Building and monetizing an audience as a software engineer - Randall Kanna Franson

Building and monetizing an audience as a software engineer - Randall Kanna Franson

Author: James McKinven January 24, 2024 Duration: 16:58

Today I’m joined by Randall Kanna Franson. Randall is a senior software engineer who has written 3 books, including one published by O’Reilly and a self published one which made over $70k. She also created a course called Hack the Tech interview which made $20k in the first 24 hours and $50k in the first month. All of this has been through Randall’s efforts to share her learnings from almost a decade being a software engineer and growing her twitter audience to over 50,000 followers. She’s also dabbled in SaaS products, notably launching and growing CodeTutor which she sold after the birth of her first child.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:43 Randall's background
  • 03:33 Coding bootcamp to senior software engineer
  • 05:05 Getting a book published with O'Reilly
  • 06:37 Going hard on side projects in 2020
  • 08:01 Audience building and writing another book
  • 10:04 Randall's course
  • 11:42 Randalls advice to early stage entreprenuers
  • 13:13 Why Randall hasn't started a successful SaaS
  • 15:47 Recommendations

Recommendations

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Every Tuesday, James McKinven sits down for a short chat with someone who’s quietly building a business on their own terms. Indie Bites focuses on the real, often messy, beginnings of profitable, bootstrapped ventures. Instead of abstract theory, you’ll hear founders explain the exact moment an idea clicked, the scrappy ways they tested it without spending a fortune, and how they landed those crucial first few customers. The conversations are deliberately kept concise, getting straight to the practical insights that make a difference when you’re starting with limited time and resources. This podcast digs into the specifics of creating a sustainable income independently, covering the intersection of entrepreneurship, marketing, and hands-on business tactics. It’s for anyone who prefers learning from direct experience rather than corporate playbooks, offering a regular dose of motivation and actionable advice from people who are actually doing the work.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Indie Bites
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