Solo founders need to stay informed: competitors, trends, customer problems. But no time for doomscrolling. Here is a 15-minute RSS setup.
The Solo Founder Information Problem
You need to know:
- What competitors are building
- Industry trends and shifts
- Customer pain points and discussions
- News that affects your market
But you cannot spend 2 hours a day on Twitter.
RSS solves this. Set up once. Check when YOU have time. No algorithm deciding what you see.
15-Minute Setup
Step 1: Pick a Reader (2 minutes)
Options:
- any-feeds - Free, browser-based, supports newsletters/YouTube/podcasts
- Feedly - Popular, mobile apps, AI features (paid)
- NetNewsWire - Native Mac/iOS, free
Start with any-feeds. It is simple and free.
Step 2: Add Your First 10 Feeds (8 minutes)
Competitor blogs (2-3 feeds) Find their RSS feed (usually /feed or /rss at the end of their blog URL)
Industry news (2-3 feeds)
- TechCrunch (filter by your category)
- The Verge
- Hacker News (hnrss.org for filtered feeds)
Customer communities (2-3 feeds)
- Reddit (your niche subreddit)
- Forums where your customers hang out
- Support sites in your space
Thought leaders (1-2 feeds) Founders you respect, advisors you follow, experts in your domain
Step 3: Set a Reading Schedule (5 minutes)
Daily check (15 minutes) Scan headlines in your reader. Read 2-3 articles that matter.
Weekly deep dive (30 minutes) Saved articles from the week. Go deeper on key topics.
Do NOT try to read everything. Skim for signal.
Advanced: Filter by Keywords
Most RSS readers let you filter feeds:
Include keywords: your product category, competitor names, key technologies
Exclude keywords: off-topic stuff that clogs the feed
Example: You build a project management tool.
- Include: project management, team collaboration, productivity
- Exclude: gaming, sports, celebrity
any-feeds supports keyword filters.
The Three-Tier System
Tier 1: Critical (5-10 feeds) Competitors, key industry sources. Check daily.
Tier 2: Useful (10-20 feeds) Secondary sources, adjacent industries. Check 2-3x/week.
Tier 3: Optional (everything else) Interesting but not urgent. Check when you have spare time.
Move feeds between tiers ruthlessly. If you skip a feed 3 times, it drops a tier.
Why This Works
1. No doomscrolling You check RSS on YOUR schedule. Not when Twitter sends a notification.
2. Signal over noise You chose these sources. No algorithm pushing engagement bait.
3. One place Competitor blogs, industry news, customer forums - all in one feed.
4. Fast scanning Headlines + first paragraph. Click if interesting. Move on if not.
5. Zero tracking RSS readers do not track you. Your research stays private.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Adding too many feeds at once Start with 10. Add more after you have a routine.
Mistake 2: Trying to read everything Skim headlines. Read selectively. This is research, not homework.
Mistake 3: No reading schedule Set time blocks (morning: 15 min, Friday: 30 min). Stick to them.
Mistake 4: Not auditing regularly Every month, review your feeds. Remove what you are not reading.
The ROI
15 minutes of setup saves:
- 5 hours per week of aimless browsing
- Missing competitor launches
- Being blindsided by industry shifts
- Manually checking 20 different sites
Monthly Maintenance (15 minutes)
Week 1: Review Tier 1 feeds. Still relevant?
Week 2: Check Tier 2. Any new sources to add?
Week 3: Audit Tier 3. Remove dead feeds.
Week 4: Look for gaps. Missing any key sources?
Start Now
- Go to any-feeds.com
- Add 5 competitor blogs
- Add 3 industry news sources
- Add 2 customer community feeds
- Check once tomorrow morning
You will notice:
- You are better informed
- You spend less time browsing
- You catch signals competitors miss
RSS is the solo founder secret weapon. Curated information on your schedule.
Try it: any-feeds.com