James McKinven @jmckinven Twitter profile | Pikagi

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James McKinven

@jmckinven

4,713

Followers

1,052

Following

2,810

Media

23,537

Statuses

I'm building a handmade leather wallet business 👉 📈 Making wallets that wear in, not out 🪡 Podcast @indiebitespod + @lmsqueezy 🎙️

Canterbury, England

https://t.co/XRMRl9X5y6

Joined March 2011

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

These past 3 weeks I've had an excuse to live out my dream of doing my leather wallet business full-time, and it's been the happiest I've felt in years 😄 Since I made £1,600 in sales in a day from a tweet, they've just kept coming! Thank you to everyone who has bought one 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@Apple wanna use this for your advertising? The all products are fine and I’m pretty impressed. Would take payment in more Apple products.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Guys don’t worry he is sleeping easy and doesn’t feel any guilt. As you can see by the picture I have removed his arms to avoid this happening again.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

And yes that is a £1,500 Apple monitor my cat decided to yeet himself on

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@timetcetera *the cat is so lucky it still works

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Fully expected my dad (full apple fanboy and tech lover) to ask if anything was broken, but actually he wanted to see if that cat was okay 🧡

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

The moment it happened 😂😱

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Excited to launch my latest project 🎉 Doing my bit to stop the madness that is the Blue Yeti.

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Don't Buy a Yeti

Saving the world from the Blue Yeti microphone. Doing good, honest work here.

dontbuyayeti.com

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@Maxsy @Apple Chopped off his arms

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@appltrack He tried to destroy, but he failed.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

My sister has made me a very handy guide to stop me buying things😂

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Does anyone else wake up in the morning and spend 60 minutes just doing absolutely nothing useful? Doomscrolling, YouTube, wandering aimlessly around the house etc. etc.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@iamstevepinto I’ve got one. Don’t be a dick.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@DontShowYourCat Hi that's my video and my cat. Could you remove it please? Thanks.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@JackEllis @DontShowYourCat Fuck sake here we go again. Thats my cat.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@LucieBaratte I may get one to replace his post here

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

2022 was my first full year as a solo entrepreneur. I made £52,090, which is £12k more than my previous full-time salary 🤯 But it's not all been easy, so I've written a little reflection of how the year unfolded for me:

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

The craziest thing happened yesterday. - @lennysan tweets out asking for gift suggestions. - @onejamesbrowne tweets a link to my wallets. - Lenny orders one straight away. Cue 2,700 people to overnight resulting £686 in sales of handmade wallets 🤯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@AlexNapierNomad I think they can coexist beautifully

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Following in @dr 's footsteps, I'm joining @lmsqueezy to be a co-host on their podcast, Make Lemonade 🎉 I've edited the show in the past & love how Lemon Squeezy are bringing something fresh the payments game.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

I’m super happy to announce I’m partnering with @emailoctopus as the main sponsor for Indie Bites in 2023 🎉 EmailOctopus are a bootstrapped email platform based in London and wanted to support me by committing to a year-long deal 🤝

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@digitaltrouble noooo cats are the best! to him it the monitor was just a shortcut to his destination (the sofa) 😂

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

5 months

Signed the lease on my first workshop for @whitstablecraft this week ✍️ This means I can expand out of my living room and make some consistent progress on the wallet brand. It’s not big, it’s not fancy, but it’s mine and I couldn’t be more excited for this year 😊

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Since focusing on my pod I’ve made 0 sales from my handmade leather wallet business 🤷 But, I’ve got a lot of inventory and I’d like to upgrade your pocket. I’m gonna give away 5 of these minimalist card holders - shipped worldwide - to people that like/RT or reply to this 🎉

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

And we've made it 🎉 £5k in leather wallet sales in 30 days. I can't believe my eyes 😍 Can't explain how happy this makes me. A big thank you to my mum for not only helping me with finishing and packing orders, but also making the order to push me over the £5k ❤️

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@arvidkahl I don’t see any ups here Arvid 😂 To complete the story arc, here is the resolution…

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Had the best time yesterday at my cowork space selling my leather goods! Even created my own packaging and crafted some while I was there 🔥 This was the most fun I've had in a long time.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@CatWorkers Haha it’s my little buddy Alfie! He also plays tennis in his spare time 👀 He helps me podcast with 🎙

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

My favourite way to spend a Saturday. With my indie hacker pals co-working in London 🔥

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

7 months

Spent a few hours with dad today improving his recording setup. This is quite a dramatic change given how it was a few weeks ago, but shows what you can do with 1 video light, a mirrorless camera and some Phillips hue.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

2 weeks ago after speaking with @dvassalo I decided I was going to stop making excuses and create my first info product. Since then I’ve poured all my podcasting knowledge into my new course, which I’m releasing today 🎉 You can get it here:

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

@Cameron_W_Clark I got my niece one of these. Essential learning

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

I don’t have a soundcloud, but I do sell leather wallets.

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Whitstable Craft Co | Handmade Leather Goods | Made in the UK

Handmade leather goods, minimalist wallets and card holders crafted by hand. Guaranteed for life. Every handmade leather wallet is created in our UK workshop with finishing touches by an expert...

whitstablecraftco.com

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@dave_stewart

@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@arvidkahl I don’t see any ups here Arvid 😂 To complete the story arc, here is the resolution…

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Big news! I've agreed a 12-month partnership with a sponsor for @indiebitespod 🎉 We've just got to agree on the fine print and sign on the dotted line - but I should be able to share next week 😄

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

6 years

One of the coolest videos I've seen in a long while, the music, the editing, the trippy af shots, the tech. Just wow. Props to @MKBHD for upping the YouTube game yet again!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Wow! It happened 🤯 £1k sales in a day* from my handmade leather wallet brand! Didn't really think this would ever happen. Thank you everyone 🙏 *has only actually been 12 hours

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Is there a better feeling than internet money?! I crossed $200 in pre-orders for my podcasting course this morning 😱 It's small, but it makes me so happy!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

I spoke to @BrettFromDJ on @indiebitespod about his incredible growth story with Designjoy 📈 We cover: 💸 Running a 1-person $130k MRR business 🧑‍🎨 Why he made 70k inspirational quote images ❌ Why he's a terrible salesman ☯️ Different routes to success

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A solo $130k MRR productized design service - Brett Williams,...

I chat with Brett Williams, founder of Designjoy, a rather meaty solo business with over $1m yearly revenue.

share.transistor.fm

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

25 days

Since starting cycling properly I’ve lost about 15kg and found something I really enjoy. This weekend I did my first 100 mile ride and filmed the whole thing 🚲 Was fun to capture, edit and look back on 😊

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Well this was surreal and awesome. At Indie Beers last night and found myself in a group where everyone had a Whitstable Craft Co wallet 🤯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

7 months

Spent the weekend launching a new project: 🎉 It's a directory of all the books recommended to me by guests on my podcast, Indie Bites. What do successful folks @csallen , @arvidkahl , @robwalling + more read? It's all here.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 months

After much consideration, I’m delighted to announce I’ve signed an exclusive deal with Blue to use only the Yeti in all upcoming podcasts. I had my reservations about quality, but after they presented me with a massive wad of cash, I put those reservations aside.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

6 years

Just found @steveschoger 's refactoring UI YouTube videos and they are so satisfying. This is so good to watch. Nice work!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Just crossed 100k downloads on @indiebitespod 🎉 Thank you to everyone that has tuned in over the past couple of years and supported the show. It means a lot 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Just got my biggest ever podcast sponsorship for Indie Bites 🤯 I now don't need to worry about outreach for the next 4 months 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Had my best month ever of downloads for Indie Bites 🎉 That +37% MoM growth 🤯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Last week I left my contract job, so I'm fully indie right now 🎉 However, I do need to pay the bills 😬 I'm going to have a crack making a living doing the thing I love - creating podcasts. I already have 2 clients, but I'll need 3 more to cover expenses 🤞

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

The sales are slowing down now but what an unbelievable day. This has put the biggest smile on my face and has given me a new lease of life for Whitstable Craft Co, £1,638.98 in revenue in one day. Beating my entire YTD revenue and 3x last year 📈 Will update you on costs!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

It’s my birthday 🥳 Think I might treat myself to clearing all my browser tabs today 🎉

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

My new podcast is happening 🎉 It's coming out this Friday and I'll share all the details tomorrow 😄 Feels great to be back in the co-host seat!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

My new podcast is out now 🎉 It’s called “This Indie Life” and my co-host is…. 🥁 @dagorenouf 🔥 First episode is live and ready to go into your podcast feeds: (we're on twitter too 👉 @indielifepod )

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

7 months

I got featured in the local paper 😱 The editor reached out to me to showcase some of my work for @whitstablecraft and a journalist came to my flat/studio to interview me. Having something printed like this is special. This wallet business is the most rewarding thing I do 😁

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

One of the best things about running a handmade leather wallet business is you can make lovely gifts for your family. These are the only two Whitstable Craft bi-folds that exist in the world and I made them for my uncles 😊

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Booked in some awesome guests for @indiebitespod over the next few weeks 🎉 - @shl (Gumroad) - @petersuhm (Reform) - @KennethCassel () - @damengchen (Testimonial + more) - @joshuaanderton (Meeps) - @joshgonsalves_ (Contraverse)

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Indie Bites just crossed 25k downloads 📈 🎉

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

8 months

How does @aarondfrancis produce a podcast, make YouTube videos, launch a new course AND have a full-time job (with twins and twins on the way)?! Something has to give... Excerpt from @indiebitespod ep 96

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

My salary over the years: 2016: £17,000 - marketing apprenticeship 2017: £23,000 - first agency job doing HubSpot CRM work 2020: £40,000 - in-house marketing manager 2021: (£?) weird hybrid freelance / part time year 2022: £52,000 - first year self-employed

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

10 months

Just returned from a 5 day road trip with my dad around Ireland 🇮🇪 We haven’t been on a father-son trip for 10 years, so this was well overdue. Lots of beer, laughs and sketchy driving roads ❤️

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Last night I sat down for 4 hours and created my new personal site. I'm pretty proud of it 😄 Made completely in Notion 🤯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

How did the launch go for my course? From a financial standpoint, it failed 🤷‍♂️ 5 sales and $175 on launch day. I wish it had done better, but it's not all bad 👇

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

This month officially has the most downloads ever for Indie Bites 🎉 Announcing the new long-term sponsor tomorrow to celebrate. Can you guess who it is? 👀

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Haven't spoken about this recently but having a down week mentally. Happens from time to time and I know that part of my life hasn't been eradicated completely. Recording with @dagorenouf about it in 25 mins. Just know if you're also feeling like this you're not alone.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Pretty happy with how my product photography is turning out! Still a long way to go with this but nice to be able to confidently do them myself 😄

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Had a blast in the French Alps last week for my first time skiing ⛷️ I went with a group of 12 founder friends - all met through indie hacker meetup @IndieBeers 🍻 We drank beer at Apres, shipped in the evening and ate our body weight in Raclette. What a trip 💯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

I’ve not been feeling my best the last few days, so I made a tiny tote bag. It’s so cute 😊 Everything hand cut, stitched and finished.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@diannamallen @arvidkahl He wanted an epilogue

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

3 full days of crafting and I’ve got 33 Castle wallets made 🎉 My hands now hurt but it’s the most satisfying feeling knowing these will be in the hands of people around the world next week 😊

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

1 week later, all 39 wallets handcrafted from scratch, finished and shipped out to their new homes 📭 This has been the most exciting week I've had in a while and it's given me the confidence to make a thing of this leather wallet business. Thank you to everyone that ordered 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

@solproofed oh no i'd get rid of the monitor before the cats - they are my pride and joy

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

The recent sales meant I was able to afford a machine I’ve been dreaming of ever since I started leather crafting 🤩 It was shipped in from the US and it weighs a whopping 50kg. I’ve nicknamed it “The Beast” and I love it 😻 Thank you for the support 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Got my first ever sale of the course + the consultancy call 🎉 This is 10x the amount of the day 1 price 🤯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Just found out I can see all my sites on Fathom from one view 🤯 Calling this mission control 💻 Perfect for all us indies with our many side-projects!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

30,000 downloads on Indie Bites! To the moon (but bootstrapped)🚀

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

7 months

Recording episode 100 of @indiebitespod today 🎉 To mark the occasion, I'm bringing back my very first guest (and sponsor), @charlierward . Charlie has been key in the growth of the indie hacking scene in London. Anything you want to ask him or me for this episode?

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

As if I didn't have enough podcasting in my life, I figured I'd start another one 👀 This time with a co-host, @dr 🎉 It will be a behind the scenes look at how we grow our indie businesses. My podcast and Dan's SaaS products. Short, 20 min episodes. Raw content. More info👇

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Sunday evenings crafting 😊 It’s organised chaos I promise 🔨

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

After 1 year of making the @indiebitespod , I've published 31 episodes with 20,767 total downloads and made £2,290.45 in revenue. It's been a year of ups and downs, but here's how it happened 👇

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

I've just crossed $1,000 in sales for my course 🤯 This has by far exceeded my expectations (especially after the launch) and that feeling of "passive" income from something you've made online is incredible. Thank you to everyone who has bought it (especially @mijustin ) 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

I’ve taken some time off Twitter and it’s been nice. Recently indie hacking has been feeling like a constant uphill battle and I’m wondering if I’m cut out for it. Still trying to figure that out. I’m still working (with a trip to Rio) & did a mini UK road trip. Back soon 🔜

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

It’s crazy when you start selling stuff you realise how little you actually need. It actually feels better the less stuff I have.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Here’s some reality for you that I don’t often see people share 🤔 I’m pretty terrible with money. I always have been 🤦‍♂️ But since going full-time indie, my bank balance often looks like this and no real solution either 🤷‍♂️

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

My mum rarely gets the credit she deserves in helping my out, especially with the leather craft business. More than likely if you've ordered in the past 6 months, she's had a hand in finishing and packing your wallet 🧡

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

About to cross 10k downloads on @indiebitespod 🚀

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Last week I shared I'd made £5,195 in revenue from leather wallets in the past 30 days. But, ecomm revenue is not free money. In those same 30 days I spent £5,416, making a -£221 loss 😢 Biggest costs: - Leather £1,724 - Tools £1,437 - Shipping £1,066 - Packaging £421

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Time to turn this stunning side of leather into some wallets 😊 Can’t think of a better way to spend an evening!

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

After 8 weeks of rebuilding myself after burnout, I've finally managed to publish an episode of @indiebitespod , and it's a cracker! I spoke to @tinyprojectsdev on his physical business, selling projects and making $10k in a weekend 🚀 🌮

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Making $10k in a weekend selling emoji email addresses - Ben Stokes,...

Ben Stokes is the indie hacker behind Tiny Projects, where he shares the ups and downs of starting small indie businesses. He's created a ice cream business and a cookie dough business amongst other...

share.transistor.fm

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Woke up this morning and fancied a new watch strap. So I made myself one 😄

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Indie Bites is closing in on 100,000 downloads 👀 I *could* hit this milestone by Monday, when I can announce the new long term sponsor 🤭

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

I'm just 3 orders away from making £5k in the past 30 days 😱 Today is the last day to place an order for international shipping, so lets see if I can make it 👀

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

11 months

Inspired by Stefan, there have been some wallets mysteriously left behind through my journey to the pub…

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@StefanManku

Stefan (QuickHire VA)

11 months

@jacksbridger @jmckinven Brilliant Great stunt for you @jmckinven - strategically drop/leave some wallets throughout London and put a message inside

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Dad nailed his first ever 5k today, after starting the coach to 5k programme! So bloody proud of him 🔥

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

Guys I'm editing this @arvidkahl episode and it's an absolute gem. I am struggling to cut down some of his insights. You know some people repeat the same thing over and over, just in a different way? Yeah, Arvid doesn't do that. It's just all good shit.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

I might have joined a company to become a co-host for their podcast 👀 Can you guess who it might be?

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

I’ve just spent a week in Spain with no laptop, no work commitments and just chilled 🏝 Read my book, swam, laid on the beach, drank beer with the fam 🍻 Feel rested and relieved. Looking forward to getting back to things next week 🚀

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

The feeling of those sweet Shopify notification hitting good this morning 😍 Thanks to those that picked up a bi-fold to test 🙏

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Spent a few hours updating the Indie Bites YouTube channel with the new thumbnails. What do you think? I'll post how it looked before below.

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

3 years

I'm about to hit a huge milestone! 2k followers on Twitter 🎉 90 days ago I started to take Twitter more seriously and it's absolutely paid off. New friends, new clients, more fun 💯

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

1 year

Had my second biggest day of orders ever today 😱 £130 at the craft fair and another £700 in online orders, most from this custom branded order 🔥 Last order date for custom gifts in time for Xmas for clients / your team is Weds! 📆

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@jmckinven

James McKinven

2 years

Hey indie hacker friends! What's your answer for when people ask "what do you do?" Have been struggling with this recently 🤔

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