The Bootstrapped Founder

Arvid Kahl talks about starting and bootstrapping businesses, how to build an audience, and how to build in public.

395: From Code Writer to Code Editor: My AI-Assisted Development Workflow
Jun 13, 2025 – 26:40
394: Taylor Otwell — The (Quite Entrepreneurial) Creator of Laravel
Jun 11, 2025 – 41:55
393: AI is a Threat to SaaS Multiples
Jun 6, 2025 – 23:57
392: Building AI Businesses Without Breaking the Internet
May 30, 2025 – 22:48
391: AI is Flipping Our Relationship with Technology
May 23, 2025 – 25:32
390: When to Choose Local LLMs vs APIs
May 16, 2025 – 16:39
389: The Founder's First Hire: When to Let Go of Your Weaknesses
May 9, 2025 – 14:06
388: The Job To Be Done: Understanding Customer Value Communication
May 2, 2025 – 11:44
387: Your API Documentation is Not For Developers Anymore
Apr 25, 2025 – 11:05
386: One Year of Podscan: Reflecting on Tech & Business Decisions
Apr 18, 2025 – 24:23
385: The Balancing Act: Free Trials, Value Demonstration, and Business Sustainability
Apr 11, 2025 – 15:33
384: Podscan's Profitability Milestone: What's Next?
Apr 4, 2025 – 21:21
383: Repositioning Podscan: From Monitoring to Data Platform
Mar 28, 2025 – 18:45
382: I went to MicroConf in New Orleans
Mar 21, 2025 – 16:13
381: How AI Changes Famous Laws in Software and Entrepreneurship
Mar 14, 2025 – 24:59
380: Experiment Report: Trying New Things
Mar 7, 2025 – 23:48
379: Anne-Laure Le Cunff — Tiny Experiments
Mar 5, 2025 – 32:28
378: Think with AI, Do with People
Feb 28, 2025 – 19:31
377: Virality is Poisonous
Feb 21, 2025 – 11:16
376: Justin Moore — Becoming a Sponsor Magnet
Feb 19, 2025 – 37:46
375: Mute those “Dings”
Feb 14, 2025 – 11:44
374: Indie Hacking Databases at Scale
Feb 7, 2025 – 24:27
373: Delete Your Backlog
Jan 31, 2025 – 17:28
372: Indie Hacking & the Singularity
Jan 24, 2025 – 12:05
371: Brian Sierakowski — Mastering Product Communication
Jan 22, 2025 – 01:05:11
370: Building Systems That Work While You Don't
Jan 17, 2025 – 08:29
369: Expect-AI-tions
Jan 10, 2025 – 12:03
368: Johannes Jäschke — From Hypnosis Innovation to Business Exit
Jan 8, 2025 – 36:46
367: The Biggest Opportunity of 2025
Jan 3, 2025 – 14:00
366: Omar Zenhom — Crafting Success Without a Tech Background
Jan 1, 2025 – 56:14
365: Arvid's Year in Review: 2024
Dec 27, 2024 – 18:49
364: Breaking my Own Rules
Dec 20, 2024 – 13:13
363: Ben Rometsch — From Side Projects to Industry Giants
Dec 18, 2024 – 53:28
362: Startup Opportunities in Podcasting
Dec 13, 2024 – 24:13
361: Pierre de Wulf — Bootstrapping ScrapingBee to Millions
Dec 11, 2024 – 47:38
360: Product-Market Fit & Time-to-First-Value
Dec 6, 2024 – 18:01
359: Connor Turland: Pioneering the Future of Bookkeeping with Ceedar.ai
Dec 4, 2024 – 47:18
358: Love Is For Those Who Love the Work
Nov 29, 2024 – 10:01
357: (Free) Trial & Error
Nov 22, 2024 – 16:24
356: James Phoenix — Mastering Code & AI for the Modern Developer
Nov 20, 2024 – 53:01
355: The Age of the Gatekeeper Is Over
Nov 15, 2024 – 13:52
354: The Art of Productive Procrastination
Nov 8, 2024 – 11:36
353: Podscan’s Dream Customer (Acquisition) Strategy
Nov 1, 2024 – 15:38
352: Running Lean at Scale
Oct 25, 2024 – 15:24
351: From Overload to Opportunity
Oct 18, 2024 – 26:10
350: Building Your Castle in Someone Else's Kingdom
Oct 11, 2024 – 13:43
349: Navigating Constraints as a Bootstrapper
Oct 4, 2024 – 24:15
348: Observability in Software Businesses
Sep 27, 2024 – 27:04
347: The AI-Powered Solopreneur
Sep 20, 2024 – 50:30
346: When Podcasts Attack: The Unexpected Challenges of External Data
Sep 13, 2024 – 25:41

Recent Reviews

Chad Timblin

An energetic, entertaining, and educational podcast!

Arvid (the host) brings great energy to his podcast. He’s upbeat, friendly, and curious, and he actively strives to make sure his guests are comfortable (before and during the episode), which helps to facilitate quality conversations. Arvid is also generous with his knowledge, so listening to his podcast is an educational and inspiring experience. I highly recommend The Bootstrapped Founder Podcast. Thank you so much for all of the inspiring work you do, Arvid!
bluecollard

This is how you build a business…

The bootstrapped founder is a must listen for creators and entrepreneurs bootstrapping their own project. Arvid tackles relevant topics with successful founders to deliver actionable advice.
frenchies123

Amazing podcast!

Arvid Kahl is not only someone who has been there done that, he’s one of the kindest people you will ever meet. His insights and wisdom on building a calm business is incredible. Add this one to your playlist!
ASobering

Entertaining, insightful, and actionable! 🔥

An immensely valuable resource for founders everywhere! If you’re currently a business owner, entrepreneur, or want to be one in the future then this podcast should be part of your content diet - thank you so much, Arvid!
Gr8ness25

Love it

Such an amazing podcast. Arvid is killing it!
shippet007

Practical and Useful

I started my own business and I’ve been looking for a podcast for months now that would just give me practical and useful advice to starting my own business and this is everything I was hoping for💥. Really teaches you exactly what you need to do.
Dillino

Helpful and to the point

If you’re building or growing a business from scratch, this podcast is incredibly helpful. Super practical action items and tips to consider each step of the way!
Marouane Rassili

A must

Best podcast to listen to if you're starting in your entrepreneurship journey
xpedius

A wealth of knowledge!

I am in the development stage of a web app. I have listened to hundreds of bootstrap podcast episodes over the last year and have learned more in just a couple episodes here. Arvid gives so many pearls of wisdom from his recent success, it is amazing. He gives concrete solutions that worked for him. No wonder he and his partner could build a successful SaaS mostly on their own. Keep the information coming!
the gent1

One of the best 👌

Arvid’s experience and fresh insights are a must for young SaaS bootstrappers and microprenuers.