Justin Jackson

Justin Jackson is the co-founder of Transistor.fm, a podcast hosting and analytics platform, originally from Alberta, Canada, and currently based in Vernon, BC.

He's a respected voice in the SaaS, bootstrapping, and indie entrepreneurship communities, known for his writing on building "calm companies." He is also one of the founding members of the Podcast Standards Project.

Jackson has been building businesses since high school and working in tech since 2008. His entrepreneurial journey started early – at thirteen. After experimenting with everything from organizing underground raves to running a skateboard shop, he found his footing in the tech world. Between 2008-2016, he worked for various startups as a Product Manager.

A turning point came in 2012 when Kyle Fox invited him to co-host a podcast called Product People. That show changed everything, and connected him with people from around the world who were building and launching software products.

One of those connections was Jon Buda, whom he met at Portland's XOXO Festival in 2014. After years of friendship and collaboration, they launched Transistor together in August 2018.

Jackson and Buda documented their entire startup journey publicly on the "Build your SaaS" podcast, sharing both the wins and struggles of building a bootstrapped business.

By August 2019, both founders had quit their full-time jobs to focus on Transistor exclusively. Today, the company serves over 34,000 podcasts with a team of six people.

What sets Justin and Jon apart is their commitment to building what Jackson calls a "calm company" – profitable, purposeful, and designed to improve the lives of both customers and team members. Rather than pursuing aggressive growth, Transistor often says no to big customers whose demands would compromise their focus on indie podcasters.

At 45, Jackson writes regularly about entrepreneurship, family life, and the seasons of building a business. He's married to and has four children, and believes strongly that business should serve life, not the other way around. When he's not working on Transistor, you'll find him at live music shows, on family trips, or organizing the monthly Geek Beers meetup in Vernon.

You can connect with Justin on:
🦋 Bluesky
💼 LinkedIn
🐘 Mastodon
🧵 Threads