Indie Hackers

Lukas (@_lhermann) and Liz Hermann (@lizmhermann) talk having ambition as an indie hacker, scratching other people's itches, having kids or spouses to help run your empire, making $8k/month from a simple idea, and charting a course to $100M/yr with (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Lukas and Liz Hermann join Indie Hackers to discuss building StageTimer.io, a simple product that brings in $8,000 per month in revenue. They talk about maintaining ambition as indie hackers, the value of solving problems for others rather than just scratching your own itch, and their experience involving a spouse and family in running a business. The conversation also covers the couple's plan to scale their income from a modest monthly sum to a $100 million annual target.

Steph Smith joins Courtland and Channing Allen to discuss her journey from content creator to Head of Content at a16z. They talk about making millions through content subscriptions, the challenges of controlling AI proliferation, the rise of Twitter thread culture, and the balance between educational and entertaining content. The conversation also covers media companies that sell to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Steph Smith (@stephsmithio) talks making millions in content subscriptions, working at a16z, putting the AI genie back in the bottle, thread boys on Twitter, educational vs entertainment podcasts, and media companies that monetize aspiring entrepreneurs with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@Chann

Seth Godin joins Courtland and Channing Allen to discuss the mindset of an indie hacker. He draws on his 20+ years of daily blogging, contrasts meaningful jobs with mechanized work, and gives advice on handling internet trolls. Godin shares how constraints fuel his productivity and clarifies the distinction between freelancing and bootstrapping. The conversation explores finding significance and creative freedom in a changing world.

Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog) talks indie hacking, finding new business ideas, meaningful jobs vs mechanized jobs, dealing with internet trolls, his secrets to productivity, freelancing vs bootstrapping, writing 9000 blog posts in 20 years, and finding significance in a changing world with Courtland

Alex MacCaw, founder of the note-taking app Reflect, joins Courtland and Channing to talk about stepping down as CEO of his 7-figure company, his decision to live on a boat while building a lifestyle business, and how he crowdfunded from early customers instead of taking venture capital. The conversation veers into a debate on free will and determinism, and Alex shares how he gained traction in the crowded note-taking market by targeting power users who value speed and simplicity.

Alex MacCaw (@maccaw) talks living on a boat, quitting his own 7-figure company, starting over with a lifestyle business, whether free will exists, crowdfunding from your own customers, and gaining a foothold in a crowded market with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Emma Lawler (@emmaryanlawler) talks whether crypto is dead, VC vs bootstrapping, getting an MBA after a successful exit, why NYC beats SF, trading sleep for work, whether capitalism leads to perverse incentives, and how she plans to disrupt the App Store with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@Chan

Emma Lawler joins Courtland and Channing to talk about her journey from crypto founder to building Velvet, a startup aiming to disrupt the App Store. The conversation covers her decision to bootstrap versus raising venture capital, why she pursued an MBA after a successful exit, her preference for NYC over SF as a startup hub, and the trade-offs of sacrificing sleep for work. Lawler also shares her thoughts on whether crypto is dead and whether capitalism creates perverse incentives.

Danny Postma joins Courtland and Channing to discuss his journey as an indie hacker building a portfolio of AI products. He reveals the dynamics behind his public rivalry with Pieter Levels, and how he uses SEO as a competitive moat to defend against copycats. The conversation covers his strategies for being an AI first-mover, why he is personally banned from using ChatGPT, and the financial milestone of passing $300k in revenue across his AI tools.

Danny Postma (@dannypostmaa) talks his rivalry with Pieter Levels, selling his AI startup, using SEO as a moat, how to be an AI first-mover, why he’s not allowed to use ChatGPT, and passing $300k in revenue with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Lane Wagner (@wagslane) talks hitting $26k/mo in revenue, why A.I.

Lane Wagner, founder of Boot.dev, joins Courtland and Channing Allen to share how he reached $26k/month in revenue after a year of zero traction. They explore why A.I. disruption is an opportunity for indie founders, the ethical line between engaging and addictive products, why most business writing falls flat, and how shrinking a product's scope can fuel growth.

Rob Walling joins Courtland and Channing Allen to discuss the launch of his new book, The SaaS Playbook, which he funded through Kickstarter. They cover the current trends in SaaS and bootstrapped startups, the mindset required for long-term indie success, and the possibility of building a community-driven crowdfunding platform for Indie Hackers. The episode also touches on Rob's journey as a serial founder and angel investor, offering practical advice for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Rob Walling (@robwalling) talks his new playbook on SaaS, why he launched on Kickstarter, the latest startup trends, how to have a winning mindset, and whether we should build a Kickstarter for Indie Hackers with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Wes Kao, co-founder of Maven, joins Courtland and Channing to discuss his journey disrupting traditional education. He shares the experience of raising $25 million and how he stays motivated as a founder. Wes explains why cohort-based courses are the gold standard of online learning, and makes a surprising connection between the science of love and finding product-founder fit.

Wes Kao (@wes_kao) talks disrupting traditional education, what it's like to raise $25M, how to stay motivated as a founder, why cohorts are the gold standard of online learning, and how to apply the science of love to product-founder fit with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Indie Hackers is no longer a part of Stripe! Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen) talk about their history at Stripe, the process of spinning out the company, and future ideas for how to generate revenue now that they're indie hackers themselves starting at $0.

Courtland and Channing Allen discuss Indie Hackers' departure from Stripe and its return to independence. They share the story of why they joined Stripe, what led to the spinout, and the challenges of starting over without revenue. The episode explores the lessons learned from being inside a large company and the new revenue experiments they're planning now that they're back to $0.

KP discusses the real value of building in public over simple transparency, explores whether AI will make no-code obsolete, shares why community organizing has been his most lucrative revenue stream, and describes his journey from a 9-to-5 job to multiple exits. The conversation offers practical insights for indie hackers weighing code vs. no-code and the power of genuine community.

KP (@thisiskp_) talks about why building in public beats mere transparency, whether AI will be the end of no-code, why he's made more money from organizing community than anything else, and how he went from a 9-to-5 job to being a founder with multiple exits with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@

Marc Lou, creator of Habits Garden, shares his journey to ramen profitability after building over 10 products in a single year. He discusses how living in Bali with a private chef dramatically reduced his living costs and allowed him to focus on building and marketing side projects. Marc details unconventional marketing tactics, including escape rooms and first date ideas, to grow his audience on Twitter and his habit tracking app. This episode offers practical insights for indie hackers on rapid experimentation and keeping costs low while pursuing product-market fit.

Marc Lou (@marc_louvion) talks living in Bali with a private chef, monetizing habit trackers, first date ideas, growing on Twitter, and building over 10 products in a year to finally reach ramen profitability with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Stas Kulesh joins Courtland and Channing to share his journey building Karma, a SaaS business, while embracing the digital nomad lifestyle. He discusses why building internal tools is a powerful hack for startups, the decade-long process of truly understanding a new country, and the often-overlooked challenges of enterprise sales. The conversation highlights the slow, steady growth of Karma to over $40,000 in monthly recurring revenue, offering a realistic perspective on bootstrapped success.

Stas Kulesh (@stas_kulesh) talks about building internal tools as a great hack, why it takes 10 years to understand a new country, the challenging secret of enterprise sales, and slowly growing a SaaS business to $40k/month with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Shaan Puri and Ben Levy join Courtland and Channing Allen to discuss building and selling their crypto newsletter The Milk Road for millions in under a year. They share lessons on choosing the right business idea, creative monetization tactics, and growing a newsletter audience. The conversation also touches on Shaan's 'big boy vs small boy' framework for prioritizing high-leverage work over trivial tasks, as well as strategies for making friends as an adult.

Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) and Ben Levy (@benmlevy) talk making it big as a content creator, choosing the right business idea, creative ways to monetize, big boy vs small boy stuff, making friends as an adult, growing a newsletter brand, and exiting for millions in under a year with Courtland (@csallen)

Josh Ho (@jlogic) talks raising kids, automating word-of-mouth growth, bouncing back from a previous failed business, and bootstrapping beyond $2M in annual revenue with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Josh Ho, founder of Referral Rock, joins Courtland and Channing Allen to share how he bounced back from a failed business to build a bootstrapped SaaS company generating over $2M in annual revenue. The conversation covers automating word-of-mouth growth, the lessons learned from previous venture collapse, and the personal challenge of raising kids while bootstrapping.

Yahia Bakour shared his journey from a $250,000 Amazon salary to building Stock Alarm, a stock alert SaaS that reached $20,000 MRR. He discussed the challenges of quitting, joining as a late cofounder, using SEO for growth, his night owl work habits, and the bootstrapping path to profitability.

Yahia Bakour (@mynameisyahia) talks trading stocks, quitting a $250k/year job at Amazon to become an indie hacker, how to join an existing project as a late cofounder, marketing via SEO, being a night owl vs an early bird, and bootstrapping his revenue to $20k/month with Courtland (@csallen) and Cha

Justin Welsh shares how he built a $3M solo business in three years, covering the importance of high personal standards, launching products without coding, leveraging LinkedIn for audience growth, selling courses, and managing burnout. He discusses the mindset and strategies that allowed him to transition from startup burnout to solopreneur success. His approach emphasizes simple, execution-focused tactics that anyone with expertise can replicate.

Justin Welsh (@thejustinwelsh) talks setting a high bar for yourself, releasing products without knowing how to code, growing on social media (esp.

Mat De Sousa joins Courtland and Channing to share his journey from having million-dollar ambitions as a child to building WideBundle, a Shopify app generating $37k/month. He discusses how a string of failed startups taught him invaluable lessons about product-market fit and perseverance. The conversation covers why Shopify apps are a powerful avenue for indie hackers, a framework for finding ideas that actually work, and the slow, steady growth strategy that turned his side project into a thriving business.

Mat De Sousa (@DsMatie) talks having million-dollar ambitions as a child, learning from numerous failed startups, why Shopify apps are great for indie hackers, the proper way to find a business idea, and growing from $0 to $37k/mo in 2.5 years with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Damon Chen (@damengchen) talks failed side projects, validating your idea, charging higher prices than is comfortable, what makes for a good website testimonial, and growing a bootstrapped startup to $30k/mo with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Damon Chen shares his journey from multiple failed side projects to building Testimonial, a bootstrapped startup now generating $30,000 per month. He discusses how he validated the idea, why he charges higher prices than feels comfortable, and what makes a compelling website testimonial. The conversation covers practical lessons for indie hackers looking to turn a side project into a full-time income.

Eric Turner (@_etdev) shares how he built Japan Dev, a job board connecting foreign tech talent with companies in Japan, to $80k/month in revenue as a two-person team. He discusses the advantages of picking a narrow, underserved market, the tactics he used to grow the platform, and how his own experience living in Japan as a foreigner inspired him to become an indie hacker in the first place. Courtland Allen and Channing Allen host.

Eric Turner (@_etdev) talks living in Japan as a foreigner and visiting Japan as a tourist, finding inspiration to start as an indie hacker, picking a lucrative market, and shares some tips growing a job board with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Laura Roeder shares her journey from founding an SEO-driven social media training company to selling it for millions, and now building Paperbell, a platform for life coaches, with a focus on designing a business that fits the lifestyle she wants. She discusses using content marketing and SEO as early growth levers, the lessons learned from multiple startups, and the importance of aligning a business with personal goals rather than chasing growth at all costs.

Laura Roeder (@lkr) talks life coaching, starting multiple successful businesses (and selling one for millions), early growth via SEO, and designing a company to align with your lifestyle with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Marko Saric (@markosaric) talks living in Brussels, things he learned working in marketing, joining an existing project as a late co-founder, succeeding on Hacker News, surviving against a behemoth competitor, and learnings from bootstrapping an open-source project to over $1.2M in annual revenue wi

Marko Saric, co-founder of Plausible Analytics, shares how he grew an open-source website analytics tool to over $1.2 million in annual revenue. He talks about joining the project after it started, launching on Hacker News, and competing with massive incumbents like Google Analytics.

Kapil Kale (@kapil) talks AI-generated art, going through YC, buying out his investors to own 100% of the company, pivoting from an okay idea to a great idea, and growing a profitable business to 8-figures in annual revenue with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Kapil Kale, co-founder of Tremendous, joins Courtland and Channing Allen to share how he pivoted from an initial startup idea through Y Combinator to build a gift card platform that generates over $10 million in annual revenue. He explains the decision to buy out his investors to own 100% of the company and the advantages of self-funding. The conversation covers his YC experience and the key lessons that helped him identify a much bigger opportunity in the gift card space.

Tony Dinh shares his journey from growing up in Vietnam to becoming a full-time indie hacker generating $18,000/month across multiple products. He discusses leaving a corporate job, learning from many failed side projects, and building an audience on Twitter that helped launch his successes. The conversation covers how he manages a portfolio of small products, prioritizes his time, and balances risk through diversification.

Tony Dinh (@tdinh_me) talks growing up in Vietnam, quitting his job working for the man, failed vs successful side projects, growing via Twitter, and managing multiple projects that add up to $18,000 in monthly revenue with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Liron Shapira (@liron) talks relationship and dating advice, building a coaching business, marketing via Facebook groups, and growing his revenue to millions of dollars with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Liron Shapira, founder of Relationship Hero, joins Courtland and Channing Allen to discuss relationship and dating advice, the business of coaching, and how he grew his company to millions in revenue. He shares insights on marketing through Facebook groups and building a remote coaching team.

Dashiell Bark-Huss joins Courtland and Channing Allen to share her journey from quitting the fashion industry to building WishTender, a platform for content creators. She discusses living in a van while learning to code, tapping into the underserved market of sex workers, using lucid dreaming for problem-solving, and growing her startup to $36k/month in its first year.

Dashiell Bark-Huss (@DashBarkHuss) talks quitting the fashion industry, living in a van, learning to code, selling to sex workers, lucid dreaming, and growing her first-ever startup to $36k/mo with Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen).

Patrick Campbell shares the story of bootstrapping ProfitWell to a $200M exit, the unexpected 'champagne problems' that followed, and advice for indie hackers looking to accelerate their own journeys.

We're talking to Patrick Campbell, an indie founder who just sold his company for $200,000,000. That's an insane nine figure exit for a bootstrapped founder.

Indie Hackers hosts Courtland and Channing Allen are joined by Sahil Lavingia and Justin Jackson for a debate about Elon Musk, billionaires, and ethics. The group questions whether Musk is a positive role model for entrepreneurs, explores the moral weight of extreme wealth, and discusses the line between admiring accomplishments and endorsing a person's character. The conversation connects these themes to the indie hacker community's values around ethical entrepreneurship.

Sahil Lavingia (@shl) and Justin Jackson (@mijustin) join Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen) for a special debate-style episode. It's four dudes talking about Elon Musk. What could go wrong? Follow Sahil on Twitter: out Gumroad: Justin on Twitter: out Transistor.fm:

Vincent Woo (@fulligin) sold his company for tens of millions of dollars.

Vincent Woo, who sold his company Coderpad for tens of millions, joins Courtland and Channing Allen to share advice for indie hackers on making money, the purpose of business, and defining personal principles. The episode also features a humorous debate about a $10,000 bet Woo lost and whether he should have to pay.

Arvid Kahl and Daniel Vassallo, both successful indie hackers, join Courtland and Channing to share lessons from their journeys. They discuss the financial and lifestyle rewards of bootstrapping, including building wealth without venture capital. The conversation covers life design after reaching financial freedom, strategies for managing risk as a solo founder, protecting income from inflation, and whether college remains a worthwhile investment for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Daniel Vassallo (@dvassallo) and Arvid Kahl (@arvidkahl) have both already made it as indie hackers.

Long-time listener, first-time guest — Courtland (@csallen) and Channing's (@ChanningAllen) mom, Eva, joins the pod to talk raising twins, buying gifts, selling computer parts, co-founder theft, an Indie Hackers quiz for moms, and why you should never retire.

Eva Allen, mother of Indie Hackers host Courtland Allen and his twin brother Channing, makes her first appearance on the podcast. The conversation spans a range of personal and entrepreneurial topics: raising twins, dealing with untrustworthy business partners, selling computer parts as a side hustle, and her philosophy that retirement should be avoided because work provides essential purpose and fulfillment. The episode closes with a playful Indie Hackers-themed quiz designed for moms.

I'm making some changes to the Indie Hackers Podcast. Check out this episode for a sneak peek into what's ahead.

Courtland Allen announces major changes to the Indie Hackers Podcast. The show is adding a new co-host and heading in a fresh direction after hundreds of episodes. This short teaser episode gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the decision and what to expect going forward.

Julian Shapiro is back on the show today. He's been my co-host for our podcast Brains, he's an investor at Julian.capital and a writer at Julian.com. Lately, he's been super into investing.

Julian Shapiro returns to the show to discuss ways to make money in tech, drawing on his roles as an investor, writer, and podcaster. He shares how he reverse-engineers the complexity of investing, breaking it down into simple, actionable frameworks. The conversation distills his personal philosophy for making better financial decisions without getting lost in the noise.

My twin brother Channing (@ChanningAllen) joins the show for the first time, for a casual chat about our recent trip to Italy, the best and worst parts of getting COVID, the future of media companies and indie creators, and DALL-E 2 and the future of AI.

Courtland Allen chats with his twin brother Channing, co-founder of Indie Hackers, about their recent trip to Italy, getting COVID, the future of media and indie creators, and DALL-E 2's implications for AI and creativity.

Sam Eaton built Crave Cookie, a cookie delivery business that leveraged custom code to scale to $200,000/month in revenue. This throwback episode, recorded early in the pandemic, explores how a software-enabled approach transformed a traditional food business.

When Sam Eaton hears a new idea, it's all he can do to contain his excitement and dive right into the code. So when his sister told him she wanted to start a cookie delivery business, there was never any question that he'd apply his indie hacker skills to help out however he could.

Peldi Guilizzoni read twenty pages of a business book and decided entrepreneurship was insane—only to build Balsamiq Mockups, a bootstrapped wireframing tool that would grow to over $6M in annual revenue and dozens of employees. Over a decade later, the company remains independent and profitable by focusing on steady growth, customer loyalty, and a deliberately limited product. This episode explores his rejection of venture capital, the power of constrained design, and how he built a business meant to last on his own terms.

Brett Williams, founder of DesignJoy, shares how he built a productized design service to $1M in annual recurring revenue as a solo founder. He discusses managing over 50 clients simultaneously without a team, and the pricing strategy that allowed him to 10x his rates. The conversation covers the systems and mindset required to scale a service business beyond the typical freelance ceiling.

Dru Riley of Trends.vc and Greg Isenberg of Late Checkout join Courtland to share their approaches to generating content ideas, building sticky community products, maintaining productive daily habits, and spotting new business opportunities, including the growing need for crypto literacy among indie hackers.

Ravi Mehta and Victoria Young share how they built Scale Higher, a professional coaching platform. They discuss the challenges of scaling a one-on-one service. They explore who benefits most from professional coaching. They draw inspiration from platforms like Noom and TalkSpace to make coaching more accessible.

Steph Smith, who runs Trends.co, joined Courtland to discuss how she grew her podcast from 0 to 15,000 downloads per month. She took a unique approach to launching the show, which she detailed in a popular Indie Hackers post. The conversation covered her strategies for content creation, audience building, and the lessons she's learned from her work at Trends.co.