It's tough to be a hiring manager right now. It's even harder when you're a bootstrapped company up against VC-backed startups and Big Tech companies with seemingly endless pockets. Listen in to hear what we're doing to compete. Other resources Matt Ronge on TwitterBy Astropad

Do you want to build a product but don't know what to make? Yea, I know the pain. On this episode, I discuss the 3 main ways we come up with product ideas at Astropad. Other resources Matt Ronge on TwitterBy Astropad

We’re adding more managers to the Astropad team, and that got me thinking about the resources I suggest for new managers. It’s not an easy transition from an individual contributor to a people manager. If you read these books, you’ll be way ahead of the vast majority of managers out there. Tune in to hear why I recommend these 3 books: - The Making…

The week I recorded this episode, a popular iPad app made the switch to subscriptions and totally screwed it up. Drawing on that example and our own experience, I give suggestions on switching an existing app to subscriptions. Tune in to hear my 3 lessons for making the switch without blowing up your business. On this episode, you'll learn: Why you…

Earlier this summer, we were feeling pretty stuck. We had been working on Luna Display for Windows going on 2 years and we still hadn't shipped. So we put together a plan, picked a ship date, and committed to a final sprint. The result was... ... our second biggest launch of all time! 🙌 On this episode, I talk with Savannah about the planning that …

I talk with Aneela Idnani of HabitAware, a company dedicated to helping people with Body Focused Repetitive Behavior – like hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting. HabitAware makes a smart bracelet called Keen that helps control unwanted repetitive behavior. They've been incredibly successful too, winning the MN Cup, named a Best Invention of …

Love it or hate it writing marketing copy is necessary for all businesses. That's why I chat with Mark Lambert, a long-time copywriter, about his work with us and how he got started. We talk about the two main schools of thought in copywriting: the old school approach and the new storybrand method. We discuss how to pick a writing approach and reso…

I recently tweeted that I think the market for beautifully built, bespoke Mac apps is all but gone. Many people found this to be quite controversial, so on this episode, I break down why I think Mac apps are no longer a viable business model. Tune in to hear why I believe the App Store, the web, Apple, and the shift to mobile have forever changed t…

On this episode, Matt summarizes what's happened with regulators closing in on Apple's App Store and where he believes this is headed. ALOT has happened in the past month: South Korea just passed a new law requiring alternate in-app payment methods Japan settled an antitrust inquiry and now "reader" apps can "special" link The EU, UK, Russia and In…

On this episode, Matt talks about why every company eventually needs to pivot and how it's not a sign of failure. He shares Astropad's story of pivoting and his lessons from that experience. Also hear examples from famous companies that had to pivot like Intel, Netflix, Nintendo, and even Apple. Links Matt Ronge on Twitter We've been sherlocked by …

After a year of podcasting, Matt shares what he's learned and where he's taking the podcast next. Tune in to hear why he thinks podcasting is easier than blogging, what has worked to grow listeners, his suggestions for anyone starting a podcast, and what's in store for the future! Links Matt Ronge on Twitter…

Have you ever been stuck on the last 10% of a project? Us too. On this episode, Matt and Savannah share their ideas for getting unstuck. It's hard to believe, but we've been working on bringing Astropad and Luna Display to Windows for over 2 years. While we are closer than ever, lately the end has felt far away. To give us that final push, we've sh…

Each year WWDC brings new competition and this year is no different. Earlier this month, Apple introduced fresh competition to our Luna Mac-to-Mac mode with new features in MacOS Monterey. Tune in to hear how we'll navigate this new threat. We are no stranger to being sherlocked by Apple. Having been through this once before, we share our long-term…

This week's hot take is for the Apple indie developers out there. Inspired by WWDC, Matt shares a lesson he's learned the hard way: That as developers we often spend too much time on the wrong things. What are the wrong things to be spending time on? You'll have to tune in to find out. Hint: They are fun to work on but don't help the customer solve…

Many of us have creative side projects that if only we could find the time for, we could really turn them into something big, but somehow we never get it done.... Today's guest, Tausif Hussain is the exception. Tausif has grown his YouTube channel to 40k subscribers and has been recognized by YouTube as a "Creator on the Rise" – while having a full…

It's our first ever guest episode, and we're excited to have Joshua Anderton on the podcast! We've shared our journey building Astropad but starting today, we'll also mix in the stories of other bootstrappers and creators. On this episode, Matt talks with Joshua about his background in music and how he get started as a maker dabbling in software, p…

If you've been following the tech news, you've probably heard about the changes at Basecamp and the massive employee exodus that followed. So on this episode, Matt and Savannah dive into what happened at Basecamp and the lessons we can learn from it. We talk through Basecamp banning politics at work and how that's only part of the story. We discuss…

You might think that successful products follow a straight path from idea to prototype and shipment, but in our experience, that's anything but the case. On this episode, Matt and Giovanni share the history of our first hardware product and the rocky journey to Luna Display 1.0. They share where the initial concept for Luna Display came from, and w…

For a successful product, platform risk is probably your number #1 threat. On this episode, Matt talks about platform risk and how it's affected Astropad. Tune in to hear Matt go through examples of platform risk and how he's sees it almost everywhere now – this isn't just an Apple ecosystem thing. He talks through platform risks, what you should b…

You launched a successful Kickstarter and promised your backers a ship date, but now you're behind schedule. What do you do? On this episode, Matt and Savannah share what's worked for them when announcing a Kickstarter update. Of course, you want to avoid a delay, but sometimes it happens. We've had to do it twice and we share the 7 step format we'…

We've made a ton of progress on Luna Display for Windows, but we realized we need more time for the HDMI units in recent weeks. USB-C units will ship on time in May, but HDMI units are behind schedule. On this episode, Matt breaks down why the HDMI units are behind schedule and what we're doing to avoid further delays. Please tune in to hear why Ma…

We're super excited to share Project Blue with the world, a project we've been working on for nearly 2 years! On this episode, Matt breaks down what Project Blue is and why it's a big deal for customers interested in Windows support. Also, why yet another app? You'll have to tune in to hear the technical decisions that led us to create a new app – …

Deciding between doubling down on an existing product or building a new one is never easy. Both options have the potential for massive upside, but both also have massive risks. Even worse, it’s not clear until much later which choice was correct, and sometimes it’s never clear. So how are you supposed to make sense of this? On this episode, Matt sh…

On this episode, Matt shares the latest Apple antitrust news and where he thinks this is all headed. Just this past week: A bill passed in Arizona forces Apple to allow alternate App Store payment mechanisms The UK has opened an investigation into Apple The EU has completed its investigation and will be bringing charges against Apple The Whitehouse…

When starting a new company, it's easy to get overwhelmed by options. So what's a new founder to do? Thankfully there are more resources than ever for starting a company, but it's also easier than ever to be stuck in analysis paralysis. Based on his experience building Astropad, Matt shares what he thinks are the best options for setting up a compa…

Most startups raise money from investors, but what if there was a better, more sustainable way to build a company? On this episode, Matt and Savannah break down how we've bootstrapped Astropad from nothing to a multi-million dollar business. We talk about why we've opted not to raise money from investors and how our approach has shaped the company,…

Having a positive outlook is essential for making progress, so how do you stay positive when times are tough? When you're working for someone else, it's easy to blame your negativity and lack of productivity on problems around you. When you're on your own, there's nobody to blame but yourself. On this episode, episode Matt talks about how he manage…

What if business school isn't great preparation for running a startup? On this episode, we talk about what Savannah learned in business school and how it didn't prepare her for the scrappy startup world. We talk about why business school is better suited for the corporate world, how money doesn't solve everything and how bootstrapped startups are f…

Have you ever wondered how a hardware product goes from concept to market? On this episode, Matt talks through the steps needed to make consumer electronic products. He goes through the disciplines required, like electrical design, industrial design, manufacturing, distribution, and how a small team can juggle it all. We didn’t know any of this bef…

On this episode, Matt gives an update on our Kickstarter project: Luna Display for Window. Matt talks through our latest progress, our biggest successes so far, and what upcoming challenges remain. Hear about our recent test manufacturing run and how we're scaling up PC compatibility testing. Matt also talks through the remaining software developme…

Is it possible to have work-life balance while being a Dad and a startup founder? On this episode, Matt shares his experience being a Dad of two young kids while building a growing company. We talk about how he balances work and family, how being a parent has made him a better CEO, and his advice for starting a family and a business at the same tim…

It's easy to get lost in little tasks and not have accomplished anything important by the end of the day. Inspired by a recent article from Cal Newport on Getting Things Done, we share our strategies for prioritizing meaningful work. We talk about the little tricks we've used to tame our to-do lists while focusing on the big picture. We share what'…

This is a story we've never shared until now: we got kicked off the App Store during our first year. On this episode, hear how it all went down. We discuss our mistakes and the sleepless nights we had before Apple put us back. Finally, learn about App Store changes that we suspect came as a result of our saga (sorry fellow developers!) Subscribe on…

We've now raised over $1 million across two Kickstarter campaigns! With our most recent campaign a wrap, we reflect on what worked and what didn't. Hear how we used paid ads to keep momentum, how newsletter sponsorships faired, and how our grand finale fell through. Finally, we talk about the personal burnout we're feeling now that the campaign has…

After getting wrapped up in the antitrust investigation into Apple, we spent a lot of time thinking about how the App Store needs to change. So we're sharing our solutions for how Apple could avoid future anti-trust action. We talk through 5 changes Apple could make right now which would stop government intervention, build a more vibrant app econom…

We were shocked by the first 24 hours of our Kickstarter campaign. We share what worked and what barely performed for us in those opening hours of our campaign on this episode. Hear how our biggest email list underperformed while our smallest list delivered way beyond our expectations. We discuss why it was hard to get press traction and what we'd …

Are you interested in building hardware products? Then this episode is for you. We go over the basics of getting into hardware product development for people with a background in software. We talk about what makes building hardware different and the real world constraints you'll have to fight. We talk about the variety of skills needed to produce h…

You've made an awesome new project, now how do you let the world know about it? On this episode, we talk through our strategies for getting press coverage ahead of our Kickstarter launch. We dive into the specifics, sharing our email subject lines, what our emails include, and how we customize for each journalist. We give tips on sending cold email…

After getting sherlocked last year, it became clear that cross-platform support was make or break for our company. In this episode, we talk with members of our engineering team to find out how they pulled it off. Learn how we tried to avoid rewriting our code but ultimately found we had to. Hear why we chose the Rust programming language for the re…

Apple calls you the night before your launch and asks for significant changes. What do you do? On this episode, hear how we reacted. We also talk post-launch blues and taking a leap of faith. We discuss how we made the business sustainable, what ultimately moved the needle for us, and how Apple Pencil changed everything. We talk about how the Minne…

It's crunch time! In this episode, we discuss designing our Kickstarter page and shooting our Kickstarter video. We dive into our process that has consistently given us awesome videos. We talk about writing our script, what we look for in a location, what we do for voice over and music. We also touch on organizing our Kickstarter page and how we li…

Creating something new is never easy, and the making of Astropad 1.0 was no different. In this episode, we talk through the ups and downs of building and launching Astropad. We discuss how we met at Apple, the origins of our idea, a critical moment that transformed the project, and how we hit total mental burnout close to the finish line. We also g…

Launching a Kickstarter campaign can be a nerve-racking experience. In this episode, we discuss our greatest fears launching a Kickstarter campaign and how we are mitigating them. We respond to common pre-launch questions and talk about ways to set yourself up for success. We go through what is and isn't worth worrying about, what social psychology…

A pre-launch email list is essential for launching a new project on Kickstarter. In this episode, we share how and why we are building a new email list for our next campaign. We walk through the 5 ways we are growing our list including: paid ads, SEO, giveaways, sponsorships, and free betas. We talk email conversion rates, why quality is better tha…

Matt and Savannah discuss the process behind Astropad's first wildly successful Kickstarter. They talk through their entire launch strategy, step by step, and give tips on how to apply it to your campaign. They dive deep into their press strategy and talk about how you can cut through the noise to get press attention. They also share their unique t…

Matt sits down with Rachal Duggan, Astropad's head of social media, to talk about her side career as an illustrator. She shares how she's built an 11,000 person following on Instagram and why it's the lifeblood of her business. Rachal talks about how the freelance art business has been affected by COVID and shares tips on pivoting your business. Sh…

It's been a year since Astropad got sherlocked by Apple. Matt and Savannah sit down to reflect on the previous year and what happened behind the scenes. They talk about their immediate reactions during WWDC, how the team grilled Matt, what happened to our sales immediately after, and why they think this will end up being a good thing for the compan…