Brian Casel

Jordan says you need to have patience and urgency. Justin says, "focus on the little red box that creates results." Brian is thinking strategically about courses vs. downloadable products. Chapters: Mentioned in this episode: "I want $100 million" "You can make it complicated, or you can hit the golf ball." Justin's episode: "Don't over-engineer it" Justin's drawing: "Focus on what matters (the little red box)" Ryan Carson: "How I manage 15 AI agents 24/7 as a solo founder" Brian's Mimeo product "When you bundle too much in your product, your positioning becomes vague" Freshbooks CEO started a secret company to compete with his existing product

What "new" value can we create with AI? Brian, Justin, and Jordan talk about how we can be more creative and ambitious and build things we wouldn't have built before. We also chatted about Grok Bot and xAI's land grab (Cursor acquisition and the SuperGrok Heavy plan). Also... Brian broke up with Claude?! Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:34 - The sudden rise and appeal of Grokbot 11:49 - Claude fatigue and the shift toward chief-of-staff AI agents 14:55 - How product experience is replacing model quality in the AI race 18:09 - Cursor's speed advantage, pricing pain, and team switching costs 26:08 - Enterprise loyalty and why model quality will commoditize 43:44 - AI for autonomous entities, trust, and community integration 49:11 - Building AI-native vs. consumer vs. professional use cases 57:10 - Trust as the bottleneck in sensitive fields like personal finance 60:22 - Transistor's video launch, pricing model, and MCP integration 66:14 - Jordan's new capital deal and leveraging extra runway 72:12 - Customer success hiring and Builder Methods' non-developer expansion 90:15 - Wrap up YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Jesse Hanley – Marketer, developer, and creator. Introducing Grok Bot – SpaceXAI's latest release. Shaan Puri on AI Loyalty – A candid take on switching tools. Cursor – The top AI coding agent. Caleb Porzio's Work Notes – Why Cursor outpaces Codex. Amazon’s Anthropic Stake – IPO valuation insights. Polsia – AI that manages operations autonomously. Mostly Technical #145 – Exploring marketing as engineering.

Is there a potential SaaS pocalypse? How can we adapt to changes and leverage new models for growth? Jordan, Justin, and Brian explore the current state of the software market, private equity dynamics, and the impact of AI on valuations. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:01 Finding distribution is difficult on FB Marketplace and online 12:05 The future of building software with AI and agent-first design 16:07 Market entry strategies for new products 19:57 Unbundling SaaS and the new software delivery models 23:46 The role of internal tools and side projects 28:03 The SaaS pocalypse 32:00 SaaS valuations and market dynamics 36:01 Designing simple interfaces with powerful backend features 39:59 The evolving landscape of SaaS and market opportunities 51:25 Opportunities in the current market 1:03:00 Life updates YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Mimeo: Own your email marketing stack Flywrite | The writing app with a terminal built in LiveKit Platform Resend Buttondown  tiiny.host  Make IPOs Great Again Tiny  Anne Frank The Exhibition  Visit the Chicago Museum of Ice Cream MxPx Goldfinger

How's your funnel doing? Jordan and Brian are joined by Henry Poydar to chat about integrating human and autonomous agents, building and testing product prototypes in days, not years, the importance of flexible, adaptive funnels, and debate the future of SaaS, unbundling, and the agent-first software paradigm.  Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Steady HeyRosy Builder Methods OpenRoutines.dev Claude Flywrite Vanta Drip Bento Help Scout

What happens to the value of software when everyone can make software? Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to The Panel 00:31 Brian’s Brighton Ruby trip 03:12 Building FlyWrite in the car 05:01 Why existing coding tools don’t work for writing 07:20 What FlyWrite actually does 11:37 Building version one with Fable 16:04 Jordan’s weekend build and first AI-native workflow 28:38 Claude Design and interactive prototyping 36:41 AI, software supply, and productivity 39:09 The Jeremy Giffin podcast episode 48:55 What AI means for Transistor and hosting 58:19 Google, Microsoft, Apple, and the AI distribution war 63:28 Figma, design careers, and the white-flag mindset 74:08 What happens to agencies and web designers 81:05 Transition pain vs. long-term upside 90:13 Becoming AI-native and where do displaced workers go? YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Superconductor faster.dev ConductorAI Cursor Flywrite Railway Base44 Lovable Wildbit Blog (Natalie Nagele) Harvey ROI Calculator Spots.fm Spots (2018 archive) Product People shoutout (2013 archive) Claude Design Invest Like the Best — Jeremy Giffon Gal Shir on X Chef hierarchy pyramid The widening productivity-pay gap

If you're trying to fix your funnel, where do you start? And how much of an impact do we think Fable is going to have on AI pricing?  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:27 Impact of AI and Market Dynamics 06:24 Taking Control of Your Funnel 17:12 The impact of Fable on AI Costs 26:04 SpaceX IPO and Betting on Space 42:56 Opportunities for SaaS Businesses in 2026 with Domain Expertise 01:07:36 Allowances for kids works best in with communism YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Data School Kickbacks.ai - Get paid for waiting SpaceX IPO Prospectus Fable AI AI sandwich After Automation OpenAI Considers Drastic Price Cuts (WSJ) SpaceX stock jumps after record IPO, making Musk the first trillionaire SpaceX is asking for $1.75. That's ridiculous (but I'm giving them money anyway) Andrew McCalip

Justin's got a major life question for the podcast, Jordan's trying to not be angry, and Brian thinks he's cracked the video editing code. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Justin's Big Question 10:04 Personal Reflections on City Life 13:05 Family Dynamics and Future Living Plans 24:37 The Energy of New Beginnings 30:22 The Wisdom of Solitude vs. Ambition 38:58 Accelerating Growth and Optimization 50:41 Navigating Advertising Challenges 53:17 The Impact of Confidence on Communication 01:01:58 Innovating Video Editing with AI 01:08:00 Balancing Quality and Quantity in Content Creation 01:14:44 The Human Cost of Rapid AI Adoption YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Do the Hard Thing video-use HyperFrames Mediocre ideas Building Software is Learning Transistor Video Podcast Hosting

After figuring out how to stay in shape with exercise, Jordan and Brian wrestle with what each other's north star should be in their day to day work.  Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:19 Peptides and Supplements 08:06 Gym vs Home Workouts 14:02 Daily Walking 17:01 Brian's Calorie Tracking 21:40 The Importance of Optimization 24:27 Jordan's Ad Spend Thoughts 29:08 SEO and Email Marketing Automation 33:58 Brian's trying to leverage AI to limit bottlenecks 53:23 Balancing Urgency and Ambition 55:52 Connecting Daily Tasks to Long-Term Goals 01:03:29 Navigating Multiple North Stars YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Lose It! - Weight Loss That Fits HeyRosy.com Builder Methods Claude AI Hermes Agent Platform

How is multiplayer being addressed in AI, should we scale humans or agents, and is every small business going to vibe code their own apps? With special guest Henry Poydar. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to The Panel 03:06 Business Updates 05:53 Coordination Challenges in Teams with AI 11:48 Trust and Accountability in Team Dynamics 17:45 The Future of Team Structures 20:30 Scaling with Agents vs. Traditional Teams 25:48 The Future of Company Organization 27:58 The Intersection of AI and Creativity 36:02 Challenges in the Music Industry with AI 40:32 Navigating the VC Landscape 45:45 The Indie Entrepreneur Path 48:20 Vertical Saas and tool building 01:01:17 Weeknd plans and talking politics YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Steady Henry Poydar TinaFey on what it's really like to have a teenage daughter Charlie AI Devin How I build agents that work the night shift Granola Vibe-Coded AI 'Slop' Is Flooding the World With Potentially Dangerous Code—'Eventually It Will Catch Up to Us'

Are you feeling a mixture of excitement and burnout at the pace AI coding seems to be pushing you? Is it sustainable in the long run or do you worry about what you'll be like in 6 months time? Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:22 Advertising Strategies and Funnels 08:12 Jordan experiments with Partnership Ads and Organic Content Ads 12:03 Transistor's Video Podcasting Platform Launch 21:32 Brian's YouTube Channel Growth 30:27 Understanding Customer Engagement and Sales Dynamics 35:56 Navigating Pricing Changes in AI Tools 01:02:36 The Impact of AI on Work Intensity and Burnout 01:06:19 The Evolution of Product Development and Market Dynamics 01:13:48 The New Normal: Speed, Pressure, and Success in Business YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Claude changes its pricing Wrappers vs steamrollers (and who owns the customer) Hire creators to do your ads Post to all social platforms AI brain exhaustion + burnout Matt Wensing: "Burnout happens when the reward no longer justifies the effort / perceived risk." Brian's new course: "Become the builder" The meme that took over Twitter this week

Jason Cohen (founder of WP Engine) joined as a surprise guest. We got into his writing process, why "distribution is the new moat" is either not new or not true, what actually counts as a moat (Basecamp, Linear, Lemon Squeezy), and his framework for funnels: the quality of who enters the top matters more than every other step combined. Jason's new book Hidden Multipliers is available for preorder. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:28 Jason Cohen's Journey and Insights 04:18 Writing Process and Content Creation 10:24 Distribution as a Business Strategy 13:15 Debate on Distribution as a Moat 25:20 The Concept of Moats in Business 26:31 Social Media vs. AdWords: The Distribution Debate 32:09 Basecamp's Unique Positioning and Brand Identity 38:32 The Role of Brand in Modern Business 48:46 Understanding Customer Behavior Through Data 51:08 The Importance of Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) 57:35 The Challenge of End-to-End Funnel Visibility 01:07:00 Metrics and Their Role in Business Strategy YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Jason's new book: Hidden Multipliers Jason's blog "Elephant in the room: the myth of exponential hypergrowth" Lenny's tweet: "Distribution is the new moat" JR Farr's tweet: practical distribution framework Jason's post: "Things mostly “fail” even at the best companies. It's weird, if you think about it."  "Selecting the right product KPIS"

SaaS life! How do you deal with the daily sales anxiety? Brian recounts a major March spike from viral YouTube, a full site redesign and repositioning, and the fear of launches falling flat, while Justin describes simplifying Transistor’s funnel and tracking daily signups. We debate when to “double down on what’s working” versus making scary directional changes, emphasizing founder gut, credibility with teams, and remote-team alignment. On distribution, they argue product and marketing are linked,  and “hand-to-hand combat” on channels like Reddit, discuss ads and YouTube as ongoing systems, and highlight social proof via reviews (including Jordan’s use of Senja). Jordan shares using Claude to investigate the Allbirds deal and leverage personal networks to reach key deal participants, reinforcing founder curiosity and agency.  Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome 00:48 April Revenue Whiplash 02:11 Builder Methods Relaunch Fears 04:48 Daily Sales Mood Swings 05:59 Simplifying the Funnel 12:43 Trusting Founder Gut 27:21 Distribution in the AI Era 35:10 Practical GEO and Reddit Tactics 40:55 Customer Culture and Reviews 43:47 Engineering Social Proof 51:38 AI Investigates Allbirds Deal 01:10:49 Churn Through Weird Lens 01:15:59 Weekend Wrap And Skate Talk YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com Links mentioned in this episode: Senja

Justin, Jordan, and Brian discuss the importance of understanding your ideal customer profile, the role of ambition in customer segmentation, and effective strategies for content marketing and product positioning in the tech and SaaS industries. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:22 Authenticity in Content Creation 06:25 Updates on Business and Personal Life 09:21 Partnerships: Successes and Challenges 12:26 Navigating Sponsorships and Brand Deals 15:31 Exploring Video Podcasting and Market Demand 26:16 Navigating Pricing Models and Customer Expectations for Video Podcasting 31:27 Integrating AI into Marketing Strategies 45:20 Understanding Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP) 01:00:34 Understanding Customer Segmentation 01:04:23 Navigating Customer Needs and Expectations 01:13:36 Pricing Power and Value Proposition 01:27:17 Shifts in YouTube Content Dynamics 01:33:12 Leveraging Content Clips for Growth 01:38:02 The Importance of Regular Content 01:42:20 Tim Cook's Leadership and Future Innovations at Apple YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: Content Rewards PostBridge Marc Andreessen on Product and Marketing Jobs to Be Done Framework

Does vision matter? And how far into the future should your vision be these days? And how do we deal with copycats in the age of AI? And who is our money pin in the Anthropic vs OpenAI vs Google horse race, especially with mythos in the news. Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: Quick Sight – AWS https://aws.amazon.com/quick/quicksight/ Stripe Sigma https://stripe.com/en-mx/sigma  Paddle https://www.paddle.com/profitwell-metrics Claude Mythos https://red.anthropic.com/2026/mythos-preview/  Owner.com https://www.owner.com/  Base44 https://base44.com/

Why doesn't AI prompt us more often if it's so smart? Ryan Hefner joins us to chat about our daily drivers for shoes, IDE, AI provider, getting the news, and planning a vacation.  Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: Transistor helps publish TBPN video podcast on Apple Podcasts Brian's job posting Ryan's new app: Launch Weeks Freek's new app OpenAI buys TBPN for hundreds of millions T3 Code editor OpenAI Codex Superset.sh Conductor Solo CMUX Codex plugin for Claude Code Surf.social Tangle news Ground News

Justin's hosting this one and he brought along Ben Curtis from Honeybadger to talk about how AI can be a CRM and also your designer. Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: Ghost CMS Claude AI Codex by OpenAI Hatchbox for Deployment Figma Google Stitch Tailwind CSS Claude MCP for Figma @SteveSchoger designs with Claude

It's Jordan's turn to host and he's got some AI companies he's not sure about... Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: GStack — Turn Claude Code into a Virtual Software Development Team Polsia — AI That Runs Your Company While You Sleep This AI generates $689K - Business Podcast for Startups ui.sh — Turn your terminal into a design engineer Stitch - Design with AI Basecamp — Basecamp CLI and Agent Skill: Agent first, agent native Delve | SOC 2 Compliance, HIPAA | Automated Compliance for AI, Startups | Get GDPR, ISO 27001, Cybersecurity Compliant & More | Delve Automated Compliance Delve - Fake Compliance as a Service - Part I Gusto | Online HR Services: Payroll, Benefits and everything else OpenClaw AI - Open Source AI Assistant | Formerly Clawdbot & Moltbot Claude

Brian, Justin, and Jordan talk about the opportunity costs in business decision-making, the impact of AI on marketing channels and strategies, and building custom internal tools with AI versus SaaS solutions. Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links: Builder Methods Pro Brian's YouTube

What happened to you in Mexico? Justin is back from his co-founder retreat with Jon on Holbox Island. He gets vulnerable about the drift that naturally happens in a remote co-founder relationship, the big conversations they'd been avoiding, and the realization that alignment isn't a one-time thing (it requires constant investment!). Jordan and Brian weigh in on co-founder dynamics, decision-making in a 50/50 partnership, and why strategy has to belong to a key decision maker.  The conversation then spills into the "Mexican standoff" happening on teams as AI reshapes who does what and whether that's something to fear (or lean into). Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: Holbox Island Photos from co-founder retreat Article: The five stages of losing our craft Article: Will Claude Code ruin our team? Jack Dorsey lays off 931 workers Polsia - this weird AI driven SaaS making $2m! (You give it an idea, provide a budget/credit card, and it autonomously launches the business)  More on Ben Cera, founder of Polsia The Amazing Money Machine book cover

Brian and Jordan talk about the need for developers to adapt to survive, Brian debates how much of a content creator he is vs product seller, Jordan relates his experience talking with investors, and the rise of zero human companies ZHC. Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 🦋 Links mentioned in this episode: Matt Pocock on X: "Something that I think goes under-emphasized is how much AI coding demands a 'lead dev' mentality. If you spent your pre-AI career trying to level up your teammates (through API design, feedback loops, architecture) Then working with AI will feel natural. If you only focused" Extend Claude with skills - Claude Code Docs About - Gauntlet AI Austen Allred on X: "Kelly (my AI bot) used 5 subagents to one-shot this app end to end. Zero human involvement. Insane. She’s building App Store worthy apps entirely by herself on the daily now." Tom Osman 🐦‍⬛ on X: "I work on the assumption that the most powerful AI models are far more intelligent than me. My job is just to assist when needed. This morning I gave @JunoAgent a Deep Research model to explore different token design routes based on what we're working on. This came out 👇🏻"