Ever since I started building Podscan in public, I’ve received a lot of attention. And it’s been spectacular: I’ve found early users, prospects, customers, and cheerleaders. Apparently, when people see something get traction, they want to be a part of it. Besides the much welcome support on social media, this has also resulted in a few offers that go beyond monthly subscription revenue. Today, I want to share with you how I think about collaborating with people, taking investment, and growing th...
Mar 15, 2024•16 min
Nick Groeneveld (@ToolboxOfDesign) understands that design isn't about gadgets, widgets, or buttons. For Nick, design is understanding the needs, desires, and expectations of those you aim to serve. We chat about talking to your customers, what common mistakes indie hackers make when thinking about "design", and just how much more UX means than web interfaces. Nick is ALSO the guy behind my interview videos and thumbnails! He's the producer of The Bootstrapped Founder, really. We talk about how ...
Mar 13, 2024•51 min
Do you like revenue and expense numbers? I've been running my new SaaS podscan.fm for a month now. And today, I share all the facts and figures behind this first four weeks — the good, the undecided, and the bad. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/301-podscan-one-month-in-mrr-expenses-marketing-tactics Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid Yo...
Mar 08, 2024•24 min
Marc Louvion (@marc_louvion) is the Maker of the Year 2023 and the visionary behind the innovative ShipFast. His product development philosophy emphasizes rapid shipping and focusing on feature-specific builds, which has transformed his approach to creating tech products. Utilizing platforms like ProductHunt for launches, Marc highlights the importance of pre-validation and community feedback in fine-tuning his products, illustrating his strategic and responsive methodology to product creation. ...
Mar 06, 2024•54 min
Sometimes, pondering what your worst enemy would do is a good idea. Taking their point of view gives you a fresh perspective on your own work, your business, and the way you are perceived. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/adversarial-thinking-in-entrepreneurship/ The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/299-adversarial-thinking-in-entrepreneurship Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mentioned on podcasts: https://podscan.fm Se...
Mar 01, 2024•14 min
Sharath Kuruganty (@5harath) is not only a successful software entrepreneur and podcast host, but he's also open about the tough times he's faced, like losing his job while buying a home and having a baby. Sharath talks about the importance of being grateful, loving yourself, and understanding that life is short. He tells us how staying humble has helped him through tough times. Sharath's story is especially powerful if you've ever felt like you had to change who you are to fit in. He explains h...
Feb 28, 2024•49 min
Making money is hard. But even TAKING money takes some careful decision-making. Let's dive into payment platforms for solopreneurs today. Between Stripe, Paddle, and Lemon Squeezy (and then some), we have plenty of choices. But what matters most to people who already juggle 14 different jobs? I'll share what makes these platforms great, useful, and occasionally problematic for indie founders. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/payment-platf...
Feb 23, 2024•17 min
Yong-Soo Chung (@yongsoochung) is a champion of the Personal Holding Company: he owns several businesses, a media company, eCommerce, and a service provider among them. How does one stay sane with that much work in such diverse fields? He shares his survival framework and much more on the show today. I talk to Yong-Soo about hiring the right people to operate your business once it's outgrown you, if he would ever sell his money-making assets, and just how important it is to have your own distinc...
Feb 21, 2024•55 min
Many indie hackers and solopreneurs have a big exit as their primary goal. That might be because of the money, but also because of a business’ limited life span. But is there something like a ‘forever business’? If so, what do you have to keep in mind here? This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/forever-business-or-exit/ The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/295-forever-business-or-exit Check out Podscan to get alerts when you're mention...
Feb 16, 2024•14 min
Rox (@RoxCodes) recently sold his SaaS thumbnailtest.com. But he's pretty conflicted about the sale. What was promised to be a moment of joy and celebration quickly turned into doubt, grief, and confusion. Today, I talk to my friend Rox about the emotional complexity of giving up something you hold dear, how to move forward, and what it means to level up even further after a successful exit. Rox opens up and talks candidly about the weight on his shoulders, the pressure, and the expectations. "S...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Today I discuss how I've developed my own advanced AI, moving away from relying on external platforms. I've managed to evolve the Podscan system from basic alerts to being capable of answering complex questions, all thanks to using llama.cpp and Mistral 7b on my own servers. This approach has given me complete control over our technology and made our project more attractive to potential buyers. By leveraging open-source tools, I've minimized our dependency on other platforms and improved our com...
Feb 09, 2024•17 min
Josh Pigford (@shpigford) , who created Maybe and Baremetrics, talks about bringing his financial tool back to life by making it open-source! This has sparked surprisingly high levels of interest and even investment. Within two weeks. In our chat, we delve into the challenge of building a platform that simplifies financial data, similar to how Zapier simplifies automation, all under public scrutiny. The goal? A community-supported plugin system and a customizable personal finance operating sys...
Feb 07, 2024•49 min
Join me as I dive into a crucial choice every entrepreneur faces, balancing what excites us with what makes sense. This week, a voicemail made me deeply think about my projects, Podline and Podscan . One's a service for podcast voicemails, and the other scans podcast content. The message brought up a common challenge for founders: the pull towards starting something new versus sticking with what you've already built. Together, let's explore how I deal with staying focused, the lure of new chance...
Feb 02, 2024•13 min
Spencer Patterson (@SpencePatterson) is a former financial advisor turned tech entrepreneur, who transformed his non-technical background into a $3.5 million SaaS triumph. Spencer shares his journey from navigating failed ideas to creating a platform generating $140K in monthly revenue with 6 million users. His experience offers a blueprint for marketing MVPs, team-building on a budget, and balancing tech with customer service in a startup. Spencer also reveals his plans to build a YouTube commu...
Jan 31, 2024•58 min
The "creator economy" is a dream of self-fulfillment and freedom for many. But once you're in it, it can quickly look bleak. Today, I dive into a world where everyone tells you to be consistent and trust the process. Let's examine the tension between creativity and attention. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/rethinking-the-creator-economy/ The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/289-rethinking-the-creator-economy You'll find my weekl...
Jan 26, 2024•30 min
Thibault Louis-Lucas (@tibo_maker) , or Tibo for short, is the indie hacker and innovator behind successful ventures like TweetHunter and Taplio — which he sold for over $10M! In this episode, we unravel Thibault's thrilling journey from the joys of product creation to the intricacies of selling a business on the global stage. He shares his strategies for tripling revenue post-acquisition, the pivotal role of community engagement, and his candid insights on AI risks, nomadic lifestyles, and the ...
Jan 24, 2024•53 min
How can you provide white-glove customer service if you don't even know what it looks like? That —and a few very exciting development with my recent SaaS project(s?!)— will be what I want to share with you today. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/white-glove-onboarding/ The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/287-white-glove-onboarding You'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com Podcast: https://theboo...
Jan 19, 2024•24 min
Asia Orangio (@AsiaOrangio ), CEO of Demand Maven, joins me as we dive into the world of customer discovery and (go-to) market strategies. We'll discuss real-life examples, like a Gantt chart tool maker who grew their business through customer feedback. This episode is a practical guide on balancing passion with profit and tackling early-stage marketing and growth challenges. And if you kinda suck at surveys, this one is for you. In our conversation, Asia and I unravel the importance of customer...
Jan 17, 2024•56 min
What's more important? Impact or Influence? Or does one facilitate the other? You'll learn what makes niche influence so valuable in an episode where I am briefly joined by a founder celebrity who has an opinion about a question I asked last week. Throughout their reply, you'll find out just why influencing has very little to do with taking selfies. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/voices-of-influence-how-expert-feedback-shapes-saas-succe...
Jan 12, 2024•10 min
Kasey Jones ( @ABetterJones ) is a maven in the realm of authentic online identity. As an entrepreneur who has weathered the storm of digital exposure, Kasey joins me to dismantle the barriers of vulnerability and self-doubt that so often plague professionals as they carve their space in the social media landscape. In a world where sharing too little leaves you invisible and sharing too much can overwhelm, Kasey walks me through the art of strategic self-revelation. If you're grappling with impo...
Jan 10, 2024•50 min
Founders often listen to the wrong signals when validating their businesses. Let's dive into common validation traps today. I see three major traps indie hackers have to face: 1) confusing users with customers , 2) getting a bit too much support from our founder peers , and 3) listening to the wrong segments of our user base. Why do we listen to the wrong people? Founder optimism! We have a built-in confirmation bias — otherwise, we'd never do something as stupid as building our own business... ...
Jan 05, 2024•20 min
Kevon Cheung (@MeetKevon ) is an expert builder-in-public. The moment his life pivoted with the birth of his daughter is where our conversation begins, and it's a profound one. As we traverse Kevon's journey, we uncover the raw intricacies of aligning one's personal mission with one's entrepreneurial spirit. He bares the soul of his SaaS venture, giving us a real-world look at the trials of founding a company while emphasizing the critical role of a financial safety net. This is a story about au...
Jan 03, 2024•55 min
2023 saw an explosion of AI. 2024 will make 2023 look like cheap fireworks next to the Death Star's superlaser. SaaS founders either go with the flow or are swept away. Here's where I see AI tooling going, how software founders can adapt and adopt these technologies, and what consumer expectations around conversational AI will mean for your marketing, customer service, and feature roadmaps. This episode is sponsored by Acquire.com The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/ai-and-the-futu...
Dec 29, 2023•19 min
Dominic Monn ( @dqmonn ), the pioneering founder of MentorCruise, shares the secrets behind building a flourishing online mentorship community that transcends the traditional face-to-face model. Dominic reveals how MentorCruise fosters authentic relationships between mentors and mentees through a rigorous verification process, ensuring a trusted and effective learning environment. Whether you're a mentor, a mentee, or just curious about the virtual mentorship space, this episode offers a wealth ...
Dec 27, 2023•49 min
The holidays are a season when our priorities clash particularly often. And for me, Christmas is also a time for re-evaluating choices, making long-term plans, and preparing for another year of building a legacy. So, let's do some fear-setting: what can go wrong? What would I do? How can I prevent it? Today, you'll hear me go through this very important exercise for my new SaaS Podline. Peek behind the curtain of a serial entrepreneur and how I approach building something worth building. This ep...
Dec 22, 2023•22 min
Nicolas Cole (@Nicolascole77) , co-founder of Ship30for30, will teach you why indie hackers should embrace writing as a transformative tool in their arsenal. He sheds light on the common misconception that writing pales compared to coding for developers, but illustrates how writing can be a vehicle for desirable outcomes like zero-cost customer acquisition and recognition within the industry. Listen in as he shares the secret of building a timeless library of content, emphasizing how past writin...
Dec 20, 2023•58 min
I've always been a fan of no-code tools. But recently, I stumbled into AI-assisted coding. And that has changed everything for me. Initially, I considered leveraging no-code for Podline but I soon realized they didn't quite meet my unique needs. This led me to discover the transformative power of AI-assisted coding, which has dramatically accelerated the development process. The fabled 10x developer? We all thought it was a person, but it's really a language model. In this exploration, I've come...
Dec 16, 2023•22 min
Khe Hy (@khemaridh ), the brilliant mind behind Rad Reads and the Examined Life podcast, shares his introspective journey through the multifaceted world of perceived success, happiness, and self-imposed barriers. We talk about the emotional toll of public scrutiny, and we dive deep into our personal narratives, examining the cost of chasing success and the true value of contentment. This episode also delves into the subject of mental health, authenticity in the digital age, and the unique experi...
Dec 13, 2023•58 min
I'm working on a new SaaS, and I'm sharing the journey from day one. Today, I'll introduce you to my market, early tech stack choices, the financials of the business, and how I am setting deadlines to make sure I don't over-engineer the whole thing. Say hello to https://podline.fm , my newest project! A voice messaging system that focuses on podcasters who need to manage significant amounts of audio messages. Step by step, I'll take you along the journey of idea, market validation, budget analys...
Dec 08, 2023•36 min
Amanda Natividad (@amandanat ) is an expert in marketing and writing. She talks about using humor and strong marketing skills to understand what people on social media like — and what resonates strongly enough to make them do things. We discuss making content that's not just different, but interesting and true to your audience. Among many intriguing stories, one cool thing she mentions is how Rand Fishkin started following her (and how she overreacted to it!). But it worked out. She quickly foun...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr 5 min
