Earlier this week, I read a blog post by Bethany Crystal about how ChatGPT saved her life. She had developed some symptoms she couldn't place and had blood work done, and the results were available to her but her physician hadn't looked into them, so she brainstormed with ChatGPT about what the outstanding and non-regular … Continue reading Think with AI, Do with People
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.
Virality is Poisonous
I recently had a consulting call with a founder who asked me the question I've heard countless times before: "How can I write posts that go viral?" Many founders chase virality because they believe it will increase their number of customers, prospects, or collaborators. They dream of creating content that gets millions of views, hoping … Continue reading Virality is Poisonous
376: Justin Moore — Becoming a Sponsor Magnet
Justin Moore (@justinmooretfam) knows a thing or two about sponsors. He's responsible for dozens of episodes of this very podcast to be sponsored! And what he taught me, he'll teach you. I was VERY hesitant when I started looking at sponsors. I thought that would dilute my brand. Make me a sellout. But that's a self-limiting … Continue reading 376: Justin Moore — Becoming a Sponsor Magnet
Indie Hacking Databases at Scale
As indie hackers, we often start our journey with simple dreams and manageable datasets. But what happens when success hits and your modest database transforms into a data behemoth? Let me share my experience scaling Podscan from a simple podcast database to a system handling millions of podcasts, dozens of millions of episodes, and over … Continue reading Indie Hacking Databases at Scale
Deleting Your Backlog: A Founder’s Guide to Feature Pruning
A few weeks ago, I came across an intriguing tweet by Jack Ellis about deleting your backlog. He shared how getting rid of this "mental technical debt" — not even real technical debt, but the illusionary kind — had been one of the most useful things he'd done. The idea resonated with me: a backlog … Continue reading Deleting Your Backlog: A Founder’s Guide to Feature Pruning
Indie Hacking & the Singularity
A few days ago, over dinner, I found myself deep in conversation about the technological singularity. While that "happy moment" of humanity becoming a machine-augmented brain collective (think Star Trek's Borg) might still be years or decades away, there's something more immediate that keeps me up at night: the unprecedented acceleration of technological advancement and … Continue reading Indie Hacking & the Singularity
Brian Sierakowski — Mastering Product Communication
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. https://share.transistor.fm/s/9f17bb35 00:00 - Arvid (None)Hey, it's Arvid. You're listening to the Bootstrap … Continue reading Brian Sierakowski — Mastering Product Communication
Building Systems That Work While You Don’t
This week taught me an unexpected lesson about entrepreneurship. After the Christmas and New Years festivities — that annual tradition of sharing joy, memories, and apparently germs — I found myself running a fever of nearly 40°C (104°F). For someone who rarely gets sick, this hit particularly hard. As I lay in bed, barely able … Continue reading Building Systems That Work While You Don’t
Expect-AI-tions
When Peter Jackson was brainstorming the Lord of the Rings movie universe, two amazing Tolkien-savvy illustrators sat in on the meetings: John Howe and Alan Lee. Jackson would explain a scene, what was where, and they would sketch as he talked. When he was done explaining, the two artist would hand over their quick sketches, … Continue reading Expect-AI-tions
Johannes Jäschke — From Hypnosis Innovation to Business Exit
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, … Continue reading Johannes Jäschke — From Hypnosis Innovation to Business Exit