Whoops! Our last recording got botched halfway through and only Andrew's audio was saved. So we recapped what we talked about in the last podcast and got into some new stuff in today's episode. Sean is back from his busiest RSA yet and growing Miscreants like crazy! In fact, they're growing so fast that Andrew is hiring a full-time product designer…

Jessica Abel shares her extensive journey as a creative, starting as a cartoonist and evolving into a business coach for creatives. She discusses her experiences in the comics industry, the challenges of making a living as an artist, and the importance of teaching business fundamentals to aspiring artists. The conversation highlights the need for c…

Andrew is in Atlanta visiting friends and continuing to think about how to best integrate more AI features into MetaMonster to make the product stickier. Sean had his first demo of Margins and... everything broke! But that's okay! Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonster: https://metamonster…

Andrew and Sean have a bet to see who can write the best cold email copy for MetaMonster, and early results are in. Sean has a name and domain for his new product - Margins and is letting the Miscreants team handle the branding. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonster: https://metamonster.a…

Andrew just launched MetaMonster! Andrew and Sean dig into how the launch is going so far (spoiler alert: not great), whether the product is overpriced, and what to try next. Then the guys talk about the demo for Sean's new product and what to name it. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonste…

In this episode Sean is finally ready to reveal the new product Miscreants is building! Meanwhile Andrew's robotics team is getting dangerously close to qualifying for the World Championships, and the guys debate marketing new products. This episode was originally supposed to go out a couple weeks ago, but we're playing with our publishing schedule…

Andrew and Sean are trying different AI tools to vibe code/write more. Andrew's considering other features for the MetaMonster roadmap and his next steps with consulting. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonster: https://metamonster.ai/ Sean’s Twitter: @seanqsun Miscreants: http://miscreants…

In this episode Sean recaps his first ever trip to MicroConf, spoiler: he loved it. Meanwhile Andrew has a new favorite brick and mortar business, and has a date for the MetaMonster launch! Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonster: https://metamonster.ai/ Sean’s Twitter: @seanqsun Miscreants…

In this episode, we dive deep with Rob Hardy, a writer whose "devotional pursuit of a more beautiful internet" has led him to craft powerful manifestos that challenge the status quo. Rob shares his journey from filmmaker to manifesto writer, including the emotional roller coaster of entrepreneurship and his transformative experience writing "The So…

Andrew and Sean talk about the high robotics team Andrew mentors, choosing to delay the MetaMonster launch, hiring updates from Miscreants, and muse on the pros and cons of adding a custom prompts feature to MetaMonster. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonster: https://metamonster.ai/ Sean’…

In this episode, we're talking to founder Andrew Askins about his experience growing an agency, getting acqui-hired, and then getting fired. We talk about company culture, the unique challenges of being a founder, and what it's like to bootstrap a software business. Links AndrewAskins.com MetaMonster.ai Takeaways Selling a business creates unexpect…

Andrew is slowly crawling towards a beta release for MetaMonster, he's almost done with the signup/checkout flow and then has a few more things he wants to check off the list before launch. Sean has been playing with Lovable again, and has built a proof of concept for a Webflow changelog he wants for Miscreants (and is thinking about selling). The …

Andrew just made a life changing sandwich and is finally using Cursor (and it's living up to the hype). Meanwhile Sean has been working on cutting SaaS costs for Miscreants and gets nostalgic about Flask (the Python framework). Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonster: https://metamonster.ai…

In this episode Andrew talks about his recent struggles with ADHD and feeling like MetaMonster is moving too slowly. Meanwhile, Sean is planning to build a new SaaS product within Miscreants. The guys talk about the challenges of maintaining focus on a new product while running an agency, and how to set up the project for the best chance of success…

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Corey Wilks, a licensed clinical psychologist and executive coach who helps high performing entrepreneurs overcome their limiting beliefs and build a values aligned life and business. We also talk about what it means to navigate entrepreneurship when you're neurodivergent. Links CoreyWilksPsyD.com Creator Alchemy T…

In this episode, Sean's Shmoocon trip got spicy 🌶️ 🥵 and Andrew is riding the high of a great prospect call for MetaMonster. Sean gives feedback on the experience of using MetaMonster, and Andrew debates when (and how) to start charging early customers. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewaskins.com/ MetaMonst…

Andrew and Sean are back for Season 3!! Andrew's onboarding his first users to MetaMonster, and as alpha user #1 Sean has lots of thoughts. Meanwhile Sean actually took some time off??? And he used it to start writing. The guys talk MetaMonster, product design, and personal branding. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://…

In this episode, Andrew talks about his recent deep dive on prompt engineering and the way the AI product landscape is shaking out. Sean talks about his recent trip to Philly for a cybersecurity marketing conference. Then the guys reflect on 2024 and their goals for 2025. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https://www.andrewas…

In this week's special guest podcast, Alex Hillman (of Stacking the Bricks and 30x500) joins Andrew to coach him on early stage marketing at MetaMonster. They talk through Andrew's recent failed launch (and why not to worry about it too much), what he's doing differently now, and how your identity as a founder can impact your marketing. Plus, what …

In this episode, Andrew discusses feedback he received from Alex Hillman on his marketing efforts for MetaMonster, and how he plans to adjust his approach going forward. He's now focusing more on creating content and building anticipation rather than rushing to convert customers. Sean shares his thoughts on personal branding and how he's reworking …

In this episode, Andrew talks about the rapid audience growth he's seeing on Bluesky and the challenges he's running into finding Founding Users for MetaMonster. The guys talk about the idea of product market fit as a spectrum and validation as a way to uncover where you might be on that spectrum, but without ever getting to 100% certainty. Then Se…

In this episode we spoke with one of our favorite makers Joel Hooks on the challenges of course creation, platform development, and AI. We also explore software development, music creation, and social media while Joel shares his fitness journey and its impact on his life and work. Links Badass Courses CourseBuilder Egghead.io @joelhooks.com on Blue…

In this episode, Sean talks about getting himself out of day-to-day client work at Miscreants, and Andrew provides an update on his slow progress with customer acquisition for MetaMonster. Andrew shares an idea for a side project and they talk about Dharmesh buying the chat.com domain and "flipping" it to OpenAI. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAsk…

In this episode, Andrew and Sean talk about Halloween plans and Sean's decision to kill Stackwise. Meanwhile, Sean has launched two new free tools in the last week! The guys talk about how he did it and what his goals are for both of them. Then they spend the rest of the episode brainstorming marketing ideas for MetaMonster. Links: Andrew’s Twitter…

In this episode, Sean discusses the challenges he is facing (and his new momentum) with his project Stackwise, including finding the right developer and getting the project scope defined. He talks about discovering a no-code tool called Subframe that has helped streamline his design process. Andrew shares his progress building the MetaMonster websi…

In this episode Andrew tries to pick a CMS for the new MetaMonster website and talks about his dream solution. Then the guys talk about their ideal consulting businesses. Meanwhile Sean is feeling frustrated by how slow his projects are moving, and wishes he could focus on them fulltime for a bit. They also touch on the difficulties of balancing at…

Sean just got back from two weeks in Korea and Japan. His trip got derailed when he had to jump in to put out fires and finish some Webflow dev work for a client. He and Andrew talk about the challenges of removing yourself from the day-to-day as an agency owner and how to balance work and time off. Andrew gives an update on the client work he's do…

In this episode, Andrew and Sean got hit up by someone clearly using Podscan... again! They talk about it, then Andrew shares details about his recent trip to Mexico City, including highlights like a hot air balloon ride over the pyramids and an exciting Lucha Libre wrestling match. Sean provides an update on Stackwise, discussing the data sources …

Note: This episode was supposed to come out a couple of weeks ago. But Andrew forgot to attach the audio file when he went to publish, so it's just been sitting in our podcast hosting software. Sorry about that. In this episode, Andrew and Sean dig into Paul Graham's founder mode essay that has gone viral in the past couple of weeks. Spoiler alert:…

In this episode, Andrew talks about his upcoming trip to Mexico City, which started as a potential plan to live there but has evolved into a working vacation. Sean talks about recent challenges in his agency, including team members getting sick after conferences and some project misfires with smaller clients. Andrew then gives an update on the luke…

In this episode, Sean gives a recap on shirt sales, his annual Korean BBQ dinner, and more from DEF CON. Andrew shares some feedback he got from the client project he's been working on, and dives into the early results he's seeing from running Google Ads for ChartJuice. Andrew reveals his latest mile times from his half marathon training, and the g…

Sean is exhausted because he has so many inbound emails from prospective clients he doesn't have time to answer them all. Meanwhile, Andrew is trying to buckle down and get Stripe built into ChartJuice so he can start advertising and collecting payments. Sean and Andrew talk about how the consulting project is going, and Sean has to rain Andrew in …

Season 2: Episode 5 In this episode Sean talks about being buried in client work at Miscreants and how to design trendy clothing that gets people hyped. Meanwhile, Andrew talks about making slow progress on ChartJuice and trying to fight the temptation to become an SEO content goblin. Links: Andrew’s Twitter: @AndrewAskins Andrew's website: https:/…

Season 2: Episode 4 Did you know AI really loves the word delve? Sean and Andrew can't help starting the pod off with a little more AI talk. Then they get into Sean's new product he's working on. Meanwhile Andrew is putting aside his IDE and starting to shift his focus to marketing and selling ChartJuice. He talks about using Flow.club to focus and…

Season 2: Episode 3 It's a Small Efforts Double Header! We were late getting this episode out, so we decided to go ahead and publish two weeks of episodes at once. In this episode Andrew is coming straight from a tattoo session, and talks about fighting bugs with ChartJuice. Meanwhile, Sean has gotten over 300 APPLICATIONS to his open job post, alm…

Season 2: Episode 2 It's a Small Efforts Double Header! We were late getting this episode out, so we decided to go ahead and publish two weeks of episodes at once. In this episode Andrew talks about quietly pushing ChartJuice live, and raves about his new favorite podcast. Meanwhile Sean drops some knowledge about the intricacies of swag supply cha…

Andrew and Sean are back for Season 2! In Season 2 they'll get transparent about the highs and lows of building their businesses (with plenty of goofing around too). Same concept, new businesses. In this episode we recap WHERE THE HELL WE'VE BEEN FOR TWO YEARS. Plus we talk about the projects we're working on now, how to market and validate Andrew'…

In this episode, we spoke with fellow Notion pro, educator, and project management expert Monica Lim about productivity and life including strategies on handling and recognizing burnout. Check out this episode if, like Monica, you love learning and making things happen! Links MonicaLim.co @MonicaLim on Twxtter Takeaways Volunteering in high-pressur…

Thomas Frank has been leveraging his learning through multiple businesses and media channels. Today he joins the Oki Doki team to talk about Notion, life, and his new knowledge capture tool, Flylighter. Links Flylighter Thomas Frank on YouTube Thomas Frank Explains on YouTube Learn Notion with Thomas Takeaways Transitioning from content creation to…

In this episode, Mariah shared her unique approaches to content creation, exploring the ease and effectiveness of podcasting as a marketing channel. She reflects on her business pivots and the transition to a new business structure that allows for more spaciousness and personal growth, discussing her transition from a CEO role to a Creator-Founder …

Marie Ng, founder of Llama Life, shares her journey from advertising to software development and the challenges and successes she encountered along the way. She discusses the importance of building a customer base and the resonance of her product with the ADHD community. Links LlamaLife.co Marie on Twitter Chapters (00:00) - Living the Llama Life w…

In this episode, we talked to Khe Hy, discussing his identity journey and transition to a post-achievement career. We explored the evolution of his interests and the challenges of defying audience expectations. Khe offered insights on success, creative expression, and time management, delving into post-achievement, and noting that financial success…

In this episode, we spoke with Jonny Miller, the mind behind Nervous System Mastery, about the critical role of understanding our nervous system. Jonny shared insights from his personal journey through grief, leading him to delve into the connections between emotions, physicality, breathwork, and the nervous system. He introduced the concept of int…

In this conversation, Sara Campbell discusses her work as a coach and her mission to help people develop a strong relationship with themselves. She shares her journey of becoming who she is meant to be and the importance of removing layers of who we are not. Sara also talks about the lessons she has learned from Zen Buddhism, emphasizes the value o…

Barrett Brooks, former COO of ConvertKit and now an executive coach, shared his deep connection with nature and the significance of confronting past pain. He reflected on the complexities and rewards of executive coaching, the balance between coaching and personal creative work, and the necessity of personal growth and clear professional agreements…

Joe Hudson discusses the impact of the Art of Accomplishment courses and the relationship between productivity and emotions, emphasizing the importance of embracing intensity and finding ease in decision-making. Joe also introduces the VIEW framework and its role in creating productive conflict and making informed decisions. He highlights the trans…

(0:24) This is officially a rock climbing podcast (8:15) Andrew and Sean's gardens have attracted guests (12:59) Sean lowkey needs another break (25:10) Miscreants is doing a collection drop at DEFCON (29:56) Rebranding is like creating a religion but without Kool-Aid Thanks for listening to Small Efforts, a podcast collaboration between Krit and M…

(0:27) There’s a parallel universe where Andrew’s life revolves around photography (8:34) Sean is suspicious as hell (17:31) The real reason why so many CEOs are super fucking into meditation (26:31) Andrew and Sean’s bi-weekly book club chat (34:29) Your lawyer career doesn’t mean shit if you can’t work on your streetwear brand Thanks for listenin…

(0:25) The difference between Andrew and Sean is that Sean is extra delusional (6:27) Sales feels like throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks (17:23) Either the channels depend on the day, or different channels work during different times (24:32) Giving constraints encourages creativity, not stifles it (34:21) Andrew and Sean are both tra…

(0:22) Getting experience is all about putting in the reps (9:09) It’s easy judging a designer by their portfolio. A PM by their resume? Not so much. (18:58) It’s mad hard building a leadership team (27:12) Commission vs. Salary: We’re undecided on which one’s better (37:03) If Krit didn’t exist, Andrew would definitely have an SEO marketing agency…