If you’re launching a startup, chances are you need capital to get it off the ground. Some entrepreneurs seek outside financing, including funding from investors, in exchange for equity. Others opt for small business loans to get rolling, but these can feel out of reach for startups that have no revenue or financial history. Self-funding […]
Bootstrapping
4 Creative Ways To Finance Your Small Business When Revenue Is Low
In a perfect world, small businesses would have an endless stream of revenue coming in and there wouldn’t be need to worry about financing. However, we all know that’s not the case.https://www.pexels.com/photo/exited-ethnic-waitress-working-with-cash-desk-in-cozy-cafeteria-4473496/ Sometimes businesses have to get creative when it comes to financing, especially when revenue is low. This blog post will discuss four creative […]
7 Strategies to Bootstrap Your Product Launch
There is a popular belief that to successfully launch a new product or business you require substantial capital. That belief is a myth. While it’s true that a new product or business will require a small investment, more and more businesses are launching with smaller and smaller amounts of startup capital, bootstrapping their way to […]
6 Keys To Managing Funding From People Close To You
In their passion to succeed, too many entrepreneurs treat friends and family investments as “low-hanging” fruit, only to find out later, after a stumble, that the pain of lost relationships is greater than the loss of their beloved startup. Other entrepreneurs never start their adventure, because they can’t face the prospect of even approaching friends […]
Are You Willing to Bootstrap Your New Business Venture?
You have this great idea you are convinced will make for a very profitable business. You set out to convince a few angel investors to help you get started only to be told “no” by every one of them. Now you are questioning whether or not you can even secure a round of start-up business […]
8 Keys to Successfully Bootstrapping Your New Venture
If you really want to start a business your way without a boss or professional investor hovering over you, then just fund it yourself or through friends and family, and grow it organically. It’s more possible to bootstrap today than a few years ago, as the cost of entry continues to go down. According to Investopedia, […]
Planning to Bootstrap Your Business? Follow These 7 Tips
When starting a tech company, it can be tempting to make venture capital a priority, but finding it shouldn’t be what drives your business decisions. I knew I wanted to bootstrap my business, BuySellAds, so that I could follow my own goals. By following these next few tips, I was able to achieve success for […]
3 Strategies for Bootstrapping from the Beginning
While choosing to forego outside investment can leave your business more susceptible to the ups and downs of the market, it can also be exhilarating to be in complete control of your professional destiny. Your ascent into the upper ranks of your industry may be slower than if you were bolstered by outside funds, but […]
Do We All Undervalue Bootstrapping?
In business schools, in popular blogs, in business publications, and in general discussion of starting a business, we undervalue bootstrapping. We teach starting a business as if every new business requires sophisticated venture capital. I understand how this can be educational. It means teaching business planning, which is the ultimate business teaching tool, and investment […]
Fundraising 101: 3 Typical Startup Funding Paths
In my previous post, “Should Your Startup Actually Be a Small Business?” I addressed what may be the most important differentiator between a startup and a small business: growth. While I hope it was useful, especially from a theoretical standpoint, I want this one to go directly where the rubber meets the road: How does a startup […]