/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    1 Std. 8 Min.

  6. 15.11.2024

    #028 Quitting the Traditional Path to 30k MRR with Ali Salah

    In this episode of the Code and Conquer podcast, Ali Salah discusses his journey of creating Instatus, a service that helps companies communicate outages to their customers. He describes starting with small projects, the importance of financial planning, and the challenges faced along the way. Ali outlines his experience with building Instatus from zero to close to 30k MRR, targeting larger companies, and differentiating his product through pricing and features. He also shares insights on hiring practices, using an SEO agency, marketing strategies, and the benefits of being based in Egypt. Additionally, Ali talks about his funding experience with Comfund and future plans including expanding into monitoring and incident response. ___ Instatus' Twitter: https://x.com/instatus Instatus' Website: https://instatus.com/ ___ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    56 Min.

  7. 25.09.2024

    #027 From 0 to 100k MRR with Marie Martens

    In this episode of Code & Conquer, Tobias interviews Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally Forms. They discuss the origin story of Tally, the challenges faced by bootstrapped startups, and the strategies they've implemented to grow their user base without a massive marketing budget. Marie shares valuable insights into their unique pricing model, the importance of customer support, and their vision for the future of Tally. #MarieMartens #TallyForms #IndieHacker #Startups #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #TechPodcast #ProductLedGrowth #OnlineForms #BootstrapStartup #SaaS #ProductDevelopment #FoundersJourney #PodcastInterview #TechCommunity #UserExperience #CustomerSupport #GrowthStrategy #BuildingInPublic ___ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup 00:29 Meet Marie Martens: Founder of Tally Forms 01:16 The Birth of Tally: From Hotspot to Form Builder 03:45 Navigating a Competitive Market 05:31 Growing Tally: From Zero to Thousands of Users 08:04 The Free Tier Strategy 12:20 Customer Support Challenges 16:01 Building a Team and Scaling Up 18:23 Future Vision and Potential Risks 23:40 Achieving Financial Milestones 24:26 Navigating Business Growth 26:19 Profitability and Personal Milestones 27:48 Scaling Challenges and Strategies 32:36 Exploring New Marketing Strategies 34:38 SEO and Content Marketing Insights 36:27 Building in Public and Community Engagement 40:48 Target Audience and Market Focus 44:50 Final Thoughts and Advice for Indie Hackers ___ Marie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarieMartens Tally Forms: https://tally.so/ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    51 Min.

  8. 02.09.2024

    #026 Baking productized services with Alex Szczurek

    Yeah, freelancing's awesome but have you tried creating a productized service?? That's what we're talking about today with our guest Alex Szczurek, one of two founders of baked.design a design studio you can subscribe to month to month. We're talking about setting up a productized service, how to find your customers and how to scale beyond your own person when the work starts coming in more and more. Other topics include Alex new side project Uncover.lab, a Figma component library, how to hire team members and when to let them go and how build a brand on Socials. We also talk a little about burnout and handling the mental load of having a very successful business that generates a lot of work. I hope you enjoy this one! ___ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 05:07 Transition from Developer to UX Designer 08:56 Building a Specialized Design Team 15:01 Managing Burnout and Setting Boundaries 24:01 The Evolution of Baked Design and Client Selection 42:17 The Cringe Factor of Talking about MRR 43:28 The Importance of Social Proof in the Services Industry 44:26 The Issue of Trust in Marketing Services 47:04 Managing Churn in a Productized Service 53:39 Branding and Design for a Landing Page 01:16:43 The Role of Aesthetics in Gadgets and Apps 01:19:37 The Impact of Aesthetics on User Satisfaction 01:25:09 The Role of Design in Productivity and User Experience 01:32:58 Visual Appeal and Building a Connection with the Audience 01:35:35 Giving Back to the Community and Providing Valu ___ Alex's Twitter: https://x.com/aliszu Alex's Website: https://www.aliszu.co/ Baked.design: https://baked.design/ uncoverLAB: https://uncoverlab.co/ ___ My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can find this podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find our product here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

    1 Std. 10 Min.
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Welcome to the Code and Conquer Podcast, hosted by Tobias Arweiler, indie hacker and founder of Ice Bear Labs. Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of indie hackers, exploring their journeys, challenges, and triumphs. Every episode features a one-on-one conversation with a unique entrepreneur, focusing on their experiences, wisdom, and insights. From $0 MRR to successful startups, learn from these inspiring stories and discover what it takes to turn your dreams into reality. Grab a cup of coffee, relax, and get ready for an hour of captivating conversation. Subscribe now! 😎🚀🎧

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