Show IH: BillWatch - does anyone pay attention to federal bills that affect their industry?
Built something I've wanted for years and finally had the weekend to wire up properly.
The problem: most small business owners, doctors, restaurant operators find out about regulatory changes after they pass. Congress.gov is a database -- it's not built to tell you when something relevant to YOU is moving.
What I built: you tell BillWatch which topics you care about (minimum wage, healthcare mandates, SBA programs, import tariffs, food labeling). It watches every federal bill and emails you the moment something relevant is introduced, clears committee, or heads to a floor vote. Two-sentence plain English summary. No political framing.
The numbers: $9/month or $82/year. Built on the free Congress.gov API. Five subscribers covers hosting costs.
Currently validating with a pre-order page: https://billwatch-landing.vercel.app?utm_source=indiehackers&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=show-ih
Questions I'm genuinely trying to answer:
- Is the ICP actually small business owners? Or is it a niche within that (e.g. restaurant/food service, healthcare, importers)?
- What would make the $9/mo feel like a no-brainer vs. a "maybe later"?
- Anyone in a regulated industry who wants to be a beta tester?
Brutal feedback welcome. If the market is smaller than I think, I'd rather know now.
Builder update (June 17): talked to more SMB owners this week about how they currently track regulatory changes.
Pattern that keeps coming up: the owners who stay compliant aren't using any special tool. They're relying on a supplier relationship, a trade association email list, or a friend in the industry who happens to be plugged in. It's social infrastructure, not information infrastructure.
Which means the people without that network -- solo founders, newer businesses, anyone in a niche without a strong trade association -- are just flying blind.
That's the gap BillWatch is trying to fill. Not replacing the trade association, but giving the people who don't have one a fighting chance.
If you're in a regulated industry (food, health, construction, import/export, HR), I'd genuinely love 15 minutes to hear how you currently handle this. No pitch. Just trying to understand the problem better before building more.