Maker Faiz Fadzil has started a fantastic new series on Twitter called the Makerlog Todcast, where he interviews makers from all over the community on a really fun Twitter thread.
This week on the Todcast: Gabriel, maker of Caproni.fm.
You can view the entire Todcast + videos on the original Twitter thread. Below are snippets of the thread!
How would you describe yourself?
I get a ton of satisfaction from crafting beautiful tools in the web.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 5, 2021
There is also an artist within me that loves to capture my values into what I do.
Those attitudes are sometimes in competition with my ambition of making a living online, but I try to make it all work 😅
How has the Puerto Rican startup scene impacted your work?
@pre18startups and the support of the @indiehackerspr community has been huge for me.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 5, 2021
The startup scene here is small but active and growing.
More makers and #indiehackers should consider setting up base in PR! Make sure to checkout @p18startups. pic.twitter.com/pcwUUHdGZM
How has the accelerator program you participated in adapted to the pandemic?
We did everything 100% remote.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 8, 2021
This had its pros and cons, but I would say that overall it worked incredibly well.
We did mentors sessions via Zoom and had a Slack group.
The part I missed the most was the serendipity that comes with being surrounded by fellow founders. pic.twitter.com/6HHesuGH7n
How did you choose your co-founder, and what's your take on personal relationships at work?
I would definitely work with somebody who I already have a personal relationship with.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 8, 2021
While building a product, I'm very interested in the values and ethics behind the company. Working with somebody I've know for a long time helps discern that and other types of compatibility. pic.twitter.com/omUUDMo7my
With larger platforms for podcasting on the market, why did you decide to build Caproni?
I love the idea of podcasts.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 8, 2021
In this world of walled gardens dominated by large corps, the idea that an RSS driven open and decentralized platform still thrives blows my mind.
Just naively got into an industry I 💓 without minding much attention established players 😂 pic.twitter.com/rM83YQ5gfH
What's your advice to a company looking to compete in a market with many competitors?
Find the people you want to help and ask them how you can help!
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 9, 2021
If you build relationships with people and get to know their pains, you will probably be the best at helping them.
Hard to compete with that. pic.twitter.com/kIRToKzWul
You've built an awesome product in Caproni. Can you share one of the big things that worked well in building it and launching?
Thanks to posting on @GetMakerlog I got to meet @supremerumham, one of the first Caproni users.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 10, 2021
Also, thanks to one of the members of @indiehackerspr I got my first paying customer.
Finally, working on a product that doesn't need a ton of education has been great! pic.twitter.com/sz3xUrruXO
If you were to start Caproni again, what would you do better?
I started building too early. That was a mistake.
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 11, 2021
However, I gave myself a hard deadline of one month to build an MVP.
I published that initial MVP and that got me interacting with podcasters quickly.
That reduced the harm from my mistake. pic.twitter.com/iK3mAL85qC
What's up next for you and Caproni in the near future?
Faiz, thank you so much for the interview!
— Gabriel J. Pérez Irizarrry 🇵🇷 (@gaburieru4649) March 12, 2021
If there is anything I can help you with feel free to DM me anytime.
Same goes to anybody who listened to this interview!
To keep up with the development of @CaproniFm, follow me here and on @GetMakerlog https://t.co/NmQ9O6eWTl. pic.twitter.com/37mhKZrxho
That's all for this week's Todcast! Go follow maker Faiz Fadzil to get more of these delivered right to your Twitter timeline. Next up is Damon Chen, maker of Testimonial.to!
