Podcasts for Bootstrappers

Waiting for the Caltrain twice a day was getting repetitive and I needed something to keep me busy. My last on-site contract was in Palo Alto, which meant a 1.5 hour commute by light rail and train. Why not try listening to a podcast? And then I was hooked.

Product People

Want to launch a product? Learn from product authors who have done it before. Hosted by Justin Jackson and Kyle Fox, Product People interviews people who make their living building beautiful products.

Each interview is split into two digestible episodes. The first is a life story and the second has actionable tips.

I cannot recommend this podcast enough. Their show consistently features prominent product bootstrappers with great advice:

• Patrick McKenzie (Part 1, Part 2)
• Sacha Greif (Part 1, Part 2)
• Rob Walling (Part 1, Part 2)
• Brennan Dunn (Part 1, Part 2)
• Jason Fried (Play)
• Nathan Barry (Part 1, Part 2)

Kalzumeus Podcast

Quality over quantity. That's what comes to mind when I think of Patrick McKenzie and Keith Perhac's Kalzumeus Podcast.

If you're on Hacker News, you probably know Patrick McKenzie by his handle — patio11. Actually, he probably replied to one of your comments on HN.

Topics include pricing, business, marketing, products, consulting, and more. Here were my favorite episodes — practically all of them:

• Amy Hoy: Pricing, Product, And Passion
• Brennan Dunn: Growing Consulting Practices
• Ramit Sethi: Getting Your First Consulting Client
• Ramit Sethi: Why Your Customers Would Be Happier If You Charged More

Startups for the Rest of Us

Rob Walling and Mike Taber have over one hundred episodes worth of tips for launching software products over at Startups for the Rest of Us.

They're both expert micropreneurs — each has their own personal conglomerate of products ranging from auditing software to a wedding website builder.

Both hosts also built their personal conglomerates via bootstrapping. They started out doing consulting work and slowly transitioned into launching products. Listen to their stories:

• How Mike Taber Left His Job
• How Rob Walling Left His Job

Start Small, Stay Small

Start Small, Stay Small isn't a podcast. It's an ebook/audiobook for developers who want to launch profitable software businesses.

Written and narrated by Rob Walling, this audiobook covers:

1. What's a micropreneur and what's bootstrapping?
2. How to effectively use niches to your advantage.
3. How to make a sales website.
4. How to market a niche product.
5. How to outsource to give yourself more time.

TechZing Podcast

TechZing is an informal chat show for hackers — with hosts Justin Vincent and Jason Roberts.

This show isn't specific to bootstrappers, but they have several interesting episodes:

• Patrick McKenzie: The Long Tail of Optimization
• Amy Hoy: How to Build a Product Empire
• Amy Hoy and Patrick McKenzie: Audiences, SEO, and Design
• Rob Walling: How to Dramatically Increase Your Odds
• Rob Walling: Success with HitTail
• Ruben Gamez: Lessons Learned Building Bidsketch
• Peldi Guilizzoni: Balsamiq
• Ted Pitts and Harry Hollander: Bootstrapping Moraware
• Corey Maass: Bootstrapping The Birdy
• Pete Michaud: Retired at 25

The Business of Freelancing Podcast

What does freelancing have to do with bootstrapping? Freelancing/consulting is a common strategy used for income while bootstrapping a product.

The Business of Freelancing Podcast by Brennan Dunn (and up until recently Eric Davis) is packed with business techniques and tips. Both hosts have used freelancing/consulting as their main source of income while they launched ebooks and a SaaS product.

Be sure to check out:

• Episode 3: Pricing Methods
• Episode 4: Nathan Barry
• Episode 5: Content Marketing
• Episode 7: Obie Fernandez

At the end of the day, your product launch won't happen by listening to podcasts. These podcast hosts and interviewees give terrific and actionable advise. It's your job to execute. Good luck!