433: The 1% Improvement Myth
The Bootstrapped Founder
01/23/26
•7m
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The "improve 1% every day" mantra sounds inspiring until you realize it mostly gets people tweaking button colors and reorganizing task managers. Real improvements in early-stage businesses come from unexpected moments—like a single customer conversation that reveals you've been doing something wrong for six months. Instead of chasing unmeasurable micro-improvements, talk to one customer every day. \
That's where assumptions clash with reality, where you learn their language, and where you discover the insights that actually move the needle.
This episode of The Bootstraped Founder is sponsored by Paddle.com
The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/the-1-improvement-myth-why-customer-conversations-beat-micro-improvements-every-time/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/433-the-1-improvement-myth
Check out Podscan, the Podcast database that transcribes every podcast episode out there minutes after it gets released: https://podscan.fm
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Podcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcast
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My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.com
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- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx
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- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid
- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60
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Previous Episode
432: Don't Give Up... Your Assumptions
January 16
•10m
The entrepreneurial world loves telling founders to "never give up"—but what if that advice is slowly killing your business? In this episode, I unpack why persistence without direction is just expensive stubbornness. The real skill isn't grinding through everything; it's knowing which assumptions to abandon while keeping the business alive. I share why running parallel experiments beats blind faith, and what a Twitter thread about Pieter Levels' "ugly" landing pages taught me about the beliefs we cling to without questioning.
This episode of The Bootstraped Founder is sponsored by Paddle.com
The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/dont-give-up-your-assumptions/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/432-dont-give-up-your-assumptions
Check out Podscan, the Podcast database that transcribes every podcast episode out there minutes after it gets released: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
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
Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.
- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx
- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid
- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid
- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60
- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ
- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q
- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw
Next Episode
434: Follow Your Passion (But Not Like That)
January 30
•13m
"Follow your passion" consistently ranks as the most frustrating advice entrepreneurs receive. Today I'm breaking down why this well-meaning guidance becomes dangerous when followed blindly, and more importantly, what it actually decodes into when you think about it properly.
Using my own experience with miniature painting and 3D printing, I'll show you how the real opportunity isn't doing what you love for money—it's finding others who share your passion and solving the problems they can't solve themselves.
This episode of The Bootstraped Founder is sponsored by Paddle.com
The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/follow-your-passion-but-not-like-that/
The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/434-follow-your-passion-but-not-like-that
Check out Podscan, the Podcast database that transcribes every podcast episode out there minutes after it gets released: https://podscan.fm
Send me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvid
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
Here are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.
- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx
- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid
- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid
- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60
- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ
- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q
- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw
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