Indie Bites

Short, bite-sized conversations with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses.

Author: James McKinven

Short, bite-sized conversations with indie hackers that have started small, profitable and bootstrapped businesses. You'll learn how they come up with ideas, what they do to validate, find those first customers and make a sustainable income. Episodes every Tuesday.
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Language: en

Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing

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Why you should build a sweaty startup instead of an indie SaaS - Flo Schirmer
Episode 129
Monday, 2 June, 2025

Today I’m talking with Flo Schirmer about "sweaty startups", a term for old-fashioned, low-risk businesses that are often service based and unsexy. I’m talking window cleaning, car washing, self-storage, house moving and more. We’re going to discuss if you can do this as a side hustle, if you should do this over a regular software business, and what you need to do to get started with some ideas along the way.Timestamps00:00 Intro01:38 What is a sweaty startup?03:18 From window cleaning to home security04:37 How to start a sweaty startup06:41 Growth for a sweaty startup07:26 Sweaty startup vs software - what is best for indie hackers?08:45 Injecting a tech edge into old fashioned businesses11:34 Examples of successful sweaty startup brands13:58 Two free sweaty startup ideas15:57 RecommendationsRecommendationsBook - $100m LeadsPodcast - My First MillionIndie Hacker - Alex HormoziMy linksTwitterIndie Bites TwitterIndie Bites YouTubeJoin the membershipPersonal Website2 Hour Podcast CourseSponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.