Pivoting a business is scary. Changing what you offer is like switching lanes on a busy motorway: there are many things to consider, and steering anywhere too quickly can create accidents. You need to understand where you come from and where you are going with your business when you pivot to something else. Pivoting in … Continue reading Pivoting in Public: Risks and Opportunities
Author: Arvid Kahl
Arvid Kahl is a software engineer turned entrepreneur. He co-founded and ran FeedbackPanda, an online teacher productivity SaaS company, with his partner Danielle Simpson. They sold the business for a life-changing amount of money in 2019, two years after founding the business.
Arvid writes on TheBootstrappedFounder.com because bootstrapping is a desirable, value- and wealth-generating way of running a company.
He has written the best-selling book Zero to Sold and is currently writing The Embedded Entrepreneur.
In over a decade of working in startup businesses of all sizes, Arvid has learned a thing or two about what works, what doesn't, and how to increase the chances of building a successful business.
Why Reading Fiction Is Important for Entrepreneurs
I recently heard a saying: "leaders read, and readers lead." It made me reflect on my reading choices over the last few years and what I have discovered from switching things up a little. A few years ago, you would have been unable to find any fiction in my library. All I consumed were non-fiction … Continue reading Why Reading Fiction Is Important for Entrepreneurs
Consistency, Accountability, and Perseverance
Two years ago, around this time, Danielle and I had just sold my SaaS FeedbackPanda. But we didn't just sell a business: I quickly learned that I had sold my source of passion and motivation as well. Someone else got to do what I had enjoyed doing so much. I fell into a pretty bleak … Continue reading Consistency, Accountability, and Perseverance
Of Tangibility and Lawnmowers
Ever since Danielle and I moved to Canada, I've been having a few new adventures. Getting to mow the lawn in our backyard was one of them. For a city boy like me, this was a novel and exciting activity, and it definitely impacted me. Danielle pointed out that I have been talking a lot … Continue reading Of Tangibility and Lawnmowers
The Creeping Nature of Stress for a SaaS Founder
I did an Ask-me-Anything on ProductHunt this week, and one question stood out to me. Jon Jackson asked me about the kind of life I led while running the business, how stressful it was, and what that looked like. Doing AmAs gives me a lot of opportunities to reflect on those things. Now that there … Continue reading The Creeping Nature of Stress for a SaaS Founder
Why Competition is Good For Business
The final of the women's 800m race was a spectacular event at the Tokyo Olympics this year. In the last few seconds of the race, Athing Mu, a US athlete, was more than five meters ahead of the runner chasing her over the finish line. Mu was incredibly fast and dominated the field from the … Continue reading Why Competition is Good For Business
Hyrum’s Law
Removing features is surprisingly effective for a SaaS founder. But the surprise of how much less maintenance there is for the founder is only the first one of many — and maybe the only one you can anticipate. At FeedbackPanda, we tried to quietly remove a feature that we had implemented to make transitioning into … Continue reading Hyrum’s Law
What Watching Gamers Fail for Days Can Teach You About Entrepreneurship
I've spent most of the last two weeks watching a group of professional gamers lose. For days straight. During those many hours observing them play, I found lessons that every entrepreneur should take to heart. I'll share them with you today. I'm a big fan of the online game World of Warcraft. I've played very … Continue reading What Watching Gamers Fail for Days Can Teach You About Entrepreneurship
How to Kill Your Business
Most advice comes in the shape of telling you what to do to be successful. It's instructional, it shows the happy path, and as a reader, I resonate with that a lot. After all, I want to see how it's done right. I want to learn from the best. But that's not the only way … Continue reading How to Kill Your Business
Conversations are at the Core of Engagement
Yelling into the void won't get you anywhere. This is particularly clear while you have zero followers, but it remains true even when you have an audience. Talking about something that people don't expect or want to talk about is just like speaking to them in a language they don't understand: it's a waste of … Continue reading Conversations are at the Core of Engagement
