Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrap Using Services

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page. 

As I started analyzing various paths to success via bootstrapping, a second formula also became absolutely obvious: doing services projects and then formulating a product through that process. We gave this a name: Bootstrapping with Services, and published a book on the subject, Bootstrapping Using Services.

Over 99% of entrepreneurs who seek financing get rejected. The seed capital gap leaves many entrepreneurs struggling to get their businesses off the ground. Bootstrapping, a tried-and-true method to self-fund a business, is a must to bridge this gap in seed funding. And offering a service is one of the best ways to bootstrap. When I turn the spotlight on entrepreneurs who have successfully bootstrapped their ventures using services, please note that, in many cases, these same entrepreneurs later raised venture capital. Through my interviews, I aim to give you a seat at the table with successful entrepreneurs and synthesizes what is learned to provide information and inspiration for everyone looking to take their business concepts to the next level.

>>>

Featured Videos

May 12 – 575th 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are invited to the 575th FREE online 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at 8 a.m. PDT/11 a.m. EDT/5 p.m. CEST/8:30 p.m. India IST.

If you are a serious entrepreneur, register to “pitch” and sell your business idea. You’ll receive straightforward feedback, advice on next steps, and answers to any of your questions. Others can register to “attend” to watch, learn, and interact through the online chat.

You can learn more here and REGISTER TO PITCH OR ATTEND HERE. Register and you will receive the recording by email, even if you are unable to attend. Please share with any entrepreneurs in your circle who may be interested. All are welcome!

Cloud Stocks: Amazon Battles Margin Pressures

Tech giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) recently reported its quarterly results that failed to impress the market. Like other tech giants, the company is facing strong inflationary pressures coupled with a disturbing global political and economic climate.

Video FAQs

Entrepreneur Couple Bootstrapping an EdTech Company to $10M: Boom Cards CEO Mary Oemig (Part 1)

Mary and her husband, Eric, have been scrappy bootstrappers through a decade-long journey building Boom Cards. Awesome story!

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?

Catching Up On Readings: Declining Startup Valuations

This feature from TechCrunch analyzes in which sectors valuations of startups are declining the fastest and slowest. SaaS is one sector that is bucking the trend of declining valuations. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator Investor Forum: With Zain Jaffer, Partner at Blue Field Capital (Part 3)

Sramana Mitra: As you are looking at this space, what is the scope and scale of the number of startups operating in North America?

Zain Jaffer: I saw 500 startups last year. That’s just what I tracked in my CRM. The number is mind-boggling. With any industry, only a few will make it. I don’t know what the actual number is, but PropTech is becoming a big segment. It’s a niche segment that’s an intersection of FinTech and marketplaces.

Colors: Fall Reverie VIII

I’m publishing this series on LinkedIn called Colors to explore a topic that I care deeply about: the Renaissance Mind. I am just as passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, and business, as I am about art and culture. In this series, I will typically publish a piece of art – one of my paintings – and I request you to spend a minute or two deeply meditating on it. I urge you to watch your feelings, thoughts, reactions to the piece, and write what comes to you, what thoughts it triggers, in the dialog area. Let us see what stimulation this interaction yields. For today – Fall Reverie VIII

Fall Reverie VIII | Sramana Mitra, 2020 | Watercolor | 9  x 12, On Paper

Colors: Fall Reverie VII

I’m publishing this series on LinkedIn called Colors to explore a topic that I care deeply about: the Renaissance Mind. I am just as passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, and business, as I am about art and culture. In this series, I will typically publish a piece of art – one of my paintings – and I request you to spend a minute or two deeply meditating on it. I urge you to watch your feelings, thoughts, reactions to the piece, and write what comes to you, what thoughts it triggers, in the dialog area. Let us see what stimulation this interaction yields. For today – Fall Reverie VII

Fall Reverie VII | Sramana Mitra, 2020 | Watercolor | 9  x 12, On Paper