Whats the biggest problem for bootstrapped startups?

Discussions
#22

This should be on a Bootstrapping motivational poster.

4 Likes
#23

I don’t know if this is the biggEST problem but a really tough problem is distinguishing between these two things:

  • “I’m not seeing results yet, but due to poor/incomplete execution, not a flawed business idea.”
  • “I’m not seeing results yet, and never will because my business idea is fatally flawed.”

I spent a year and a half not knowing which scenario was the reality for me, and I had people telling me the whole time the idea was bad. Still do. Plowing through that is pretty tough.

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#24

In my experience:

  1. Focus. Saying NO to starting a 2nd, 3rd product and focusing on one at a time.

  2. Patience. Progress so slooow, especially for SaaS. The hard part is staying motivated/inspired over the long haul.

  3. Hiring employee #1. Bootstrapping makes the finances difficult. You have to take a less than comfortable salary for yourself just to afford hiring help. But it pays to do so.

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