profile

Arvid Kahl

Louie Bacaj — Betting Small to Win Big — The Bootstrapped Founder 318

Published over 1 year ago • 1 min read

​

​

Dear founder,

Louie Bacaj (@LBacaj), once a Walmart engineer, made a bold career shift into the unpredictable world of venture capitalism and entrepreneurship.

Now a co-leader of a thriving community for bootstrapped entrepreneurs, Louie reveals how the 'small bets' philosophy guides individuals toward financial freedom and fulfillment. Together with Daniel Vassallo, he has created a unique space that thrives on exclusivity and practicality, challenging the traditional go-big-or-go-home mentality.
​
Reflecting on our shared transition from engineer to entrepreneur, we explore how small yet strategic side projects, a safety net of real estate investments, and the monetization of expertise can provide a mosaic of possibilities for those on the verge of leaving their day jobs.
​

With inspiration from Sam Walton's step-by-step success, we see how impactful small bets can be. This journey isn't just about building businesses—it's about creating lives that align with our values. Tune in to hear great stories, strategies, and successes!
​

​

​

Check out Podscan.fm! It's my media monitoring service that tracks every mention of you and your brand across all podcasts. Discover where your name pops up in the podcast world.

(And if you're a builder, the Podscan API allows access to fully transcribed episodes for millions of podcasts!)

​

​
​

​

Thank you for checking out this week’s interview edition of The Bootstrapped Founder. Did you enjoy it? If so, please spread the word and ​share this issue on Twitter.​

​

To make sure you keep getting your weekly dose of Bootstrapped Founder, please add arvid@thebootstrappedfounder.com to your address book or whitelist us.

Did someone forward you this issue of The Bootstrapped Founder? ​You can subscribe to it here!​​

Want to change which emails you get from The Bootstrapped Founder or unsubscribe for good? No worries, just click this link: ​change email preferences​ or ​unsubscribe​​.

Our postal address: 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246

​Opt-out of preference-based advertising​

Arvid Kahl

I help founders and creators serve and empower their customers.

Being your own boss isn't easy, but it's worth it. Learn how to build a legacy while being kind and authentic. I want to empower as many entrepreneurs as possible to help themselves (and those they choose to serve).

Read more from Arvid Kahl

Podcast, YouTube, Blog Dear founder, Let’s add another one to the series of entrepreneurial advice that just really irritates me. Today, I’m going after “improve 1% every day” — you know, that meme or mantra about making tiny little improvements every day because they supposedly compound into something massive over time. This one is infuriating, and I’ll tell you why: it’s almost impossible to measure. I get the sentiment behind it. Make micro improvements every day, and ultimately they’ll...

4 days ago • 5 min read

Podcast, YouTube, Blog Dear founder, Let’s dive into a piece of entrepreneurial advice that’s highly irritating and very dangerous. Today I want to talk about the one that I get so much: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. Force yourself, grind it out.” This advice is very dangerous because it builds on the founder’s capacity to struggle through challenges, but it uses this for the very wrong reasons. THE BOOTSTRAPPED FOUNDER • EPISODE 432 432: Don't Give Up... Your Assumptions 10:32 MORE...

11 days ago • 6 min read

Podcast, YouTube, Blog Dear founder, We often joke in entrepreneurship about founders having to wear many hats. But I think that metaphor is wrong. It's not about swapping hats. It's about growing entirely new heads. THE BOOTSTRAPPED FOUNDER • EPISODE 431 431: Many Heads, Not Many Hats: The Founder's Identity Crisis 15:18 MORE INFO Not just the cover of the head — the head itself. A new brain that thinks different, speaks different, prioritizes different. And somehow, these heads are all...

18 days ago • 10 min read