The Bootstrapped Founder

Have you ever searched for the perfect resume to get hired? Or tried to create a product that appeals to everyone? This essay explores the logical fallacy of wishful reasoning and the importance of picking a niche. Discover why building a successful product means addressing a specific set of needs for a particular group of customers, and why a well-defined niche is the best place to start.

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-dangerous-misconception-founders-have-about-their-market/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/e22791e5

The video: https://youtu.be/jRc37k7I46s

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

Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/

This episode is sponsored by Pinto Financial. Check out their demo! 

Evelyn J. Starr is a brand-building expert. We talk about finding the right niche, having a community-centric long-term perspective, and how brands evolve —you might call it “grow up”— over time. Here’s Evelyn.

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

Evelyn's Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvelynJStarr

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/evelyn-j-starr-the-evolution-of-a-brand/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/69cc34f4

The video: https://youtu.be/CTKESAugLP8

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

• (00:00) - What’s the biggest misconception about building brands?

Building in public is a popular trend in entrepreneurship. However, it may not always be the best approach. Entrepreneurs should consider their personality traits, the nature of their business, and their competitive advantages before deciding whether to adopt this approach. Building in public is about generosity, transparency, and community, and can be a powerful way to gain customers' trust, build a brand, and grow a business if these values align with the business model and personal style — but not always.

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-flip-side-when-not-to-build-in-public/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/815ae514

The video: https://youtu.be/GoJB6ngrS1M

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

Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/

This episode is sponsored by Pinto Financial. Check out their demo! 

Today, I’m talking to Jack Ellis, the co-founder of Fathom Analytics, a privacy-conscious web analytics business that I personally use for all my web properties. The company that Jack co-founded with Paul Jarvis competes directly with Google on their linchpin advertising product. That’s a pretty high order. We chat about Jack's role in a growing successful software business and just how much he hesitates to go from coder to manager. We dive into choosing reliable dependencies to power an always-on SaaS business and how to deal with migrating customers from Google to Fathom.

Here’s a deep dive into a successful technical SaaS business. Here’s Jack Ellis.

Jack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackEllis

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/jack-ellis-taking-on-google-as-a-bootstrapper/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/cda46335

The video: https://youtu.be/oGjrUs0JB8w

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

This interview is sponsored by Acquire.com

People would rather sift through fake AI results than see yet another ad. Something is happening in advertising, and the creator economy is affected greatly.

The shift towards trust-based advertising is a wake-up call for founders and creators when crafting their marketing strategy, as honesty, integrity, and trust are now essential components of a successful approach to outreach.

Here are the steps that you need to take to keep up with this development.

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/in-pod-we-trust-how-creators-can-best-juggle-credibility-and-sponsored-content/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/7ff5761e

The video: https://youtu.be/AZFbKUSmq_I

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

Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/

This episode is sponsored by Pinto Financial. Check out their demo! 

When Fatih started his sticker business Stikkernet, his peers asked him, “You’re a developer; why don’t you write this from scratch?” His response? “Why should I?”

Today, I'm talking to my dear old friend Fatih Kadir Akın — or fka for short. We discuss his unexpected journey of building a successful business out of a simple idea. Fatih shares his experience with building Stikkernet and how he grew his audience through community building. We chat about the challenges of logistics when shipping internationally and how Fatih found solutions that worked so well it lead to an exit.

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/fatih-kadir-akin-selling-a-global-sticker-business/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/155fff77

The video: https://youtu.be/ijU4vYrBDwo

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

This interview is sponsored by Acquire.com

• (00:00) - Introduction

What happens when we encounter something so novel that our minds can't fully comprehend it?  Today, let’s explore the "Rubber Band Effect" and how it impacts both journalists and entrepreneurs alike. Learn how to build products that fit seamlessly into your customers' workflows and how to effectively communicate the results your product can achieve, without overwhelming them with the complexity of the underlying technology.

The Ai researcher's video "The A.I. Dilemma": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoVJKj8lcNQ

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-rubber-band-effect/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/ad970e30

The video: https://youtu.be/iHxd1iKI970

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

Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/

This episode is sponsored by Pinto Financial. Check out their demo! 

“As an entrepreneur, you need someone you’ve been through shit with already” — and that’s exactly why Dagobert and Lucie are the perfect power couple co-founders. I chatted with @dagobertrenouf about overcoming struggle, growing a business together, and dealing with the lack of motivation when things get complicated.

We discuss the power of Twitter and building an audience before creating a product. Dagobert shares his personal journey with Logology and how he lost motivation before finding inspiration from his Twitter community. He also talks about the importance of understanding customers' problems before building a product and how he plans to apply this lesson to Logology 2.

Hope you’re ready for an emotional journey of entrepreneurship.

 
My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/dagobert-renouf-the-emotional-journey-of-entrepreneurship/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/2b57060d 

The video: https://youtu.be/4aOLgJC8CKU

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

This interview is sponsored by Acquire.com

Using ChatGPT as a writing partner helps strengthen arguments by acting as an editor, proofreader, and devil's advocate. It prompts the AI to provide counterpoints and can detect emotional subtext, highlight missing pieces of the argument, and suggest better examples. This adversarial writing approach with generative AI results in writing that is both in the author's voice and accessible to a wider readership.

00:00:14 Intro

00:01:33 ChatGPT as a writing buddy

00:03:13 Bias-busting with a Devil's Advocate

00:04:48 Other uses of ChatGPT

00:06:13 Fact-checking

00:07:22 Emotional arcs

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/writing-with-a-nemesis-using-chatgpt-to-strengthen-your-arguments/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/562c4b5f

The video: https://youtu.be/3Rk17om7crU

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

Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arvidkahl/

This episode is sponsored by Pinto Financial. Check out their demo! 

Few people had an impact on my founder journey as Dr. Sherry Walling — and she didn't even know. But I got to tell her! We discussed burnout, imposter syndrome, and stress among founders. Sherry explained the need for mental health professionals who understand the unique challenges of entrepreneurship and shared that burnout is a diagnosable issue. 

While entrepreneurs have more control over their work, long hours and hustle culture can still lead to burnout. Her book, "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together," helped me during a period of burnout while selling my business. 

Now, you get to learn from her and her deeply actionable insights into founder psychology.

00:00:00 Introduction to Sherry Walling

00:03:13 Mental health in the entrepreneur community.

00:09:17 Do entrepreneurs have control over their destiny?

00:15:22 How do you find good mastermind groups?

00:21:52 Mental health is not always called mental health

00:28:20 Grief is the emotional reaction to loss

00:34:06 You can have relationships with people who don’t get it.

00:40:24 Mental health apps are not a replacement for therapy.

00:45:59 Why aren’t more people talking about mental health?

The WIRED article about mental health apps: https://www.wired.com/story/are-mental-health-apps-worth-trying/

My new podcast project: Arvid & Tyler Catch Up / https://catchup.fm

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/dr-sherry-walling-the-reality-of-burnout-for-entrepreneurs/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/dc436cce 

The video: https://youtu.be/hIwaExsScWk

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

This interview is sponsored by Acquire.com