235: The Bad Kind of Attention

The Bootstrapped Founder

07/21/23

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12m

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Here the three common pitfalls that can sabotage your efforts to build a Twitter audience: transactional interactions, focusing on “free,” and a tonal mismatch. Learn how chasing virality, relying on transactional attention, and curating a negative tone can all backfire in the long run. Find out what kind of attention you should be seeking to build lasting relationships with your followers and grow your personal brand.

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-bad-kind-of-attention/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/74843be8

The video: https://youtu.be/BGVSA1-B4AU

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 Acquire.com

Previous Episode

234: Jason Cohen — Two Exits & Two Unicorns

July 19, 2023

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64m

Are you a bootstrapper who's never considered raising investment money? Or maybe you're a die-hard VC-funded growth hacker who can't imagine running a business without that extra cash infusion. Either way, Jason Cohen's journey from bootstrapping to raising millions will give you a fresh perspective on the funding debate.

Jason discusses his personal discovery of wanting a different journey with WP Engine, which led to raising money after two years of bootstrapping. We also uncover the importance of understanding your competitors instead of demonizing them, in order to develop a unique strategy for your own business.

Jason has seen and done a lot as a founder. No matter what stage of this journey you’re on, you will learn something today.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:27 Raising money for bootstrapped companies.
00:09:16 When is it bad to sell your business?
00:15:31 The problem with self-imposed ignorance.
00:19:11 Founder mental health issues
00:23:04 How to hire people who are better than you.
00:27:26 The importance of having a consistent strategy.
00:31:20 The reality distortion field of a software business.
00:34:59 Do you ever consider building a solopreneur business again?
00:40:37 Do you ever consider not being a founder anymore?
00:45:12 The value of building a public network.
00:54:12 The importance of building public.
01:01:03 The importance of social media.

Jason on Twitter: @asmartbear

The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/jason-cohen-two-exits-two-unicorns/

The podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/b349aec5

The video: https://youtu.be/fMniLsLl5nc

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 episode is sponsored by Acquire.com! Go to http://try.acquire.com/arvid/ to get started with making sure you run a sellable business.

(00:00) - Introduction
(01:27) - Raising money for bootstrapped companies.
(09:16) - When is it bad to sell your business?
(15:31) - The problem with self-imposed ignorance.
(19:11) - Founder mental health issues
(23:04) - How to hire people who are better than you.
(27:26) - The importance of having a consistent strategy.
(31:20) - The reality distortion field of a software business.
(34:59) - Do you ever consider building a solopreneur business again?
(40:37) - Do you ever consider not being a founder anymore?
(45:12) - The value of building a public network.
(54:12) - The importance of building public.
(01:01:03) - The importance of social media.

Next Episode

236: Tony Dinh — Ups and Downs of an Indie Hacker Journey

July 26, 2023

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65m

Step into the world of Tony Dinh, an accomplished indie hacker famed for his ability to craft products with show-stopping aesthetics while keeping them public on Twitter. Tony, who holds the helm in the product design world, made waves with his browser extension, Blackmagic, and his unique pricing and revenue model approach. Our chat offers a deep dive into Tony's journey and his decision-making process during the Twitter API price increase, eventually leading to the sale of Blackmagic to HypeFury. His insights on product design and experiences as a front-end engineer are worth their weight in gold.

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:24 How do you get good at design?

00:07:50 Working in enterprise businesses first.

00:13:08 Selling as an indie hacker.

00:18:18 How to complete the sale?

00:23:02 Transitioning the ownership.

00:28:31 Running into platform risk.

00:34:13 The launch of the product.

00:38:42 Do you have a process for internal documentation?

00:47:22 How do you deal with clones?

00:51:19 The importance of having a ProductHunt-compatible audience.

00:55:39 What’s your current software portfolio like?