The Bootstrapped Founder

10 Episodes
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By: Arvid Kahl

Arvid Kahl talks about starting and bootstrapping businesses, how to build an audience, and how to build in public.

375: Mute those “Dings”
Today at 2:00 PM

When notifications prevent you from focusing on your actual work, you know you're in trouble. Here's how I approach the balance between keeping an eye on the critical parts of the business and focusing on the deep work that needs to get done.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/mute-those-dings/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/375-mute-those-dings


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid

You'll find my weekly article on...


374: Indie Hacking Databases at Scale
02/07/2025

Databases are hard. Making the right choices early and keeping things running smoothly even when budget pressures and customer requests start piling on — that's the hard part that many solopreneurs and indie founders struggle with.

I certainly do.

So here's a journey through my learnings and experiences from running SaaS offerings with sizeable —talking about terabytes of data— databases.


The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/indie-hacking-databases-at-scale/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/374-indie-hacking-databases-at-scale


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podsca...


373: Delete Your Backlog
01/31/2025

Sometimes, less is more. Here's how I pruned my feature backlog from 120 to 15 items.

I'll share my decision-making framework; every single rule comes with examples. Time to cut down on the mental load that is having too many "ideas" in your backlog.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/deleting-your-backlog-a-founders-guide-to-feature-pruning/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/373-delete-your-backlog


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid

You'll find my weekly article...


372: Indie Hacking & the Singularity
01/24/2025

One day, we'll all meld our minds into one, sharing our thoughts like the Borg on Star Trek.

But before that, we have a few things to get done. And for us founders, that's dealing with the ever-increasing speed of technological advancement.


The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/indie-hacking-the-singularity/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/372-indie-hacking-the-singularity


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid

You'll find my weekly article on...


371: Brian Sierakowski — Mastering Product Communication
01/22/2025

Brian Sierakowski (@bsierakowski) has been busy over the last year: he started working on ChangeBot and TRMNL, and both projects are taking off.

If you ever wondered what a good changelog looks like or why you might need one, this episode is for you.

This episode is sponsored by Paddle.com — if you're looking for a payment platform that works for you so you can focus on what matters, check them out.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/brian-sierakowski-mastering-product-communication/

The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/317-brian-sierakowski-mastering-product-communication


Check ou...


370: Building Systems That Work While You Don't
01/17/2025

This week, I was super sick — to the point where all I could do was rest in bed.

The businesses needed to keep running, though. And fortunately, I set them up to do just that.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/building-systems-that-work-while-you-dont/

The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/370-building-systems-that-work-while-you-dont


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid

You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com

Po...


369: Expect-AI-tions
01/10/2025

Expectations around AI tooling are changing, and software founders will be the first to either provide what people want — or perish.

This episode is sponsored by Paddle.com — if you're looking for a payment platform that works for you so you can focus on what matters, check them out.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/expect-ai-tions/

The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/369-expect-ai-tions


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid

Yo...


368: Johannes Jäschke — From Hypnosis Innovation to Business Exit
01/08/2025

Johannes Jäschke is a pioneer in the intersection of technology and mental health. From a college seminar to the forefront of digital well-being, Johannes developed Hypnu, a hypnosis app that gained significant traction during the pandemic. His innovative approach offered an alternative to traditional methods, addressing insomnia and anxiety without side effects. 

After successfully exiting Hypnu, Johannes continues to inspire with his journey through the competitive startup world, exploring how he transformed an academic idea into a practical tool that changed lives. We also examine the nuanced differences between hypnosis and meditation, shedding light on how Hy...


367: The Biggest Opportunity of 2025
01/03/2025

Now that we're starting a new year, let's look ahead at the opportunities and challenges facing the software business world in 2025.

This episode is sponsored by Paddle.com — if you're looking for a payment platform that works for you so you can focus on what matters, check them out.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-biggest-opportunity-of-2025/

The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/367-the-biggest-opportunity-of-2025


Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid

...


366: Omar Zenhom — Crafting Success Without a Tech Background
01/01/2025

Omar Zenhom (@TheOmarZenhom) is one of those few amazing founders who just can't stop giving back to their entrepreneurial peers, no matter how much success they might have. Recently having sold WebinarNinja, Omar still shows up every single day — on Twitter, on the $100 MBA podcast, or wherever builders and makers struggle to build and make.

We talk about the exit, how to build a support network as a founder, and what Arnold Schwarzenegger has to do with the AI avalanche. Enjoy!

This episode is sponsored by Paddle.com — if you're looking for a payment platform that...