Growing a $2m p/y indie business - Josh Ho, Referral Rock

Growing a $2m p/y indie business - Josh Ho, Referral Rock

Author: James McKinven April 12, 2023 Duration: 16:30

Josh Ho is the founder and CEO of Referral Rock, a SaaS he founded in 2014 doing over $2m a year in revenue. Referral Rock helps businesses to design, launch and manage a customer referral program. Josh has had decades of experience as a founder, pouring his early entrepreneurship energy into a notes app that he ultimately couldn’t monetize.

Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:24 - Josh's background
02:11 - Lessons from a failed startup
04:16 - Failed startup to new long term bet
05:41 - The idea for Referral Rock
06:59 - Pricing a B2C product
08:33 - Marketing advice for indie hackers
12:24 - Challenges along the way
14:01 - Raising
15:41 - 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: 50

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