Aaron is the co-founder of realnice, a simple personal website builder. realnice competes with my product, Postcard, which is also a personal website builder. So, I thought it would be fun to sit down with a competitor and talk shop.

Show notes + links: contraption.co/essays/talking-shop-aaron-cohn-realnice/

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00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:32 The First Guest: Aaron Cohn

01:10 The Competitive History

01:59 The Shift to Craft Software

03:27 The Challenges of Building a Personal Website

03:29 The Journey to Indie Software

03:50 The Birth of Personal Website Builders

04:41 The Struggles with Marketplaces

05:22 The Evolution of Website Builders

06:41 The Importance of Simplicity in Software

11:03 About Postcard, Philip's product

12:09 The Power of Personal Email Updates

14:14 About realnice, Aaron's product

23:03 The Power of No-Code Tools

27:22 The Power of Bubble: A Developer's Superpower

27:34 The Indie Maker's Journey: From Scarcity to Abundance

27:46 The Pieter Levels Approach: Launching Multiple Apps

27:50 Craft Software: The Art of High Conviction Development

28:10 The Rise of Craft Businesses: A Case Study of Glass.photo

29:09 The Indie Hacker's Dilemma: Money vs. Passion

29:44 The Artistic Element in Software Development

30:21 The Power of Distinctiveness in Craft Software

32:38 The Challenges of Building Personal Website Builders

36:09 The Future of Personal Website Builders: New Features and Ideas

37:15 The Importance of Design in Product Development

38:47 The Real Competition: Battling the Status Quo

39:19 The Power of Collaboration in Business

39:33 Conclusion: The Contraption Company Podcast