Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapping a Thriving Business for Over 20 Years

If you haven’t already, please study our free Bootstrapping course and the Investor Introductions page. Kristi Herold, Founder of JAM, built a thriving bootstrapped business over twenty years until Covid hit. Read how she was surviving when we spoke in 2021. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born

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449th 1Mby1M Entrepreneurship Podcast With Kristi Herold, JAM

Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM, built a thriving bootstrapped business over twenty years until Covid hit. Listen to how she is surviving.

Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 6)

Sramana Mitra: Has your sports league business come to a complete standstill?  Kristi Herold: Yes, it’s gone, but it will come back.  Sramana Mitra: Yes, it will come back, but you will just have to survive this period. 

Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 5)

Sramana Mitra: It also depends on what you are trying to accomplish because cash acquisitions are easy to rationalize on your balance sheet. If it’s an equity acquisition joint venture with another player, then that is not so easy to value. That is why I was probing that issue. Let’s go back to what happened

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Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: What was your revenue in 2016 when you decided to switch gears? Kristi Herold: We were doing $6.5 million in revenue.  Sramana Mitra: That is substantial for a word-of-mouth business. 

Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 3)

Sramana Mitra: Give me the highlights of your strategy in growing this thing to that level. How long did it take you to achieve $1 million in revenue?  Kristi Herold: It took me 8 years to get to $1 million in revenue.  Sramana Mitra: In 1996, you started the business and then in 2004, you

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Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 2)

Kristi Herold: I called everyone in my address book. I would also say, “If you know anyone that you think might be interested, will you send me their contact info?” I had friends faxing me their address books and then I would go through their address books and call everyone and tell them my idea.

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Surviving Covid with a Bootstrapped Venture: Kristi Herold, CEO of JAM (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our free Bootstrapping course and the Investor Introductions page. Kristi built a thriving bootstrapped business over twenty years until Covid hit. Read how she is surviving Covid. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born and raised? What kind of background did you

Read Full Article »