Tony Dinh, a well-known indie hacker, recently shared an article about his Indie Hacker journey that reached the top of Hacker News. As usual, some people reacted negatively to an indie hacker sharing their story. One common criticism was that these small projects, or "pet rock projects," aren't valuable. There was a strong sentiment in … Continue reading Pet Rock Projects (And Why They… Rock)
Author: Arvid Kahl
I write about bootstrapping, audience-building, and building in public at The Bootstrapped Founder.
Formerly FeedbackPanda (exit/2019)
Wrote Zero to Sold, The Embedded Entrepreneur, and made Find your Following.
Aprilynne Alter — Behind the Scenes of a Successful YouTuber
Unearth the secrets of YouTube monetization and growth in our conversation with YouTube creator Aprilynne Alter. Prepare to be enlightened as Aprilynne reveals her journey, from retaking control of her editing process to experimenting with an array of content styles and formats. We dive into her daring exploration of NFTs and the groundbreaking transformation that … Continue reading Aprilynne Alter — Behind the Scenes of a Successful YouTuber
Focusing on Customer Retention Features
I read an article this week about the "Tyranny of the Marginal User." The author discussed how large companies focus more on attracting new customers than retaining current ones — primarily due to unit economics and internal company politics. It's a fascinating read from the perspective of a Google insider. And it talks about products … Continue reading Focusing on Customer Retention Features
Erica Schneider — Build Your Personal Platform (And Not Just a Brand)
Getting started often brings valuable lessons that shape our paths in life; my chat with Erica Schneider, an expert in building authentic personal platforms, is a testament to this. We navigated the terrain of creating an authentic personal brand, focusing on the courage it takes to do so and the power of authenticity in the … Continue reading Erica Schneider — Build Your Personal Platform (And Not Just a Brand)
What I Learned From 250 Podcast Episodes
This week, I celebrated the podcast reaching 250 episodes with my most recent interview with Amanda Goetz. Just last week, the podcast hit 250,000 overall downloads. These are numbers I never expected to reach. And here I am, still enjoying creating new episodes and interviewing people every week. Today, I want to reflect on the … Continue reading What I Learned From 250 Podcast Episodes
Amanda Goetz — The Antidote to Hustle Culture
I finally got to talk to Amanda Goetz, a marketer-turned-full-time-creator, who's generously poured out her wisdom on navigating the creator economy. Amanda's journey from corporate life to the creator economy is filled with valuable lessons about embracing awkward self-promotion, overcoming 'Cringe Valley', and the journey of (maybe?) writing a book. This conversation is a must-listen … Continue reading Amanda Goetz — The Antidote to Hustle Culture
Avoiding the Entrepreneurial Planning Trap
Let's talk about planning fallacies for bootstrapped founders. As a founder, especially if you're starting a business alone, planning is important. But you have to get it right. There are a few common mistakes to avoid when developing your strategy for a bootstrapped business. The M in MVP stands for Minimum One mistake is spending … Continue reading Avoiding the Entrepreneurial Planning Trap
Ruben Gamez — Cracking the E-Signature Market
https://youtu.be/BSf_M2US1o4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/74b243f9 Arvid Kahl 0:00 Welcome to The Bootstrapped Founder. Today, I'm chatting with Ruben Gamez. He's a longtime indie hacker, a SaaS experts and then all round treasure trove, both of knowledge and community support. He is wonderful. Ruben shares with me his approach to alternating between low touch and high touch during many … Continue reading Ruben Gamez — Cracking the E-Signature Market
You’re Not “Too Late”: Capitalizing on Pre-Validated Ideas
Today, I want to discuss a problem some founders face when they discover someone else has already created their idea. I certainly felt deflated when my cool idea was already being done by someone else in the past. Many founder feel disappointed, thinking it's too late for them. And then they drop their idea. This … Continue reading You’re Not “Too Late”: Capitalizing on Pre-Validated Ideas
Corey Haines — Mastering Product Marketing
https://youtu.be/WG6qrEnWNxA https://share.transistor.fm/s/30c61a32 Arvid Kahl 0:00 Welcome to The Bootstrapped Founder. Today, I'm excited to share my conversation with marketing expert, Corey Haines. We dive deep into some of the biggest challenges that indie hackers face when it comes to product marketing. Corey explains why so many of us struggle with talking about their products effectively … Continue reading Corey Haines — Mastering Product Marketing