Best of Bootstrapping: Bootstrapping AutoClaims Direct to $15M

If you haven’t already, please study my free Bootstrapping course. 

Ernie Bray, Chairman and CEO of AutoClaims Direct (ACD), leveraged his domain knowledge in auto insurance claims processing, and built a robust, sustainable business. He used 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 born in a small town in Central California called Porterville, California. It’s a farming community. My dad was a teacher. My mom stayed at home and took care of us. I grew up in a small town environment.

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Catching Up On Readings: VC Funding 2020

This feature from TechCrunch analyzes the trends in venture capital funding in the US last year. About $156.2 billion was invested in US startups in 2020, or around $428 million for each day of the year. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Catching Up On Readings: CES 2021

This feature from Engadget presents the best of CES 2021 that was held completely online for the first time. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Catching Up On Readings: Macro Trends for 2020s

This feature from Gartner looks at the macro trends that are expected to influence the next decade. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Catching Up On Readings: Startups Lost in 2020

This feature from TechCrunch commemorates the startups that have closed up shop over the past 12 months. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Catching Up On Readings: Tech IPOs of 2020

This feature from Crunchbase News lists all the tech companies that have gone public in the year 2020. Even after the COVID-induced lull, the IPO market had 23 IPOs this year, compared to 27 in 2019. For this week’s posts, click on the paragraph links.

Catching Up On Readings: EV Market 2021

This feature from MarketWatch looks at the electric vehicles market, which is expected to grow 50% in 2021. For this week’s posts click on the paragraph links.

Rendezvous Online Recording: December 1, 2020

Sharing insights and answering questions from entrepreneurs on building successful startups. Some audience questions answered:
– What should a failed startup founder do next?
– Is it possible for a lone startup founder to raise funds?
– What are some companies that are introducing innovative business models?
– What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?
– Who do you see as the best modern day entrepreneur and why?