profile

Arvid Kahl

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

Published 12 days 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: 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205

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, My therapist recently introduced me to the concept of stress as enhancement in exposure therapy. The basic idea is that a little bit of stress can focus you to a point where you make new neural connections and realize new (and beneficial) insights that help you change for the better. Well, I was able to put this to the test earlier this week. Because all of a sudden, without warning or any indication, Podscan slowed down to a crawl, and then went down...

3 days ago • 10 min read

Podcast, YouTube, Blog Dear founder, Dr. Jessica Gold (@blissscience) helps founders live an intentional and passionate life — which ultimately impacts their entrepreneurial success. She wants to put intentional self-care back on the map in a field obsessed with productivity and tracking metrics, but very little emotional exploration. In our conversation, we dive deep into vulnerable places: from romance, passion, and love to dealing with stressful interpersonal conflicts. Dr. Jessica exposes...

5 days ago • 1 min read

Podcast, YouTube, Blog Dear founder, Earlier this week, I finally had a day to work on a massive refactor of Podscan’s transcription queuing system. And it... didn't go well. In case this is too technical for you, consider today’s episode a nerdy deep dive into the heart of where my business builds its value. I’ll explore the safeguards and mental exercises to deal with sizeable setbacks. And if you’re interested in what a solopreneur’s tech complexity can look like, stick around. I’ll spare...

10 days ago • 8 min read
Share this post