Roomie Cafe for solo founders
Building alone, with other founders in the room
Roomie Cafe is a free focus timer you share with friends. Start a session on the part of the company that needs you today, see which other founders are working right now and write what you shipped when the timer ends.
- No webcam
- Nothing to book
- Free, no session limit
How it works
Split the company into focus areas
Product, sales, marketing, admin. Pick one and a length from 5 to 90 minutes, so your hours show where the week really went.
Work next to other founders
See which founders you follow are working right now and on what. Nobody sees your screen or your numbers.
Write what you shipped
One line when the timer ends: the pricing page copy, ten cold emails, the bug customers kept hitting.
A founder group that meets every day
Founder groups and masterminds meet once a week or once a month. The decisions that keep a small company moving get made on the days in between, usually by one person at a desk.
Invite two or three founders you trust into a shared focus area. You see each other working live, the hours add up to one total and you can set a goal for the week together. On a slow Tuesday, seeing that someone else has already started is often enough to get you going.
Where the hours actually go
When you run everything, it is easy to spend a week on the parts you enjoy and call it progress. A focus area for each part of the business shows the split plainly: your totals and heat calendar say how much went to building and how much to selling.
To build in public, turn on the public page for a focus area. It shows your total time, the last seven days and the sessions you chose to share. If you write code, the GitHub commits from a session can travel with it too.
What solo founders get
A focus area per part of the business
Product, sales, marketing and admin each keep their own total and calendar.
Weekly goals per area
Five hours of sales this week, say. Watch the bar fill, or see early that it will not.
A public page to build in public
Share your focus time on a project, the last seven days and the sessions you pick, plus a badge for your site or README.
GitHub commits on sessions
Connect GitHub and the commits you push during a session show up when you share it.
A timer that stays on top
On the web, pop the running timer into a small window that stays above your other tabs.
Private when you want
Make your account private, and people have to ask before they can follow you.
Free on the web and on iOS
Everything you need is free, with no limit on sessions, on the web and on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Android is coming. Supporter is an optional subscription for people who want to fund what gets built next.
Questions from solo founders
Is there an accountability group for solo founders?
You can start one on Roomie Cafe for free. Invite a few founders into a shared focus area, set a goal for the week and you see each other working every day.
How do solo founders stay accountable?
Many combine a founder group or mastermind, public updates and a steady daily routine. Roomie Cafe adds daily company: you see who else is working, and every session leaves a one line record.
Is it lonely being a solo founder?
Many solo founders say so, because nobody else shares the day to day work. Working alongside other founders, even quietly online, is one way to have company during the day.
Can I build in public with Roomie Cafe?
Yes. Turn on the public page for a focus area to share your time and chosen sessions, and add the live badge to your site or README.
Will other people see my numbers?
Others see your name, what you are working on and your timer. What you write after a session is up to you, and you can keep sessions private.
Is Roomie Cafe free for founders?
Yes. The timer, focus areas, shared areas and public pages are free with no limit on sessions. An optional Supporter plan funds what gets built next.