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

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

You should avoid spending your time here and instead focus on finding a way to generate revenue or to attract investors so that you can afford to hire someone. Sweat equity is also applicable for someone who is very interested in the subject that you are working on. What sweat equity is not good for is for people who you don’t know at all.

Technical Cofounder 241

Technical Cofounder CTO Hire Equity Sweat Equity 241

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 25, 2020

Of course, if you are able to bootstrap your startup, and don’t anticipate the need for outside investors, you can technically ignore the first two points. If you can convince investors that your startup will generate a solid revenue stream, and the market won’t go away any time soon, they may see an opportunity for an ever larger return.

Exit Strategy 376

Exit Strategy Startup Private Equity Equity 376

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

MARCH 16, 2011

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 233

Technical Review Bootstrapping Startup Venture Capital 233

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

I recently found the classic sales training book “ Bootstrap Selling The Sandler Way ,” by Bill Morrison, who has 20 years in sales leadership roles, and I was amazed at how many of his sales lessons are great lessons for new entrepreneurs as well. With the best solutions, the customer gets value which exceeds your revenue.

Sales 348

Sales Startup Bootstrapping Technical Review 348

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 Development 261

ReadWriteStart

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Client work serves as an additional source of revenue to form new startups. This outside work provides a valuable source of revenue able to be used to fund operations. It also helps bootstrap new startup businesses. Over time, this revenue reduces the dependency on outside venture capital sources.

Incubator 188

Incubator Startup Software Development Software Developers 188

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 19, 2010

I'm a great example of someone who wasn't an authority on anything , but built that authority over time to the point where now my company (Smart Bear) is untouchable as the leader in both revenue and ideas in the area of peer code review. But how does authority convert to revenue?

Software Review 325

Software Review Technical Review Development Team Review Bolivia 325

ConversionXL

JANUARY 9, 2019

Goal Values assign dollar values to conversions—replacing the faulty “a conversion is a conversion” logic with estimated revenue from on-site actions. In its simplest form, the process divides the total number of goal completions by the revenue from those conversions. Thus, a form fill is worth $500.

Sales Cycle 127

Sales Cycle Bootstrapping Conversion Web 127

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Of course, if you are able to bootstrap your startup, and don’t anticipate the need for outside investors, you can technically ignore the first two points. If you can convince investors that your startup will generate a solid revenue stream, and the market won’t go away any time soon, they may see an opportunity for an ever larger return.

Exit Strategy 289

Exit Strategy Entrepreneur IPO Startup 289

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

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Unless you are bootstrapping everything, you need to have a clear plan on what networking and documents are required to get to friends and family, Angel investors, and institutional investors. Billing and revenue collection. If you are contracting or outsourcing, this is even more important. Funding process.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 13, 2024

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. But if bootstrapping isn’t a choice, explore fundraising options. . #4 Next, evaluate your funding options.

United States 140

United States Bootstrapping Social Media Angel Investor 140

VC Cafe

MARCH 16, 2025

Perhaps the most powerful content creation of all, which is growing in popularity is coding, catapulting companies like Lovable which hit $17M in annualised recurring revenue in February 2025, up from $7M at the end of 2024. These costs represent an ongoing tax on revenue, requiring careful consideration in business model design.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review B2C Generative AI IPO 78

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Of course, if you are able to bootstrap your startup, and don’t anticipate the need for outside investors, you can technically ignore the first two points. If you can convince investors that your startup will generate a solid revenue stream, and the market won’t go away any time soon, they may see an opportunity for an ever larger return.

Exit Strategy 264

Exit Strategy Private Equity Equity Technical Review 264

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

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

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

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. I always recommend that you start with bootstrapping. These usually play a role in the very early stage of your business, primarily pre-revenue.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

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

AUGUST 24, 2017

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). Through customer acquisition, you’ll work to grow the revenue and then, use that revenue to cover operational costs.

Churn Rate 149

Churn Rate eCommerce Business Model Bootstrapping 149

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

YoungUpstarts

MAY 28, 2014

In other words, you have done wonders while “bootstrapping.” ” Getting some revenue from at least 3 clients (proving that there’s value to what you’re doing) would be fantastic, but other types of traction and validation would help too. Show Capital Efficiency.

Security 200

Security Incubator Technical Review Bootstrapping 200

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 31, 2018

Here are some tips for bootstrapping your business. Write down every penny you have to invest and calculate both your expenses and expected revenue for the next six months. Based on this information, come up with contingency plans you can follow if revenue falls short. Work in a Spare Room. Develop a Budget.

Software Review 187

Software Review Cloud Social Media Bootstrapping 187

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

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 29, 2013

” Easy for them to say, but what about a bootstrapped, profit-driven business? ignoring indirect costs) or saying they’ll “fix that later” by raising prices, finding other channels of revenue. Profit-seeking bootstrapped companies cannot afford those delusions. ” Here’s my way.

Bootstrapping 285

Bootstrapping Affiliate Cofounder Channel 285

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

A Progress Graph on the right visually shows how far you’ve come (in whatever units of goodness you’re tracking – revenue, units, users, etc.) Hopefully this will get more bootstrapping entrepreneurs focusing on making money instead of raising money. Get back up and running.

Customer Development 270

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 270

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

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

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

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. Bootstrapping Minimizes the Number of People Cashing in on Your Success. Bootstrapped founders don’t have these concerns. Secondly, just how badly do you need that funding?

Bootstrapping 147

Bootstrapping Startup Equity Silicon Valley 147

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 24, 2015

By bootstrapping, bartering, reducing overheads (rental and manpower), and leveraging technology (especially the web), one can start one’s own business almost on a dime without being beholden to creditors or venture capitalists. This spanned the following areas: #1 Generate Higher Revenue. Growth & Sustenance Strategies.

Technical Review 100

Technical Review Software Review South Carolina Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

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 240

Bootstrapping Merger Salary .Net 240

YoungUpstarts

JULY 6, 2017

This strategy, known as bootstrapping, is ideally suited to businesses which don’t need a large influx of capital early on in order to finance growth and which are already generating revenues. Bootstrapping has a number of advantages compared to other fundraising strategies. Understand the Tax Code.

Syndicate 127

Syndicate Syndication Software Review Angel Investor 127

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. At least wait until later, when you ready to scale, and have some “leverage” based on a proven business model, some real customers, and real revenue.

Bootstrapping 276

Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Startup Burn Rate 276

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2020

It’s more possible to bootstrap today than a few years ago, as the cost of entry continues to go down. The key to successful bootstrapping is to master the do-it-yourself approach, defer compensation or barter services whenever possible and become a frugal minimalist in all things requiring a cash outlay.

Hockey Stick 423

Hockey Stick Bootstrapping Sweat Equity Intellectual Property 423

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. They're rarely actionable or insightful. This interview is uncommonly different. Podcast: Startup Success.

Entrepreneur 225

Entrepreneur Social Media Software Web 225