Best Ben Orenstein Podcasts (2024)

1
The Surprising Benefits of Collaboration for Indie Devs 39:56

2d ago39:56

39:56

In this episode, Jeremy & Jess dive into the world of partnerships and collaboration, a terrain that's become familiar to indie developers seeking growth and innovation. We explore the ins and outs of partnering with others, sharing insights from our experiences over the past year. From initiating low-stakes collaborations to finding the right proj…

1
Thorsten Ball, Software Engineer at Zed 1:12:58

10d ago1:12:58

1:12:58

In this episode, Ben chats with Thorsten Ball. This conversation fits neatly into two halves - in the first, Ben and Thorsten go deep on how to differentiate yourself, work in public, and make it easy for people to hire you. In the second part of the conversation, they talk more specifically about Zed, why it matters, and how it’s being built. Link…

1
Ben Wood & Nate Vick - Adapt and Evolve: Navigating Entrepreneurial Transitions 1:02:04

16d ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Today, we're joined by two remarkable individuals, Ben Wood and Nate Vick, seasoned entrepreneurs with over a decade of experience running a Rails consulting business with many successes: Hint In this episode, Ben and Nate share their unique journey, from the highs of entrepreneurship to the tough decision of winding down their business. Despite th…

1
Episode 34 - Ufuk Kayserilioglu 44:14

16d ago44:14

44:14

Discover the heartbeat of Ruby with Ufuk Kayserilioglu, the engineering maestro at Shopify, as we unravel the layers of Ruby infrastructure and the bright future of Rails development. Ufuk's insights into the meticulous work of maintaining CRuby reveal the fine art of balancing performance with modernity while also diving into the exciting realms o…

1
Ben steps away from Tuple 1:11:22

1M ago1:11:22

1:11:22

After almost six years, Ben has stepped away from day-to-day work on Tuple and moved to its board. Friend of the pod Aaron Francis interviews Ben about the whole beautiful, complicated, enriching experience. As a treat, the boys dive into what's next for Aaron as well.By Ben Orenstein and Aaron Francis

1
Cody Norman - Lucky Me 46:29

1M ago46:29

46:29

Cody Norman is a Rails consultant, fly fisherman, BBQ connoisseur, and big fan of the state of Colorado. He joins us to share about getting into software development, his journey to consulting, and his mentorship work. We also chat about his product Spot Squid, his plans for Rawhide Ruby, and his upcoming RailsConf talk on Action Mailbox: Attractio…

1
Episode 33 - Stephen Margheim 45:24

1M ago45:24

45:24

Embark on a journey through the landscape of SQLite and Ruby on Rails as I chat with the exceptional Stephen Margheim, who enlightens us on the robustness and agility of SQLite for modern web development. Stephen brings to the table his extensive open-source contributions and projects that integrate SQLite with Rails, offering insights into Ruby ge…

1
Andreas Kling, Creator of SerenityOS and the Ladybird Browser 1:11:20

1M ago1:11:20

1:11:20

Ben interviews Andreas Kling, creator of SerenityOS and the Ladybird browser. They talk about the concept of lifestyle software and how it relates to the development of SerenityOS, Andreas’ vision of creating a Zen garden for developers, and the benefits of using a mono repo and a unified language in the development process. They also touch on the …

1
Crafting Service Offerings 48:34

1M ago48:34

48:34

In this episode of IndieRails, we delve into the world of productized services in software development. Moving beyond the traditional model of bespoke or custom solutions, productized services offer a blend of consistency, scalability, and efficiency, reshaping how businesses approach service offerings. We were prompted to look into this topic by a…

1
Fable Tales, Staff Engineer at Stripe 1:05:31

2M ago1:05:31

1:05:31

In this conversation, Fable and Ben dig deep on building a technical career that balances programming and company leadership. Fable shares their experience working at Stripe and the different roles they have held, including being a technical advisor to the CTO. They also discuss Fable's career move from being a hands-on programmer to role where les…

1
Andy Croll - An Abundance of Work-Adjacent Hobbies 46:48

2M ago46:48

46:48

Andy Croll is a Rubyist, author, and speaker. He's the CTO of CoverageBook, creator of the First Ruby Friend mentoring program, organizer of Brighton Ruby, and this year is co-chair of RailsConf. In short, he's a bit busy. In our conversation, we dive into his work at CoverageBook, discuss the hiring, onboarding, and mentoring of early career devs,…

1
Josh Pigford, Creator of Maybe.co 51:49

2M ago51:49

51:49

In this episode, Ben interviews Josh Pigford, founder of Maybe.co, about the company’s journey from VC-backed startup -> closed startup -> open source project -> funded open source project. They discuss JavaScript and Rails trade-offs, the challenges of building a personal finance software, and the operational difficulties of building a business ba…

1
Ben Orenstein - The Developer-Turned-Founder 49:08

2M ago49:08

49:08

In this episode we get the chance to interview Ben Orenstein: A person who probably doesn't need much of an introduction to our listeners. This episode should be special. Ben's journey from developer to entrepreneur exemplifies the path many in our audience aspire to tread. With a keen eye for opportunities and a deep understanding of the software …

1
Caleb Porzio, Creator of AlpineJS and Laravel Livewire 1:24:29

3M ago1:24:29

1:24:29

In this conversation, Ben interviews Caleb Porzio, the creator of AlpineJS and Laravel Livewire. The discussion ranges from discussions about life in general to specific testing practices and which notebook Caleb uses. Links Tuple.app - The best app for pair programming AlpineJS Laravel Livewire Caleb's VSCode Course Takeaways Apply core truths to …

1
Matt D. Smith - Sharing the Good News of the Lasso Tool 55:44

3M ago55:44

55:44

In this episode, we chat with Jess's friend and fellow Georgian, Matt D. Smith. While developers may not be too familiar, Matt is widely known and well respected in the interface design community. He ran an independent design studio for many years, eventually transitioning to building products and courses. Matt is currently focused on Shift Nudge, …

1
Episode 32 - Andy Croll 36:52

3M ago36:52

36:52

Imagine stepping into the control room of a major tech conference with us as we chat with Andy Croll, CTO of Coverage Book and freshly minted co-chair of RailsConf. This episode peels back the curtain on the meticulous craft of conference planning – from the adrenaline rush of putting together a tech event to the nitty-gritty of ensuring that every…

1
Taylor Otwell, Creator of Laravel 1:04:10

3M ago1:04:10

1:04:10

In this conversation, Ben interviews Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel. They discuss everything from the age-old argument of tabs vs. spaces to the origins of Laravel and how Taylor has turned it into a thriving, sustainable business. Links: Laravel, the framework Taylor created Tuple, used by the Laravel team to collaborates Takeaways Coding p…

1
Allan Branch - Captain of His Own Pirate Ship 51:22

3M ago51:22

51:22

In this episode we catch up with an old friend, Allan Branch. Allan and his partner Steve were early adopters of rails and made a big splash in the tech community with their company LessEverything. They put on many conferences (LessConf), workshops, offered consulting services, created and sold a SaaS, displayed silly/witty marketing and shared a t…

1
Building the HEY Calendar with Jason Fried 51:00

4M ago51:00

51:00

37signals have talked a lot about how they build new features for existing products using Shape Up, where they carefully hammer the scope to avoid letting anything ever drag on for more than six weeks. But there's not a lot of information out there about how they approach new product development, where it can take over a year to actually get the fi…

1
Ben and Adam review 2023 1:36:48

4M ago1:36:48

1:36:48

In this episode, Adam and Ben sit down to evaluate how things went in 2023 in their business and personal lives. The dudes share kind of a lot in this one! More personal flavor than usual. Lots about fitness, mental health, gathering, and rascally-ness. Timestamps (00:00) - Ben and Adam review 2023 (03:17) - Ben wants to be more of a rascal (07:58)…

1
Jason Swett - Nothing About Service Objects 52:30

4M ago52:30

52:30

Jason Swett is well-known in the Rails community for his podcast, Code with Jason, and his book, The Complete Guide to Rails Testing. Jason joins us to talk about his recent transition back into consulting after working for companies for the past few years. He shares about various projects he's been working on, building his personal brand, and his …

1
Ayush Newatia Unplugged - Writing Code and Writing Prose 51:42

4M ago51:42

51:42

In this episode, we dive into the multifaceted world of technology, creativity, and storytelling. We have the honor of hosting Ayush Newatia, a seasoned Ruby developer whose expertise extends beyond the intricacies of code. Ayush is not just a maestro in programming; he is an independent developer at radioactivetoy.tech, a creator of SaaS apps like…

1
Adrian Marin - Friendly Dev Building Avo 48:07

5M ago48:07

48:07

Get ready for an insightful conversation as we sit down with the dynamic Adrian Marin, who has had an extraordinary year making waves in the Ruby world. From taking Avo, his custom Content Management System for Rails, to the next level, to the launching of Friendly.rb, a fresh and vibrant Ruby conference in the heart of Bucharest, Romania. Adrian d…

1
Episode 31 - Elise Shaffer 34:16

5M ago34:16

34:16

It's time for another Ruby on Rails podcast crossover episode! This time I'm joined by the RoR Podcasts new host, Elise Shaffer. Elise interviews me about the game show I've been giving, I offer my thoughts on doing "weird talks", and we chat about how I got started podcasting. We then flip the script and I interview Elise about her new course on T…

1
Revisiting the Tailwind Labs business model 45:55

5M ago45:55

45:55

In this episode, Adam and Ben talk through the Tailwind Labs business model. Is Tailwind UI the best way for the company to make money? Or is there a different model where incentives are better aligned with growing the Tailwind CSS community as a whole? One potential model is offering a marketplace for templates and UI kits. Timestamps (00:00) - Bl…

1
What to Look For in a New Client 35:31

5M ago35:31

35:31

Jess and Jeremy discuss an excellent question posed by Nate Vick: What are you looking for in a new client? Whether you're looking for a new client, new target market for your product, or a new job, identifying the people you will be serving (or want to be serving) is a critical step to finding success and happiness in business. Join us as we conte…

1
Launching features like products 39:54

5M ago39:54

39:54

In this episode, Adam and Ben catch up on recent events at Tailwind Labs and Tuple. Adam spoke at Rails World and the impromptu Tailwind CSS meetup in Amsterdam. Ben shares his learnings from some recent feature launches at Tuple. Timestamps (00:00) - Burpees (02:47) - Rails World + Tailwind CSS Amsterdam meetup (11:27) - Launching Tuple Triggers (…

1
John Nunemaker - Rolling with Flipper 58:39

6M ago58:39

58:39

John Nunemaker is a long-time Rails developer known for his writing on the RailsTips blog, his open source gems like HTTParty and Flipper, and his work at Ordered List, GitHub, and now Box Out Sports and Fewer & Faster. He joins us to share about his developer journey, the origins of the Flipper gem, and the creation of Flipper Cloud. Relevant Link…

1
Episode 30 - Adarsh Pandit 46:28

6M ago46:28

46:28

In this eipsode I had the pleasure of talking to Adarsh Pandit, Executive Director of Ruby Central, who gave me a peek behind the curtain. From discussing his journey through the coding industry to arriving at Ruby Central, to the challenges he tackled stepping into an executive role - Adarsh's story is a tale of perseverance, growth, and community…

1
Bram Jetten - Building Spina & PlanGo 24:02

6M ago24:02

24:02

Bram Jetten joins us for a special episode, recorded on the second day of Rails World 2023. (BIG thanks to Buzz Sprout for sponsoring and making this happen!) Bram is a maker of many things, but his two main focuses are an open source project Spina CMS, and the SaaS business he helped found and build called PlanGo: software for driving schools. Lin…

1
Building the right team with Jason Fried 1:11:30

6M ago1:11:30

1:11:30

Adam wants to start the process of growing the team at Tailwind Labs, but knowing exactly who, when, and how to hire people (and have them actually work out) is a lot harder than expected. In this episode, he sits down with Jason Fried, founder and CEO of 37signals, to get all of Jason's best advice about hiring. Timestamps (00:00) - Talking hiring…

1
Greg Molnar - Security on Rails 19:03

7M ago19:03

19:03

Greg Molnar joins us for a special episode, recorded on the first day of Rails World 2023. Greg is an OSCP Certified Ethical Hacker and an independent Ruby developer. We talk about his consulting work, his Rails Tricks newsletter, his newsletter product Pombo Mailer, and his new book Secure code review for Rails Developers. Relevant Links Twitter W…

1
Managing Yourself - Tips and advice for managing being indie longterm 52:47

7M ago52:47

52:47

Jeremy just recently gave a talk at friendly.rb titled "Making it as an Indie Developer". Part of the talk was about managing yourself and we wanted to do a deeper dive into that topic. As an indie developer (or could be applied to other categories like business owners or founders) , how do you manage the business, your career, motivation, goals, h…

1
Episode 29 - Ben Orenstein 36:28

7M ago36:28

36:28

In this episode, I'm joined by a special guest, Ben Ornstein, one of my Ruby heroes. I may fan-boy a bit as I express my admiration for Tuple, a tool I love. Together, we dive deep into Tuple's journey, starting from its inception and delving into the creative problem-solving and ingenuity behind its design and development. Ben also reveals his tra…

1
Robby Russell - Maintaining Planet Argon 59:40

8M ago59:40

59:40

Robby Russell is founder and CEO of Planet Argon, one of the oldest Rails development agencies, now in it's 21st year. Robby shares how he got started in Rails and how he grew Planet Argon to the organization it is today. Some listeners might remember him as "Robby on Rails" from the early Rails era; Robby is also the creator of the popular dev too…

1
Q&A: Starting over, the ideal employee, success and happiness, and selling the company 1:21:11

8M ago1:21:11

1:21:11

In this episode, Adam and Ben share some personal updates on lake houses, gym equipment, and luxury electric vehicles, and answer listener questions on topics like things they'd change when starting over, how to be more valuable as an employee, the point in their businesses that had the biggest impact on their happiness, and would they ever sell th…

1
Bonus Canadian Football Episode 25:03

8M ago25:03

25:03

Matt Swanson stays on to talk about Canadian Football and no it's not Rugby. Support the show Ready to start your own podcast? This show is hosted on Buzzsprout and it's awesome, not to mention a Ruby on Rails application. Let Buzzsprout know we sent you and you'll get a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and it helps support our …

1
Episode 28 - Matt Swanson 52:14

8M ago52:14

52:14

Hands down my most boring episode to date. In this episode I'm joined by Mr. "Boring Rails" himself, Matt Swanson. We talk about removing premature abstractions, how decision fatigue impacts exploration, and revisiting ActionMailer (and finding it to be better than we remember). Even though Matt is notorious for sticking to boring tech the conversa…

1
Adam McCrea - Scaling Up an Autoscaling SaaS 42:25

8M ago42:25

42:25

In this episode, Adam McCrea joins us to talk about building and growing Judoscale (previously, Rails Autoscale) an autoscaler originally released in the Heroku Marketplace, and now available for Render, with other platforms to come. Adam shares about building a product on the side, launching on the Heroku platform, the process of a rebrand, and ma…

1
Predictable mistakes of the developer-turned-founder 49:03

8M ago49:03

49:03

So many developers (your podcast hosts included) make the same mistakes when trying to turn an idea into a business for the first time. In this episode, Ben and Adam talk through a bunch of these mistakes, why they matter, and what you should do to avoid them. Discuss this episode on Twitter → Timestamps (00:00) - Ben's Laracon talk "Predictable Mi…

1
Matt Gordon - Going from Consulting to Products 51:08

9M ago51:08

51:08

In 2007, young aspiring software engineers Matt & Jason set out to build the perfect startup: a SaaS product. They did everything right. They had plenty of runway, moved in with Jason’s mom and eat, slept and breathed their startup. It had all the right features. It didn’t work. But they knew they could build good software and set out to start cons…

1
Episode 27 - Andrew Atkinson 45:48

9M ago45:48

45:48

PostgreSQL wizard Andrew Atkinson joins the show to discuss his new book, "High-Performance PostgreSQL for Rails." Andrew talks about the challenges of writing a database book for Rails developers, refactoring prose, and the importance of maintaining a work-book-life balance. With his multiple fantastic talks on the subject of PostgreSQL, it's no s…

1
Losing 70 lbs, getting in shape, and 15-minute workouts 59:26

9M ago59:26

59:26

Last year, Adam got very serious about losing weight and getting in shape and lost 70 pounds, getting to about 12% body fat and maintaining enough strength to still bench 315. In this episode, Adam and Ben talk about Adam's weight loss story and all the specific tips and tactics he used to overcome a lifetime of bad eating habits, change his relati…

1
Nadia Odunayo - Building The StoryGraph 47:10

9M ago47:10

47:10

Get ready for an electrifying episode that will leave you in awe of the incredible Nadia Odunayo! 🎉 Join us as we unravel the remarkable journey behind The StoryGraph's meteoric rise to one million users as a one-woman dev. This conversation is full of inspiration, motivation, and pure fun and a goldmine for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech enthusia…

1
Hiring is hard 1:06:59

9M ago1:06:59

1:06:59

When you're running a small company, hiring is simultaneously your highest leverage opportunity and the scariest thing ever. In this episode, Adam and Ben share some lessons learned, how they think about hiring for their teams now, and talk through some of the things they're still trying to figure out how to get right. Discuss this episode on Twitt…

1
Episode 26 - Thomas Carr 47:44

9M ago47:44

47:44

Web3! 😱 Now that I have your attention. This episode I'm joined by Thomas Carr. Thomas is a Consultant & Software Developer for Emerging Technologies at CGI Federal. Which is a fancy way of saying he gets to play around with all the new tech out there and see what might have real world application. Thomas just gave an awesome talk at Blue Ridge Rub…

1
Khash Sajadi - The Journey to the Cloud(66) 1:14:33

9M ago1:14:33

1:14:33

Join us as we listen in to Khash as he shares his story of startup failures & successes, consulting and employment in between and navigating political, economic and geographical constraints. Khash Sajadi - Founder & CEO www.cloud66.com ** 3 Months Free Coupon for New Users ** Cloud66 has offered IndieRails listeners a special offering. The coupon i…

1
Enterprise sales for reluctant founders 1:00:33

10M ago1:00:33

1:00:33

Enterprise sales gets a bad rap amongst indie founders, but at Tuple it's become an important part of their business model. In this episode, Ben shares all his tips and tricks on how to sell to enterprise customers as a small startup without letting it slow you down. Discuss this episode on Twitter → Timestamps (00:00) - Ben's notes on enterprise s…

1
Episode 25 - Vini Stock 58:31

10M ago58:31

58:31

Fresh off his Ruby Kaigi talk, Vini Stock, joins the show to talk about all things Ruby LSP. Even though he's given a plethora of talks on the subject already there's so much to LSPs and to the future and vision of this project that I learned a ton while recording. Vini confirms what I always suspected, that getting paid to work on developer toolin…

1
Blue Ridge Ruby Recap - What It Takes To Start a Conference 41:20

10M ago41:20

41:20

In this episode Jess walks Jeremy through a retro of Blue Ridge Ruby, a first ever ruby conference put on by a first time ever promotor. Jeremy gets personal as he breaks down the business of putting on a conference. Listen in to see what it takes, how much it costs, was it worth it and will there be an 2nd edition??? https://twitter.com/blueridger…

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