#256 – Debate: Elon Musk, Billionaires, Ethics, and Role Models with Sahil Lavingia and Justin Jackson
Sahil Lavingia (@shl) and Justin Jackson (@mijustin) join Courtland (@csallen) and Channing (@ChanningAllen) for a special debate-style episode. It's four dudes talking about Elon Musk. What could go wrong?
Follow Sahil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shl
Check out Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/
Follow Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mijustin
Check out Transistor.fm: https://transistor.fm/
#234 – Money, Kids, and Choosing Your Market with Justin Jackson of Transistor.fm
Today I'm talking to Justin Jackson (@mijustin). He's someone who started out in entrepreneurship by opening a brick and mortar snowboarding shop. I want to find out how he made the unlikely leap into SaaS and how having four kids at a young age changed both his journey and how he thinks about money, legacy, and the future.
Follow Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mijustin
Get your podcast hosted on Transistor: https://transistor.fm/
#152 – Picking the Right Market to Get Started In with Justin Jackson and Tyler Tringas
Transistor.fm founder Justin Jackson (@mijustin) goes head-to-head with Earnest Capital investor Tyler Tringas (@tylertringas) on the topic of picking the right market. The decisions you make when you're just getting started on a project carry the most weight and might affect your life for years to come. How big of a market should you target? How important of a problem should you solve? What does Justin mean when advises working on a "main dish" instead of a "side dish?" And how do a serial founder's views on this topic differ from an investor's?
Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/152-tyler-tringas-and-justin-jackson
#118 – The Magic of Choosing a Great Market with Justin Jackson of Transistor
Justin Jackson (@mijustin) has spent a lifetime as an entrepreneur, working on products, hosting podcasts, running communities, creating courses, and more. But it wasn't until he created his newest business, Transistor, that he fully realized the power that comes from choosing the right market as a founder. Justin joined me on the podcast to talk about the advantages of solving a straightforward problem, the importance of finding the truth in the early days, and why it might be worth it to wait for the right idea for the right market.
Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/118-justin-jackson-of-transistor
Founder depression, “going independent,” and the future of podcasting
On this episode Abadesi talks to Justin Jackson. Justin is a founder, author, and podcaster. He is co-founder of Transistor, a platform for podcasters, and runs his own podcast called Build your SaaS. He is also the creator of the MegaMaker community for developers.
In this episode they discuss...
Going from side hustle to full-time founder
“The truth is that where I’m at now is that where I’m at now is the result of years and years and years of investigating things, being curious and being naturally passionate about radio and audio in particular.”
Justin followed a circuitous route to becoming a founder. He grew up in rural Alberta, Canada, and didn’t get his first job in tech until he was 28 years old. He recently started working on Transistor full-time, and explains the progression from working a regular job, to working remotely, to starting a side hustle, and finally to becoming a “solopreneur.”
His candid recounting of his experience with depression
“I got hit hard, like I had never been hit before. I have to admit I had a bad perspective on mental illness. I thought that people who were depressed were weak. I remember that time — I felt like I had been punched down into the ground like the Incredible Hulk.”
Justin opens up about what it was like to experience depression for the first time, how it impacted him and how it changed his perspective on work, life, and mental illness generally.
How to take care of your mental health
“If you think of our lives as an application, we’re really good at maintaining the front end code. The front end code is everything that people see — the house, the degree, the job — all the external stuff. It’s the stuff we post on Instagram, it’s the stuff we talk about when we’re with friends, it’s our public face we reveal to others. But we have this back end code that we are gradually writing things to but not refactoring or caring for it the way we should.”
He explains how he got himself out of his depression with the help of a therapist, and talks about some of the important mental shifts he needed in his life. He also talks about the importance of separating your sense of self and your identity from your professional projects.
The future of podcasting and “mindful technology”
“Increasingly, people are looking for mindful technology, technology that’s not designed to keep you on the platform forever, that’s not designed to be addictive or maintain your attention forever. It’s difficult to track, it’s difficult to sell your data, and podcasting right now fits — it’s mindful.”
Justin has been passionate about audio since he was a kid riding in the family pickup truck in Alberta. He talks about the changes he’s seen in the space over the last decade and what the future holds for podcasting. He also explains his theory of mindful technology, why people want their technology to be mindful, and why podcasts fit the category perfectly.
And of course, they talk about some of his favorite products for desktop and mobile.
We’ll be back next week so be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, Overcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Big thanks to Copper for their support. 😸
Companies, Books and Products Mentioned In This Episode
Adobe Fireworks CS5 — Adobe’s bitmap and vector editor (from a long time ago).
Daylio — Mood tracker and micro-diary.
The Mom Test — How to talk to customers
Visual Studio Code — Microsoft’s cross-platform text editor for developers.
Justin Jackson finds focus [rebroadcast]
In this special episode of JS Party, we’re sharing a full-length episode of our new show, Away from Keyboard. This show explores the human side of creative work. In this episode, Tim talks with Justin Jackson about his parents, dealing with depression, and a new business he’s co-founded.
Join the discussion
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Featuring:
Justin Jackson – Website, GitHub, X
Tim Smith – GitHub, X
Show Notes:
EP03: Tim Smith Of The East Wing Podcast - Podcast Champion (podcast)
2017 year in review
Build Your SaaS
Transistor | Professional podcast hosting and analytics
Find more episodes at changelog.com/afk. Listen to the original episode at changelog.com/afk/2
Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!