The Increasing Risk of Building in Public
Discover the risks of building in public today and learn strategies to protect your business from potential competitors in the AI era.
Read the essayBootstrapping · Technology · Founder life
Building businesses.
Sharing what happens.
Hi, I’m Arvid Kahl. I co-founded and sold FeedbackPanda, then founded, bootstrapped, and sold Podscan.fm to Audiohook.
The Bootstrapped Founder is where I write and talk about the work along the way: building products, finding customers, using AI, growing an audience, and staying sane while doing it.
I’m also the author of Zero to Sold and The Embedded Entrepreneur, and the creator of Find your Following.
Read the posts ↗ / Listen to the podcast ↗ / Follow with RSS ↗
Stories from building
More about me →FeedbackPanda: Danielle and I built a tool for online teachers, bootstrapped it, and sold it in under two years. Read the story from founding to exit.
Podscan: I built a podcast intelligence business in public and sold it to Audiohook. Follow the first month, a profitability setback, and the work that took time to pay off. Explore the Podscan posts →
The latest writing
The full archive →AI Liability: The Landmines Under Your SaaS
Explore the crucial liabilities of integrating AI and agentic systems into your products, and learn how to mitigate potential risks effectively.
Read the essayData Is the Only Moat
Discover how AI is transforming software development and reshaping business landscapes, emphasizing the value of human-generated data as a competitive moat.
Read the essayWhen Long-Term Investments Finally Pay Off
Discover the power of patience in SEO and how long-term strategies helped Podscan grow through compounding results and innovative tools.
Read the essayHow to Actually Use Claude Code to Build Serious Software
Discover how to maximize Claude Code for your SaaS application with effective prompts, configuration, and the pivotal Ralph Wiggum loop.
Read the essayFollow Your Passion (But Not Like That)
Discover why 'follow your passion' can be misleading for entrepreneurs and how to turn hobbies into profitable solutions for others.
Read the essayThe 1% Improvement Myth: Why Customer Conversations Beat Micro-Improvements Every Time
Forget 1% daily improvements. Build success by engaging with customers every day for real insights and impactful growth.
Read the essayDon’t Give Up… Your Assumptions
Let’s dive into a piece of entrepreneurial advice that’s highly irritating and very dangerous. Today I want to talk about the one that I get so much: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. Force yourself, grind it out.” This advice is very dan
Read the essayMany Heads, Not Many Hats: The Founder’s Identity Crisis
We often joke in entrepreneurship about founders having to wear many hats. But I think that metaphor is wrong. It’s not about swapping hats. It’s about growing entirely new heads. Not just the cover of the head — the head itself. A new brai
Read the essayThe Case Against Vendor Lock-In: Why Easy Exit Means Better Retention
Discover how ease of data import and export can enhance customer retention in your software business. Learn effective strategies today!
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