mtlynch.io
Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business
Jason Cohen’s 2013 Microconf talk, Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business with Jason Cohen, is...
2 months ago
Jason Cohen’s 2013 Microconf talk, Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business with Jason Cohen, is one of the most valuable resources I’ve found for bootstrapped founders. I watched it for the first time in 2020, and I’ve revisited it repeatedly since then.
If you’re new to the...
mtlynch.io
A Survey of Applicant Tracking Systems for Bootstrapped Businesses
I’m a bootstrapped founder of a six-person company, and I spent this week testing different tools...
9 months ago
I’m a bootstrapped founder of a six-person company, and I spent this week testing different tools for hiring candidates.
This post summarizes my experience with the applicant tracking systems (ATS) I found and how well they serve small, bootstrapped businesses.
Note: This isn’t...
mtlynch.io
I Regret My $46k Website Redesign
Two years ago, I created a website for my business. By combining my terrible design skills with a...
10 months ago
Two years ago, I created a website for my business. By combining my terrible design skills with a decent-looking template, I created a site that looked okay. I told myself that if the business took off, I’d hire a real designer to make it look professional.
TinyPilot website,...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 33
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
a month ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
Deploying Syncthing on a Fly.io Cloud Server
I recently discovered Syncthing, an open-source tool for syncing files across multiple...
5 days ago
I recently discovered Syncthing, an open-source tool for syncing files across multiple machines.
Setting up Syncthing on my personal devices was easy, but I went on an interesting journey deploying it to a cloud server.
Why run Syncthing in the cloud? Syncthing synchronizes files...
mtlynch.io
Questions to ask a potential 3PL vendor
Over the past six months, I’ve been transitioning the fulfillment processes at my e-commerce...
3 weeks ago
Over the past six months, I’ve been transitioning the fulfillment processes at my e-commerce business to a third-party logistics (3PL) vendor.
I didn’t know anything about 3PLs before starting this process, so there were a lot of things I didn’t know to ask about. Here are the...
mtlynch.io
My Fifth Year as a Bootstrapped Founder
Five years ago, I quit my job as a developer at Google to create my own bootstrapped software...
3 months ago
Five years ago, I quit my job as a developer at Google to create my own bootstrapped software company.
For the first few years, all of my businesses flopped. None of them earned more than a few hundred dollars per month in revenue, and they all had negative profits.
Halfway...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 22
Highlights TinyPilot generates $58k/month in revenue yet somehow loses money. It’s more important...
a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot generates $58k/month in revenue yet somehow loses money. It’s more important than I thought to have low-latency insight into developers’ hours. I’m trying paid advertising again for the first time in almost two years. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I...
mtlynch.io
Update: Stripe's Response Regarding User Tracking
Last week, I published a blog post describing how Stripe recorded visitor behavior on their...
over a year ago
Last week, I published a blog post describing how Stripe recorded visitor behavior on their customers’ websites. In short, Stripe’s JavaScript library collected information about URLs users visited and telemetry about their mouse movements, even when the site never displayed any...
mtlynch.io
Deep Work by Cal Newport
This was my favorite book of 2018. It profoundly impacted the way I approach my work and organize my...
over a year ago
This was my favorite book of 2018. It profoundly impacted the way I approach my work and organize my time. After reading it, I find it easier to maintain concentration and to prioritize important tasks. It was also the final push I needed to un-addict myself from social media.
mtlynch.io
Resurrecting a Dead Library: Part Three - Rehabilitation
I love refactoring. Nothing satisfies me more than untangling spaghetti code to reveal its...
over a year ago
I love refactoring. Nothing satisfies me more than untangling spaghetti code to reveal its underlying logic in a clear, intuitive way.
I’ve learned that refactoring requires diligence. In my younger and more reckless days, I would rush into a legacy codebase and tear apart the...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 34
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
3 weeks ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs seven other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this...
mtlynch.io
What Got Done - Month 1
Highlights I launched my task journaling app, but it hasn’t attracted many users. Interviewing...
over a year ago
Highlights I launched my task journaling app, but it hasn’t attracted many users. Interviewing potential customers gave me a good idea for my next project. I earned $107 from Is It Keto and $123 from Zestful without working on either. Goal Grades Publish a minimum viable product...
mtlynch.io
Adventures in Outsourcing: Cooking with TaskRabbit
Overview For the past few years, I’ve been outsourcing tasks from my daily life whenever possible. I...
over a year ago
Overview For the past few years, I’ve been outsourcing tasks from my daily life whenever possible. I tend to be more limited in time than money, so if paying $30 can save me an hour, I consider that a good deal.
I recently started experimenting with the keto diet, which focuses...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 18
Highlights I’ve launched a new TinyPilot product and debuted a new logo. TinyPilot’s revenue...
a year ago
Highlights I’ve launched a new TinyPilot product and debuted a new logo. TinyPilot’s revenue finished the year strong at $55k for December. I’ve learned to manage design projects more aggressively. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish....
mtlynch.io
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
A quick, practical guide to interviewing customers during the early stages of a new product idea.
I...
over a year ago
A quick, practical guide to interviewing customers during the early stages of a new product idea.
I expected basic advice about how you shouldn’t ask customers leading questions, but Fitzpatrick goes much more in-depth. The book made me recognize weaknesses in my approach to...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 32
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
2 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 19
Highlights I published my fourth annual retrospective about being a bootstrapped founder. TinyPilot...
a year ago
Highlights I published my fourth annual retrospective about being a bootstrapped founder. TinyPilot sales continue running strong despite a delay in launching our next product. I analyze how I’m spending my time and figure out ways to allocate my hours better. Goal Grades At the...
mtlynch.io
Retrofitting Apps for Cloud Storage with Zero Code Changes
I recently installed a media sharing app to one of my servers. It was simple to install, but it hid...
over a year ago
I recently installed a media sharing app to one of my servers. It was simple to install, but it hid a dastardly trap for long-term maintenance.
Every time a user uploaded a file, the web app saved it to the local filesystem. If I ever blew away the server and rebuilt it, I’d have...
mtlynch.io
Why Good Developers Write Bad Unit Tests
Congratulations! You’ve finally written so many lines of code that you can afford a beach house. You...
over a year ago
Congratulations! You’ve finally written so many lines of code that you can afford a beach house. You hire Peter Keating, an architect world-famous for his skyscrapers, who assures you that he has brilliant plans for your beachfront property.
Months later, you arrive at the grand...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 31
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
3 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 24
Highlights TinyPilot reached an all-time high of $74k in revenue. I’m trying to figure out the best...
11 months ago
Highlights TinyPilot reached an all-time high of $74k in revenue. I’m trying to figure out the best approach to software licensing. I’m still searching for a web framework I can love. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how I did...
mtlynch.io
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
The Goal is an attempt to reevaluate business management from first principles. The book explains...
a year ago
The Goal is an attempt to reevaluate business management from first principles. The book explains Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints, which states that in any business, the sole determinant of output is the bottleneck resource. To grow, a business has to identify its bottlenecks...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 11
Highlights Despite $30k in monthly revenue, TinyPilot barely covers costs. I’m exploring options to...
over a year ago
Highlights Despite $30k in monthly revenue, TinyPilot barely covers costs. I’m exploring options to get big companies to pay more for TinyPilot. I need to come to terms with the fact that managing people is a real job. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 8
Highlights TinyPilots revenues dropped for the first time in six months. TinyPilot finished the...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilots revenues dropped for the first time in six months. TinyPilot finished the month with $33k in revenue, a 21% drop from January. One of the critical TinyPilot parts I need suddenly disappeared from vendors. Delegating work to others is paradoxically leaving me...
mtlynch.io
My Eight-Year Quest to Digitize 45 Videotapes (Part Two)
In part one, I described my arduous journey to capture my old home movies in digital format and...
over a year ago
In part one, I described my arduous journey to capture my old home movies in digital format and divide them into individual scenes. After processing all the clips, I wanted the experience of exploring them to be as simple as looking up clips on YouTube. Because these videos are...
mtlynch.io
I'm Probably Procrastinating
Highlights A change to Zestful’s website boosted it to the front page of Google results within days....
over a year ago
Highlights A change to Zestful’s website boosted it to the front page of Google results within days. I’m going to try to make a better version of a decades’ old application for managing machine shops. I’m doing lots of coding to avoid talking to customers. Goal Grades At the...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 21
Highlights TinyPilot had its best sales month ever, with $69k of total revenue. I’m now five months...
a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot had its best sales month ever, with $69k of total revenue. I’m now five months and $32k over budget on a website redesign. I launched PicoShare, and it’s the fastest-growing project I’ve ever published. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Build a KVM Over IP for Under $100
TinyPilot is my inexpensive, open-source device for controlling computers remotely. It works even...
over a year ago
TinyPilot is my inexpensive, open-source device for controlling computers remotely. It works even before the operating system boots, so I use TinyPilot to install new OSes and debug boot failures on my bare metal homelab servers.
This post details my experience creating TinyPilot...
mtlynch.io
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Nonviolent Communication describes a communication style centered around sharing vulnerability and...
over a year ago
Nonviolent Communication describes a communication style centered around sharing vulnerability and offering empathy. One of its biggest strengths is in how it highlights common patterns of lazy communication that exclude personal feelings or critical thinking. I also found its...
mtlynch.io
Go Programming Blueprints by Mat Ryer
I’m a fan of Mat Ryer’s work, and his blog posts have had a significant impact on the way I program...
5 months ago
I’m a fan of Mat Ryer’s work, and his blog posts have had a significant impact on the way I program in Go. I found the book hit or miss. Some chapters were fascinating and taught me valuable Go lessons, while others felt boring and got too bogged down in the minutiae of...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 7
Highlights TinyPilot achieved astonishing growth in revenue, jumping from $15k in December to $42k...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot achieved astonishing growth in revenue, jumping from $15k in December to $42k in January. Most of TinyPilot’s sales came from a single positive YouTube review. TinyPilot is experiencing growing pains as I scramble to meet demand. Goal Grades At the start of...
mtlynch.io
How I Collected a Debt from an Unscrupulous Merchant
A few years ago, I learned a handy technique for resolving disputes with uncooperative businesses....
over a year ago
A few years ago, I learned a handy technique for resolving disputes with uncooperative businesses. It’s simple to understand and easy to implement. You don’t need lawyers or a prominent social media presence. All it requires is for you to behave like an organized professional....
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 12
Highlights I added 88 new programmatically-generated articles to Is It Keto. With 100k monthly...
over a year ago
Highlights I added 88 new programmatically-generated articles to Is It Keto. With 100k monthly pageviews, it’s time to explore new ways of working with Is It Keto’s audience. I created a KVM over IP device that requires <$100 in hardware. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I...
mtlynch.io
Editing and Sharing Home Videos with MediaGoblin
Goal This tutorial shows you how to edit digitized video captures into smaller clips that you can...
over a year ago
Goal This tutorial shows you how to edit digitized video captures into smaller clips that you can publish on your own password-protected MediaGoblin server. You’ll use a free Heroku dyno, so your only ongoing cost for running this private media server is the cost of storage on...
mtlynch.io
My Eight-Year Quest to Digitize 45 Videotapes (Part One)
For the last eight years, I’ve carried around this box of videotapes through four different...
over a year ago
For the last eight years, I’ve carried around this box of videotapes through four different apartments and one house. They’re family home videos from my childhood.
After 600+ hours of work, I finally digitized and organized them well enough to throw away the original tapes....
mtlynch.io
An Unexpected Reset Month
Highlights My loved ones and I are safe and healthy. WanderJest is on hiatus due to the nationwide...
over a year ago
Highlights My loved ones and I are safe and healthy. WanderJest is on hiatus due to the nationwide shutdown. I’m working on a product to help investors rebalance their portfolios. COVID-19 and me Obviously, the most relevant thing to happen in the last month has been the global...
mtlynch.io
How I Hired a Freelance Editor for My Blog
A year in blogging I started this blog in May of last year. I don’t mean to brag, but by last April,...
over a year ago
A year in blogging I started this blog in May of last year. I don’t mean to brag, but by last April, after less than a year of blogging, I was pulling in upwards of 20 visitors per day, several of whom were not spam bots. That number reached as high as 50 visitors on days when I...
mtlynch.io
Building a Homelab VM Server
Note: This article describes a VM build in 2017.
For the 2020 version, see, “Building a Homelab VM...
over a year ago
Note: This article describes a VM build in 2017.
For the 2020 version, see, “Building a Homelab VM Server (2020 Edition).”
Overview I do the bulk of my home development work in virtual machines (VMs). My main desktop PC is a Windows 10 machine, so I had always run my VMs from...
mtlynch.io
How Litestream Eliminated My Database Server for $0.03/month
Here’s a riddle. My web app keeps all of its data in a SQL database. I can spontaneously tear it...
over a year ago
Here’s a riddle. My web app keeps all of its data in a SQL database. I can spontaneously tear it down, deploy the code to a different hosting platform, and the app will still serve all the same data. Running my app in production costs $0.03 per month.
How is this possible?
That’s...
mtlynch.io
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
I bought this book hoping for lessons to apply to my business, manufacturing and selling physical...
over a year ago
I bought this book hoping for lessons to apply to my business, manufacturing and selling physical products. I didn’t find many business insights, but it was still an engaging and funny story.
mtlynch.io
Notes from PyGotham 2019
Overview This past weekend, PyGotham invited me to speak at their annual conference in Manhattan. In...
over a year ago
Overview This past weekend, PyGotham invited me to speak at their annual conference in Manhattan. In an effort to maximize the benefit I get from the event, I’ve prepared notes that capture what I learned by attending. I’m sharing them in hopes that it might be interesting or...
mtlynch.io
Pursuing a Business I'll Love
Highlights Zestful had its biggest month ever, with $3,936 in revenue. Is It Keto also had its best...
over a year ago
Highlights Zestful had its biggest month ever, with $3,936 in revenue. Is It Keto also had its best month ever, at $393 in revenue. After lots of research and customer interviews, I gave up on my idea for creating sheet metal software. I published my first version of an app for...
mtlynch.io
My Third Year as a Solo Developer
Today is the third anniversary of quitting my job at Google to build my own software business. I...
over a year ago
Today is the third anniversary of quitting my job at Google to build my own software business. I posted updates at the end of my first and second years, so it’s time to share my progress.
The year things clicked into place In my first two years working for myself, I earned less...
mtlynch.io
How to Make Your Code Reviewer Fall in Love with You
When people talk about code reviews, they focus on the reviewer. But the developer who writes the...
over a year ago
When people talk about code reviews, they focus on the reviewer. But the developer who writes the code is just as important to the review as the person who reads it. There’s scarcely any guidance on preparing your code for review, so authors often screw up this process out of...
mtlynch.io
Hiring Content Writers: Part Three - Screening Candidates
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job...
over a year ago
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job Description Part Three: Screening Candidates (this section) Part Four - Working with Writers Part Five - Terminating Writers Screening writing candidates requires you to make decisions...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 5
Highlights Is It Keto’s user visits continued to grow rapidly. Revenues increased substantially from...
over a year ago
Highlights Is It Keto’s user visits continued to grow rapidly. Revenues increased substantially from the previous month but missed targets for January. I figured out an easy and inexpensive way to attract users via Twitter. Goal Grades At the start of the month, I laid out some...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 4
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Is It Keto Month 4: My...
over a year ago
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Is It Keto Month 4: My First Dollar of Revenue
mtlynch.io
Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The book contains many interesting examples of common biases and logical fallacies, but it’s buried...
over a year ago
The book contains many interesting examples of common biases and logical fallacies, but it’s buried in a lot of bluster and fluff about how smart the author is. While it was likely groundbreaking when it was published in 2004, its ideas have since permeated into the mainstream....
mtlynch.io
Zestful: Month 4
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Zestful Month 4:...
over a year ago
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Zestful Month 4: Shipping Too Late
mtlynch.io
KetoHub Update: Month 3
In early October, I launched a new website, KetoHub, a recipe aggregator for keto meals. Each month,...
over a year ago
In early October, I launched a new website, KetoHub, a recipe aggregator for keto meals. Each month, I’ve evaluated the site’s progress to decide how it’s doing and what areas need improvement.
I’m doing my evaluation of December publicly. Here’s what was good, bad, and learnable...
mtlynch.io
Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra
Overall, this was an interesting read, but I found it hard to apply the lessons to my product. The...
a year ago
Overall, this was an interesting read, but I found it hard to apply the lessons to my product. The book contains compelling case studies and ideas from the field of meta-learning, but most of the ideas were either too theoretical or too specific to large companies.
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 4
Highlights TinyPilot hit $10k in revenue. That’s a record high for me and exceeds my total revenue...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot hit $10k in revenue. That’s a record high for me and exceeds my total revenue for all of 2019. I interviewed several IT consultants and business owners about what TinyPilot features would be useful to them. I tested several new marketing channels and realized...
mtlynch.io
How to Do Code Reviews Like a Human (Part Two)
This is the second half of my article about how to communicate well and avoid pitfalls in code...
over a year ago
This is the second half of my article about how to communicate well and avoid pitfalls in code reviews. Here, I focus on techniques to bring your code review to a successful close while avoiding ugly conflict.
I laid the groundwork in Part One, so I recommend starting there. If...
mtlynch.io
Automated Prosper Investing with ProsperBot
Overview I started investing in peer to peer lending in 2014 through a site called Prosper. I...
over a year ago
Overview I started investing in peer to peer lending in 2014 through a site called Prosper. I thought peer to peer lending was a neat idea and could potentially earn lucrative returns.
When I began, I chose each of my loan investments manually, but over time, I have automated...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 26
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer, and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
8 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer, and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 9
Highlights I plan to open TinyPilot’s first real office next month. TinyPilot’s revenues continue to...
over a year ago
Highlights I plan to open TinyPilot’s first real office next month. TinyPilot’s revenues continue to plummet, but I’m learning to accept it. I’m inching ever closer to the freedom to take short vacations. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 5
Highlights TinyPilot revenue grew 20% to $12k. I released a new high-end model of TinyPilot. I...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot revenue grew 20% to $12k. I released a new high-end model of TinyPilot. I launched my first ever paid course. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how I did against those goals:
Release a high-end version of...
mtlynch.io
Hiring Content Writers: A Guide for Small Businesses
If you write original content for your business, you know how quickly it drains your time and mental...
over a year ago
If you write original content for your business, you know how quickly it drains your time and mental energy. It’s extremely challenging to write articles or blog posts that readers find engaging, clear, and eloquent.
You may have considered hiring a freelance writer, but it’s...
mtlynch.io
Chaos Monkeys by Antonio García Martínez
An insider’s story about Facebook in the years leading up to its IPO. It’s surprisingly candid — it...
over a year ago
An insider’s story about Facebook in the years leading up to its IPO. It’s surprisingly candid — it names names and exposes internal Facebook discussions that were never meant to be public.
An engaging read, but the narrator is painfully obnoxious.
mtlynch.io
Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling
I wish that I had found this book nine years ago. It taught me a great deal about choosing the right...
over a year ago
I wish that I had found this book nine years ago. It taught me a great deal about choosing the right product to build and the advantages of targeting small niches. The author makes compelling points about the importance of marketing and small founders’ common pitfall of treating...
mtlynch.io
The Perils of Outsourcing Your MVP
A few months ago, I had a brilliant idea for a website. Then, I had an even brillianter idea: build...
over a year ago
A few months ago, I had a brilliant idea for a website. Then, I had an even brillianter idea: build the website, but outsource all the work.
Every great website starts with an MVP: the minimum viable product. It demonstrates the idea in its simplest form to test whether anyone is...
mtlynch.io
Projects
TinyPilot (2020 - present) TinyPilot is a small, inexpensive device that gives you remote access to...
over a year ago
TinyPilot (2020 - present) TinyPilot is a small, inexpensive device that gives you remote access to servers before they even boot.
Refactoring English (2021) Refactoring English: Effective Writing for Software Developers is my upcoming book that teaches developers practical tips...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 25
Highlights My blog post about redesigning the TinyPilot website became my second most popular...
10 months ago
Highlights My blog post about redesigning the TinyPilot website became my second most popular article of all time I’m exploring ways to preserve more knowledge on my blog I’ve lowered TinyPilot’s prices in an effort to reduce inventory Goal Grades At the start of each month, I...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 20
Highlights I hired TinyPilot’s first support engineer. I learned that hiring a support engineer is...
a year ago
Highlights I hired TinyPilot’s first support engineer. I learned that hiring a support engineer is even harder than I expected. I’m evaluating platforms for paying international contractors. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how...
mtlynch.io
My Fourth Year as a Bootstrapped Founder
Four years ago, I quit my job as a developer at Google to create my own self-funded software...
a year ago
Four years ago, I quit my job as a developer at Google to create my own self-funded software company.
For the first few years, all of my businesses flopped. They all operated at a loss, and none of them earned more than a few hundred dollars per month in revenue.
Halfway through...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 16
Highlights I announced a new product and then discovered it was a mistake. I simplified the...
a year ago
Highlights I announced a new product and then discovered it was a mistake. I simplified the TinyPilot website to focus on a single device. I tried taking my first real vacation from TinyPilot with mixed results. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to...
mtlynch.io
Should I Invest in iBonds?
In a recent Hacker News thread about preparing financially for a possible recession, a commenter...
7 months ago
In a recent Hacker News thread about preparing financially for a possible recession, a commenter suggested investing in iBonds.
iBonds are one of those investments I’ve seen in passing every time I read a personal finance book, but I’ve never paid much attention to them.
When I...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 10
Highlights TinyPilot has its first official office space. I tried a marketing experiment that...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot has its first official office space. I tried a marketing experiment that flopped. Designing IT infrastructure for a new office is fun. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how I did against those...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 6
Highlights TinyPilot had another record-breaking month, with $15k in revenue. I sold $1.1k in...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot had another record-breaking month, with $15k in revenue. I sold $1.1k in pre-orders for my first ever video course. My attempt to slow down sales ended up doing the opposite. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish....
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 1
Highlights This is my highest revenue month ever, at $9.8k across all of my projects. Tiny Pilot had...
over a year ago
Highlights This is my highest revenue month ever, at $9.8k across all of my projects. Tiny Pilot had the biggest first month of anything I’ve ever launched, at 52 sales and $8.7k in revenue. The sudden surge in customers also made it one of my highest-stress months since going...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 13
Highlights I sold my first pre-order for KVM Pi. Finding new ways to monetize Is It Keto is proving...
over a year ago
Highlights I sold my first pre-order for KVM Pi. Finding new ways to monetize Is It Keto is proving more difficult than I expected. I sold an Enterprise plan for Zestful. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how I did against those...
mtlynch.io
The Making of Prince of Persia by Jordan Mechner
This book follows the author of the hit 90s computer game Prince of Persia through the game’s...
over a year ago
This book follows the author of the hit 90s computer game Prince of Persia through the game’s development, release, and several years after. The book consists of diary entries that author Jordan Mechner wrote during that time, with margin notes and accompanying photos and...
mtlynch.io
On Migrating from Cypress to Playwright
Cypress is an open-source tool for testing web applications end-to-end. I first saw Gleb Bahmutov...
7 months ago
Cypress is an open-source tool for testing web applications end-to-end. I first saw Gleb Bahmutov demo Cypress at a 2018 web dev meetup in New York, and I was blown away.
I’ve been using Cypress since I saw it demoed at a dev meetup in 2018.
Before discovering Cypress, I had...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 11
Highlights Two of my blog posts reached the front page of Hacker News. I may have finally discovered...
over a year ago
Highlights Two of my blog posts reached the front page of Hacker News. I may have finally discovered a way to scale my keto site profitably. I’m putting Portfolio Rebalancer on the backburner due to lack of traction. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like...
mtlynch.io
A Simple Pre-Rendered Web App Using Vue + Nuxt
In this post, I’ll show you how to pre-render pages using Vue and Nuxt. This method combines the...
over a year ago
In this post, I’ll show you how to pre-render pages using Vue and Nuxt. This method combines the convenient development experience of Vue without forfeiting critical features like social sharing or search engine optimization.
This tutorial assumes no experience with Vue or Nuxt....
mtlynch.io
My First Year as a Solo Developer
On February 1st, 2018, I quit my job as a software engineer at Google to start my own single-person...
over a year ago
On February 1st, 2018, I quit my job as a software engineer at Google to start my own single-person software company. It’s exactly one year later, so it feels like an apt time to reflect on how that decision affected my finances, lifestyle, and happiness.
How I made and spent...
mtlynch.io
Resurrecting a Dead Library: Part One - Resuscitation
When I arrived on the scene, it wasn’t a pretty sight.
I saw formerly active, cheerful Python...
over a year ago
When I arrived on the scene, it wasn’t a pretty sight.
I saw formerly active, cheerful Python classes in a sorry state of atrophy, having gone years without exercise. Functions at all levels of abstraction were crammed together inhumanely under the label utils. I tried to read...
mtlynch.io
Guidelines for Freelance Developers Working with Me
I’ve been hiring software developers and other freelancers for the past seven years. Even though I...
over a year ago
I’ve been hiring software developers and other freelancers for the past seven years. Even though I write most code myself, hiring other developers is a tremendous force multiplier that frees up time for other parts of my business.
Freelancers work well if you manage the...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 3
Highlights TinyPilot generated $3,800 in revenue with zero marketing. I went from zero to a...
over a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot generated $3,800 in revenue with zero marketing. I went from zero to a complete, custom manufactured product in 26 days. I’m still struggling to manage my inventory. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how I...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 2
Highlights I paused TinyPilot sales to address a design problem. I’m manufacturing a custom USB...
over a year ago
Highlights I paused TinyPilot sales to address a design problem. I’m manufacturing a custom USB power connector for TinyPilot. Revenue across all my projects was among my strongest ever, at $3.6k total. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to...
mtlynch.io
Hiring Content Writers: Part Five - Terminating Writers
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job...
over a year ago
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job Description Part Three: Screening Candidates Part Four - Working with Writers Part Five - Terminating Writers (this section) If you’ve followed this guide, you’ve hired writers on a...
mtlynch.io
Automatically Deploying ClipBucket with Ansible
Overview ClipBucket is an open source video hosting platform, similar in functionality to YouTube or...
over a year ago
Overview ClipBucket is an open source video hosting platform, similar in functionality to YouTube or Vimeo. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to deploy ClipBucket to a server using the configuration management tool, Ansible.
tl; dr - Just Install ClipBucket I don’t care about...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 27
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
7 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
Eliminating Distractions from Social Media, Email, and StackOverflow
You open Gmail to write a note to your friend. Before you begin, you notice that you’ve received six...
over a year ago
You open Gmail to write a note to your friend. Before you begin, you notice that you’ve received six new messages. It pains you to leave emails unopened, so you read them immediately. Two hours later, you realize that you never wrote that note to your friend.
This happened to me...
mtlynch.io
Hiring Content Writers: Part One - Finding Writers
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers (this section) Part Two - Creating a...
over a year ago
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers (this section) Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job Description Part Three: Screening Candidates Part Four - Working with Writers Part Five - Terminating Writers There are thousands of working freelance writers in the...
mtlynch.io
Recovery Month
Highlights Is It Keto’s revenue doubled to $82.44 with zero effort on my part. My task journaling...
over a year ago
Highlights Is It Keto’s revenue doubled to $82.44 with zero effort on my part. My task journaling app is almost ready for publication. I’ve begun setting up meetings with potential customers about my next project ideas. Goal Grades At the start of the month, I gave up on Is It...
mtlynch.io
End-to-End Testing Web Apps: The Painless Way
Okay, I know you’re skeptical. Other guides have promised you painless web app tests only to reveal...
over a year ago
Okay, I know you’re skeptical. Other guides have promised you painless web app tests only to reveal that their solution requires some hyper-specific tech stack or a paid third-party service. I won’t do that to you.
This guide provides a straightforward and flexible template for...
mtlynch.io
What I Learned About Upwork from a Bumbling Scammer
For years, I’ve hired freelancers through a site called Upwork. The site attracts many different...
over a year ago
For years, I’ve hired freelancers through a site called Upwork. The site attracts many different professionals, so I’ve used it to find everything from cartoonists to software developers to copy editors. Some were great, some were disastrous, but none of them had ever tried to...
mtlynch.io
Zestful: Month 5
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Zestful Month 5:...
over a year ago
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Zestful Month 5: Launched, but Still No Customers
mtlynch.io
Happy City by Charles Montgomery
Given how much urban design affects our lives, it’s surprising how little we think about and...
over a year ago
Given how much urban design affects our lives, it’s surprising how little we think about and participate in it. This book was eye-opening in terms of the way I look at cities and how its inhabitants interact with them.
I took for granted the idea that cities should be friendly to...
mtlynch.io
Resurrecting a Dead Library: Part Two - Stabilization
In this post, I demonstrate how to retrofit automated tests onto an untested legacy library.
This is...
over a year ago
In this post, I demonstrate how to retrofit automated tests onto an untested legacy library.
This is part two of a three-part series about how I resurrected ingredient-phrase-tagger, a library that uses machine learning to parse cooking ingredients (e.g., “2 cups milk”) into...
mtlynch.io
What I've Been Doing Since Quitting My Job
I worked as a software engineer for Google from 2014 to 2018. On February 1st, I quit my job and...
over a year ago
I worked as a software engineer for Google from 2014 to 2018. On February 1st, I quit my job and formed my own single-person software company.
That was four months ago, so I thought I’d share an update on how things are going.
What’s it like not having a job? That’s the most...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 23
Highlights The TinyPilot website redesign is finally done. I’ve learned to make Debian packages, and...
12 months ago
Highlights The TinyPilot website redesign is finally done. I’ve learned to make Debian packages, and it’s surprisingly simple. I’ve given up on Vue and frontend frameworks in general. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s how I did...
mtlynch.io
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
I had a mixed reaction to this book. Some of Ibram X. Kendi’s ideas felt novel and compelling. It...
over a year ago
I had a mixed reaction to this book. Some of Ibram X. Kendi’s ideas felt novel and compelling. It broadened my perspective in thinking about race. And there’s a lot of historical discussion of race and slavery that covered details I don’t remember from school. At the same time, I...
mtlynch.io
Notes from PyTexas 2019
Overview This past weekend, PyTexas invited me to speak at their annual conference in Austin,...
over a year ago
Overview This past weekend, PyTexas invited me to speak at their annual conference in Austin, Texas.
It was a fun trip, and I learned a lot. It was also expensive, both financially and in terms of time. I’m taking these notes partly to share what I learned and partly to help me...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 29
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
5 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
Back Up Encrypted ZFS Data without Unlocking It
I recently built my first home TrueNAS server. I use it to store the bulk of my personal and work...
10 months ago
I recently built my first home TrueNAS server. I use it to store the bulk of my personal and work data, so I’ve been learning how to make the most of TrueNAS and its filesystem, ZFS.
Today, I want to tell you about backing up encrypted data.
My homelab TrueNAS server
One of the...
mtlynch.io
Hiring Content Writers: Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job Description
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job...
over a year ago
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job Description (this section) Part Three: Screening Candidates Part Four - Working with Writers Part Five - Terminating Writers A clear, concise job description shows candidates that you’re...
mtlynch.io
The Dumbest Task I Ever Outsourced
I derive immense satisfaction from outsourcing my chores. All of my friends have heard me encourage...
over a year ago
I derive immense satisfaction from outsourcing my chores. All of my friends have heard me encourage them to place a higher value on their free time and delegate their errands. Few of them heed my advice, and it’s probably because they know about the time I paid someone $96 to...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 15
Highlights TinyPilot had its highest-revenue month ever. One of TinyPilot’s competitors raised $800k...
a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot had its highest-revenue month ever. One of TinyPilot’s competitors raised $800k almost overnight. I’m working with a design firm to improve TinyPilot’s brand and website. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish. Here’s...
mtlynch.io
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Before reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I thought of it as the canonical cliché...
over a year ago
Before reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I thought of it as the canonical cliché self-help book. But as the saying goes, clichés become clichés because they’re true. The book’s insightfulness surprised me, and I found many of its ideas useful in my everyday...
mtlynch.io
How to Grow Quickly and Never Turn a Profit
Early last year, I launched a nutrition site called Is It Keto. From November 2018 until March 2019,...
over a year ago
Early last year, I launched a nutrition site called Is It Keto. From November 2018 until March 2019, the site was my full-time focus. Every month, visitors increased by 50% to 150%, an exhilarating growth rate that far outpaced any of my previous projects.
There was only one...
mtlynch.io
How I Tricked Myself into Shipping Too Late
Many software founders fail for a simple reason: they ship too late. They spend years developing a...
over a year ago
Many software founders fail for a simple reason: they ship too late. They spend years developing a product in a vacuum only to see it crumble the first time a real customer touches it.
The Indie Hackers podcast features many such stories. The show’s stated mission is to help...
mtlynch.io
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
As a big fan of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, I was interested in this...
a year ago
As a big fan of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, I was interested in this book. 70 years after it was published, I still see people recommending it, so I had high hopes.
Sadly, the book fell short of my expectations. When I read How to Win Friends and...
mtlynch.io
Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam
The idea of social capital has interested me for a long time, but when I finally sat down to read...
over a year ago
The idea of social capital has interested me for a long time, but when I finally sat down to read this book, it was painfully dry. It offers an eye-opening investigation into the many ways that civic engagement has declined in the US, but it was a real slog to get through.
mtlynch.io
Stripe is Silently Recording Your Movements On its Customers' Websites
Among startups and tech companies, Stripe seems to be the near-universal favorite for payment...
over a year ago
Among startups and tech companies, Stripe seems to be the near-universal favorite for payment processing. When I needed paid subscription functionality for my new web app, Stripe felt like the natural choice. After integration, however, I discovered that Stripe’s official...
mtlynch.io
My Second Year as a Solo Developer
Two years ago, I quit my developer job at Google to build my own software business. A year later, I...
over a year ago
Two years ago, I quit my developer job at Google to build my own software business. A year later, I posted an update about my finances, happiness, and lessons learned. Today marks the end of my second year, so it’s time for another update.
How I made and spent money Metric 2018...
mtlynch.io
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Like all Gladwell books, Outliers does an excellent job of building an engaging narrative out of...
over a year ago
Like all Gladwell books, Outliers does an excellent job of building an engaging narrative out of topics that the average person might otherwise find inaccessible. His exploration into the causes of airline crashes was especially fascinating.
While it provides a nice collection of...
mtlynch.io
Staying Motivated by Sending Status Updates to Nobody
At my last job, status meetings with my manager were outstandingly efficient. He never ran me...
over a year ago
At my last job, status meetings with my manager were outstandingly efficient. He never ran me through the typical drill of listing list off everything I did since our last meeting. Instead, we jumped right to the meaty topics of career growth, team development, and challenging...
mtlynch.io
A Follow-Up and Space Duck
The response to yesterday’s post about leaving Google has been unexpected and overwhelming.
It was...
over a year ago
The response to yesterday’s post about leaving Google has been unexpected and overwhelming.
It was extremely gratifying to hear that my story resonated with so many people. Hundreds of readers from a variety of industries all across the globe have written me to tell me how they...
mtlynch.io
GreenPiThumb: A Raspberry Pi Gardening Bot
Introduction This is the story of GreenPiThumb: a gardening bot that automatically waters...
over a year ago
Introduction This is the story of GreenPiThumb: a gardening bot that automatically waters houseplants, but also sometimes kills them.
The story begins about a year ago, when I was struck by a sudden desire to own a houseplant. A plant would look nice, supply me with much needed...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 17
Highlights TinyPilot’s sales jumped to $57k, and it might be sustainable. I’m just about to launch...
a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot’s sales jumped to $57k, and it might be sustainable. I’m just about to launch TinyPilot’s new product and branding. I reduced Google Cloud Platform fees by 90% on my side projects. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to accomplish....
mtlynch.io
Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
This book was thoroughly underwhelming. Dozens of people have recommended it to me in the past...
over a year ago
This book was thoroughly underwhelming. Dozens of people have recommended it to me in the past couple of years, and I don’t understand the hype. It has some insightful ideas, but they’re buried under questionable advice and poor writing.
mtlynch.io
Hiring Content Writers: Part Four - Working with Writers
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job...
over a year ago
Overview: Hiring Content Writers Part One: Finding Writers Part Two - Creating a Detailed Job Description Part Three: Screening Candidates Part Four - Working with Writers (this section) Part Five - Terminating Writers You can’t judge a writer’s skill accurately until they...
mtlynch.io
Running Sia on a Synology NAS via Docker
Overview Sia is a decentralized, peer-to-peer network for buying and selling computer storage space....
over a year ago
Overview Sia is a decentralized, peer-to-peer network for buying and selling computer storage space. If you have extra storage space, Sia allows you to sell it to others who want to store their files on the Sia cloud network.
Hosting a Sia server on your personal laptop or...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 14
Highlights A redesign of TinyPilot’s website seems to have increased sales. TinyPilot now has a...
a year ago
Highlights A redesign of TinyPilot’s website seems to have increased sales. TinyPilot now has a European distributor. After three years, I’ve earned back my investment in Zestful (and I might sell it). I’m still ruthlessly delegating every task I can. Goal Grades At the start of...
mtlynch.io
Building a Homelab VM Server (2020 Edition)
For the past five years, I’ve done all of my software development in virtual machines (VMs). Each of...
over a year ago
For the past five years, I’ve done all of my software development in virtual machines (VMs). Each of my projects gets a dedicated VM, sparing me the headache of dependency conflicts and TCP port collisions.
Three years ago, I took things to the next level by building my own...
mtlynch.io
WanderJest: Month 2
Highlights I’m betting big on a publicity campaign that’s at risk of failing spectacularly....
over a year ago
Highlights I’m betting big on a publicity campaign that’s at risk of failing spectacularly. WanderJest finally earned its first dollar of revenue, but in a way that is definitely unsustainable. Poor work habits have left me with the most stress I’ve felt in a year. Goal Grades At...
mtlynch.io
How to Do Code Reviews Like a Human (Part One)
Lately, I’ve been reading articles about best practices for code reviews. I notice that these...
over a year ago
Lately, I’ve been reading articles about best practices for code reviews. I notice that these articles focus on finding bugs to the exclusion of almost every other component of a review. Communicating issues you discover in a constructive and professional way? Irrelevant! Just...
mtlynch.io
How I Stole Your Siacoin
A seedy reddit post The night was June 9th, 2017. It was a typical Friday night for me. I was...
over a year ago
A seedy reddit post The night was June 9th, 2017. It was a typical Friday night for me. I was watching Netflix and checking reddit partying with cool kids.
Suddenly, I saw this post on the “New” tab of the /r/siacoin subreddit:
If you’re not familiar with Siacoin, it’s a...
mtlynch.io
A Beginner's Guide to Mining Siacoin
This guide is out of date.
This post describes mining Sia with a desktop graphics card (GPU), but...
over a year ago
This guide is out of date.
This post describes mining Sia with a desktop graphics card (GPU), but custom mining hardware is now available for Sia. The custom hardware has made Sia GPU mining non-viable. This guide will still work, but you may never reach payout, even with a...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto - Month 10
Highlights I sold my first meal plan on Is It Keto. I then tried five different experiments for...
over a year ago
Highlights I sold my first meal plan on Is It Keto. I then tried five different experiments for increasing sales. Is It Keto’s revenue dropped for the month as I redirected resources toward its failing meal plans. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to...
mtlynch.io
How to Hire a Cartoonist to Make Your Blog Less Boring
I had just completed a passionate blog post.
Too passionate, maybe, as I had written over 8,000...
over a year ago
I had just completed a passionate blog post.
Too passionate, maybe, as I had written over 8,000 words. That’s 1000x longer than the average Buzzfeed article. Worse, it was a giant wall of text with nary a visual element to break it up aside from some screenshots and a few tables....
mtlynch.io
Sia-Minio Integration Postmortem
One of the best things I learned from working at Google is the practice of blame-free postmortems....
over a year ago
One of the best things I learned from working at Google is the practice of blame-free postmortems. When something goes wrong, you wait until the dust settles, then write a report analyzing what happened. The report explains how the problem occurred and defines concrete steps the...
mtlynch.io
Building a Budget Homelab NAS Server (2022 Edition)
This year, I decided to build my first ever home storage server. It’s a 32 TB system that stores my...
a year ago
This year, I decided to build my first ever home storage server. It’s a 32 TB system that stores my personal and business data using open-source software.
The server itself cost $531, and I bought four disks for $732, bringing the total cost to $1,263. It’s similar in price to...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 13
Highlights TinyPilot’s EU distributor is on track to begin sales by the end of August. I’ve freed up...
a year ago
Highlights TinyPilot’s EU distributor is on track to begin sales by the end of August. I’ve freed up time by delegating responsibilities to my teammates. I miraculously became unstuck on two tasks that have been blocking work for months. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 12
Highlights I’m struggling to get unstuck in two areas that have stalled for months: hardware...
a year ago
Highlights I’m struggling to get unstuck in two areas that have stalled for months: hardware development and hiring. I’m partnering with a distributor in Germany to begin selling TinyPilot within the EU. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare what I’d like to...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 28
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
6 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
KetoHub: Month 2
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
KetoHub Month 2
over a year ago
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
KetoHub Month 2
mtlynch.io
Fixing Memory Exhaustion Bugs in My Golang Web App
Earlier this year, I created an open-source app called PicoShare. It’s a simple Golang web app for...
9 months ago
Earlier this year, I created an open-source app called PicoShare. It’s a simple Golang web app for sharing files. I use it to send files that are too large to be email attachments, but I don’t want the recipient to deal with Dropbox or Google Drive.
A few months ago, I started...
mtlynch.io
What Got Done - Month 3
Highlights I’m shelving What Got Done, as customers seem uninterested in the idea. Zestful has...
over a year ago
Highlights I’m shelving What Got Done, as customers seem uninterested in the idea. Zestful has become my greatest challenge in not sweating the small stuff. Is It Keto continues growing in the background, with a 22% increase in revenue and a 35% rise in traffic. Goal Grades...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 7
Highlights Is It Keto’s visits reached a record high of 11k pageviews. Revenues reached a record...
over a year ago
Highlights Is It Keto’s visits reached a record high of 11k pageviews. Revenues reached a record high of $40.84 in affiliate income. Despite this, Is It Keto didn’t satisfy its critical goals, so I’m putting it on the backburner. Goal Grades At the start of the month, I laid out...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 6
Highlights Is It Keto’s user visits plateaued in February, but that still represents progress....
over a year ago
Highlights Is It Keto’s user visits plateaued in February, but that still represents progress. Revenues fell substantially and missed targets for the month. I’m going to shelve the project unless I achieve my targets for March. Goal Grades At the start of the month, I laid out...
mtlynch.io
WanderJest: Month 1
Highlights Three businesses agreed to form affiliate partnerships with WanderJest. Two of my blog...
over a year ago
Highlights Three businesses agreed to form affiliate partnerships with WanderJest. Two of my blog posts reached the front page of Hacker News. Is It Keto earned its all-time-highest monthly revenue, doubling its previous record. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto: Month 3
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Is It Keto Month 3:...
over a year ago
Prior to February 2019, I published all my retrospectives on Indie Hackers:
Is It Keto Month 3: Returning to a Site that Grew without Me
mtlynch.io
Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself
For the past four years, I’ve worked as a software developer at Google. On February 1st, I quit. It...
over a year ago
For the past four years, I’ve worked as a software developer at Google. On February 1st, I quit. It was because they refused to buy me a Christmas present.
Well, I guess it’s a little more complicated than that.
The first two years Two years in, I loved Google.
When the annual...
mtlynch.io
Create Your Own Low-Cost Cloud Storage App with Sia and Nextcloud
In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to set up your own cloud storage web app, similar to...
over a year ago
In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to set up your own cloud storage web app, similar to Dropbox or Google Drive, but with substantially lower costs. This solution provides cloud storage at ~$0.60 per TB/month. By comparison, the same storage would cost $8.25 per month on...
mtlynch.io
About
Michael Lynch is a developer and blogger. He graduated from Columbia University in 2007 with a BS in...
over a year ago
Michael Lynch is a developer and blogger. He graduated from Columbia University in 2007 with a BS in Computer Science. He has worked as a software engineer at Microsoft and Google and as a security engineer at NCC Group.
Michael is available for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto - Month 9
Highlights After six months of consistent gains of ~30% in revenue and traffic, Is It Keto’s growth...
over a year ago
Highlights After six months of consistent gains of ~30% in revenue and traffic, Is It Keto’s growth finally flattened out. I’m preparing to sell premium meal plans on Is It Keto. I’m ready to make bigger bets on my businesses. Goal Grades At the start of each month, I declare...
mtlynch.io
TinyPilot: Month 30
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent...
4 months ago
New here?
Hi, I’m Michael. I’m a software developer and the founder of TinyPilot, an independent computer hardware company. I started the company in 2020, and it now earns $60-80k/month in revenue and employs six other people.
Every month, I publish a retrospective like this one...
mtlynch.io
Is It Keto - Month 8
Highlights Is It Keto continued its streak of growth, with a 72% jump in revenue to an all-time high...
over a year ago
Highlights Is It Keto continued its streak of growth, with a 72% jump in revenue to an all-time high of $389 for August. Given that Is It Keto is doing better than any of my other projects, I decided to stop ignoring it. I finally got a high-ranking domain to link to Is It Keto,...
mtlynch.io
Key Mime Pi: Turn Your Raspberry Pi into a Remote Keyboard
Recent versions of the Raspberry Pi support USB on-the-go (USB OTG), which allows them to...
over a year ago
Recent versions of the Raspberry Pi support USB on-the-go (USB OTG), which allows them to impersonate USB devices such as keyboards, thumb drives, and microphones. To take advantage of this, I made an open-source web app that turns my Pi into a fake keyboard. I call it Key Mime...
mtlynch.io
What Got Done - Month 2
Highlights What Got Done received 32 new user sign-ups (growth of about 5x since May) Zestful may be...
over a year ago
Highlights What Got Done received 32 new user sign-ups (growth of about 5x since May) Zestful may be rising from the dead, with four new inbound customer inquiries. Is It Keto earned $184, and Zestful earned $26, making it my highest revenue month since quitting my job. Goal...
mtlynch.io
Testing Ansible Web App Roles with Selenium
Overview Ansible is an excellent tool for deploying web apps. Ansible allows us to define web apps...
over a year ago
Overview Ansible is an excellent tool for deploying web apps. Ansible allows us to define web apps in terms of the different “roles” that compose our web app (e.g. web server, database server, application server). As our roles and the interactions between them become more...
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