340 episodes

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

The Bootstrapped Founder Arvid Kahl

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 30 Ratings

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

    337: Doing Things that Don’t Scale …Unintentionally

    337: Doing Things that Don’t Scale …Unintentionally

    What happens when something that was good enough isn't good enough anymore?
    Unscalable hands-on experiments work great in the early stages of a business. But what if you run into the scale problem without wanting to? (And what do you do about it when everything explodes while you figure it out?)
    This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fm
    The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/doing-things-that-dont-scale-unintentionally/
    The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/337-doing-things-that-don-t-scale-unintentionally
    Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
    You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com
    Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
    Newsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletter
    My book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/
    My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/
    My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
    Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

    • 15 min
    336: The 7 Deadly Sins of Indie Hacking

    336: The 7 Deadly Sins of Indie Hacking

    `Indie Hackers have sinned. They allowed the seven deadly sins into their founder lives. And now we must cast them out.
    Well, let's be a little bit less dramatic. We already have enough drama in our busy founder lives. Still, something about the seven deadly sins translates pretty well into how many indie hackers comport themselves. Here's where we find greed, sloth, pride, wrath, envy, gluttony, and lust in the world of SaaS entrepreneurship. And, more importantly, how we can avoid them all.
    This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fm
    The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-7-deadly-sins-of-indie-hacking/
    The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/336-the-7-deadly-sins-of-indie-hacking
    Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
    You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com
    Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
    Newsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletter
    My book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/
    My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/
    My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
    Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

    • 20 min
    335: Tipping Over

    335: Tipping Over

    These last weeks have been a bit much.
    What do they say? “Take a break before the break takes you?”
    Well, I got quite close to that this week.
    This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fm
    The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/tipping-over/
    The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/355-tipping-over
    Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
    You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com
    Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
    Newsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletter
    My book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/
    My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/
    My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
    Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

    • 16 min
    334: Sincere, not Serious

    334: Sincere, not Serious

    Do you want to win the game or keep on playing?
    Today, I'll dive into a mentality shift I experienced recently while building Podscan: how about I just get rid of all the "professional posturing?"
    Here's to being sincere and not being too serious!
    This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fm
    The blog post :https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/sincere-not-serious/
    The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/334-sincere-not-serious
    Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
    You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com
    Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
    Newsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletter
    My book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/
    My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/
    My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
    Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

    • 16 min
    333: Kitze — Juggling Projects, ADHD, and the Indie Hacker Lifestyle

    333: Kitze — Juggling Projects, ADHD, and the Indie Hacker Lifestyle

    @Kitze, a Serial indie hacker and entrepreneur, shares his journey through a landscape filled with multiple projects like Sizzy, a browser for developers, Benji, a productivity app, and a comprehensive full-stack video course.
    Kitze opens up about how his ADHD diagnosis has shaped his work ethic and productivity, revealing the personal motivations behind creating tools like Benji. True indie hacker fashion: he built a tool that he needed for himself. And that kickstarted a lot of other things. His candid anecdotes offer a rare glimpse into the life of a busy founder who constantly balances feature development, user experience design, and the demands of a growing user base.
    00:00:00 Building Benji00:03:42 Juggling Multiple Projects and Responsibilities00:11:15 Founder's Dilemma00:20:02 Navigating Founder-Investor Alignment00:27:57 Marketing Strategies for Aspirational Products00:33:41 Balancing Work-Life Priorities and Responsibilities
    This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com
    The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/kitze-juggling-projects-adhd-and-the-indie-hacker-lifestyle/
    The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/333-kitze-juggling-projects-adhd-and-the-indie-hacker-lifestyle

    You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com
    Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
    Newsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletter
    My book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/
    My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/
    My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
    Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

    • 45 min
    332: Beyond Small Bets — Embracing the Big Play

    332: Beyond Small Bets — Embracing the Big Play

    What happens when the 'small bets' strategy leads to a big win, and you're not prepared for it?
    Well, you adapt! So that's what I'm working on this week: figuring out a way forward now that circumstances have shifted.
    This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fm
    The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/beyond-small-bets-embracing-the-big-play/
    The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/332-beyond-small-bets-embracing-the-big-play
    Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
    You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com
    Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
    Newsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletter
    My book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/
    My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/
    My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
    Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

    • 10 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
30 Ratings

30 Ratings

Chad Timblin ,

An energetic, entertaining, and educational podcast!

Arvid (the host) brings great energy to his podcast. He’s upbeat, friendly, and curious, and he actively strives to make sure his guests are comfortable (before and during the episode), which helps to facilitate quality conversations. Arvid is also generous with his knowledge, so listening to his podcast is an educational and inspiring experience. I highly recommend The Bootstrapped Founder Podcast. Thank you so much for all of the inspiring work you do, Arvid!

bluecollard ,

This is how you build a business…

The bootstrapped founder is a must listen for creators and entrepreneurs bootstrapping their own project. Arvid tackles relevant topics with successful founders to deliver actionable advice.

frenchies123 ,

Amazing podcast!

Arvid Kahl is not only someone who has been there done that, he’s one of the kindest people you will ever meet. His insights and wisdom on building a calm business is incredible. Add this one to your playlist!

Top Podcasts In Business

George Kamel
Ramsey Network
The Ramsey Show
Ramsey Network
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Money News Network
REAL AF with Andy Frisella
Andy Frisella #100to0
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Vox Media Podcast Network
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
DOAC

You Might Also Like

Startups For the Rest of Us
Rob Walling
The SaaS Podcast - SaaS, Startups, Growth Hacking & Entrepreneurship
Omer Khan
The Startup Ideas Podcast
Greg Isenberg
Noah Kagan Presents
Noah Kagan
My First Million
Hubspot Media
Never Enough
Andrew Wilkinson