Release Notes: Recent Episodes
Charles Perry and Joe Cieplinski
Episode 450! Today we announce that this will be final episode of the Release Notes podcast. We talk about what led to this decision, what comes next, and we take a look at the journey we shared for the last 8+ years.
It’s the end of 2021, so today we look forward to 2022 and what we hope to achieve. Joe talks about the upcoming inflection point he faces with his current long-term contract, and Charles discusses his marketing and technical goals for the upcoming year. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content […]
Today we continue with our look at how we did living up to the goals that we set for ourselves in 2021. Last week we focused on Joe. This week it’s Charles’ chance to be in the hot seat as we evaluate his progress in 2021. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles […]
As is our tradition, today we start taking a look at how we did living up to the goals that we set for ourselves in 2021. In this episode we review Joe’s goals and get caught up on how he did this year. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Today we discuss Charles’ ad campaigns in 2021 and look forward to 2022. We talk about why RelaNet’s final advertisement in 2021 was rejected, risks that this cancellation have revealed in RelaNet’s marketing plan, and RelaNet’s advertising plan for 2022. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of […]
Today Charles takes his turn on the couch and talks to Joe about some problems he’s been dealing with. We talk about a feature update that has taken much longer than expected, how to push a contractor to make more progress, and a newly discovered issue with Charles’ e-signature tool that could be catastrophic if […]
Today we are again discussing the Apple vs Epic lawsuit. This time we talk about the recent court order that denied Apples motion to delay removal of the App Store anti-steering provisions, what Apple’s next move might be, and we read the tea leaves a bit to try to better understand how the court might […]
Charles has returned from Hawaii, so today we discuss how indies can plan ahead to have more relaxing vacations. We talk about things you can do before your vacation to minimize work interruptions, the seeming necessity of doing at least some work while on vacation and how that work can be minimized, and the inevitable […]
Today we talk about the recent Apple Event and the new line of laptops that Apple announced. We discuss the new technology in Apple’s new CPUs, the return of ports on MacBook Pros, and why Joe isn’t as thrilled with the announced changes as everyone else seems to be. Mailing List Every month there are […]
We are joined again today by Jonathan Rhyne, CEO and Co-Founder of PSPDFKit. We invited Jonathan on the show again because PSPDFKit just raised its first round of funding. Today Jonathan continues addressing the question Charles and Joe were both asking: “Why take funding now, after so many years of bootstrapping?” Mailing List Every month […]
We are joined today by Jonathan Rhyne, CEO and Co-Founder of PSPDFKit. We invited Jonathan on the show again because PSPDFKit just raised its first round of funding. Jonathan gives us an overview of the company, and then he starts to answer the question Charles and Joe were both asking: “Why take funding now, after […]
In this episode Charles shares the story of how he can’t get Apple to quit sending him money. Charles hasn’t had an app available in the iOS App Store for years, and yet he hasn’t found the magic incantation that is required to cancel all auto-renewing subscriptions. Until today that is. (Maybe.) Mailing List Every […]
Today we catch up on the goings on in our businesses. Joe talks about dumping the Apple Card and selecting a new credit card, we discuss the differences between personal and business credit cards, and then Charles shares the story of a customer that he fired after only one day. Mailing List Every month there […]
Today we look at the recent settlement between Apple and the Japanese Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) that will allow so called “reader apps” in the App Store to direct their customers to outside payment methods. We talk about what exactly has been announced about the settlement, and then we read between the lines to try […]
Today we’re talking about the recent Apple event, and the hardware that was introduced. We discuss the trouble that Joe ran into ordering his new iPhone, all the new hardware that was announced, and which iPhone Charles is going to order this year. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Today we talk about a grab bag of issues that have been on our mind. Joe talks about a tax problem that he’s run into, Charles shares a nice resource for writing checks, and then we talk about the importance of getting away and disconnecting on vacation. Mailing List Every month there are more great […]
Joe attended a conference! Live and in-person! So today Charles talks to Joe about his time attending 360iDev in Denver. We find out what it was like attending an in-person conference in the midst of a pandemic, hear about some of the talks that were presented (including his own keynote), and get his thoughts on […]
Today we continue the discussion about website design that we began last week. We talk about how to select great fonts for your website, being careful with contrast, and some considerations to keep in mind when looking at stock photography for your website. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Today we’re talking about design, specifically website design. We start with an brief introduction to color theory and talk about tools that can be used to help you choose color schemes that look great. Then we shift gears to discuss logos, and talk about the importance of creating different versions and formats of the same […]
Today we talk about the latest fuss to overtake our technology community: 1Password and its decision to use Electron for the next version of its password manager rather than native technologies. We discuss the background of the change, why people are upset, and why this is probably the right move for 1Password despite the controversy. […]
Today we’re joined by John Wilker, organizer of 360iDev, to continue last week’s discussion about conferences. John tells us what we got right and wrong in last week’s episode, he shares his first-hand experience of what it’s like to run a conference in the midst of the pandemic, and he reflects on how the iOS […]
Even if we can’t attend in-person conferences these days, we can at least talk about them. So today we talk about the conference outlook for the rest of 2021—at least as we see it. We share our thoughts on travel, attending in-person conferences, when we think we’ll be attending conferences again, and how the few […]
Today we talk about some of the “strong opinions” that exist surrounding the changes that have been made to Safari in the current betas of iOS and MacOS. In particular, we discuss public reactions to these Safari changes, how Apple has responded so far, and what lessons we can draw from this when we consider […]
Today we catch up with Charles and the email advertising campaign that he recently ran for RelaNet. Charles shares some numbers on the performance of the campaign, and he expresses frustration about his inability to run promotions more frequently. We talk about growth bottlenecks, automation, finding contractors you can trust, and more. Mailing List Every […]
Today we talk to Joe about an issue he’s been facing with the product he’s contracting on: How can you tell when it’s time to put your foot on the gas, and when does your product need a little more time to develop? We consider when to start a marketing push, when to keep testing […]
Today we’re talking about an article from Justin Harter that really resonated with us. It’s a story of someone who owned his own services business, struggled to make it work, found some success, and burned himself out. We talk about feeding “the hungry ghost”, the danger of your indie/bootstrapped business turning into “a successful failure”, […]
Today we tackle the question of when to part ways with a customer. Charles shares the story of a customer that he recently had to fire, then we do a postmortem to consider whether firing the customer was the right response, and how that outcome could have been avoided. Mailing List Every month there are […]
We’re joined again today by Curtis Herbert, developer of Slopes, to discuss WWDC. Last week we talked about announcements that made the keynote. Today we dive into some of the WWDC sessions that Joe and Curtis have watched and how what they have seen will affect the businesses of iOS and Mac developers. We discuss […]
We’re joined today by Curtis Herbert, developer of Slopes, to discuss the WWDC keynote and how the announcements that Apple made will affect the businesses of iOS and Mac developers. We talk about new Swift language features, how Apple’s focus on privacy will affect marketing efforts, changes coming to the App Store, developing and deploying […]
Charles is preparing for another round of cold email marketing, so today we continue our discussion about email marketing. We talk about doing the pre-work that’s necessary to make sure your pitch is relevant to the recipient, developing a willingness to step outside your comfort zone to market your business, and exploring alternate real-world channels […]
Charles is preparing for another round of cold email marketing, so today we discuss some of the considerations that go into a cold email campaign. We talk about getting over the uncomfortable feeling that you’re bothering people with your advertising, strategies for targeting higher value customers, and the importance of developing trust when selling to […]
Today we catch up with Joe on what’s going on in his world. He gives us an update on the status of his 2021 goals, and shares a funny story (in hind sight) about his taxes that came to a conclusion. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business […]
We are joined again today by Brady Cassidy, co-founder of Rewardful, a SaaS to help you run an affiliate program for your business. Last week we heard about Brady’s journey as an entrepreneur and learned about Rewardful. Today we take a more general look at affiliate marketing and learn some of the nuts and bolts […]
Today we are joined by Brady Cassidy, co-founder of Rewardful, a SaaS to help you run an affiliate program for your business. We talk to Brady about his experience bootstrapping Rewardful, how he got into that business, and how he and his partner are setting Rewardful apart from its competition. Mailing List Every month there […]
In this episode we continue talking about Charles’ plan for marketing RelaNet in 2021. Today we discuss Charles’ plan to start an affiliate program and focus on state-level organizations. We talk about affiliate rates, the affiliate software that Charles is using to manage the program, and all the supporting documentation and web pages that had […]
Improving his marketing is one of Charles’ main goals for 2021, and with the end of tax season quickly approaching, he finally has a little more focus about what he’s going to change. Today we talk about Charles’ marketing plans for 2021, and how he’s going to contact the members of a number of professional […]
Today we continue talking about the changes that Charles is making to RelaNet pricing tiers. In particular, today we discuss how to handle customers whose pricing would be different under the new pricing plans. Should these customers be grandfathered and allowed to keep their current pricing? Should they be forced to change plans, either immediately […]
Today Charles talks about his plan to change his pricing tiers for RelaNet. We talk about RelaNet’s current pricing tiers, the problems he’s found with this current pricing, the changes he has in mind, and how to best present information about these new pricing tiers. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Today we continue our conversation with Dermot Daly, founder of Tapadoo, one of the premier iOS client services outfits in Dublin, Ireland. In this episode, we talk about how the pandemic has affected Tapadoo’s customer pipeline, changes he’s noticed in potential contracting clients over the years, the role of indie iOS development in today’s overall […]
Today we talk to Dermot Daly, founder of Tapadoo, one of the premier iOS client services outfits in Dublin, Ireland. We wanted to talk to Dermot today about how his past year has gone. Dermot shares how the pandemic has affected his business and employees, how Tapadoo has adjusted to going fully remote overnight, and […]
In today’s episode, we talk about creating product roadmaps, each from our own perspective. Charles discusses prioritizing what comes next in the context of a one-man operation, and Joe tackles the issue from the perspective of someone working with a team. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business […]
Today we talk about the imminent demise of the iOS Identifier for Advertisers (or “IDFA”), and how we expect to be affected by this change scheduled to be introduced in iOS 14.5. Joe shares how the project he’s contracting to is adapting to the change, and Charles talks about how this change is affecting his […]
Today Charles and Joe catch up on what’s been going on. We talk about a variety of topics, including office and desk setups, paying back technical debt, the pain of third-party dependencies, and some progress Charles is making on his 2021 goals. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today we continue our conversation about a refresh of the RelaNet website that Charles recently completed. In this episode we talk about favicons, updating website content, comparing RelaNet to competitors, and why Charles finally broke down and added a blog. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of […]
Today we talk about a refresh of the RelaNet website that Charles recently completed. Some of the things we discuss include website templates, changes to marketing language, making the website faster, and the start of an SEO effort for RelaNet. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of […]
Today we talk about how we’re maintaining our network after almost a year of pandemic restrictions. We talk about what’s helped us keep up with colleagues, how we’ve sometimes failed, and what we expect to see on this front over the next year or two. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Today we talk to Joe about a new role that he’s taken in the contracting team he’s been working with: sole iOS developer. We talk to Joe about how this came about, how his responsibilities are changing, and how this new role has required a new way of thinking about the work he’s doing. Mailing […]
Charles put in an offer on the e-signature product that we discussed last week, so in this episode we talk about how things turned out. We talk about negotiations, sales terms, and what to do when no lawyer wants to take the job. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Charles has reached an inflection point where he either needs to purchase several licenses to the e-signature solution he’s using, or he needs to purchase the entire product outright. Today Joe helps Charles think through the pros and cons of this potential business opportunity. (This episode was recorded on December 30, 2020.) Mailing List Every […]
In this episode we continue looking forward to 2021 and what we hope to achieve. Today we talk to Charles about his plans, and discuss his strategic, marketing, technology, and other goals. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time […]
It’s a new year, and with that comes new goals. Today we talk to Joe about his plans for 2021, and what he hopes to achieve with his contracting business, his app business, and his personal financial life. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
Today we continue our look back at 2020 and the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. In this episode we talk to Charles about his goals for 2020 and see how he fared with onboarding, revenue, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Today we begin our look back at 2020 and the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. In this episode we talk to Joe about his goals for 2020 and see how much the ongoing global pandemic affected his plans. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content […]
Today we conclude our conversation with Chris Liscio of SuperMegaUltraGrovy (SMUG), makers of Capo, an app that helps you learn to play music. Today we discuss how Chris reaches Capo’s target market to let them know about the app, why he intentionally chose an annual subscription for Capo (rather than monthly or weekly), and the […]
Today we continue our conversation with Chris Liscio of SuperMegaUltraGrovy (SMUG), makers of Capo, an app that helps you learn to play music. In this episode Chris tells us about the details of transitioning Capo to a subscription model over a period of three years. Chris shares why he didn’t advertise this change to subscriptions, […]
Today we talk with Chris Liscio of SuperMegaUltraGrovy (SMUG), makers of Capo, an app that helps you learn to play music. Today we start a discussion that has been three years in the making about SMUG’s different approach to transitioning to subscriptions. In this episode, we open our discussion with a little bit of background: […]
Today Charles gives an update on the development of some new features that he’s hired a contractor to complete. In particular, we talk about a schedule that has slipped, a looming deadline, and the dangers of selling features that don’t yet exist. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today we discuss a change that many thought would never come. Apple is reducing its commission for small businesses on the App Store. We talk about what’s been announced, what is still unclear, and what this means for the thousands of small developers that will be affected by this policy change. Mailing List Every month […]
Today we talk about hodgepodge of topics. Charles closes a sale after months of follow-up, Joe orders a new ARM powered MacBook Pro, and we both consider our workplace setups as we contemplate re-entering pandemic lockdown. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development […]
Today we talk to Joe about a situation he ran into on his current contracting job. It’s the story of a crash-on-launch bug that got caught in QA, and how they fixed it while balancing competing priorities with limited resources. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of […]
Today we talk about being flexible with clients. How willing should you be to accommodate client requests that are unreasonable, or maybe just beyond the scope of work? When should you take the short-term loss for the long-term gain? Where do you draw the line? Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Today Charles and Joe share their recent woes, both revolving around slowness. Joe’s new RECaf beta had some problems being killed on launch by the watchdog, and Charles’ web server was brought to its knees by a bunch of 31773 haxors. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business […]
Today we discuss the recent Apple event. We talk about the new HomePod mini, as well as all the new iPhones, including the iPhone 12 mini. The mini is the form factor that Charles and Joe have been waiting on for years. We talk about why Joe is getting an iPhone 12 mini, and why […]
Today we talk about a hodge-podge of topics. We talk about the wisdom of tweeting about customers (even in a non-identifying way), Charles’ first attempt at advertising in a newsletter, and Joe’s experience syncing data between iPhone and Apple Watch with iCloud and Core Data. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Today we catch up with Charles about what’s going on with RelaNet, and his quest to incorporate knowledge-based authentication into RelaNet’s e-signature solution. We talk about third-party API providers, the requirement that Charles acquire a commercially zoned street address for his business, and a few strategies for monetizing this new feature once it’s ready. Mailing […]
Today we catch up with Joe about his app RECaf. We talk about what he’s been up to on RECaf, its recent update, and some experiments in advertising that he’s been running. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time […]
Today we discuss our reaction to a few Tweets that we saw about Apple features, marketing, and alternate channels for indies with little or no marketing budget. We talk about different the different perspectives that developers bring to their craft; how “app businesses” and “app hobbies” might approach marketing differently; and why developers with different […]
Today we continue our conversation with David Barnard about the de facto deprecation in iOS 14 of the Identifier for Advertisers, or IDFA. Today we focus on the effects of this change. We talk about how this will affect app developers, advertisers, and the broader online advertising ecosystem. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Today we talk to David Barnard about the de facto deprecation in iOS 14 of the Identifier for Advertisers, or IDFA. We discuss the history of the IDFA, what’s changing in iOS 14, why Apple is making these changes, and how the loss of the IDFA stands change online advertising. Mailing List Every month there […]
Today we talk about “product-user fit” as a concept distinct from “product-market fit.” We discuss what exactly product-user fit is, how venture capitalists look at it, and why product-user fit (rather than the product-market fit that VCs usually seek) might be enough for self-funded bootstrappers. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Today we tackle a hodgepodge of topics: Joe got a new fancy monitor, Charles complains about customers that want ugly websites, Charles considers future advertising opportunities, and we talk about how the pandemic has affected business. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development […]
Today we continue our conversation with John Wilker, organizer of 360iDev. Today we focus on the business of running a conference in the midst of a global pandemic, discussing the negotiations involved in canceling a venue, and the economics of running an online conference. Then we talk about John’s other business as an author of […]
Today we start discussing Joe’s preparations for his talk at 360iDev, only to be joined midway through by the organizer of 360iDev, John Wilker. We talk about the differences between an online and in-person event and the importance of supporting online events during this year of the pandemic. Then John Wilker joins us to explain […]
Today Joe catches us up on his RECaf update and the woes of using multiple measurement units, and Charles gives an update on his experience working with a reluctant contractor. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss […]
Today we talk about a problem that Charles is having with a potential contractor. Charles shares the backstory of the problem and what he thinks might be wrong, and then Joe offers some advice from his experience on the other side of the table as a contractor. Mailing List Every month there are more great […]
Today we catch up with Charles and talk about the results of his recent advertising campaign. We talk about how it was organized, the results, and how the results of this advertising campaign compare to his campaign from this Spring. We also discuss the fine line you have to walk when advertising in the midst […]
Today Joe shares his experience with all of Apple’s pre-release hardware and software – at least as much as he can. We talk about what he’s doing with the ARM-powered developer transition kit (DTK) that he received, his thoughts on the Big Sur beta, and how his plans for RECaf are being complicated by some […]
Today we continue our conversation about WWDC 2020, focusing on how the announcements have affected Joe’s plans. We talk about sleep tracking in RECaf, plans for a Mac app, and X2Y lives for another year! Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than […]
Today we talk about some of the announcements made at WWDC 2020 from a business perspective. We discuss some of the technical changes made to iOS, changes announced for testing IAP, updates to the iOS App Store review guidelines, and of course the ramifications of transitioning the Mac to ARM. Mailing List Every month there […]
Today we weigh in on Basecamp and their app’s recent rejection from the App Store. We talk about what should have been foreseen by Basecamp, Apple’s relationship with its developer community, and daydream about how Apple might “fix” this problem for the future. Release Notes Happy Hour – June 24 To help people together during […]
Today we talk about how Charles resolved the pricing dilemma we discussed a couple weeks ago. We talk about the features he added to existing plans, the new Team plan he created, and how he is presenting all of this new information on his website. Release Notes Happy Hour – June 24 To help people […]
Today we talk about our new laptops! Joe got a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Charles got a new Dell XPS 13 running Linux. We talk about the new hardware, how the two laptops compare, and Charles’ experience with Linux so far. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today we continue our conversation with Curtis Herbert about his iOS app Slopes and his work to bring it to Android. Curtis talks to us today about his experience hiring a developer for the first time, his attitude towards managing risk in his business, and why he doesn’t think learning Android development and writing the […]
Today we talk to Curtis Herbert about his iOS app Slopes and his work to bring it to Android. Curtis shares the story of hiring and firing an Android developer and the effect that this year’s weather and pandemic had on revenue. Then we dig into the risks of continuing development on the Android version, […]
Today we talk to Charles about the new features that RelaNet will soon be offering, and how he plans to incorporate them into his pricing. We talk about his plans to offer a more expensive team plan, what that plan might look like, and his deliberations on how to charge and how much to charge […]
Release Notes Happy Hour on May 14! See show notes for details. So, it turns out that Joe is Android-curious. Today we talk to him about his interest in learning Android development, the current market for Android developers, and whether diving into Android might make sense for his contracting business. Release Notes Happy Hour This […]
Today Charles talks more about the e-signature solution that he settled on, and how he is using the product’s vendor as a pseudo-low-cost contractor to get the custom changes he needs in the short-term and the training he needs to maintain the product himself over the long-term. Mailing List Every month there are more great […]
Today Charles shares the story of how he crashed a server and survived a self-inflicted DDOS, all in one week. We talk about the backstory, the recovery, and lessons learned. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss […]
Today Charles reveals that he’s considering getting a new laptop… and it might not be Mac. We talk about why he considering running Linux on a Dell, and why he is desperately hoping Joe can talk him out of it. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of […]
Today we look at how the pandemic and the resulting economic downturn has affected the contracting business, specifically Joe’s. We talk about growing layoffs among contractors, the necessity of contractors being more flexible than usual with their rate, maintaining work relationships remotely, and how we both are adjusting to our new home co-working environments that […]
Today we discuss the 10th anniversary of the launch of the iPad. We talk about the evolution of the iPad into a device that supports a keyboard and trackpad, whether we could use an iPad as our main computer, and what the evolution of iPadOS might imply for the future of the MacBook. Mailing List […]
Today Charles talks about his failed attempt at advertising, his theories on why his advertisement didn’t perform, thoughts on why the response from his email list was better, and the progress he’s made on evaluating a new e-signature solution for his clients. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today Charles talks about how the recent postponement of the U.S. income tax filing date is affecting his business. We talk about seizing an unexpected advertising opportunity, a sudden new deadline that hits tomorrow 😱, and walking the fine line between being helpful in the face of a natural disaster and the appearance of profiteering. […]
Welcome to Release Note: Pandemic Edition. The COVID-19 pandemic is in the news and in everyone’s conversations, so on today’s show we talk about how we expect this pandemic to affect our businesses and how it might affect yours. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac […]
Today Charles tells the tale of how he accidentally put his new client portal into production. We also talk about the potential risks involved with launching a product in this way, the advantages of being small and nimble, and how Charles might be able to turn the flexibility he displayed into a marketing opportunity. Mailing […]
Today we continue our conversation about Charles’ new client portal and talk more about the e-signature solution that he’s searching for. We talk about the benefits of “buying” versus “renting” software, why changing his client portal solution will affect his marketing and messaging, and why Charles might end up paying someone to build an e-signature […]
Today we talk about about Charles’ recent realization that he probably shouldn’t be writing code anymore. We talk about how he came to that realization, how it makes him feel, and what it means for his business. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS […]
Today Charles talks to Joe some more about his upcoming move to Colorado. In particular, we discuss how he plans to connect with the local development community, how he might attract some local clients while still retaining his existing clients, and how he plans to maintain his hourly rate despite his new lower cost of […]
Today we talk about servers and how we use them in our products. Charles shares his progress setting up new servers based on CentOS 8, and then Joe shares how he uses servers with his apps, and how he has mostly avoided the hassles of server administration. Mailing List Every month there are more great […]
One of our favorite events every year is FemtoConf, a small conference in Darmstadt, Germany aimed at bootstrapped entrepreneurs. Recently, FemtoConf 2020 was announced for May 8-10, 2020, so today we talk about FemtoConf and our plans to host another “warm-up event” in Bacharach, Germany on May 7. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Today Joe announces a personal move, and we discuss how this move might affect his business. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. If you’d like to receive our monthly newsletter with the best […]
Today we discuss the results of the conference survey that we recently encouraged our audience to complete. We talk about the survey itself, share the key results, and then talk about about how the results of the survey helped shape our decisions about the future of the conference. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Last week we talked to Joe about his goals for 2020. This week we turn to Charles and learn what he has planned for the new year, as well as the technical and financial goals he would like to achieve before the end of the year. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles […]
‘Tis the season for goal setting! Today Joe shares with us the goals that he has set for himself and his business in the new year, and why he’s not opening a coffee shop in 2020. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development […]
We want to learn more about you! Take our survey at https://releasenotes.tv/survey. As is our custom, we’re spending the last two episodes of the year reviewing our goals for 2019 and evaluating how well we met them. Last week we talked to Joe, so today we focus on Charles and the goals that he set […]
We want to learn more about you! Take our survey at https://releasenotes.tv/survey. As is our custom, we’re spending the last two episodes of the year reviewing our goals for 2019 and evaluating how well we met them. Today we focus on Joe and the goals that he set for this past year. Mailing List Every […]
We want to learn more about you! Take our survey at https://releasenotes.tv/survey. Today we talk about a few different topics related to sales. Charles shares a story that illustrates the importance of following up, we talk about how to answer customer questions when the customer doesn’t really know what they are asking for, and then […]
We want to learn more about you! Take our survey at https://releasenotes.tv/survey. Today we’re discussing a survey that we’ve put together so that we can better understand what our audience wants to get out of our conferences. We talk about the process we went through to define audience personas, how we put our list together, […]
Today we continue catching up on what’s going on in our businesses. This time we focus on Charles and RelaNet. Charles talks about a problem he’s having with onboarding new customers and gets Joe’s ideas on how to fix it, then Charles gives an update on his search for a new client portal and how […]
Today we begin catching up with Joe and Charles about their individual businesses. We start off with Joe and talk to him about a long term contract that he’s been working on, progress that he’s made on his own mobile apps, and some marketing opportunities that exist for his products. Then we get an update […]
Today we talk about the newly released 16-inch MacBook Pro and our thoughts on this update. We talk keyboards, Touch Bars, design compromises, and discuss whether Charles or Joe is going to buy one of these new laptops. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
Today we conduct a “therapy session” for Charles as he tries to decide whether to continue development of the home-grown client portal he uses for his RelaNet clients, or whether it would be better to use a third-party solution and use the time that is freed up for marketing. We talk about the current situation, […]
Today Joe fills us in on a recent trip that he took to Ireland for the Belfast International Homecoming, a conference he got connected with through his networking efforts in New York. It’s an interesting story of attending a non-tech conference, and how doing the work to meet new people can pay off in unexpected […]
Today we continue our discussion of macOS Catalina and whether and how Charles should update from Sierra. (Yes, Sierra.) We discuss the sort of zombie state that Adobe Creative Suite 6 has been left in since it is a mix of 32-bit and 64-bit executables, and then Joe helps Charles consider some of the Photoshop […]
Today we talk about technology upgrades – specifically, we’re talking about iOS 13 and macOS Catalina. Charles had avoided both upgrades for a quite a while, and today he’s sharing the story of how he was auto-updated to iOS 13 at an inopportune moment, and seeking advice about if and when to update his computers […]
Today we take look back at Release Notes 2019, mere days after the event, and consider what went well, what could have gone better, and the overall experience of hosting a conference in Mexico. And no, we have no new products to announce at this time. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles […]
Today Charles gives some detail on his recent email marketing efforts. We talk about the power of finding a marketing channel that works, juggling the rush of responses that resulted from the email advertisements, and the automation that he has used to make it all manageable. He also shares numbers on emails sent, cost, response, […]
We’re joined again today by Benedikt Deicke of Userlist.io. Last week we talked a lot about Userlist.io, so this week we wanted to talk about FemtoConf, the small conference that he hosts each year in Darmstadt, Germany. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth edition of our conference, will […]
Today we’re joined by Benedikt Deicke of Userlist.io. Benedikt talks to us about his new project Userlist.io, their big launch day when they were featured on ProductHunt, finding new customers, and what it’s like launching a new startup with two other co-founders. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth […]
We’re joined again today by Curtis Herbert, creator of Slopes. Today we talk about building an Android version of Slopes, and tracking finances year-over-year. Curtis offers his insight on how an indie developer trying to get started in 2019 could reproduce the success that Slopes has enjoyed, and Curtis confesses to abusing Photoshop. Release Notes […]
Today we’re joined by Curtis Herbert, creator of Slopes. We discuss some of the non-technical changes that Curtis has been experimenting with in his business. Curtis shares his experience with subscriptions, the addition of “family passes”, his decision to start developing an Android version of Slopes, and the results of his work with a business […]
Today we talk about Joe’s recent trip to the 360iDev conference in Denver. We talk about the interesting talks he saw and conversations he had while he was out there, quite a bit about App Store optimization, and an overview of his own talk that he delivered at 360iDev. We also talk a little bit […]
Today Charles talks to Joe about his roadmap for the rest of the year. We talk about Joe’s apps, the challenges of operating on an uncertain Apple-defined schedule, the features he wants to complete, and what he’s deferring for now. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth edition of […]
Today we start the first of two of our periodic “therapy sessions.” In this episode, we talk about some of Charles’ looming deadlines, and how he’s planning for them. We talk about Charles’ plan for the next few months, RelaNet’s feature roadmap, and which features are going to have to be deferred for a little […]
Today we tackle a topic that’s not so pleasant to think about: What would it take for us to give up and call it all quits. We discuss an insightful article from Tracy Osborn about “the dangerous lure of barely profitable bootstrapped businesses”, we give some updates about our own businesses and how they are […]
Today we continue our discussion about Zoom Video Communications and the security fiasco that they recently went through, with special guest Dermot Daly. We talk about how we should think about security in our products, and how we can avoid similar security (and public relations) disasters in our own businesses. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy […]
Today we’re talking about Zoom Video Communications and the security fiasco that they recently went through, with special guest Dermot Daly. In particular, we talk about how we should think about security in our products, and how we can avoid similar security (and public relations) disasters in our own businesses. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy […]
We’re joined again today by Shai Schechter of RightMessage. In this episode, we continue talking to Shai about why and how to personalize your website’s calls to action in order to improve response rates among your visitors. We also talk about how to make this personalization task manageable for small teams without enterprise resources, and […]
Today we’re joined by Shai Schechter of RightMessage. We talk to Shai about his background in entrepreneurship, then we discuss the surprising affect that personalization had on his website visitors, how that grew into the founding of RightMessage, and how we can use personalization to improve engagement with our own website visitors. Release Notes 2019 […]
Today we continue our discussion about the announcements that Apple made at WWDC 2019. We start by talking about SwiftUI, then we continue by taking a look at how these announcements will affect Joe’s products and the target market for the new Mac Pro. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, […]
Today we dive into WWDC 2019 and the announcements that Apple made. As is usually the case, we wanted to take a look at these from primarily a business perspective, so today we discuss “Sign In With Apple”, the new IAP subscription guidelines that were announced, Project Catalyst, and more. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy […]
We’re joined today by Jane Portman an expert in UI/UX and co-founder of Userlist.io. Today we talk to Jane about her entrepreneurial journey from consulting to productized services to SaaS, we discuss her new Saas product Userlist.io, and we take a deep dive into a recent repositioning exercise that she and her partners undertook at […]
In this episode we continue talking about Charles’ efforts to advertise RelaNet to his target audience. Today, we discuss the details of the advertising email campaigns: timing of the campaigns, follow-up email sequences, automation, and conducting sales calls on the telephone. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth edition […]
Today we talk about Charles’ recent effort to advertise RelaNet to his target audience of small accounting firms. We dive into how he’s using paid email campaigns to reach this audience, how much all this advertising cost, and the value of having potential customers see your advertisement multiple times. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to […]
We’re joined again today by Natalie Nagele, co-founder of Wildbit, and a presenter at Release Notes 2019. Today we continue the conversation we started last week and talk about the importance of having a group of peers to compare notes with, Wildbit’s transition from contracting to products, and how taking care of your employees and […]
We’re joined today by Natalie Nagele, co-founder of Wildbit, and a presenter at Release Notes 2019. We talk about how Natalie got her start in entrepreneurship, how her role at Wildbit has changed as the company has grown, the difference between “businesspeople” and “entrepreneurs”, and how hiring one of those “businesspeople” has helped fill a […]
Today we return to a recurring theme of this podcast and discuss single points of failure in our businesses. We talk about the ways we, sole proprietors, are the most significant single point of failure in our businesses, and ways that we have tried to mitigate this problem. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce […]
After much traveling, we return today to talk about our recent trip to Germany to attend FemtoConf. We recap our our pre-conference event in Bacharach, Germany, then talk about FemtoConf itself. We review the various talks we heard while at the conference, and reminisce about the great people we met while there. Release Notes 2019 […]
Today we continue our conversation with Jonathan Rhyne, co-founder of PSPDFKit. We talk about targeting your sales effort at decision makers, what selling to enterprise has in common with selling to smaller businesses, and the importance of closing that first enterprise deal. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth […]
Today we talk to Jonathan Rhyne, co-founder of PSPDFKit. We talk about his career move from being an attorney to becoming a co-founder of a technology startup, his experience selling PSPDFKit to enterprise businesses, and thriving in a niche with established competition. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth […]
In today’s episode we talk about a new proposal that Joe sent out. We talk about the origin of the proposal, and then we dig into some of the decisions that Joe had to make regarding time and cost. Along the way, we explore why charging more attracts better customers, how certain milestones affect customer […]
Today we talk about Joe’s recent trip to Peers Conference. We talk about the talks he enjoyed, his own talk which he presented from the Peers stage, and of course New Orleans where Peers was held this year. Also, since our last recording we added another speaker to our Release Notes 2019 line up, so […]
Today we continue the discussion we started last week of all the details surrounding our conference, Release Notes 2019. In this episode we finish our discussion of Finest Playa Mujeres, the resort that will host our event, and then talk about the speakers that will be joining us at the conference. Release Notes 2019 We’re […]
Today is the big day! Today we reveal all the details surrounding our conference Release Notes 2019. In this episode we do a deep dive into Finest Playa Mujeres, the resort that will host our event, and share pricing information. And don’t forget that tickets go on sale today at 1:00 PM EDT (GMT-4:00). Release […]
Today Joe talks to us about his recent trip to Amsterdam to speak at AppDevCon, and we bemoan jet lag, the bane of travelers everywhere. Release Notes 2019 – Announcing Details on April 1 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth edition of our conference, will be happening October 3-5, 2019 in […]
We’re joined again by Craig Hewitt, founder of Podcast Motor and Castos, and co-host of the Rogue Startups podcast. Today we talk to Craig about the location independence that his businesses have afforded him. We talk about his move from the United States to France, some of the logistics behind that move, and what it […]
We’re joined today by Craig Hewitt, founder of Podcast Motor and Castos, and co-host of the Rogue Startups podcast. We talk to Craig today about how he got his start in entrepreneurship, take a look at the differences between his productized service and his new SaaS, and compare the advantages and disadvantages of being a […]
Today we talk about automation. Charles shares a recent automation-related win. We discuss what types of tasks we automate, and just as importantly what types of tasks we don’t automate. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2019, the fourth edition of our conference, will be happening October 3-5, 2019 in Playa […]
Charles shares a story about a deadbeat client that came back asking for his website to be reactivated. This prompts a discussion about when you should take back clients that never paid, under what circumstances you should take them back, and an aside about Charles’ experience using Stripe as a payment processor. Release Notes 2019 […]
In today’s episode we talk about negotiation. Charles shares a recent experience he had in negotiating an advertising deal, we talk about different situations where we have negotiated better prices or deals, different situations that we wouldn’t try to negotiate, and how we handle price negotiations when we are selling rather than buying. Release Notes […]
Welcome to episode 300! 🎉 Today we respond to a discussion that happened on the Core Intuition podcast. They talked a bit about our conference, and posed some really good questions about why we are moving the show to Mexico, how using a beach resort as a venue might affect the conference, and a few […]
Today we tackle a hodgepodge of topics including a small pre-event gathering we’re hosting at FemtoConf, Charles’ attempt to control costs by changing email marketing automation platforms, Joe getting his tax information ready for his accountant, and a key dependency of Charles’ business discontinuing a service he relies upon. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy to […]
Today we answer a question from a listener who asks how we handle support (whether we use homegrown or third-party tools) and if it’s possible for an indie business owner (particularly one with customers) to go on an offline vacation. In our answers, we share some of the tools we use for support, our individual […]
Today we are pleased to announce Release Notes 2019, and this year it’s in Mexico! That’s right, your favorite conference about the business of software will be returning October 3-5, 2019 in Playa Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico. So mark your calendars, and listen to this episode for all the details. Release Notes 2019 We’re happy […]
Today we discuss how Joe might improve his free trial conversion rate in his caffeine tracking app RECaf. We talk about nurturing customers before offering the free trial, the difference between selling to businesses and consumers, and some of the unfortunate limitations that affect developers who offer free trials in Apple’s App Store. Mailing List […]
Although it might some days seem nice to be able to hold your customers at arm’s length and communicate with them only through email, sometimes there’s really no substitute for a phone call. Today we talk about communicating with customers on the phone and discuss when we try to reach someone on the phone, the […]
On this New Year’s Eve, we look forward to 2019 and the things we want to accomplish in the year ahead. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. If you’d like to receive our […]
Today we take a look at the goals we set for ourselves in 2018 and how we did at accomplishing those goals. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. If you’d like to receive […]
Today we speak with Pádraig Ó Cinnéide and Oisín Prendiville of Supertop who make Castro, one of the top podcast apps in the iOS App Store. Although Pádraig and Oisín still work on Castro, they recently had an “exit” of sorts when they sold their app to a firm called Tiny. In this episode we […]
Today we continue our conversation with Justin Harter, owner of SuperPixel and author of What Does Your Website Do All Day? Today we talk about saying “No” to clients, how Justin has grown his agency, and why he felt compelled to publish his new book on dead-tree-paper. Mailing List Every month there are more great […]
Today we’re joined by Justin Harter, owner of SuperPixel and author of What Does Your Website Do All Day? We talk about how Justin has built a business serving “the vast middle” – successful small businesses that need web, design, and marketing services, but don’t have this talent in-house. We also talk about Justin’s new […]
Today we talk about what’s on our gift lists for 2018. We talk tech, gadgets, travel gear, and even a some cooking equipment. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. If you’d like to […]
Today Charles talks to Joe about subcontracting. We talk about the role that subcontracting (as opposed to direct contracting) plays in Joe’s business, how he handles communication with the end client, and the fine line that sometimes must be walked in balancing his relationships with the end client with the contractor that hired him. Mailing […]
Today Charles mines Joe’s experience on how to handle deadbeat clients – those customers that seem happy with the product, but just won’t pay. We talk about how to avoid these sorts of clients to begin with, and steps to take once you have a client in your debt. Joe briefly indulges Charles’ revenge fantasies, […]
Today we talk about Charles’ decision to remove his last app from the App Store. We talk about the background of the decision, the change that made him finally remove the app, and what’s next now that he’s out of the App Store. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Today we talk about ways to build up enough of a financial “runway” to allow your new business to take off. We talk about ways that both Charles and Joe have used to support our new businesses; Charles’ current strategy of cannibalizing one business to build another; and newer options like Tiny Seed, a newly […]
Joe is joined again today by Ariel Michaeli of Appfigures. They talk about making it easy to consume complex data, tracking the financial performance of subscription-based apps, and Appfigures’ soft-launch strategy for their new product Explorer. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development […]
Charles is out sick today, so Joe is joined by Ariel Michaeli of Appfigures. Joe and Ariel talk about how Appfigures got started in the mobile developer financial data space, how Appfigures addresses its customers’ privacy concerns, and Appfigures’ new product “Explorer” which lets Appfigures customers make informed decisions when exploring new markets and new […]
Today we continue our discussion with Joe about the rough road his new app RECaf traveled into this world, Joe’s efforts to fix the problems that occurred, and some of the things he’d do differently next time. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS […]
We’ve all been there. The difficult launch. Today we talk to Joe about the rough road his new app RECaf traveled into this world, Joe’s efforts to fix the problems that occurred, and some of the things he’d do differently next time. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today we deliver on the promise we made last week by weighing in on the recent event where Apple announced their new fall line up for mobile. We talk about the Apple Watch as your “health guardian,” racing stripes, the iPhone XS, XR, XYZ, and any other letter combinations Apple can invent. Mailing List Every […]
Today we get an update from Joe about his new app RECaf. We talk about beta testing, marketing preparations, subscriptions, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. If you’d like to receive […]
Apple has announced that all apps submitted to their App Store must have a privacy policy as of October 2018. With that as background, we talk about privacy policies for mobile apps, websites, and SaaS products. We talk about why they are important for legal reasons and marketing reasons, how to account for third-party integrations […]
Today we talk about two conferences that we recently attended. We spend most of the episode talking about 360iDev which Joe spoke at in Denver, and discuss his talk as well as some of the presentations that he sat in on. We also talk briefly about a conference for accountants that Charles recently spoke at, […]
Today we’re talking about an email promotion that Charles recently ran in support of his RelaNet business. The promotion was an email sent by a professional organization to its membership on behalf of RelaNet. We talk about the approval process, the responses it garnered, and Charles’ follow-up process. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Today we talk about RECaf, the new caffeine tracking app that Joe is working on. We talk about RECaf, what it will do, where the idea came from, the value of side projects, as well as RECaf’s target market, pricing, and landing page. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Apple recently started removing apps from individual developers that implement gambling or “simulate a gambling experience. Today we use this development as a starting point for a discussion on mitigating the risk that third-party platforms and dependencies bring to our businesses. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business […]
We’re joined again by Mike Taber, founder of Bluetick.io and co-host of the podcast “Startups for the Rest of Us.” Last time we talked to Mike about his start in entrepreneurship. Today we talk to him about his new email follow-up product, Bluetick.io. We talk about how the conception and validation of Bluetick.io differed from […]
Today we’re joined by Mike Taber, founder of Bluetick.io and co-host of the podcast “Startups for the Rest of Us.” We talk to Mike today about some of his background, his start in entrepreneurship, and how he almost founded CompUSA. We also discuss the importance of choosing the right market, “product-founder fit,” and all the […]
Today we talk about top-level domains like .com, .biz, .app, and others. How important is it to get a .com these days? From there, our conversation wanders into the importance of having an SSL certificate for your site, Google’s role in the new .app top-level domain, and we find and purchase a domain for Joe’s […]
Today we return to a topic that we’ve discussed before: Pricing. We talk about about pricing for the value you provide, the pro vs. prosumer vs. consumer markets, and why both Charles and Joe feel so strongly that Affinity Designer for iPad is way, way underpriced. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles […]
Today we continue our discussion about masterminds, with Ken Wallace of Mastermind Jam, a service that helps people form mastermind groups. Today we talk to Ken about the natural lifespan of a mastermind group, strategies for starting or joining a mastermind, and the structure of a mastermind meeting. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Today we’re talking about masterminds, which are groups of like-minded entrepreneurs that periodically discuss the details of their business. It’s sort of like a business support group. To help us learn more about masterminds, we brought on Ken Wallace of Mastermind Jam, a service that helps people form mastermind groups. We talk to Ken a […]
If you’re anywhere near social media you may have recently seen lots of posts along the lines of, “By age 35 you should have X saved for retirement.” Today we take a look at that advice, and discuss what exactly we need to do to plan for retirement. We talk about the importance of saving […]
Today we continue our conversation with Andrew Culver, founder of SaaS products like Bullet Train and Churnbuster. We talk to Andrew today about his new product Bullet Train – what it is, how it came to be, marketing, risks, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business […]
This week Charles talks to Joe about his time in San Jose at WWDC, and we chat about some of the changes that were announced. We talk about the event itself, some of the technology announcements that were made, and why we think some of the most important changes made last week were once that […]
We’re joined today by Andrew Culver, founder of SaaS products like Bullet Train and Churnbuster. We talk to Andrew today about how he got into entrepreneurship, his start at Borrowed and Blue, and how his experience at Borrowed and Blue led to his first SaaS product Churnbuster. Along the way we talk about combining consulting […]
Today we discuss different ways that we can help foster a sense of community within our development community and help make things better for those who come after us. We talk about Developers Union, mentoring, and the importance of meeting new people with different outlooks. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Today we’re talking about Twitter’s newly announced pricing structure for access to their API, and we use that as an excuse to to talk more generally about the risks and benefits of building your business on a “platform.” Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
Today we talk about Charles’ adventures in implementing automated testing in his WordPress-based client portal. We talk about why Charles has resisted unit testing, his epiphany about feature testing/integration testing, how he implemented automated testing with Perl, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac […]
Today Charles talks about his recent experience at MicroConf in Las Vegas, and then we dive deeper into networking events and discuss our “elevator pitches” – how we explain to others what it is we do in just a sentence or two. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today Charles and Joe reflect on their recent trip to Peers Conference. We talk about the great community and give a quick rundown of a few of our favorite talks. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss […]
Today we have a quick update on Apple’s preparations for GDPR which are soon going into effect, as well as a discussion about Charles’ first hire on UpWork. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the […]
Backing up your computers isn’t sexy, but it’s important for the long-term health of your business. So today we (once again) discuss our backup strategies, and in particular how they have changed since we last spoke about the topic. We talk about improvements that Joe has made to his backup system, and changes that Charles […]
Today we talk about Charles’ recent trip to Darmstadt, Germany to attend FemtoConf, a conference for indie/bootstrapped/self-funded entrepreneurs. We talk about what it’s like to attend a conference with only 30 attendees, navigating a new conference community, the talks Charles attended, and all the great people he met. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
After a few months of talking and learning about business websites, we wrap up this series with a real-life example. Joe takes a look at Charles’ new RelaNet website and does a live tear-down of what he likes and what he would change. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Today we continue our series on business websites with a discussion on analytics and maintenance. We talk about how we measure who’s coming to our website, where they are coming from, the tools we use to maintain our website and save it from link rot, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great […]
Today we continue our series on business websites by talking about testing. We share some of our favorite tools for testing for correct markup and CSS, how our sites look on mobile devices, the speed of our sites, and even automating some of this testing. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and […]
Continuing our series on websites, today we talk about the software tools that we use to develop our websites. We discuss IDEs, text editors, image editors, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the […]
Today we continue our series on websites and landing pages by talking about the technology that underlies those sites. We discuss hosting options, content management systems, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the […]
We’re joined again today by Justin Jackson, founder of MegaMaker and professional online marketer. Today we continue our conversation about landing pages, doing a deep dive into what makes a great landing page. We talk about the structure of an effective landing page, why you probably want to talk about yourself, how to test them, […]
We’re joined today by Justin Jackson, founder of MegaMaker and professional online marketer. Today we tap Justin’s experience to learn more about landing pages. We talk about using landing pages for market research, using landing pages for product validation, and why getting traffic to your landing page is the least of your problems. Mailing List […]
Today, in part 4 of our series on business web sites, we talk about landing pages. We discuss what landing pages are, customizing landing pages for your audience, and how the design of landing pages differs from the design of a home pages. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Continuing our series on webpages, today we talk more about home page design. We discuss appropriate use of color, controlling file size (and with it download time), as well as calls-to-action. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to […]
We’re continuing our series on webpages, by today looking at the design of homepages. We start with a discussion of why you might not want to hire a pro to handle the design of your website. For all those DIYers out there, we also discuss the design process, trends that make a website look modern […]
Today we’re starting a series of episodes about business websites. In this episode, we tackle the do’s and don’ts of home pages. We talk about the goal of a home page, its audience, why you should consider writing your home page last, and the role of stock photography. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Today we’re talking about the relatively new phenomenon of “cashless” brick-and-mortar storefronts, that have started appearing in New York where Joe lives. We use that as a jumping off point to talk about how flexible we should or shouldn’t be with our customers, especially when it comes to terms of payment. Mailing List Every month […]
Today we’re talking about what we want to achieve in the new year. We discuss our goals, and how we want to achieve them. We also have an announcement about our conference in 2018. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we […]
Today we share our take on some Apple news and rumors that have recently come to light. We discuss some changes to the App Store Review Guidelines that will affect white label apps in the iOS App Store, how those changes might affect other non-white label apps that have been affected by Apple’s crackdown, some […]
In this episode we continue our conversation about Charles’ efforts to attract new RelaNet customers using cold email outreach. Today we talk statistics: response rates, positive response rates, rates of closing the sale, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than […]
Today we talk about Charles’ efforts to attract new RelaNet customers using cold email outreach. We talk about his source of email addresses, his vetting process, the email scripts he uses, how he tracks which emails are opened, and how he’s using data to optimize his email effort. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
Today we chat with Charles and get an update on his new business, RelaNet. We talk about how he almost (but not quite) reached his 2017 goal, his struggles with taking on a sales role, learning from real customers, and dealing with rejection. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about […]
Through his freelance design business, Joe has had clients for many years. Charles, on the other hand, is new to managing client relationships. So today we talk about how to handle those client relationships as we head into the holidays. Do you send a card? Do you send a gift? Do you attend the holiday […]
Today we’re again joined by Ian Landsman, creator of HelpSpot and co-host of the Bootstrapped podcast. Ian has been building and running his self-funded helpdesk product HelpSpot for 13 years, and along the way he’s learned a lot of lessons about running a successful business online. Today we talk to Ian about the advice he […]
Today we’re joined by Ian Landsman, creator of HelpSpot and co-host of the Bootstrapped podcast. Ian has been building and running his self-funded helpdesk product HelpSpot for 13 years, and along the way he’s learned a lot of lessons about running a successful business online. Today we talk to Ian about how he got his […]
Today we start wrapping up the year by talking to Joe about how he’s done this year. We talk about his his goals for the year, what progress he made on them, and his plans for the future. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
One of the nice things of being indie, is that it affords you the opportunity to travel without having to worry about vacation time or other concerns that employed folks have. So today we’re talking about the role that travel plays in our lives and some of the tips we’ve discovered over the years to […]
Today we’re sharing a recording of part of our Release Notes 2017 conference post-mortem. We talk about what went well, what could have gone better, and why we made some of the compromises that we made. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development […]
A few weeks ago, Charles announced that he was shutting down MetaTax, his reference product for tax preparers. Today we talk about why he made that decision and the mechanics of shutting down a product. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than […]
In today’s episode we discuss some of the recent security problems that have come to light with High Sierra and it’s interaction with the new APFS filesystem. We talk about the bug itself, but also why Charles hasn’t upgraded to High Sierra yet, and the unique needs of businesses with regards to stability and risk […]
Today we tackle a variety of topics including the removal of some Games sub-categories in the App Store, some follow-up on the recent change to the App Store Review Guidelines that prohibit white label apps, and an apparent crackdown on apps that use web-based apps without an in-app purchase equivalent. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes […]
A few episodes back, we mentioned in passing a change to the App Store Review Guidelines that seemed to outlaw white label apps. Turns out we aren’t the only ones that noticed this. The events industry relies on white label apps, and this change has caused quite a panic among event organizers. So today we […]
Today we talk about the recent Apple Keynote. We talk about the new Apple Watch, new 4k AppleTV, and of course the new iPhones, including the new iPhone X. We talk about the hardware announcements, of course, but we also reflect on how we think those announcements will affect our businesses. Release Notes 2017 Release […]
Today we have part two of our conversation with Dave Rodenbaugh, a self-funded entrepreneur who has been selling WordPress plugins since 2009. He’s also one half of the Rogue Startups podcast. Today we talk about his experience with the WordPress plugin repository – the WordPress equivalent of the App Store, content marketing, Automattic as the […]
We’re joined today by Dave Rodenbaugh, a self-funded entrepreneur who has been selling WordPress plugins since 2009. He’s also one half of the Rogue Startups podcast. Dave talks to us today about how he got his start in entrepreneurship, a few hard won lessons in pricing, and some of the challenges of building a business […]
Today we (finally) discuss CrashPlan’s exit from the consumer market. We talk about what CrashPlan did right with this transition, why Charles doesn’t consider BackBlaze a suitable alternative to CrashPlan, and CrashPlan’s baffling decision that kept Charles from instantly upgrading to CrashPlan’s Small Business service. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD OUT! Release […]
Today we’re talking about conferences (again). Joe recently spoke at 360|iDev, and Charles had his first experience sponsoring a conference at a recent Indiana CPA Society conference. We discuss future trends in conference-going, what it was like being at a non-technical conference, and why sponsors have to have great swag. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes […]
We’re joined today by Jean MacDonald who talks to us about founding App Camp for Girls, growing the program, and then stepping away and handing off the reins of the program to another leader. We chat about AC4G’s new Chicago program, finding good help, and also announce AC4G’s involvement once again with Release Notes 2017. […]
In this episode, Joe gives a preview of the talk he’s giving today at 360|iDev about the idea that it’s not just salespeople that are in sales—everyone is. No matter your position or role in an organization, you have to sell a customer, a boss, a co-worker, or a partner. Joe breaks it down and […]
Today we talk about Charles’ efforts to acquire new customers for RelaNet, his business for tax preparers. In particular, we talk about Charles’ efforts with cold emails. Topics include targeting potentials customers, the line between cold email and spam, what makes for an effective cold email, and what to ask for in your email. Release […]
Today we talk about Panic and their new update to Transmit, their FTP client for the Mac. We discuss the seven year (!) gap between paid updates for the product, speculate about why Panic might have removed Transmit from the Mac App Store, and then segue to Omni’s push to allow free trials for all […]
Today we talk about 1Password, the password manager create by AgileBits. We discuss AgileBit’s recent push to encourage customers to use the cloud version of their product, the backlash from the security community, and our take on the change. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD OUT! Release Notes 2017 will be happening October […]
Joe’s on the road spending a few weeks in San Francisco, so we’re using that as an excuse to talk about travel and how that affects our work. We talk about how our choice in hardware and software changes with our work environments, and how we get work done when we’re away from home. Release […]
Today we talk about pricing tiers, and specifically about some of the decisions that Charles made when creating pricing tiers for RelaNet. And Charles tells the story of how he shamelessly threw Apple under the bus. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD OUT! Release Notes 2017 will be happening October 16-18, 2017, in […]
Charles has a new client and realized that he has a lot to learn, so today he asks Joe about how he manages communication with his clients. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD OUT! Release Notes 2017 will be happening October 16-18, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois. You can get all the details on […]
Today Charles shares the good news about attracting his first RelaNet customer, how he’s using email marketing with RelaNet, why he likes the email automation service Drip so much, and why he recently removed a blog post which spelled out his email marketing efforts. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD OUT! Release Notes […]
Today we continue our series of mid-year business check-ups and talk to Charles about how his different products are doing this year. We get a quick update on Benjamin and it’s revenue, we discuss MetaTax and get Charles’ post-mortem on why he thinks it hasn’t succeeded as he thought it would, and finally we talk […]
Today we talk about WWDC and announcements that were made in the Keynote and State of the Union. Joe gives his impression of San Jose as a venue, and we talk about some of the key announcements that we think might affect our business. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD OUT! Release Notes […]
Today we talk about the current state of affairs of Joe’s different business ventures. Joe tells us about Bombing Brain’s plans to convert his bread-and-butter app to a subscription model, future plans for their up and coming app Setlists, and some planned features that are designed to encourage word of mouth sharing. Joe also shares […]
We’re joined again today by Curtis Herbert, the developer behind Slopes and one of our speakers at Release Notes 2017. We talk about freemium, the relative benefits of subscriptions over paid up front business models, and the importance of not surprising or confusing your customers with pricing. Release Notes 2017 Release Notes 2017 is SOLD […]
We’re joined today by Curtis Herbert, the developer behind Slopes and one of our speakers at Release Notes 2017. We talk about his pricing experiments with Slopes and his experience taking Slopes from a paid up-front model to an annual subscription model. We talk about selling benefits instead of features, the effect that churn has […]
We’re joined again today by Jared Sinclair who joins in a free-wheeling conversation about development in the iOS ecosystem. We talk about getting started as a developer today in iOS, side projects, our experience with analytics and ads, as well as a strategy for getting the customer attention our projects need. Release Notes 2017 Release […]
We’re joined today by Jared Sinclair who talks to us about Stormcrow, his new Twitter client for tweet storms. Stormcrow isn’t his main job, though, so we talk to Jared about his experience balancing his day job with his side project, and how that balancing act affected the development of Stormcrow. Release Notes 2017 We’re […]
Today we get to share everything that we’ve been working on for Release Notes 2017! We have details about the speakers, venue, hotel, and more. Tickets are on sale right now, so go to 2017.releasenotes.tv and get your ticket today! Release Notes 2017 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2017, the third edition of […]
Today we chat about some product launches we’ve recently prepared. Joe talks about why he didn’t spend much time on launching the update to his app Fin, Charles talks about some of the email sequences he’s planning for RelaNet, and we both chat about the preparations we’re making for the May 1st launch of Release […]
Today we’re joined again by Ben Scheirman, who leads the team that builds the 5 Calls iOS app that encourages its users to engage with their elected representatives. Today we talk about measuring what’s really important, why 5 Calls is careful with its use of analytics, and using technical skills as a form of activism. […]
Today we’re joined by Ben Scheirman, who leads the team that builds the 5 Calls iOS app that encourages its users to engage with their elected representatives. We talk to Ben about what it’s like to work on an app with a team of volunteers, how they manage the development and support process for an […]
Last week Apple made a major change to the App Store to allow developers to respond to reviews. Today we talk about this change, consider how helpful it will prove to be, and discuss how we plan to use this new tool to help our individual businesses. Release Notes 2017 We’re happy to announce that […]
Today we talk about updates: When should you release a minor update and when should you save up those small changes for a bigger release? This conversation morphs into a strategy session for Joe’s app Fin. We talk about Fin’s target market and how that target market could be reached. In the end, Charles offers […]
Today we continue our discussion of security, concentrating this week on our own security. We talk about our use of two-factor authentication, password managers, full-disk encryption, backups, and Charles’ recent experiments with a VPN. Release Notes 2017 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2017, the third edition of our conference, will be happening October […]
In light of the recent WikiLeaks disclosure of CIA hacking tools, we talk about computer and network security from a developer perspective. We talk about the responsibility we have to our customers to protect their private data, designing products with security in mind, and the role that encryption plays in protecting customer information. Release Notes […]
Today we share the story of the day our email stopped working and how we fixed it in a hurry. (Spoiler: We threw money at the problem.) We weigh the advantages of free services versus paid services, and talk about what to do when you discover that you’ve outgrown a free service. We also list […]
We are joined again today by Craig Hockenberry of The Iconfactory, makers of Twitterrific, Linea, great icons, and more. Today, we continue talking to Craig about Project Phoenix, The Iconfactory’s Kickstarter to relaunch Twitteriffic for Mac. We also discuss the “pro software” problem on the iPad, what makes a good Kickstarter video, and pricing models […]
We are joined today by Craig Hockenberry of The Iconfactory, makers of Twitterrific, Linea, great icons, and more. Craig talks to us about the start of The Iconfactory, working as a part of a distributed team, the benefits of growing slowly, and of course, their new Kickstarter to relaunch Twitterrific for Mac which they’ve codenamed […]
Today Joe talks to Charles about his new business, RelaNet. We discuss Charles’ new business, the value of specializing in one market vertical, and why Charles seems to be migrating his business efforts away from standalone iOS apps and towards web services. Release Notes 2017 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2017, the third […]
Today we talk about a potentially unpleasant topic: rejection. Specifically rejection in the context of business. We talk about how we deal with hearing “no” in general, and then dive into a few specific situations including pitching your contracting services, pursuing business through cold emails and cold calls, and mailing lists. Release Notes 2017 We’re […]
The first beta for iOS 10.3 dropped a few days ago, and this new version includes several changes that will affect your business: a built-in app review interface, new options for deep linking to the App Store, and the ability for developers to respond to customer reviews in the App Store. In addition to these […]
Today we tackle a variety of topics including our recent announcement of Release Notes 2017 and its move to Chicago, the scourge of tax time and preparing Forms 1099-MISC (for U.S. tax payers), and finally managed services and Charles is moving his websites to Linode. Release Notes 2017 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes […]
Today Manton Reece joins us to talk about Micro.blog, the new microblogging service that he’s developing. We talk to Manton about why he thinks a new microblogging service is needed, the importance of owning your own content, and his successful Kickstarter campaign. Release Notes 2017 We’re happy to announce that Release Notes 2017, the third […]
Today we continue our conversation with Allen Pike of Steamclock Software. We talk about consistency in blogging, building a consultancy, and balancing internal products with contract work. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. […]
Today we talk to Allen Pike of Steamclock Software about how he started Steamclock Software, building a music app that refuses to play Nickelback, what to do when Apple’s API is insufficient, and selling into a semi-pro market. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
Today, just in time for the end of the year, we discuss end-of-year activities that we should be undertaking in order to wrap up 2016 and prepare for 2017. We talk about taxes, planning, setting goals, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
Today we’re continuing our list of gift ideas for you and the geeks in your life. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS development than we have time to discuss on the show. If you’d like to receive our monthly newsletter with the best […]
Need a last minute gift idea for the geek in your life? We’ve got you covered. And best of all, all these gift ideas are still easily gotten in time for Christmas. (Unlike the NES Classic. 😥 ) Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and […]
On today’s show we talk about our computer setups and how Apple’s release of new MacBook Pros has affected our computing choices. We talk about what computers we are or are not buying, the reasons behind our choices, and our experiences with using Apple Store business representatives for hardware purchases. Mailing List Every month there […]
Today we discuss Setapp, MacPaw’s new Netflix-like service for high quality Mac apps. Last week (episode #184) MacPaw’s CEO Oleksandr Kosovan talked to us about the service. Immediately after that interview, Charles and Joe discussed what we heard, and shared our immediate, and pretty different, takes on whether or not this is a service that […]
Today we talk to Oleksander Kosovan, founder and CEO of MacPaw, makers of products like Devmate and CleanMyMac. Today we talk to Oleksander about a new product called Setapp. Setapp gives its customers access to dozens of high quality apps for a low monthly price. Aleksandr tells us about his start with MacPaw, the concept […]
Today Charles interrogates Joe about his recent experience porting his iOS app X2Y to macOS. We talk about Joe’s reason for taking X2Y to the Mac, similarities and differences between UIKit and AppKit, Mac App Store versus self-distribution, pricing, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business […]
Today we continue our conversation with Elia Freedman of Infinity Softworks, and talk about how he transitioned his mobile software business from the PalmPilot days to the iPhone. We talk about lessons learned, lessons forgotten, and how he had to change his business model to adapt to the new marketplace. Mailing List Every month there […]
Today we’re joined by Elia Freedman of Infinity Softworks. Elia has been building and selling mobile software since the days of the Palm Pilot, and has learned a lot about the business of selling mobile software along the way. We talk to Elia about his history of mobile software and how he has had to […]
Today we continue our discussion of iMessage sticker packs, diving deeper into intellectual property issues and app review troubles that surround sticker packs. In particular, we discuss Joe’s guitar-themed sticker pack and possible intellectual property concerns with a certain famous guitar manufacturer, as well as the catch-22 of creating alcohol-themed screen shots in a kid […]
Today we talk about about iMessage sticker packs and Joe’s experience with them. We talk about building a custom sticker pack, sticker packs as impulse buys, reusing and re-monetizing sticker pack assets, terms of use for sticker pack intellectual property, and more. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the […]
Today we catch up on a few news items that cropped up while we were busy putting on Release Notes 2016. We talk about Dash being pulled from the Mac App Store, managing business risks, and Omni’s new method of offering free trials in the Mac App Store. Mailing List Every month there are more […]
In making preparations for the Release Notes conference that is just past, we paused to reflect on the role that our preparations play in ensuring a successful launch – whether that launch is of an app update, a new product, or even a conference. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content […]
Today we’re joined by Dermot Daly, founder of Tapadoo and co-founder of Úll, Ireland’s Apple-related conference. We talk about how he founded Tapadoo, how found himself organizing Úll, and the the business side of running a conference. Mailing List Every month there are more great articles and content about the business of Mac and iOS […]
We’re joined again today by Rich Siegel, founder of Bare Bones Software and Release Notes 2016 speaker. Today we talk to Rich about the value of providing excellent customer support, why indies might want to consider building and selling professional tools, and the basic business skills that every indie needs. Release Notes 2016 If you’re […]
We’re joined today by Rich Siegel, founder of Bare Bones Software and Release Notes 2016 speaker. We talk to Rich about how he got started with BBEdit, how he’s using free apps and trials with his products, and even get an update on how things are going since he pulled his apps from the Mac […]
In today’s episode we discuss the recent changes to the App Store Review Guidelines that were announced last week. We look at the announcements, how we think we’ll be affected by them, and what we think the affect will be on the App Store as a whole. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your […]
In today’s episode, recorded live and in person at 360iDev, we reflect on the great time we had in Denver and some of the great talks we heard and lessons we learned while at the conference. Thanks to John and Nicole Wilker for putting on such a great conference! Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious […]
We’re joined this week by Oisín Prendiville and Pádraig Kennedy of Supertop. Supertop recently released a new version of their podcast player Castro, so we chatted with them about the new release, monetizing through the patronage model (and why they moved away from patronage for this release), as well as some of the marketing strategies […]
We’re joined today by Sarah Hatter, founder of CoSupport and speaker at Release Notes 2016. Sarah talks to us about her work with CoSupport, the difference between “customer support” and “customer service”, and strategies that indies and small teams can use to provide excellent service efficiently. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, […]
Today we chat about Charles’ recent adventures in naming things and the process he uses when coming up with a name for a new product or business. We discuss trademarks, choosing the right domain name, and using a .com domain versus other top level domains. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release […]
We’re joined again today by Ariel Michaeli, co-founder of AppFigures and speaker at Release Notes 2016. Today Ariel shares how he has gained needed expertise, his experience in hiring his first employee, advertising, and more. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference you want to go […]
We’re joined today by Ariel Michaeli, co-founder of AppFigures and speaker at Release Notes 2016. Ariel shares the story of how AppFigures started, his earlier history launching iOS games and other businesses, and lessons learned from watching his clients. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference […]
Today we continue our conversation about our efforts in email marketing. We talk about generating regular content, stealing ideas from competitors, email frequency, automated email campaigns, and more. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference you want to go to this year. We’ll be bringing together […]
It’s generally accepted that a strong mailing list is an indie’s best friend when it comes to marketing your products. Today we talk about some of Charles’ recent experiments in email marketing, how he is starting to use email automation, and whether it’s better to maintain separate mailing lists for each product or use one […]
At WWDC this year, Apple announced iMessage apps in two varieties: stickers and interactive messages. Today we talk about the business prospects of iMessage apps, why Joe is building a sticker pack, and why Charles isn’t as excited about them. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one […]
In this episode we talk about WWDC 2016 and Joe’s experience there. We talk about how Joe spent his time in San Francisco without a WWDC ticket, the technical announcements that we are most excited about, and dig a little deeper into the App Store changes that were pre-announced before WWDC. Release Notes 2016 If […]
We’re joined again today by David Sparks, Release Notes 2016 speaker, lawyer, and co-host of Mac Power Users. We talk about his screencast business, professional networking, giving up profitable work in order to maximize happiness and diversify income streams, and getting “real” work done on an iPad. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your […]
Today we’re joined by David Sparks, Release Notes 2016 speaker and co-host of Mac Power Users. We talk about his history podcasting, his career as a lawyer specializing in technology, and his new life as an indie. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference you want […]
Yesterday Apple sat down with a number of journalists and, through them, announced some fairly major changes to the App Store, including an expansion of the subscription pricing model for apps and the introduction of ads in the App Store. In this special episode we discuss the changes that were announced, how we think they […]
Today Joe declares his love for coffee and Comply foam tips, Charles talks a little about his recent trip to UIKonf, and we both talk about what we hope to see at WWDC in just a few days. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference you […]
Today we take some time to answer questions we received from listeners. Questions cover making money outside the App Store, the benefits of localization, the future of indie development and more. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference you want to go to this year. We’ll […]
Today we’re taking a break from iOS business news to talk about some of the gadgets and tools we use to make our day a little more enjoyable. Topics range across coffee, stationery, headphones, and more. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference you want to […]
Today we continue the conversation with Jaimee Newberry that we began last week. This week Jaimee talks to us about her history as a freelancer, the importance of side work, and the hustle it takes to make it as an indie. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the […]
We’re joined today by Jaimee Newberry, who will also be joining us as a speaker at Release Notes 2016. Jaimee shares with us how she got into design and technology, what exactly she does as the Chief Operating Officer of MartianCraft, and that time she traded her web design skills for a PowerBook and a […]
Last week we discussed how we might be affected if Apple instituted paid App Store search results, as has been rumored. Today we continue that discussion. We talk about adapting to new business realities in our ecosystem, learning from developers on other platforms, and future-proofing your business by investigating open platforms. Release Notes 2016 If […]
There’s a rumor going around that Apple may institute paid placement for search results in the App Store. We consider this rumor today and think about how paid placement would affect our apps and the App Store in general. Release Notes 2016 If you’re serious about your business, Release Notes 2016 is the one conference […]
We use today’s episode to announce the speakers that we have lined up for Release Notes 2016. We’re really pleased that all these speakers agreed to join us, and we think they are going to help us put on a fantastic event in September. For more details on all our speakers checkout our conference web […]
On today’s episode we discuss the recent changes with TextExpander and their customers’ response to those changes. We ponder the nature of recurring payments, try to construct a theory of when recurring payments are acceptable to customers, and examine the unique obstacles that TextExpander faced in changing their pricing model as an already existing product […]