Since it is time consuming to sort through all the resources on the internet and find useful stuff, I decided to share which podcasts I find useful as an indie for today’s iDevBlogADay post. (I have made progress on my iPad photo app, and hope to report on it next week.)
I do not have a fixed podcast listening schedule, but I eventually listen to almost every episode of the first five on my list. I only listen to selected episodes of the last three, partly because there are so many episodes. I usually listen to podcasts while working around the house or running errands since I prefer silence or music to help me focus while I work. Â When I listen, these are my current selections and priorities:
- MDN Show
- Startups For the Rest of Us
- Dim Sum Thinking
- Core Intuition
- IRQ Conflict
- The Startup Success Podcast
- Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
- Mixergy
#1 MDN Show
At the top of my list is the Mac Developer Network show. It is hosted by Scotty (Steve Scott), @macdevnet and John Fox, @djembe.  The MDN show comes out roughly twice a month and each show is around 90 minutes long. It is a magazine format with a mix of regular segments, discussion of events in the Mac or iOS world, and developer interviews.
I enjoy the variety of segments and the community that Scotty has developed around MDN. The show is currently on summer break, but should be returning shortly — I look forward to the next episode.
From the MDN web site:
The Mac Developer Network Show (The MDN Show) is a one stop show for Mac, iPhone and iPad Software Developers. Enfolding, embracing and including some classic Mac developer podcasts such as Late Night Cocoa, The Mac Developer Roundtable, The Mac Software Business Podcast, Developer Lives and CocoaFusion as well as adding features such as news, views, reviews and the now infamous World According Gemmell in an easy to listen to magazine style format.
#2 Startups For the Rest of Us
This has become one of my favorite podcasts for advice and tips on indie based business. It is hosted by Mike Taber, @singlefounder, and Rob Walling, @robwalling, both of whom have solid backgrounds in micro-ISV businesses.
The focus is not platform specific, but each show has clear advice that you can easily adapt to your iOS based business. I do not keep most podcasts I listen to, but I have kept a number of their shows, including:
- Episode 4, 8 Things We Wish We Knew When We Started Out
- Episode 6, How to Get Traffic to Your Site
- Episode 9, Our Biggest Startup Mistakes
- Episode 11, The Five Biggest Hurdles to Getting Started
If you find any of the shows worthwhile, I would suggest start back with episode 1, and follow through to the present.
From Startups for the Rest of Us web site:
Welcome to Startups for the Rest of Us, the podcast that helps developers be awesome at launching software products. Whether you’ve built your first product or are just thinking about it. We are Mike Taber and Rob Walling. Combined we have over 20 years of experience as software entrepreneurs and we’re here to share those experiences to help you avoid the mistakes we’ve made.
#3 Dim Sum Thinking
This is a new podcast by Daniel Steinberg, @dimsumthinking. Each weekly show is relatively short and focused on a single topic related to professional and personal development told in a unique way.
I have really enjoyed Daniel’s story telling approach, and I look forward to new episodes.
From Daniel’s About page:
Apple gives third party developers the same advice. So many iPhone developers want to open up the development tools and start writing code. Apple’s advice is that you stop and identify carefully who your audience is and what problem they will be able to solve or task they will be able to accomplish with your app. Spend time prototyping your app on paper and really working on the human interaction before you write a line of code. Identify the audience and the story and story board your app just as someone might sketch out scenes in an animated feature.
#4 Core Intuition
Core Intuition is primarily a discussion between the hosts about a wide range of topics pertinent to developing for the Mac. It ranges from technical discussions of new Apple frameworks to conferences to handling user support to marketing your software. It is hosted by Daniel Jalkut, @danielpunkass, and Manton Reece, @manton.
I like the variety of the discussions, and even though not every show has something directly applicable to my day to day work, it helps give me a broader perspective on developing a software based business.
From Core Intuition’s web site:
Core Intuition is a podcast about the process and life of Mac development.
#5 IRQ Conflict
IRQ Conflict is a short podcast which began earlier this year and comes out roughly twice a month. The format is similar to the old “Siskel and Ebert” movie reviews where the two hosts, one a Microsoft developer, and the other a Mac developer, react to a series of tech items in the news. It is hosted by Justin Williams, @justin, and Mikel Berger, @mikelberger.
Living in an iOS world (and in my case an iOS and Java world), I can easily lose touch with the perspective outside those worlds. This short podcast is entertaining, and occasionally provides a perspective I might not have considered.
From IRQ Conflict’s web site:
Apple Developer. Microsoft Developer. FIGHT!
Debates about the 5 top tech stories from the past few weeks. All in about 10 minutes.
#6 The Startup Success Podcast
The Startup Success Podcast interviews someone different each week ranging from consumer startups using technology to enhance their core business to technical startups that sell software or services. It is hosted by Bob Walsh, @bobwalsh, and Patrick Foley, @patrickfoley.
I have been listening to the Startup Success Podcast longer than any other business oriented podcast, and even though I don’t listen to every show, I listen to most and usually benefit from the interviews.
From the Startup Podcast web site:
The mission of The Startup Success Podcast is simple: make microISVs, startups, Mac indies and everyone pursuing the dream, challenge and reality of starting their own software company more successful. Each week, we hope to bring you about 20 minutes of valuable information on the business, technical and social developments, tools and trends that will give you an assist in your startup.
#7 Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Duct Tape Markerting is not a tech focused podcast by any means, but there is enough variety that you will find useful information here. It is hosted by John Jantsch, @ducttape.
I do not listen to every show but the content and interviewees in this bi-weekly podcast are diverse enough that I usually listen in full to an episode every month or so.
From the Duct Tape Marketing web site:
His blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for marketing and small business and his podcast, a top ten marketing show on iTunes, was called a “must listen†by Fast Company magazine…His practical take on small business is often cited as a resource in publications such as the Wall St. Journal, New York Times, and CNNMoney.
“John Jantsch is the Peter Drucker of small business marketing tactics.†— Seth Godin, author of Linchpin
“Business blogger John Jantsch, a Kansas City marketing consultant, has built quite a following with his Duct Tape Marketing site. The blog provides small-business readers with successful marketing techniques that don’t require a large budget to execute.†— Harvard Business School
#8 Mixergy
Mixergy is really a video interview show, but I subscribe to the audio podcasts. There are far more shows than I could watch or listen to, even if they applied (multiple hour long shows per week), but I do subscribe to the feed to keep an eye out for interesting interviews. It is hosted by Andrew Warner, @AndrewWarner.
Many of the interviews do not appeal to me, but there is usually one or two a month that I really find useful or captivating. I have kept a couple of Mixergy interviews, including:
- How Shopify Became Profitable By Helping Anyone Open An Online Boutique with Tobias Lütke
- DODOcase: How An iPad Case Generated Almost $1 Mil In Revenue Within 3 Months with Patrick Buckley
From Mixergy’s web site:
The Mixergy Mission
The Mixergy Mission is to introduce you to doers and thinkers whose ideas and stories are so powerful that just hearing them will change you.
The Mixergy Mission is to give you an alternative to the “know-it-all, professional gurus.†I want to convince you that no single person knows it all. I want to show you that the best way to grow is to learn from a mix of smart people who are willing to share their expertise and experiences.
The Mixergy Mission is to infect you with a passion for business and then help you build your business.
The Mixergy Mission is to encourage YOU to have a mission, not just a startup, not just a company, but a calling.
The Mixergy Mission is to act as a counter-weight to all the venture capitalists who’ll try to convince you that the only reason to build a business today is so you can flip it tomorrow. The world isn’t changed by people who have an eye on the exit.
The Mixergy Mission is to convince you to follow a vision so big and important that you can’t do it alone. Then I want to give you a mix of wicked-smart people who will help you achieve it.
The Mixergy Mission is too big for me to achieve alone. If what I’m describing here calls to you, jump in and join me.
As an indie developer, one of the best things you can do is to find like-minded developers that will provide encouragement and motivation while pursuing a commitment. A great collection of indie iOS developers have helped me stay on track, most of them are either developers associated with iDevBlogADay, or those I have met through the 360iDev conferences. If you can make it to Austin in November, I highly recommend it for its content, the friendships you’ll develop, and the passion it will bring to your iOS development.
Also, here is a little more information about me, Doug Sjoquist, and how I came to my current place in life. You should follow me on twitter and subscribe to my blog. Have a great day!