The Bootstrapped Founder

Welcome to the weird world of web scraping in the AI age, where founders have to protect their data from hungry AI companies but also need to collect information from all kinds of (not so) public APIs.Today, I dive into a particularly confusing situation I am in with Podscan when it comes to scraping and keeping the web free and open.This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fmThe blog

Andrew Davies (@andjdavies) runs marketing for Paddle, the payment provider that powers several of my businesses. They also recently ran an AI launchpad accelerator, which massively impacted the trajectory of my business, Podscan. It's about time we chat more about money on the pod.Today, I get to talk to Andrew about all things payment, why a Merchant of Record is something way to

I gave up going to tech conferences. But that probably is an outdated opinion, particularly since as an entrepreneur, I benefit much more from hanging out with my peers.Here's what changed and why you should really consider going to these events if you're an indie founder.This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fmThe blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/should-indie-hackers-g

This week, instead of writing code, I delegated it — to AI. I've been doing this a lot lately.But does that mean I am losing my ability to code? And what about people learning how to code? Is AI serving them, or does it block them from learning the real thing?Here's what's happening in software development, if it's even worth bothering with, and what new coders should know about

Feeling the weight of success can be just as challenging as the climb to get there. At any point during your journey, you're confronted with having to make choices where the outcome is uncertain. I'm right in that position.So let's dive into a balancing act between the grand vision and the minutiae of running a business.This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fmThe blog post: https://

@kerollmops, the technical brain behind the open-source search engine Meilisearch, joins me for a nerdy chat about all things search. I’ve been using this blazing fast tech for my own business, podscan, and kero has helped me through a few challenges over the last few weeks. I really want to dive into the economics of building a business on top of an open-source piece of software

Is it a good idea to guide your users through your app when they sign up? Or does it show that your interface is too convoluted?The answer is: yes. Both. And it depends on what you're building, who it's for, and what they expect.This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fmThe blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/does-your-saas-need-a-user-tour/The podcast episode: https://tbf.f

I ran into a pretty substantial question this week.Am I working in my business, or am I working on my business? I've been spending so much time building features, talking to customers, – it's operational work in the trenches. It’s taking small steps, looking at the ground, instead of dreaming of giant leaps while gazing at the stars.So, what can I do to get out of this?You'll h

What happens when something that was good enough isn't good enough anymore?Unscalable hands-on experiments work great in the early stages of a business. But what if you run into the scale problem without wanting to? (And what do you do about it when everything explodes while you figure it out?)This episode is sponsored by Podscan.fmThe blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/

`Indie Hackers have sinned. They allowed the seven deadly sins into their founder lives. And now we must cast them out.Well, let's be a little bit less dramatic. We already have enough drama in our busy founder lives. Still, something about the seven deadly sins translates pretty well into how many indie hackers comport themselves. Here's where we find greed, sloth, pride, wrath, e