Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Be sure it matches your business, and get a hosting agreement from one of the popular providers like GoDaddy. Fund it yourself (bootstrapping) and do-it-yourself entrepreneurs are the best kind, because they can focus on the business, rather than fund raising, and have full control of their destiny. Life is more fun that way.

Hosting 248

Hosting Bootstrapping .Net Social Network 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2013

Be sure it matches your business, and get a hosting agreement from one of the popular providers like GoDaddy. Fund it yourself (bootstrapping) and do-it-yourself entrepreneurs are the best kind, because they can focus on the business, rather than fund raising, and have full control of their destiny. Life is more fun that way.

eCommerce 196

eCommerce Hosting Bootstrapping .Net 196

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs.

Stealth 434

Stealth Startup Angel Investor Bootstrapping 434

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

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.

Bootstrapping 120

Bootstrapping Sales Technical Review Social Media 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Be sure it matches your business, and get a hosting agreement from one of the popular providers like GoDaddy. Fund it yourself (bootstrapping) and do it yourself entrepreneurs are the best kind, because they can focus on the business, rather than fund raising, and have full control of their destiny. Life is more fun that way.

Cost 220

Cost Startup Hosting Bootstrapping 220

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2015

Most founders bootstrap product development. In today’s world of information overload, everyone relies on marketing and social media to find solutions to match their needs. Outside investors are most interested in scaling a proven business model, not research and development. Fabulous solutions require great technology.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Intellectual Property Cofounder Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 13, 2016

If you want to avoid all these stage and investment considerations, you can always bootstrap the business (fund it yourself, and grow organically). VCs normally come with the highest expectations of board seats, controlling votes, and milestones to meet. Don’t sign up for one, expecting the other.

Matching 120

Matching Angel Investor Intellectual Property Investment Bankers 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

I recently finished a new 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.

Sales 120

Sales Entrepreneur Bootstrapping Technical Review 120

ReadWriteStart

AUGUST 16, 2012

Bootstrapping the Company. Bootstrapping has been our most gut-wretching choice in building our business. The same holds true of big projects and contracts that aren’t a good match with what I need to do to grow my business, as hard as it is to turn down cash in hand. Ken Sundheim , KAS Placement. Sacrificing Family Time.

Founder 152

Founder Bootstrapping Startup Early Stage 152

Tim Keane

MARCH 9, 2011

Can you bootstrap your way to positive cash flow?   If the answer is relatively soon, then bootstrapping is a very serious consideration.    Even if it isn’t soon, early bootstrapping can reduce risk and increase chances for success, resulting in more aligned interests for entrepreneurs and investors.

Finance 83

Finance Bootstrapping Startup Equity 83

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally generated funds. It might be useful to list some of the ways in which you can raise money for growth with and without outside investors.

Private Equity 118

Private Equity Valuation Cap Table Accredited Investor 118

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Match with competitor prices and market demographics. It’s also valuable to talk to potential investors for their views, even if you are bootstrapping the effort. Estimate your costs, including a 50 percent gross margin, as a lower bound on a price. Confirm that your product or service solves the problem.

Technical Review 220

Technical Review Advisory Board Software Review Business Model 220

ReadWriteStart

AUGUST 16, 2012

Bootstrapping the Company Bootstrapping has been our most gut-wretching choice in building our business. The same holds true of big projects and contracts that aren’t a good match with what I need to do to grow my business, as hard as it is to turn down cash in hand. Ken Sundheim , KAS Placement 6.

Founder 78

Founder Bootstrapping Startup Early Stage 78

The Next Web

MAY 22, 2014

How to get that initial investment is where there is a choice: find a suitable investor, bootstrap, or use the power of the crowd to get that ball rolling. It matched our mental model of “being lean” – we were not. We had to focus on the value we provide to our potential customers.

Entrepreneur 135

Entrepreneur Bootstrapping Cofounder Lean 135

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 30, 2021

Match with competitor prices and market demographics. It’s also valuable to talk to potential investors for their views, even if you are bootstrapping the effort. Estimate your costs, including a 50 percent gross margin, as a lower bound on a price. Confirm that your product or service solves the problem.

Technical Review 399

Technical Review Product Advisory Board Business Model 399

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 6, 2012

Starting your business with a very low investment is called “bootstrapping,” and these entrepreneurs usually have the most fun. Match your business to your passion. They retain full control of their business, they don’t have an investor “boss” second-guessing their every move, and they don’t have to spend months begging for money.

Bandwidth 236

Bandwidth Bootstrapping Equity Startup 236

Up and Running

AUGUST 27, 2020

Canny is 100% bootstrapped —we haven’t taken any outside funding. Here’s how we got started, and our lessons learned from growing a bootstrapped company. Focus on matching skill sets and teamwork. Be scrappy in the beginning—especially if you’re bootstrapped. We’re now a team of seven ( and growing ).

Founder 120

Founder Cofounder Bootstrapping Startup 120

nickpoint.co.uk

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Find the right fit/match and your onto a winner. We found Keegan through 99Designs and used him for our logo , business cards , Launch page and a new blog for Bootstrapping. We’d love to employ full time permanent staff but without external funding or product traction it’s too risky. This takes time and a bit of luck.

RSS 40

RSS Startup Bootstrapping Cofounder 40

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

The process of looking for money must match the needs of the company. Most businesses are financed by home equity or savings as they start— bootstrapping. They may not start their discussions with you by looking at the plan, but don’t get caught without one when they ask to see it. Where to look for money.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 31, 2011

As I discussed in Matching Algorithm , I end up talking to a lot of startups who want to become the eHarmony of careers, eHarmony of clothes, eHarmony of jobs, eHarmony of tutoring, eHarmony of services, eHarmony of investments, etc. Do you have time to manually find matches? How hard is it to find matches on either side?

Marketing 204

Marketing Matching Algorithm Bootstrapping 204

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 31, 2011

As I discussed in Matching Algorithm , I end up talking to a lot of startups who want to become the eHarmony of careers, eHarmony of clothes, eHarmony of jobs, eHarmony of tutoring, eHarmony of services, eHarmony of investments, etc. Do you have time to manually find matches? How hard is it to find matches on either side?

Marketing 196

Marketing Matching Algorithm Bootstrapping 196

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2013

If you can’t bootstrap the venture yourself, find a partner, friend, or family member rather than a professional investor to carry some financial weight. Every entrepreneur has the challenge of making a market, or differentiating his product to match an existing market. I can’t find any investors in this economy.”

Turkey 252

Turkey Startup Bootstrapping Differentiation 252

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

BootStrapping. Gust matches investors up with small businesses seeking funding. Bootstrapping: Bootstrapping: the time-honored tradition of doing basically any and everything you can think of to find money to use in your business. In this list, I’ll cover: Loans. Government Funding Options (U.S.). CrowdFunding.

Small Business 164

Small Business SBA United Kingdom United States 164

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 10, 2020

If the world’s best known ecommerce brand is so committed to cross-selling and upselling, bootstrapped ecommerce stores cannot afford not to do the same. Will Schneider is the founder of insightQuote, a match-making service for B2B services, and writes informative posts about fulfillment services at FulfillmentCompanies.net.

eCommerce 147

eCommerce SMS Email Video 147

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 6, 2017

Avoid the bootstrap trap. Make sure the offer matches your values and goals, and appeals to the kind of investors you want. So don’t give up on finding the capital you need for your business. Instead, commit to finding the right investors who share your goals and values. 82% of startups fail due to cash flow problems.

Due Diligence 170

Due Diligence Bootstrapping Community Salary 170

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 13, 2016

The first step is to set your criteria, including a match for your sector type and stage, and then proactively seek out and contact the best candidates: Review profiles on professional social media sites. Searching LinkedIn, for example, is a must for contemporary entrepreneurs.

Stealth 120

Stealth Startup Angel Investor Bootstrapping 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 25, 2016

Team not a good match for the challenge. If all else fails, I recommend bootstrapping your own efforts, at least until you get enough traction to relieve the qualms of accredited investors. Outside investors bet more on the team than the solution.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Accredited Investor Angel Investor Reputation 120

OnlyOnce

JULY 9, 2013

Chapter 20: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Financing…Equity Investors, Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Strategic Investors, Debt, Convertible Debt, Venture Debt, Bank Loans, Personal Debt, Bootstrapping, Customer Financing, Your Own Cash Flow. Part IV: Building and Leading a Board of Directors.

Startup 95

Startup Advisory Board Elevator Pitch Forecast 95

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 23, 2010

Occipital’s founders – Jeff and Vikas – are the epitome of bootstrap entrepreneurs. At the end of the program they had a few chances to raise money but weren’t happy with the valuations so decided to hunker down and just bootstrap things.

Bootstrapping 131

Bootstrapping Acquisition eCommerce Valuation 131

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 20, 2011

Starting your business with a very low investment is called “bootstrapping,” and these entrepreneurs usually have the most fun. Match your business to your passion. They retain full control of their business, they don’t have an investor “boss” second-guessing their every move, and they don’t have to spend months begging for money.

Entrepreneur 233

Entrepreneur Bandwidth Equity Bootstrapping 233

Gust

JULY 29, 2012

Starting your business with a very low investment is called “bootstrapping,” and these entrepreneurs usually have the most fun. Match your business to your passion. They retain full control of their business, they don’t have an investor “boss” second-guessing their every move, and they don’t have to spend months begging for money.

Bandwidth 155

Bandwidth Bootstrapping Equity Startup 155

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2011

If you can’t bootstrap the venture yourself, find a partner, friend, or family member rather than a professional investor to carry some financial weight. Every entrepreneur has the challenge of making a market, or differentiating his product to match an existing market. I can’t find any investors in this economy.”

Turkey 229

Turkey Startup Bootstrapping Differentiation 229

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 26, 2014

I’m a big fan of bootstrapping a business instead of beginning with seed rounds. CoFoundersLab.com is a free service that matches entrepreneurs based on their strengths and personalities. Consider working part-time as a transition into entrepreneurship. Have an original idea.

Cap Table 162

Cap Table Bootstrapping Naming America 162

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2010

If you can’t bootstrap the venture yourself, find a partner, friend, or family member rather than a professional investor to carry some financial weight. Every entrepreneur has the challenge of making a market, or differentiating his product to match an existing market. I can’t find any investors in this economy.”

Turkey 239

Turkey Startup Bootstrapping Differentiation 239

The Entrepreneurial Mind

AUGUST 16, 2011

Bootstrapping is the name of the game for most startups. A bootstrapped startup also allows the entrepreneur to determine what the market really wants without having to lock in specific long-term expenses tied to a specific business model. In the bootstrap world you fight to survive. You watch every dollar very closely.

Bootstrapping 72

Bootstrapping Cofounder Salary Business Model 72

Start Up Blog

MARCH 5, 2012

He worked day and night to get the launch up on a tight timeline, and even bootstrapped many of the issues we had before the launch. The really great thing is that we matched our skills to create something of value (albeit non-financial). There is a lot we can learn from this little micro project.

Romania 118

Romania Germany Bootstrapping Europe 118

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 21, 2011

Hard to know, but an important question for a bootstrap startup to answer! Of course the numbers don’t match because, again, I pulled those potential valuations out of nowhere. With WPEngine recently I had yet another question to answer: “What if I took $X/mo salary, then how much equity would you part with?

Equity 276

Equity Salary Hiring Institutional Investors 276