Meeting founders in London

I checked out the new Ramen Space coworking spot, the Indie Beers meetup and I had some great thought-provoking conversations with some founders while I was passing through London.

Ramen Space review

I joined the Ramen Space coworking space - I had been before when the space was shared with another company. It's so much better now it's just bootstrappers! There is a membership option for £60 which gives you two days of coworking office access per month, which is ideal if you are just passing through town like I was. I imagine this will be popular with founders who are perhaps in London for just a few days. This option also gives you lifetime access to the Ramen Club online Slack community so that's a great deal.

There are a few food spots nearby and it's nice because everyone gets lunch and then comes back and eats at a large table. So there's a nice community vibe and it lets you chat to other founders about what they are up to without bothering them while they are working.

IndieBeers meetup

I went to the IndieBeers meetup on Wednesday and again, I'd recommend any founders in London or just passing through to come along. It's a very chill meetup and there's not any salesy people or suits - it's a very casual vibe and most people hang out on the pavement outside the pub and just chat about their startups. There were about 60-80 people there I guess.

I saw a few people who read my High Signal newsletter so that's always nice. I met one guy who had exited a real 'boring business' and he was telling me it was great working on an unglamorous SaaS idea because no-one else wants to work on it.

I also met James, who runs the Indie Bites podcast, for the first time in the flesh. It's quite funny when you've talked to someone for 5 years or so and then you finally meet them in person. He was exactly like he comes across on his podcasts though. I also witnessed James try to sell some of his handmade wallets (I own one myself).

I enjoyed talking to a crypto woman about my X ghostwriting business , tips for beating algorithms and ways she could get new clients for her consulting business. I suggested she do a regular crypto newsletter and then promote her services to her readers that way.

I should really come to these meetups a few times a year because they are always really useful and energising.

Other learnings

From speaking to a few founders I did start to think I'm a bit over-stretched between my different projects so I need to do something about that. Che Sampat made a great point when I was talking to him about the idea of doing a SaaS - he basically said "don't start a business just because you can get a great multiple if you sell it - make a business in an area you're great at." He also made the good observation that it's hard enough to make one business successful, let alone several.

All in all, a good trip. I also hung out with my friend Amar and it was cool to see his new place. I really need to make it down to London a few times a year.