Category: Blog

Brian and Jordan are back behind the mic for the second week in a row. Today they’re focusing on bugs over customers, or should it be the other way around? After some project and business updates, they talk about the early stages of development and launch for a new product. How do you decide if this new project is worth it? How do you find people who are as excited about it as you are? 

If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave a message for Brian and Jordan on their ZipMessage account at https://zipmessage.com/bootstrappedweb.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Project and business updates: marketing, development, and not moving fast enough
• Talking with partners and agencies versus potential customers
• Taking a position and what that means for a business
• How to decide whether a project or a product is worth the time?
• The Catch-22 of starting and growing a new business
• How to evaluate a “head-of-growth” expert
• Pivotal moments in ZipMessage and secret projects
• Growth hacks for ZipMessage

Resources:

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI 

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook  

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes. 

Brian and Jordan are back with big news about both of their newest projects. Today they’re doing a deep dive into some of the mental struggles when you start something new. Some touchy-feely topics, some logistics, and back to touchy-feely topics: a typical Bootstrapped Web episode. If you have any questions, comments, or topic ideas for Bootstrapped Web, leave a message for Brian and Jordan on their ZipMessage account at https://zipmessage.com/bootstrappedweb.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Updates on Jordan’s secret product
• Feeling down and (surprising) external motivators
• What founders do and the meaning of being a founder
• The importance of compliments and empathy
• Updates, changes, and uses for ZipMessage
• Framework and patterns in successful niche SaaS products
  • Three-phase process: enter, lean-in, all-in

Resources

ZipMessage

New! zipmessage.com/bootstrappedweb

Productize 

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Brian and Jordan are back before Brian leaves to scratch his travel itch. Today, they are talking about the things they can control (launching ZipMessage and Jordan’s new company), while also touching on a couple things they can’t control (vaccines and concerts). They also spend a little time talking about Josh Pigford’s amazing public journey, from exiting Baremetrics to starting his own company for modern financial planning & wealth management. How do you handle your professional persona? Are you an open book on your social media accounts? Are you strategic about what you post? Brian and Jordan discuss Josh’s strategic and surprisingly open discussions on Twitter and how they differ in their social media personas.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• The roller coaster of ZipMessage onboarding
• Finalizing copy and launching landing pages
• Audience Ops team changes and transitions
• The vision at Audience Ops
• Expectations, emotions, and performative reactions during Monday morning calls
• The importance of understanding the “Why”
• Josh Pigford’s exit from Baremetrics and his professional trajectory…in public
• Angel investing and asking for money

Resources

Maybe.co

Josh Pigford’s Twitter

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI

Productize

AudienceOps

ProcessKit

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Will this be the week that Jordan finally gets to talk about crypto? In this episode of Bootstrapped Web, Brian and Jordan give us some updates on their businesses. Is Brian running late with ZipMessage? What has been going on behind the scenes of Jordan’s secret project? They also talk indepth about discipline and productivity. Do working sessions help? When is it better to work alone? What tools do you use to hold yourself (and others) accountable?

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Progress with ZipMessage
• Jordan’s three different profiles of potential partners he is looking to next
• The outreach plan for Jordan’s secret project
• Brian’s mental deadlines: Is ZipMessage falling behind?
• Know Thyself: a lack of discipline around productivity
  • Working sessions vs working alone
  • Tiny little dependencies that get overwhelming
  • Creative-Technical-Designer-Founder-Entrepreneur deep work sessions
• Personal and professional goals
• Why things are happening a certain way and why things feel inevitable
  • Building toward that inevitability (but not too early)

Resources

Todoist

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI

Productize

AudienceOps

ProcessKit

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

This is two weeks in a row for Brian and Jordan. In today’s episode they’re talking about new toys and tools, Twitter drama, and business talk, specifically Jordan’s newest team member and Brian’s newest product. April 5th is going to be a big week for both Brian and Jordan when it comes to business news.  They also successfully avoid having Jordan talk about crypto for another episode. How long will they be able to go without talking about it?

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Regulation crowdfunding ceilings
• SaaS and tech people and temperaments on Twitter
• Updates on ZipMessage
  • Nine simple reasons why Brian loves and is launching ZipMessage
  • It’s sharable and boastable
  • Brainstorming ideas for a viral launch
• Arrows.to’s launch strategy
• Jordan’s new chief-of-staff started, which has led to a productive week
  • Easier to do things when you’re being held accountable
  • Writing content, then handing it over to a copyeditor to tighten the drafts
  • Rearranging the sequence of rollout

Resources

ZipMessage

SunriseKPI

Productize

AudienceOps

ProcessKit

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Officially a year after the pandemic started, Brian and Jordan do a bit of reminiscing and chatting about vaccine news before diving into updates about work. Not to mention, Jordan gets his first real haircut of the year.

On the business front, things are moving (slow and steady) for Brian. ProcessKit has accumulated a decent amount of data which means that he can start making data-driven decisions for the business. While ZipMessage is still new and in the early stages of the process. Jordan talks about the change in his mindset from Carthook to his new project. Meanwhile, Brian talks about delegating tasks, what it means to “hire to collaborate,” and the things he’s doing in order to build his rhythm with ProcessKit and see progress.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• The shift in temperance about the ongoing pandemic
  • Vaccines and vacations
• Changing your mindset: going from bootstrap to VC
  • How that affects your appetite for risk
• Delegating tasks to people now and hiring to collaborate
  • Hiring freelancers
  • Finding talented people who don’t want to be full time employees
  • Stories (success and otherwise) with freelancers
• New trends with sales since Jordan started Carthook
  • What do you do with marketing, prelaunch?
• ProcessKit updates
  • In-app onboarding flow is helping self-conversion
  • Is patience the key?
  • Home page content about customer on-boarding and niches
  • Testing headlines and swapping out pages to test data and changes in customer trends
  • The possibility of launching a new version versus launching new features

Resources

ZipMessage

ProcessKit

AudienceOps

Productize

SunriseKPI

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Today, Brian and Jordan are talking about what it’s like in no man’s land and their struggles with imposter’s syndrome. Brian shares more details about his newest venture. Jordan talks about his need for structure. They do a deep dive into the launch process and various launch strategies as well as updates on their various projects, their opinions on Clubhouse, and how they avoid feeling overwhelmed with new ideas.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Launching a brand new product… with no product yet
• What to do when you’re in no man’s land:
  • Jordan’s three goals each week
• How Brian uses the Day One app
• Zipmessage updates
• Launch strategies
• Content and web copy versus product
  • Does nobody read anymore?
  • What format works?
• Clubhouse and Twitter
  • The “I’d rather do X” conundrum
  • Live broadcasts
• Jordan’s new chief-of-staff
• AudienceOps updates
  • Delegating duties

Resources

Day One

ZipMessage

ProcessKit

AudienceOps

Productize

SunriseKPI

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Brian and Jordan are back after a short break. Today’s topics involve new developments with Brian, Twitter conversations, and market research for new and current projects. Brian gives us a sneak peak into a new project. Jordan brings his opinions on Twitter and how companies are using their social media profiles for marketing. They briefly talk about the pros and cons of Clubhouse. Lastly they dive into networking and e-commerce.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Zipmessage: sharable conversation pages
  • Intention, goals, and vision for this new product
  • Different landing pages for different niches
  • Risk and innovation
  • Figuring out pricing
    • Price based on usage
• Clubhouse
  • Waiting for value
  • Tuning in during the workday or after
  • Live versus podcasts and recorded media
• Ruben Gamez’ Twitter conversation about personal brands and bragging on Twitter
  • The dangers of Twitter
• Networking and ecommerce
  • Reaching out past your comfort zone
  • “Not knowing what you don’t know” when it comes to untapped opportunities outside your field of vision

Resources

ZipMessage

Ruben Gamez’ Twitter Convo

ProcessKit

AudienceOps

Productize

SunriseKPI

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Brian and Jordan are back after a bit of a hiatus. Today they’re trying a different format change as each takes center stage for half of the show so they can better update everyone on their progress since the new year started. And what a new year it’s been so far: finishing off some old chapters and starting new ones, and the journey in between.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Jordan’s updates and topics:
  • The sixth year anniversary of the incorporation of Carthook
  • Stepping down as the CEO of Carthook
  • “The big exit” as the goal for an entrepreneur
  • The skills needed for a “new” CEO
  • The transition out of the CEO position
• Starting secret projects and “The Mystery SaaS”
• Brian’s updates and topics:
  • Thready launch
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Taking a break to reassess goals and to reflect

Resources

Tailwind CSS

Thready

ProcessKit

AudienceOps

Productize

SunriseKPI

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.

Brian and Jordan are rounding out 2020 by looking back and looking into the future. Brian talks about taking a break for the next couple weeks, ProcessKit updates, and looking back to see what he was wrong about when thinking about 2020. Jordan talks about a couple podcasts he was a part of, fun holiday parties, and minimizing risks of wasting hours. They also go over some final thoughts about the holidays, and what they plan on doing on their vacation.

Here are today’s conversation points:

• Taking a break and the importance of stepping away
  • What is burnout?
  • Macro versus micro expectations for ourselves
• Podcasts that Jordan has been a part of lately (Greylock, Better Done Than Perfect)
• Looking back on 2020
• What happens in ‘21?
• ProcessKit updates: onboarding flow, new home pages, etc.
• Holiday parties (and possibly monthly happy hours) using GatherTown
• The process for validating products

Resources:

Greylock (Greymatter): “Mike Duboe | The Rise of Headless Commerce”

Better Done Than Perfect: Radical Onboarding Experiments with Jordan Gal

Better Done Than Perfect: Launch Lessons & Product Surveys with Rand Fishkin

Gather.town

SunriseKPI

Productize

Audience Ops

ProcessKit  

Carthook 

As always, thanks for tuning in. Head here to leave a review on iTunes.