A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 11, 2010

In the last interview Peldi Guilizzoni (Balsamiq Studios) gave detailed advice about how he earned almost a million dollars in revenue in his first year of operation. Here’s the third: Few startups (let alone Digital Entrepreneurs) have more money than time. Hence the Digital Entrepreneur meme. Podcast: Startup Success.

Entrepreneur 225

Entrepreneur Social Media Software Web 225

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2020

The last thing a new entrepreneur wants to think about for a new startup is how it will end. If the entrepreneur plans to grow the company into a family business, or keep it private, they will either never be interested in buying out investors, or will certainly not be motivated to provide the 10x return that investors are looking for.

Exit Strategy 376

Exit Strategy Startup Private Equity Equity 376

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. Entrepreneurs set the price of their solution based on their costs, and their perception of value.

Sales 348

Sales Startup Bootstrapping Technical Review 348

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

I have often been asked about Startup Funding by entrepreneurs. Here is Startup Funding, a Comprehensive Guide for Entrepreneurs. The primary source of your funds should be your paying customers, i.e., your business should generate enough revenues and profits to fund the growth and expansion. Bootstrapping. Seed stage.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups.

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 16, 2011

They charge $9, $29 and $59 per agent per month and I am eager to see bootstrapped, scrappy Freshdesk morph their pricing structure to aggressively compete with them. We see Bizosys as a promising niche vendor with demonstrated capabilities in creative bootstrapping. RightNow's per agent price starts at $110 per agent per month.

India 123

India Bootstrapping Non-Compete Entrepreneur 123

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2012

For example, with any outside investment, you give up some ownership and control, and with bootstrapping your growth curve will likely be longer and more organic. Following is my prioritized larger list of sources, with some “rules of thumb” which may save you a lot of time and energy: Bootstrapping. Friends and family.

Technical Review 257

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 257

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

But I recommend entrepreneurs and prospective business builders consider the Agency Builder model. So an entrepreneur forming a startup studio benefits from having experience in the industry sector they hope to serve. Client work serves as an additional source of revenue to form new startups.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Developers Software Development 188

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 11, 2010

WhenBusy is a bootstrapped startup that lets people schedule meetings with you in currently-available time-slots without you having to share your calendar [disclosure: I'm an advisor]. OK, so what can you do to rise above the cacophony that is the Internet? Here come a few ideas; leave more and discuss in the comments ! Advertising ??

Software Review 261

Software Review Technical Review Viral Software Developers 261

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

I’m continually amazed at the number of entrepreneurs who go for months into a new business without really keeping a formal record of money spent or assets acquired. Billing and revenue collection. Invested Interests entrepreneur funding investor processes' If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

The last thing a new entrepreneur wants to think about for a new startup is how it will end. If the entrepreneur plans to grow the company into a family business, or keep it private, they will either never be interested in buying out investors, or will certainly not be motivated to provide the 10x return that investors are looking for.

Exit Strategy 264

Exit Strategy Private Equity Equity Technical Review 264

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

The “valley of death” is a common term in the startup world, referring to the difficulty of covering the negative cash flow in the early stages of a startup, before their new product or service is bringing in revenue from real customers. After bootstrapping, friends and family are the most common funding sources for early-stage startups.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Incubator 134

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Product Development – Getting Funded as The Goal In a traditional product development model, entrepreneurs come up with an idea or concept, write a business plan and try to get funding to bring that idea to fruition. Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail.

Customer Development 270

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 270

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 13, 2024

A Master of Business Administration, or MBA, is considered the golden ticket for aspiring entrepreneurs. Create a detailed business plan where you must outline your financial goals, expenses, and revenue projections. Bootstrapping is one option through which you can raise money for your venture.

United States 132

United States Bootstrapping Social Media Angel Investor 132

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 11, 2021

Some entrepreneurs will say the future is definitely bright but to others, some of these changes are meant to work against their expansion and business operations. We asked entrepreneurs their thoughts on the future of entrepreneurship and here’s what they had to say; #1- It's like freelancing. Photo Credit: Richard Burner.

Entrepreneur 127

Entrepreneur Technical Review Social Media Bootstrapping 127

ReadWriteStart

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

I know that many, many entrepreneurs are feeling dejected because of investor rejections. In How To Defend Your Dream Against All Odds , Alex and I explore the company's journey to $200 Million in revenue, while their VCs wrote them off. Zoho is already over $100 million in revenue and is seeing tremendous traction.

North Carolina 116

North Carolina San Diego Entrepreneur Balance Sheet 116

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2017

As a starting entrepreneur, you might wonder: why on earth would I want to start a subscription (box) business? Subscription business brings recurring revenue. This allows you to enjoy a constant source of incoming revenue, as long as you’re keeping the subscribers satisfied (that is of course essential). Conclusion.

Churn Rate 149

Churn Rate eCommerce Business Model Bootstrapping 149

Hearpreneur

AUGUST 10, 2018

Being in love with your business, when you’re an entrepreneur, is even better. Although there are days when tossing in your hat seems like a viable option, remembering how much you love your “job” can quickly snap an entrepreneur out of that mentality. We asked some entrepreneurs what they loved about “being their own boss.”. #1-

Entrepreneur 114

Entrepreneur Green Networking Small Business 114

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

Bootstrapping can be fun, you get to iterate quickly, turn on dimes, invent new features on the fly. Dribbble is what I like to call a “boot up,” or “organic startup” – a company that lives and breathes on revenue. […] For us, getting cash flowing in sooner than later was critical to give us resources to respond to the site’s rapid growth.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Founder Startup Bootstrapping 164

YoungUpstarts

MAY 28, 2014

Fundraising is arguably the most important issue for any entrepreneur. Unless you’re a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold companies in the past. In other words, you have done wonders while “bootstrapping.” by Asif Khan, CEO of Caremerge. Show Capital Efficiency.

Security 200

Security Incubator Technical Review Bootstrapping 200

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 1, 2010

For example, with any outside investment, you give up some ownership and control, and with bootstrapping you growth curve will likely be longer and more organic. Following is my prioritized larger list of sources, with some “rules of thumb” which may save you a lot of time and energy: Bootstrapping. Friends and family.

Technical Review 149

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 149

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. In fact, I believe modern entrepreneurs need to be super sales people, in the most positive sense, to their team as well as customers. Entrepreneurs set the price of their solution based on their costs, and their perception of value.

Sales 120

Sales Entrepreneur Bootstrapping Technical Review 120

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

“However, if we are to do our job well, this small market is still pretty significant in terms of potential revenue due to the nature of the industry.&# “I’ve been bootstrapping the company since its inception, and it’s really difficult to build a supply chain with limited funding,&# Lee admits.

Singapore 230

Singapore Distribution China Bootstrapping 230

Gust

JUNE 17, 2012

For example, with any outside investment, you give up some ownership and control, and with bootstrapping your growth curve will likely be longer and more organic. Following is my prioritized larger list of sources, with some “rules of thumb” which may save you a lot of time and energy: Bootstrapping. Friends and family.

Technical Review 164

Technical Review Bootstrapping Venture Capital Incubator 164

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2014

Based on the Startup Environment Index from the Kauffman Foundation and LegalZoom a while back, personal money, or bootstrapping, continues to be the primary startup funding source. Eighty percent of new entrepreneurs use this approach, with only six percent using investor funding. Entrepreneurs need to start small and pivot quickly.

Bootstrapping 276

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Burn Rate 276

SoCal CTO

MARCH 1, 2010

Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition | For Entrepreneurs , February 2, 2010 Looks at the critical equation around customer acquisition cost vs. customer lifetime value similar to what I discussed in Startup Metrics but in more depth. Of course, one of the best ideas around this is to have Negative Customer Acquisition Costs.

Acquisition 150

Acquisition Cofounder Technical Cofounder Cost 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

When someone asks me for the best way to fund a startup, I always say bootstrap it, meaning fund it yourself and grow organically. Bootstrapping avoids all the cost, pain, and distractions of finding angels or VCs, and allows you to keep control and all your hard-earned equity for yourself. Marty Zwilling.

Bootstrapping 278

Bootstrapping Startup Merger Salary 278

Hearpreneur

JUNE 14, 2017

We asked some entrepreneurs and business owners, why they started their businesses: #1 – Fell in Love. We’ve continued bootstrapping since then — today we are a $2.5 My advice for people making the switch from full-time worker to entrepreneur is to know your strengths. 9 – Always Wanted to be an Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 129

Entrepreneur South Africa PR Thailand 129

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

Thoughts on startups by investors that fund them & entrepreneurs that run them. For example, with any outside investment, you give up some ownership and control, and with bootstrapping your growth curve will likely be longer and more organic. And no life is more of a constant negotiation than that of an entrepreneur.

Startup 180

Startup Forecast Angel Investor Software 180

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 24, 2012

I bootstrapped it on my own. Mark: But Dan, I want to say, your language, you have to be careful about not coming across as a grumpy entrepreneur. You’ve bootstrapped a company, so you can see all those things, and you’re skeptical of the VC side. Trying to learn this environment. Let me say this to you.

Silicon Valley 204

Silicon Valley Software Review Internet Technical Review 204

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Validated learning about customers Would you rather have $30,000 or $1 million in revenues for your startup? All things being equal, of course, you’d rather have more revenue rather than less. And yet revenue alone is not a sufficient goal. More on that in a moment.

Customer 167

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 2, 2019

Not only does the outsourcing business model improve performance and reduce a company’s overall costs – a significant appeal to bootstrapped startups – but it also gives you access to a worldwide talent pool that would otherwise be beyond your range. Inefficiencies can often cost businesses between 20-30% of their annual revenue.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Due Diligence Technical Support Bootstrapping 147

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

This essay is part of a series on alternative VC: I: Revenue-Based Investing: a new option for founders who care about control. II: Who are the major Revenue-Based Investing VCs? III: Why are Revenue-Based VCs investing in so many women and underrepresented founders? IV: Should your new VC fund use Revenue-Based Investing?

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

ReadWriteStart

MAY 30, 2022

In this article, you’ll learn how bootstrapping makes you a better business – a leaner, smarter, more agile company that can roll with the punches. I wanted the freedom to fail and learn from my mistakes because I knew it would make me a better entrepreneur. . Bootstrapping Minimizes the Number of People Cashing in on Your Success.

Bootstrapping 147

Bootstrapping Startup Equity Silicon Valley 147

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2015

Espousing that borrowing money and debt are optional, the book proposed that entrepreneurs starting such businesses were more interested in the lifestyle it offered rather than making oodles of cash. This spanned the following areas: #1 Generate Higher Revenue. The point here is to keep one’s liabilities to a minimum.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Software Review South Carolina Startup 100

David Teten

AUGUST 19, 2019

So you’re interested in raising capital from a Revenue-Based Investor VC. A new wave of Revenue-Based Investors (“RBI”) are emerging. For background, see Revenue-Based Investing: A New Option for Founders who Care About Control. Our wheelhouse is bootstrapped (or lightly capitalized) SMB SaaS. Bigfoot Capital.

Revenue 60

Revenue Technical Review Software Review Equity 60