Why you should build a sweaty startup instead of an indie SaaS - Flo Schirmer

Why you should build a sweaty startup instead of an indie SaaS - Flo Schirmer

Author: James McKinven June 2, 2025 Duration: 16:40

Today I’m talking with Flo Schirmer about "sweaty startups", a term for old-fashioned, low-risk businesses that are often service based and unsexy. I’m talking window cleaning, car washing, self-storage, house moving and more. We’re going to discuss if you can do this as a side hustle, if you should do this over a regular software business, and what you need to do to get started with some ideas along the way.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:38 What is a sweaty startup?
  • 03:18 From window cleaning to home security
  • 04:37 How to start a sweaty startup
  • 06:41 Growth for a sweaty startup
  • 07:26 Sweaty startup vs software - what is best for indie hackers?
  • 08:45 Injecting a tech edge into old fashioned businesses
  • 11:34 Examples of successful sweaty startup brands
  • 13:58 Two free sweaty startup ideas
  • 15:57 Recommendations

Recommendations

My links

Sponsor - EmailOctopus 🐙

EmailOctopus is an independently owned email marketing platform, built to support other small growing businesses. With a focus on affordability and ease of use, EmailOctopus contains all of the features you need to reach and grow your audience. You can start today, with their industry leading free plan where you can contact up to 2,500 subscribers without paying a penny.


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

Indie Bites
Podcast Episodes
Bootstrapping EmailOctopus to $3m+ ARR - Jonathan Bull & Tom Evans [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:11
Today I’m joined by Tom Evans and Jonathan Bull from EmailOctopus, an email platform who have bootstrapped to over $3m ARR since they were founded in 2014. They’ve been battling in a crowded and competitive market, with…
Building a financial engine for your indie business - Justin Jackson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:48
In this episode I have a returning guest, someone who is a keystone of the bootstrapping community, it’s Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor, MegaMaker and more. Today we have an unstructured but very useful chat ab…
Making $200k a year teaching Google Sheets - Andrew Kamphey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:48
Today I’m joined by Andrew Kamphey, who is the founder of Better Sheets, a platform of tools and tutorials to get better at using Google Sheets, that has done well over $200k in revenue since he launched in 2020. He star…
Taking on Bit.ly bootstrapped - Tim Leland, T.LY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:19
Tim Leland is the founder of T.LY, a link shortener with almost half a million users that he recently quit his job to pursue full time. Tim started out building chrome extensions, including a weather extension that grew…