The Panel

By Justin Jackson, Brian Casel, Jordan GalBusiness Entrepreneurship Technology

The Panel episodes

February 07, 2025The business of open source - Caleb Porzio (Livewire) and Taylor Otwell (Laravel)
Is web development still a good career choice in 2025? What's the future of open source? Justin and Brian dive deep with Taylor Otwell (Laravel) and Caleb Porzio (Livewire, Alpine.js, Flux) about the state of web dev, building a business on open source, and the anxiety of managing competition.
Chapters:
(03:31) - Should people still pursue web development as a career?
(11:04) - Are we still excited about the web? Why is Laravel growing?
(16:27) - How big are your customers?
(25:23) - How interested are developers on the business side of Saas?
(34:39) - How did you think about open source when you were getting started?
(41:19) - How do you think about being a creator when you have a large business?
(55:57) - The next generation pipeline
(01:00:47) - Rethinking open source
(01:10:52) - What's your anxiety level towards competition?
Tell us what you think! 🗣️
🎤 Send us an audio or video message
📧 Email us: [email protected]
📺 Leave a comment on YouTube
🦋 Reply on Bluesky
Links mentioned in this episode
🚀 Laravel
🧑‍💻 Laravel is hiring
🐙 Livewire
🎸 Alpine.js
✨ Flux
🏗️ Instrumental Rails Components
🎙️ Transistor podcast hosting
1 hr 19 min
January 24, 2025SaaS predictions for 2025 – Colleen Schnettler and Tyler King
Is bootstrapping a SaaS dead in 2025? How will AI affect software development as an industry? What's working when it comes to marketing?
Justin Jackson (Transistor.fm) and Brian Casel (Instrumental Products) are joined by Colleen Schnettler (SaaS Marketing Gym) and Tyler King (Less Annoying CRM) to debate our predictions for the new year.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - What to expect
3:25 - Is SaaS Getting Harder in 2025?
5:16 - Bootstrapped SaaS is past its prime
8:32 - "Can you really build a good product with AI?"
12:00 - "No-Code is in trouble, AI makes product discovery harder, SaaS goldrush is over."
14:17 - What kind of business should you start in 2025?
16:34 - AI can't replace the craft and expertise required to launch a good product
19:06 - Is it harder to go from Zero to One?
20:23 - Marketing predictions - what's going to work this year?
27:58 - "Nothing works. Marketing is bullshit." – Tyler King
30:43 - People want to interact with real humans (Reddit, podcasts, YouTube)
32:14 - Organic search is still big (but AI is sending some traffic)
34:20 - How you can win against AI and other competitors: customer support
36:33 - A bootstrapper's advantage is that they're small and they care
39:27 - Question for the listener: have you had a good customer support experience with AI chatbots?
40:27 - Another tactic that might work: get people on the phone!
42:07 - Should we all short Tesla stock?
45:19 - Our plans for 2025
Tell us what you think! 🗣️
🎤 Send us an audio or video message
📧 Email us: [email protected]
📺 Leave a comment on YouTube
🦋 Reply on Bluesky
Find us on Bluesky:
Colleen Schnettler – @leenyburger.bsky.social
Tyler King – @tylerking.app
Justin Jackson – @justinjackson.ca
Brian Castle – @briancasel.com
Links mentioned in the episode:
🧰 Instrumental Products
🏋️‍♀️ SaaS Marketing Gym
📂 Simple File Upload
📇 Less Annoying CRM
🎙️ Startup to Last Podcast
🎤 Transistor podcast hosting
Subscribe to The Panel for weekly discussions with smart founders about building better products and better lives:
1 hr 3 min
January 17, 2025Episode 1 is coming soon
Here's a preview of the first episode of The Panel!
Justin Jackson (Transistor.fm) and Brian Casel (Instrumental Products)are joined Colleen Schnettler (SaaS Marketing Gym) and Tyler King (Less Annoying CRM) for a candid discussion about the future of bootstrapped SaaS in 2025.
A few highlights:
Will starting a SaaS be harder in 2025?
Is AI going to really going to kill software development jobs?
What's actually going to work when it comes to marketing?
How to stand out in an AI era
What each of us is focused on for 2025
Find us on Bluesky:
Colleen Schnettler
Tyler King
Justin Jackson
Brian Castle
Links mentioned in the episode:
🧰 Instrumental Products
🏋️‍♀️ SaaS Marketing Gym
📇 Less Annoying CRM
🎙️ Startup to Last Podcast
🎤 Transistor podcast hosting
Subscribe to The Panel for weekly discussions with smart founders about building better products and better lives:
2 min
January 10, 2025The Panel – smart founders discuss the realities of building a business
When it comes to bootstrapping and building software, there's rarely one correct answer.
The secret to building better products, profitable companies, and a better life is knowing how to find the best answer for you. That’s the purpose of The Panel podcast.
Join hosts Justin (Transistor.fm) and Brian Casel (Instrumental Products) in each episode as they bring together a panel of founders, software developers, and friends to discuss hot topics like:
- What's really working in SaaS marketing
- The impact of AI on product development
- Open source vs closed source business models
- Niche markets vs broad markets
- One-time vs recurring revenue models
- Age and experience perspectives in tech
Timestamps:
0:00 The story - why we wanted to start this show
2:03 Meet your hosts - Justin Jackson & Brian Casel
2:45 Topics we'll cover
3:32 The power of different perspectives
4:18 We need your help
5:05 We'll be doing video and audio
🔗 Join our waiting list at https://panelpodcast.com
Creators & Guests
Justin Jackson - Host

Brian Casel - Host

Chris Enns - Editor
7 min

About The Panel

From the publisher's feed

Three founders, Justin Jackson, Brian Casel, and Jordan Gal, discuss product strategy in the age of AI, wins/misses, and ultimately, how to build a better business and a better life.