11: Growth, lifetime deals and saying no to clients

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 - PaddleDan moves towards launching his courseShould he do a PH launch for the course?Dan get’s prepped for launching ilo Thread AnalyticsDan builds a little utility product, AdapterPayShould more indie hackers build small products?Building to solve your own problemJames had a pretty rubbish weekHow to deal with picking yourself up after a tough weekHow to get more clients, quicklyTweetsDanJamesLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - PaddleIn 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.comAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 streakSponsor - PaddlePaddle DocumentaryDan launches his new marketing siteNew Product Hunt pagesShould Dan rebrand ilo?Should Dan build ANOTHER product?Dan’s progress on Twitter for Developers CourseA new Ghost theme for courses?James has a bad weekSomeone tells me the PodPanda website is 💩Matt Evans offers to build a new onePermissionless apprentice - Jack ButcherMy sister’s Notion avatarHow can my sister make money?Indie Bites episode recording with Marie NgLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - PaddleIn 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.comAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 trialsDan goes Climate PositiveGhost v5 launchDan thinks about Cove againSkipped Indie Bites - bad weekdontbuyayeti.com goes viralViral tweetWent to The Podcast Show in LondonLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - PaddleIn 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.comAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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.comJames sold his carProject get James out of debtSponsor - UpvotyJames street hustling at Indie BeersShould you get business cards?Back to 1 a week with Indie BitesDan’s week of focus on iloBuilding an impression predictorJack Ellis’ tweetFree follow tracker for iloilo.so/elonmuskDan hit’s $100k ARRTweetsJamesDanLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - UpvotyAs 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 hereAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 updateIf money were no object, what would you work on? from HrishiWhat project should Dan go all-in on? from Jack EllisHow do each of you balance multiple projects at the same time? from Ryan GilbertWhat's the best and worst thing about being public on NMM? from Mark JeffreyHow much do you spend on SaaS tools every month? from Matthew ReidWhy is a physical business not considered bootstrapping? From Matt EvansWhat does 'enough' actually look like? from John SpeedTweets:JamesDanLinks:Indie Bites with Dago RenoufPaul Jarvis' "Enough" articleFollow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - UpvotyAs 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 hereAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 challengeAfter a few years, is $4k MRR any good?Dan's tweetJustin Jackson False positives articleMultiple projects vs single focus, which is best?James' tweetNew Transistor theme out for out websiteJames releases 2 Indie Bites episodesOur new jingleTweetsDanJamesLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - ZipMessageZipMessage 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 hereAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 progressDan’s planning weekWorking on a new theme, OrbitDan’s new Twitter courseA surprising Twitter statJames’ viral tweetsJames’ cat is more famous than himVirality is scaryJames’ sticks to his Indie Bites schedule8k downloads in one monthA easy peasy Lemon Squeezy chatShould we get a jingle?TweetsDanJamesLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showSponsor - 4dayweek.ioAs 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 DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 episodeJames is back in his podcast boothJames writes an article about microphonesSponsor - 4DayWeekWhere Dan should go with ilo?Features, marketing and churnGetting feedback from usersShould Dan make a Twitter course?The impact of a TechCrunch mentionOur TikTok challenge! Follow us:Dan (Twitter Tips)James (Whitstable Craft Co)James overhauls his entire website (classic indie hacker)James’ Indie Bites updatesWhy do we buy courses we never do?Links:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showSponsor - 4dayweek.ioAs 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 DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 boxesWhat we covered in this episodeHow many eggs does Dan get throughHow do we grow the podTom Elliot's quote tweetsSponsor - Paper WebsiteDan's updates:Lifetime deals for SaaS (funding secured tweet)Cove launchNo more client workTikTok?James & Dan’s TikTok challengeJamesWorking late / hitting deadlinesCombining PodPanda & 2 Hour PodcastDoing something with the course2 episodes of Indie Bites outHit 50k downloadsContent before toolsJames' tweetDan's tweetLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - Paper WebsiteDo 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 hereAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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

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 episodeDan’s knee updateArvid’s episodeSponsor - ZipMessageDan updatesEnoying working on Cove againAdding new featuresDan reads Rich Dad Poor Dadilo’s trial conversion conundrumUsing Rrticle as a Ghost blogShould Dan still do his agency?James updatesJames takes a day offNew Indie Bites scheduleBiggest sponsor ever with Weekend ClubJames did a photoshootDan’s tweetJames’ tweetLinks:Follow the show on Twitter and get involved→ @nomoremondaysfm→ Sponsor the showToday's sponsor - ZipMessageZipMessage 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 hereAbout DanDan 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 SaaSAbout JamesI’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