Bootstrapped Questions


3 Votes
4 Answers
3.79K Views
How much VC equity stake for a product that is fully built for a mid-stage start-up company?

So I have a site that will accept subscriptions the first quarter of 2011. I have been developing this product over the past year and it is almost complete. I would like to use the VC money to help...

asked Jan 4 '11 at 13:31
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John
161 points

10 Votes
5 Answers
2.76K Views
Three years worth of savings to start a bootstrapped business - Does it seem reasonable?

A friend of mine recommended 3 years worth of savings in order to start bootstrapping for my self-funded startup. Does this seem reasonable? I had previously been working towards a goal of 1 year's...

asked Dec 15 '10 at 13:50
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David In Dakota
153 points

7 Votes
3 Answers
2.49K Views
How can a bootstrapped startup start to expand sales without outside funding?

So I have a bootstraped startup that's starting to get some traction. A little background: we make a classroom recording appliance that works with fixed positioned cameras in classrooms to record...

asked Nov 12 '10 at 03:32
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Jon
138 points

2 Votes
2 Answers
2.24K Views
Is it a good idea to pay users to sign up for my service

We recently launched our word of mouth advertising startup, www.boostria.com. We want to rapidly grow our user base to mature our system. But it takes lots of time/effort to sign new users. So, my...

asked Nov 13 '10 at 06:55
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James Chen
19 points

0 Votes
1 Answers
2.18K Views
How do you structure/run your company to ensure you maintain control over the finances?

I've repeatedly heard the advice (from successful business owners) to not give up direct control over the company finances. It seems that enough founders out there have been burned by seemingly...

asked Oct 24 '10 at 08:19
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Chris Hagner
881 points

1 Votes
1 Answers
2.27K Views
Current fertile areas for bootstrap startup

Looking at the web environment, it is quite good for a bootstrapped startup. Reasons are: Low barrier to entry Low startup / teardown costs Can start or be built with a single person Highly...

asked Oct 27 '10 at 08:33
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Xiaohouzi79
1,257 points

12 Votes
7 Answers
4.12K Views
What are the best free resources for a startup?

Question's focus is: free + resource = value So, far there have been a lot of answers related to software, have any other suggestions? Examples: Books, Trial Services, etc.

asked Oct 16 '10 at 23:21
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Blunders .
899 points

3 Votes
4 Answers
2.38K Views
Starting New School Revenue Streams

Hey guys, it's me again. As was to be expected, I've run into funding problems with Idea School. The quality teachers I'm looking for are worth about $50-60K per year. Now, of course, they...

asked Aug 23 '10 at 04:26
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Ryan Chatterton
921 points

5 Votes
5 Answers
2.49K Views
How to bootstrap when you have a high social overhead?

I love the idea of bootstrapping, but when I hear the bootstrapping evangelists talk about what it takes, they basically portray a lifestyle that only makes sense for a single person in their early...

asked Sep 11 '10 at 16:23
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Javid Jamae
347 points

1 Votes
3 Answers
2.76K Views
Help with Website

I'm working on a product that is set to launch in a few months and need to hire a web designer for our site. I've never done this before so I need help. The details for whats needed on the site are...

asked Jul 29 '10 at 22:29
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Tanvir Chowdhury
165 points

-2 Votes
1 Answers
1.97K Views
How to implement "infrastructure" ideas?

I have several ideas that I label "infrastructure ideas" (both physical and virtual). This means that the ideas will create completely new infrastructure (I use a very broad definition of the term)...

asked Jun 14 '10 at 05:41
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David
1,567 points

0 Votes
1 Answers
2.15K Views
How much sweat equity to financial equity? Different business activities lend to one style easier then the other love your opinions

So bootstrapping is a minimalist approach to financing a business and requires a larger amount of sweat equity compared to the money put in. So when do you find that the sweat part has gone too far...

asked Jun 17 '10 at 00:54
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John Bogrand
2,210 points

10 Votes
5 Answers
3.53K Views
Using consulting to bootstrap your software startup

I've been through some pretty brutal experiences recently with venture capitalists and I'm looking into ways I can start a company without VC money. Has anyone out there used consulting to...

asked Jun 24 '10 at 11:33
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Craig Daniel
223 points

1 Votes
4 Answers
2.9K Views
Any examples of "positive feedback" startup ideas for production companies?

I am looking for examples of ideas, historical or current, where the output of a production process is also used as the input. An example could be something like this: Magnifying glass is used to...

asked Jul 9 '10 at 06:16
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David
1,567 points

0 Votes
3 Answers
2.15K Views
Are there different methods of payment when hiring freelancer?

Say I do not have enough money and need to get a part of my product done, is it possible to give a small part of the company, say between 3 and 5%, as a method of payment?

asked May 20 '10 at 10:36
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Vnchopra
418 points

6 Votes
4 Answers
2.66K Views
Incorporate while still in development phase?

Is there any good reason to incorporate while you are still in development or bootstrapping phase? Or should you wait until the product is ready or when there are customers? Thank you for sharing...

asked May 20 '10 at 12:05
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Jpartogi
1,342 points

1 Votes
4 Answers
2.91K Views
When should we start showing prices?

For a company that has just started, when should we show prices to customer? Right when the application is live on day one or when the application is stable enough to be used by real customer?...

asked May 25 '10 at 19:37
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Jpartogi
1,342 points

7 Votes
2 Answers
2.1K Views
Feature fatigue

Is it just me or is there such a "diagnoses" as "feature fatigue"? On more than one occasions I noticed that when I am about 75% though new feature development I am starting to stall and my...

asked May 7 '10 at 03:44
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Usabilitest
1,698 points

3 Votes
5 Answers
2.82K Views
Can I have an LLC while still working for an employer?

Some customers are more confident buying your product if you are a corporation, but on the other hand while you are bootstrapping you still need some cash coming in, and one way to do this is to...

asked Apr 7 '10 at 10:02
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Jpartogi
1,342 points

5 Votes
7 Answers
3.43K Views
Is it better to learn technology by oneself or to find a cofounder/outsource? (bootstrapped web-startup)

This question is heavily influenced with my experience of an offline entrepreneur. While hearing voices for teaming with tech-savvy cofounders to create a prototype or working technology I can't...

asked Feb 12 '10 at 05:27
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Kirill Blazhko
393 points