The Modest Product Podcast

0:30 - Steven reports in on the job search.6:45 - Musings about why the job market is why it is right now.14:35 - Where DO product ideas come from, anyway?17:50 - We're all so very tired, and just don't have the spoons.18:50 - Dan did indeed release Teams last week!  And more info about upcoming plans.24:00 - Dan's thinks he's going to make a game in August.  But why?26:15 - The viability of doing "alternate weeks" for product/marketing when you're burnt out and/or busy.29:20 - A complicating factor...

0:20 - On getting back into exercising, and the perils that come with.5:20 - Jobs, jobs, everywhere!11:10 - The much-awaited kombucha update.18:30 - Vaccination celebration!30:00 - The Nodewood Teams release is live!36:25 - Podcast recommendation: Slow & SteadyLinks:- https://www.slowandsteadypodcast.com/- https://userlist.com/- https://www.usepow.app/- https://brianrhea.com/

0:20 - Dan gets on a Soapbox about Amazon propagandizing to children.8:50 - Making sacrifices to stick to your principles.13:10 - Dan talks about his plans for the first version of the Nodewood production deploy system.17:20 - Dan gets some good news and gives updates for the final push towards the next release of Nodewood.23:25 - Steven reports in about his journey into machine learning and data science!25:50 - The trials and tribulations of making kombucha.40:40 - Podcast Shoutout: FounderQuestLinks:- https://www.pulumi.com/- https://www.founderquestpodcast.com/- https://www.honeybadger.io/

0:30 - Dan is way too easily influenced by videogames.5:20 - Trying out a new schedule, to try to improve productivity.11:00 - A little bit of a Nodewood progress report.14:25 - Steven has been planning for the summer and rebuilding his personal site.18:50 - Should you take the "published at" date off of articles?24:45 - The temptation to turn hobbies into side hustles and why it happens.55:05 - Podcast shoutout.Links- Steven's personal site: https://stevenabadie.com/- The Art of Product podcast: https://artofproductpodcast.com/- Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots: https://www.giantrobots.fm/

0:30 - "Almost Post-COVID"1:50 - Building an AI portfolio and finding good data11:48 - Nodewood Teams progress and scope creep15:13 - Taxes and VAT in particular31:10 - We introduce our email address!  hello@modprodpod.com31:50 - Podcast shout-out: https://softwaresocial.dev/

0:30 - We're back!2:30 - Browse Me Later goes on hold indefinitely.8:20 - Machine Learning involves a whole bunch of math, it turns out!13:30 - Finding data science portfolio projects.19:35 - The ins and outs of building a modern AI portfolio site.24:00 - Dan talks a bit about burnout, recovery, and everything in the way.26:50 - Business ideas via Shower Thoughts.33:33 - A recap of The Basecamp Situation.38:50 - Bill & Ted talk about Basecamp.  (This gets political.)53:00 - We cannot help but talk about why "no politics at work" is awful.59:20 - How "no politics" kills diversity and why this matters.1:05:10 - Some news about our plans for episode releases going forward.Links:- https://www.kaggle.com/- https://latex-project.org- https://katex.org- https://notion.so- https://www.reform.app/- https://usesummit.com/- https://stackingthebricks.com/- https://softwaresocial.dev/

0:20 - A break from the break!1:50 - Steven introduces his hydroponics inventory control SaaS idea4:50 - Problem #1: Distribution7:15 - Problem #2: Custom development8:30 - Problem #3: Significant setup & support11:00 - Problem #4: Market not ready for off-the-shelf software16:05 - Some clarifications on scope and distribution18:45 - Problem #5: Too early to build as a solo founder, would need a team to market & grow21:00 - Dan introduces his apartment buzzer password service23:30 - Problem #1: Can't dogfood it anymore!24:00 - Problem #2: It's a B2C product24:40 - Problem #3: Downtime is CATASTROPHIC.28:50 - Problem #4: May not provide enough value to convince people to pay for it.34:00 - Wrap-up!

We're taking a short break!  As we evaluate new business ideas, we wanted to give those ideas some room to breathe without trying to force them into easily-digestible podcast bites each week.  We hope to be back in early May with fresh ideas, topics, and conversation!

0:50 - A change to the format to the show.6:35 - The merits of rye vs bourbon.9:00 - Steven talks about potential next steps involving WordPress.26:10 - Google not prioritizing AMP sites anymore?31:40 - How to reach your target market?35:25 - A bet is made about the Ever Given.36:00 - Steven takes a drastic step.40:10 - We talk about the brand-new album from Genghis Tron and our... unique music tastes.48:05  - A few final notes on the new format for the show.

2:30 - Steven's experimenting with AWS AppSync.6:08 - Oh, God, DST.  Really makes sending Browse Me Later emails at a specific time kinda tricky...13:30 - We talk about why we haven't written any blog posts in a while and how we plan on fixing that.15:55 - Microconf Remote!17:15 - Tax season is upon us again.19:00 - Dan's just takin 'er easy and trying to dodge burnout.20:35 - An accidental refund.  =(22:45 - Dan went on the MegaMaker Jam!  An interesting framework to help pick a product.27:40 - Twitter Spaces, and on the virtues of audio-only networking.30:30 - More on picking products.Episode links:- What Should I Build?

0:30 - Snowstorms and changing climates5:00 - A bit of vindication about working with Nodewood9:25 - The joys of fiber internet13:15 - Steven's making great progress on Browse Me Later, and we talk about regular expressions for a bunch19:30 - Talking about alpha plans for Browse Me Later22:15 - Restarting marketing for Browse Me Later

0:35 - Dan unveils I Paid The Most!1:50 - We explain, and then rip on, NFTs8:40 - The history of I Paid The Most, and how it's being built.12:13 - What's next for Nodewood, and for Dan?19:25 - Steven's hitting his stride!21:15 - Concerns about scaling in AWS and preventing abuse.30:30 - Steven's plans for an alpha for Browse Me Later.31:20 - Talking about attending Microconf Remote, and if their latest attempt to make up for in-person socializing will work.39:55 - Zapier buys MakerPad, and the future of NoCode.

0:30 - Dan is going very fast!3:50 - Steven is exploring other ideas, and thoughts on starting with marketing vs. starting with sales.14:44 - Steven's been going to Gatsbyconf, and what makes for a good virtual conference.17:05 - Tweetdeck, and how to get the most out of Twitter.23:00 - Nodewood 0.16.0 is out!  And so is 0.16.1!  There's a story here...25:15 - You win some, you lose some, and thoughts about how and why to keep in contact with customers to lower churn.38:40 - Rejected from TinyAds?41:00 - Tales of home-made jerky, and other wonderful smells.Links:- Julian Shapiro's tweet about how to cleverly use Twitter

0:40 - The trouble with virtual conferences15:50 - Learning Lambda at AWS19:45 - "Simple" Email Service at AWS24:40 - Hot, hot, hot module reloading!30:15 - TinyAds... Remember webrings?32:50 - Software Ideas and Dan's Next Big Thing38:10 - Little improvements to Nodewood41:40 - Oh no, Daft Punk!44:45 - Perseverance... persevered!

0:37 - Speeding up Docker on MacOS6:56 - Dan completely misses a joke about Canonical being creepy in the news9:13 - Another nice milestone for Nodewood!10:57 - Considering Referrals & Affiliates for Nodewood13:00 - New Years Resolutions and Goal Setting22:22 - Roadblocks in the path of Browse Me Later24:49 - When does it make sense to start/stop pre-marketing?34:33 - Off-topic: weird SEO results36:00 - Perseverance!

0:45 - We talk about videogames for a bit, specifically Valheim, where you get to be a viking.6:45 - Steven wants to make all your decisions for you!9:00 - Figuring out how to figure out how links should work.13:55 - Chrome's browser extension development docs need some love.16:10 - We debate what the primary interaction for Browse Me Later should look like.20:05 - Nodewood is in open beta!  Now how to market it...?22:10 - Musing on people who don't want to pay any money at all.26:00 - Dan spills the beans on what he MIGHT be working on next.31:34 - Dan spills the beans on what he WON'T be working on next.36:28 - What's next for Nodewood - probably a lot of SEO, honestly.39:03 - Maybe app marketplaces are the next big thing?

0:30 - Introducing our special guest, Lesley Sim of Newsletter Glue!4:38 - Talking about Newsletter Glue's pro service launch.9:16 - How Lesley got started building in the WordPress community.10:00 - Is modern WordPress better to develop in than it used to be?18:55 - Balancing a lot of work on a little energy.21:13 - "So what are you guys doing for marketing?"24:00 - Post-launch feelings and dealing with The January Blahs.31:20 - What's next for Newsletter Glue?34:35 - How paid newsletters are changing the monetization landscape for websites.39:40 - Inbox as ToDo list.

0:45 - Minecraft with nuclear reactors, and Factorio games?4:45 - Nodewood updates, balanced with new day job.7:35 - A Nodewood sale, and simple customer lifecycle management.17:50 - Steven's focus? New landing page complete!  Setting up blog to improve SEO.20:40 - Tackling email, and a critical AWS SES tip.23:49 - Is it even possible to avoid Amazon?26:45 - Contracting is a LOT of work.  Is a full-time job easier to manage while working on a side-project?

0:35 - We wanna go back outside. =(2:20 - Steven is refining his target market segment and messaging.9:20 - Derrick Reimer, and a masterclass in messaging.17:40 - The day job(s) get in the way of Nodewood.19:00 - Recording videos for Nodewood marketing.23:00 - Falling into the trap of A/B testing & personalization.26:40 - Planning Nodewood's future based on users and critical features.

0:40 - The coup, how it affected us, and how big effects SHOULD affect us.9:10 - Focusing on speed or learning when building Browse Me Later?14:00 - Wrapping & Alternatives to AWS Services.19:05 - On Pivoting and Inspiration.20:10 - Making those Etsy sales!23:30 - Nodewood competitor analysis & the trouble with recording explainer videos.

0:40 - Nodewood soft launch, part 11:50 - Reconsidering how we use the internet5:45 - The Tale of Bean Dad10:15 - On writing more, or more deliberately21:20 - Browse Me Later updates and plans24:10 - Nodewood soft launch, part 231:00 - Nodewood roadmap: more marketing & Teams35:00 - Oh hey, we launched a podcast!

0:40 - Dan is changing everything... about Nodewood's documentation, at least5:30 - Video tutorials vs text tutorials9:50 - Getting ready for Nodewood open beta12:30 - Nodewood pricing14:35 - Annual vs Monthly pricing17:00 - Post-trial save emails & customer loyalty20:00 - Steven needs sleep, and here's why23:00 - Upcoming plans for Browse Me Later24:00 - The trials and tribulations when sending email38:00 - Transactional email - are they secretly sales emails?Links mentioned in the show:https://www.litmus.com/

0:30 - Steven is undecided4:10 - Can you ask for feedback too early?8:45 - The definition of success10:00 - Privacy-focused products14:50 - Bring back webrings!17:00 - Dan is blowing things up19:55 - Planning upgrade paths for Nodewood25:10 - Refactoring Nodewood's documentation34:00 - Mangool's SEO Suite & SEO as a tactic42:20 - Stolen blog contentLinks mentioned in the show:https://mangools.com/

0:40 - The Benefits of Journaling and Not Burning Out6:00 - Dealing with Late Nights9:40 - Finishing up Nodewood Documentation12:50 - Adding support for Tailwind prefixes & tribulations with Tailwind 2.018:10 - Cleaning up Nodewood's rough edges20:50 - Getting Feedback on Browse Me Later without sounding too "sales-ey"37:00 - Comparing yourself & pacing yourself39:30 - The motivation behind Browse Me Later41:20 - On the merits of frameworks45:30 - Working on the back-end of Browse Me Later48:20 - Why have mobile apps?56:00 - Pricing Browse Me Later1:01:00 - Competing Against Free1:05:45 - Sales Safari WorkshopLinks mentioned in the show:https://emailoctopus.com/https://www.reddit.com/

0:30 - Introducing Browse Me Later6:35 - Marketing to Indie Communities9:00 - Advertising and SEO Tools13:45 - Ethics in Advertising17:45 - Content Marketing24:00 - Nodewood Launch & Marketing Plans29:20 - Setting Goals & Stoic Philosophy35:05 - Nodewood Beta Progress (Windows is Haunted)38:50 - Tutorial/Introduction Videos for Nodewood46:20 - Documentation as SEO48:00 - Competing in a Large Market52:45 - Search Engine Advertising Effectiveness58:45 - More complaining about WindowsLinks mentioned in the show:https://ahrefs.com/https://keywordplanner.net/https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/https://www.sanity.io/https://clicky.comhttps://usefathom.com/https://matomo.org/

0:10 - Introduction0:25 - Nodewood feedback about Ansible3:20 - Talkin' about Docker7:20 - Production deploy changes11:10 - License changes14:25 - Adding a video to the marketing website 16:10 - Have you considered streaming?20:00 - Snowstorms and slowdown20:45 - Swingin' Consulting22:05 - Data science tools and widening scope26:00 - Be a profit centre, not a cost centre28:00 - Anyone who's succeeded has usually failed, spectacularly29:00 - The pottery thing32:45 - On how pottery is not quite like business34:00 - "Oh no, they're going to Jira it all up!" (Said about Trello.)35:50 - Being responsible to your customers and employees.37:30 - On knowing when to fold 'em.38:55 - The value being NOT changing things.40:30 - A different interpretation of moving fast and breaking things.

0:00 - Introduction0:30 - Not Necessarily Small!1:40 - Benefit Corporations2:25 - The Opposite of a Unicorn3:35 - Investment Not Necessary4:55 - Low Customer Support Burden6:55 - Outro