Bootstrapping to $15 Million: David Braun, CEO of TemplateMonster (Part 1)

When you run a business over a long period of time, technology changes create massive challenges. David has navigated TemplateMonster in  several of these. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of circumstances? David Braun: I’m from Georgia

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Bootstrapping a Niche E-Commerce Venture: Elite Fixtures CEO Steven Annese (Part 1)

I’ve always been bullish about niche e-commerce. Here’s yet another story of an entrepreneur who has successfully bootstrapped a company in high-end light fixtures. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background? Steven Annese: I’m a child

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Bootstrapping Using Services: Bay Dynamics Co-Founders Feris Rifai and Ryan Stolte (Part 1)

Feris and Ryan wanted to work together on a new venture. They first built a services company, then introduced an OEM product, and eventually bootstrapped a product under their own brand. The company has recently raised its first venture money after many years of being in business as a profitable, growing entity. Sramana Mitra: One

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Peruvian Entrepreneur, Bootstrapping to $200 Million: Belisario Rosas, CEO of WEI (Part 1)

We hear a lot from Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs. We hear some from Europeans. But thus far, not as much from Latin American entrepreneurs. Belisario Rosas is Peruvian, and is also interested in fostering further entrepreneurship in Latin America. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your personal journey. Where are you from?

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Bootstrapping From Oklahoma: Robin Smith, CEO of WeGoLook (Part 1)

How often do you hear of a successful entrepreneurship story out of Oklahoma? Well, meet Robin Smith. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start with the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of circumstances? Robin Smith: I was born in Oklahoma. I was raised, primarily, on

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Bootstrapping Using Services First, Raising Money Later: Rohyt Belani, CEO of PhishMe (Part 1)

Following up on our ‘Bootstrapping Using Services‘ and ‘Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later’ case studies, here’s the story of PhishMe, a cyber security company that has scaled nicely. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your story. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background? Rohyt

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Bootstrapping with a Paycheck: Aytekin Tank, CEO of Jotform (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study my free Bootstrapping course.  Aytekin is a Turkish entrepreneur who has bootstrapped his company with a paycheck. He has used a freemium business model, and a virtual team strategy to scale. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where were you born, raised, and in what

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Bootstrapping to $15 Million: Ernie Bray, CEO of ACD (Part 1)

Ernie leveraged his domain knowledge in auto insurance claims processing, and has built a robust, sustainable business. He uses a virtual workforce strategy to scale. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your story. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of circumstances? Ernie Bray: I was

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Bootstrapping With A Paycheck: Katie Echeverry, CEO of Unique Vintage (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our free Bootstrapping course and the Investor Introductions page. Katie had a pharmaceutical sales job that she used to bootstrap with a paycheck for 5 years, before quitting to go full-time with her business, Unique Vintage. More stories like this can be found in my Bootstrapping With A Paycheck book.

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Bootstrapping a $10 Million E-Commerce Business: Seismic Audio CEO Steve Acree (Part 1)

E-commerce companies are relatively easy to bootstrap. Steve tells the story of his journey bootstrapping Seismic Audio to almost $10 million in revenue. Sramana Mitra: Let’s go back to the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in what kind of background? Steve Acree: I was born

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