Code & Conquer - The Indie Hacker Podcast Tobias Arweiler

In this episode of Code & Conquer, Dominik Sobe, a full-time digital nomad and indie hacker, discusses his journey as a solopreneur and the development of his product, HelpKit. He shares his experience of overcoming burnout and the importance of having a supportive community. Dominik also talks about the power of building in public and how it helped him gain traction for his product. He shares the creative idea of creating a fake customer support shop as an April Fools' joke and the positive response it received. Overall, Dominik emphasizes the importance of finding the right market fit and leveraging creative marketing strategies as an indie hacker. Dominik Sobe discusses his journey as a digital nomad and indie hacker. He shares how he transitioned from wanting to become a management consultant to becoming a software developer and building his own products. He talks about the benefits of being a digital nomad, such as living in affordable locations and experiencing different cultures. He also discusses the importance of healthcare and insurance while traveling and provides insights into finding a balance between work and enjoying the travel experience. In this final part of the conversation, Dominik discusses the sketchy parts of living in Southeast Asia, including safety concerns, theft, corruption, and drug laws. He also shares his plans for the future, including growing HelpKit and potentially selling it to achieve financial independence. Dominik emphasizes the importance of finding a community of like-minded people, both online and offline, to combat loneliness while nomading. He advises new indie hackers to try many different things, focus on marketing and distribution, and be comfortable with failure.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Technical Difficulties

18:08 Building in Public and Finding Initial Traction

30:08 The Value of Side Projects and Prioritizing Mental Health

43:11 Navigating Healthcare and Insurance

56:19 Finding Work-Life Balance

01:06:26 Is Digital Nomadism Right for You?

01:20:09 The Future of HelpKit and Financial Independence

01:29:11 Struggles and Demoralization as a Founder

01:37:25 Finding Community and Combating Loneliness as a Nomad

01:46:06 Excitement for Analog Photography and Advice for New Indie Hackers

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Dominik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/sobedominik

HelpKit: https://www.helpkit.so/

NomadKit: https://nomadkit.co/

FilmTypes: https://www.filmtypes.com/



My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠⁠

Find our product here: ⁠⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, we go behind-the-scenes with Justin, the creator of Quda- a platform for bite-sized educational content and expert Q&A.

Justin shares his incredible journey transitioning from the music industry into the indie hacker life, while juggling a day job and family. Hear the fascinating story of how he built Quda using no-code tools to solve his own pain points around learning and knowledge sharing.

We dive deep into Justin's monetization strategies, pricing psychology, and the common trap of indie hackers undercharging. He also discusses exploring additional revenue streams like coaching subscriptions.

Justin offers authentic insights into embracing an indie hacker mindset, the power of taking imperfect action, and finding the motivation to work on your startup efter hours. Whether you're technical or non-technical, this episode packs tonnes of value for anyone building an indie business.

Tune in for an inspiring and incredibly useful conversation! Let Justin's story and advice motivate your own indie hacking adventures.



Chapters:

Chapters



00:00 Justin's Journey to Indie Hacking

06:03 Introduction to Quda

08:57 Creating a Platform for Short-Form Learning

12:23 Building a B2C Social Platform

19:22 Choosing to Focus on One Product

25:14 Maintaining Motivation and Enjoyment in the Process

28:08 Considering Marketing Strategy Before Launch

34:41 The Importance of Getting the Product in Users' Hands

38:39 Introduction to Repodcasted

39:08 Building Products that Scratch Your Own Itch

40:06 Finding the Right Motivation and Time

40:46 Different Approaches to Building Products

41:14 Marrying Approaches to Your Temperament and Constraints

42:03 Balancing Time and Constraints

43:27 The Challenges of Indie Hacking with Kids

44:21 Managing Time with a Day Job and Family

45:50 The Importance of Loving What You Do

46:20 The Freedom to Experiment with Low-Cost Projects

47:37 The Business Model of Quda

48:37 The Value of Knowledge and the Future of Quda

49:48 Micro Products within Quda

50:56 The Importance of Profitability

51:43 The Business Fundamentals of Indie Hacking

52:23 Getting Educators on the Quda Platform

53:48 The Attraction of Asynchronous Q&A on Quda

55:13 Reaching Out to Creators at the Right Time

56:35 Handling Rejections and Persistence

57:32 Dealing with Rejections and the Importance of Persistence

58:06 The Importance of Persistence and Reaching Out

59:01 Overcoming Perfectionism and Learning Through Doing

01:01:13 The Value of Learning Through Doing

01:02:12 Embracing Imperfection and Learning from Users

01:03:11 Excitement about Text-to-Coding and AI Robotics

01:06:40 The Importance of Building and Finding a Technical Co-founder

01:11:24 Advice for New Indie Hackers: Just Start Building



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Justin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinQuda

Quda: https://askquda.com/



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My own website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm⁠

Find our product here: ⁠https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, Steve McLeod shares the lessons he's learned from building and growing his SaaS product Feature Upvote. Steve discusses his unconventional journey from an IT consultant to a successful indie hacker, including the surprising ways his target market evolved over time.

The conversation covers Steve's approach to pricing and customer acquisition, as well as his decision to launch a coaching business alongside his core product.

Steve offers counter-intuitive advice and insights that challenge common indie hacker wisdom, providing a refreshingly honest look at the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial path.

Whether you're just starting your first indie project or looking to take an established product to the next level, this episode is filled with practical wisdom that could reshape your strategies and mindset as an entrepreneur.

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00:00 Introduction and Background

01:02 Discovering the Indie Hacker Community

03:16 Finding Unexpected Customers

04:13 The Pricing Dilemma

05:26 Choosing the Right Target Market

06:32 The Pros and Cons of High Pricing

07:29 Managing Customer Support Expectations

08:19 The Challenges of Running a 24/7 SaaS

08:59 The Importance of Launching Early

09:41 Validating the Product Market Fit

10:11 The Decision to Bootstrap Feature Upvote

11:44 Overcoming the Fear of SaaS Downtime

12:49 Choosing the Right Product Idea

13:33 Dealing with Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome

14:27 Acquiring the First Customers

15:52 Building Credibility in Online Communities

19:34 The Importance of Being Helpful in Communities

20:58 The Journey from Zero MRR to Sustainable Income

22:25 The Challenges of Content Writing

23:41 The Definition of Bootstrapping

25:03 The Decision to Persist or Quit

26:18 The Value of Transparency in Marketing

27:34 Dealing with Self-Doubt and Seeking Support

29:08 The Ever-Present Self-Doubt in Entrepreneurship

30:47 The Effectiveness of Different Marketing Strategies

31:59 The Impact of Competitors on Customer Feedback

33:14 The Balance Between Transparency and Competition

34:39 The Importance of Listening to Your Customers

35:48 The Trial and Error of Marketing Techniques

36:46 The Value of Expert Help in Marketing

37:34 The Importance of Getting Started with SEO

38:28 The Impact of AI on SEO

41:11 Creating Long-Form Content for Marketing

42:27 Reusing Content for Different Platforms

44:41 Launching a Coaching Business

45:48 Setting Premium Prices for Coaching

49:39 Balancing Coaching and Business Expansion

53:29 The Future of Feature Upvote and Coaching

55:13 Finding a Balance in Entrepreneurship

58:21 Excitement for HTMX

01:02:57 Advice for Bootstrappers: Charge More

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Steve's Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveofmcleod

Steve's personal website: ⁠https://steveofmcleod.com/

Public Lab: ⁠https://featureupvote.com/


My own website: ⁠⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠⁠

You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm

Find our product here: https://www.repodcasted.com/

In this episode, I sit down with Kevon Cheung, a leading voice in the #buildinpublic movement. Kevon shares his unique journey from studying business in university to becoming a self-taught developer and then transitioning into teaching others how to build an audience while creating products.

We dive deep into the strategies and mindset behind building in public effectively. Kevon explains how to genuinely engage with your target audience, come up with interesting content ideas from real interactions, and build trust over time. He dispels common myths and provides practical tips on using platforms like Twitter, newsletters, and even YouTube for your building in public efforts.

Kevon also discusses when building in public may not be the best approach for certain business models. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the importance of blending into communities, soliciting feedback, and earning in public based on your behind-the-scenes work.

Whether you're an indie hacker, creator, or just someone looking to build an engaged audience, this episode is packed with insights from one of the experts in the building in public space. Tune in for a masterclass on authentic audience-building from Kevon "The Broccoli Guy" Cheung.

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00:00 Introduction and Background

00:54 Transition to Indie Hacking

10:09 Building an Audience from Scratch

16:25 Creating Engaging Content

25:54 Creating Valuable Content for Niche Audiences

29:21 Generating Content for B2B Products

32:26 Creating Genuine Content

33:12 Creating Multiple Pieces of Content

34:00 Engagement Bait vs. Genuine Engagement

35:19 Using Feedback to Improve Products

36:28 Building Trust and Gaining Fans

37:36 The Importance of Email Newsletters

38:34 The Power of Email as a Communication Channel

41:52 The Benefits of Email as a Platform-Independent Channel

43:28 Not Every Piece of Content Will Go Viral

46:42 Considering YouTube as a Content Platform

51:44 The Story Behind the Broccoli Logo

55:13 Exploring SaaS Ideas

57:41 Blend into the Community and Build in Private

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Kevon's Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeetKevon

Kevon's personal website: https://kevoncheung.com/

Public Lab: https://publiclab.co/


My own website: ⁠⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠⁠
You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm

Find our product here: https://repodcasted.com

I sat down with Juho Makkonen, founder of the marketplace platform ShareTribe, to discuss his unique approach to building a mission-driven, “steward-owned” company.

We covered Juho’s journey creating ShareTribe, combining no-code convenience with developer extensibility. He shared his motivation behind structuring the company through a stewardship model, where employees hold voting control.

Juho explained how ShareTribe makes decisions, distributes profits, and stays focused on purpose over profits. He also discussed his passion for exploring stewardship principles more broadly.

His advice to entrepreneurs - know your “why” and ensure alignment between your motivations, business structure, and funding.

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ShareTribe's website: https://www.sharetribe.com

ShareTribe's Balanced Blog: https://www.sharetribe.com/balanced/

Juho's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kusti


My own website: ⁠https://icebearlabs.com⁠
You can find this podcast on ⁠⁠https://codeandconquer.fm

Find our product here: ⁠https://repodcasted.com⁠

In this episode, I chat with Louis Pereira, the founder of AudioPen.ai. Louis talks about his journey from running his family's traditional offline businesses during the day to building online products at night.

We discuss:


How Louis got into indie hacking and consistently building side projects
The origin story of AudioPen - how a weekend hackathon project turned into a viral sensation
Louis' approach to customer support and product development as a solo founder
The pros and cons of using no-code tools like Bubble to build your MVP
Louis' thoughts on competition and copycats in the world of indie hacking
The role of luck versus perseverance in finding product-market fit
Why Louis structures his side projects to be as automated as possible



Louis Twitter: https://twitter.com/louispereira

Audiopen: https://audiopen.ai/

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Our Website: ⁠⁠https://www.codeandconquer⁠.fm⁠⁠

Our Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/CodeConquerPod⁠⁠

Tobi's Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/icebearlabs

Find our product here: ⁠https://repodcasted.com⁠