Do You Want to Become a Bootstrapper? 10 Reasons Why You Should Bootstrap Your Small Business

Bootstrapping basically means starting your small business without any money or, at the least, very little money.

The idea is that you begin and manage your business by channeling all the cash that you generate from your customers.  Not everybody can actually do this, but it can be done.  Therefore, it is important to understand a number of challenges involved before you begin.  

Even though there are many ways to raise capital for your small business, you must be aware that with every investment you agree to, you will have to also sell off some of your startup’s soul. So, in order for you to succeed, you really will need to be able to concentrate on building a good product, not on addressing the ideas and preferences of a group of investors.  Bootstrapping helps you to maintain personal control,

Bootstrapping also presents a fresh set of opportunities that you simply would not have with investors. But if you are still not sure, here are 10 ways that bootstrapping could help you and your business:

You will likely remain in total control of the business

One of the greatest benefits of bootstrapping your small business is the fact that you maintain 100% control of your business.

First of all, business owners who bootstrap their start-ups will know their business inside and out.  You will fully know your team,  your product, and the overall vision of your business.  Because you are in control, you have full power plus the flexibility to make all decisions.   This fact alone enables you to create and influence important long-term effects for your business and for your lifestyle plans.

Bootstrapping will show the world that you are strongly committed

Anybody can get out there and convince investors to hand over capital. It will take quite a different thing to put your personal financial well-being on the line. If you are devoted to the business, your workers and hopefully your clients will be also.

Also do keep in mind that there are important benefits that are available to you because you have chosen to be an entrepreneur.  

Consider the examples and thoughts that we provide to you here.  There is tremendous personal power that will be yours to command as an entrepreneur, so why not take full advantage of it?

Bootstrapping will definitely encourage you to “touch” your marketplace

Getting a physical product to market easily through a rapid prototype procedure enables you to see just what your clients really need and exactly what they will buy. This enables you to build a physical product that’s more in line with client demand, thereby creating a broader market.

As a bootstrapper who wishes to avoid debt concerns or investor interferences, you do have a tremendous opportunity to surround yourself with other entrepreneurs who can be invaluable in many ways.  As an example, business efforts always bring challenges.  Therefore, it is extremely helpful to have access to a wide range of experiences that can be provided by like-minded entrepreneurs.

You will be able to better focus on becoming profitable

For virtually all businesses, profitability ought to be your major priority. This will certainly mean much more to you when you are operating on a small budget.

It is very likely that you will know what you need to do to become successful.  Of course, if you need guidance or ideas, there are useful techniques and methods at your disposal. For example, as mentioned earlier, surrounding yourself with experienced entrepreneurs who are willing to share their strategies, ideas, and concepts can make your challenges much easier.

In addition, since you are in total control of your efforts, it is possible for you to design how you wish to interact with other professionals while maintaining your privacy and business control.

If you wish to contact entrepreneurs and business owners while maintaining your privacy, consider reviewing our collaboration tool. 

Bootstrapping creates clear incentives to succeed

By having your personal funds and your financial well-being on the line, there’s a lot more incentive to get out there and do whatever must be done. When you have capital from someone else behind you, it is not truly your personal neck that is on the line as much.  Naturally, if you are bootstrapping with your funds and by the use of your ingenuity, you are not likely to waste much time.

Your personality also places a role in how you can best succeed in business.  That means, that when it comes to bootstrapping, your personality will definitely play a major role in how you approach everything.  This is an important fact of reality that you should use to set your path to success.  You will need to be the “captain of your ship” in every aspect.  Consider this to be a major advantage for you.

Bootstrapping allows you to more easily “pivot” with the needs of your market

Switching your direction is very difficult to do when investors have put in funds based on the actual business plan.  As a bootstrapper, if you see that the market has shifted or some other condition has changed, you can react quickly.  With investors in the picture, you will not be able to do so.

Your markets will change regardless of whatever you might be planning.  As a bootstrapper, you are the person holding the “steering wheel” of the business.  With investors, this will likely not really be the case.  If it you believe that you are controlling decisions, there will always come a time and situation when you will no longer think so.

When markets shift, you are much more likely to be able to shift your actions more quickly because you are the bootstrapping decision maker.

You might be better able to accumulate more profit with much less stress

Playing with investors’ capital is always stressful. Also, with lower contracts as well as agreements you will spend less on lawyer fees as well as accounting. Running a business enterprise without funding is a less complicated and more enjoyable way to manage your dream.

Take a moment to think deeply about what types of situations tend to stress you.   Add to those situations a strong-willed, successful person who is unlikely to permit his investments to become or to remain at risk.  Your opinion or his opinion?  

Will it really matter which of you is correct?  What matters more is whose opinion will most likely be followed.  Bootstrapping your business will eliminate those types of situations from your concerns.

If you are concerned about stress, review our post on the subject.

You will definitely “be the boss” without any doubts

How would you feel to have investors disturbing your own strategy? If you ask the majority of business owners why they started their own businesses, they will probably say flexibility and freedom are their main reasons. They are free to make their own personal decisions, and free to make and market the products that they want.

Your business decisions can be questioned by others as well.  Investors would perhaps lead the list in most businesses, but even as a bootstrapper, you will have decision doubters from family, friends, associates, and even employees.  However, as a bootstrapper, it will be very difficult for anyone to not accept that you are the boss.

Sometimes, your success can become hinged on your ability to focus.  Consider these important reasons to know how to focus.

Bootstrapping allows you to bypass or eliminate any  need for outside approvals

If you would like to make some changes to your small business, you could do it instantly, if you bootstrap. If you have investors, there is an approval process that you will have to follow instead. As a bootstrapper, you could make a decision one day and implement it the next.  With investors, there is just no way to be that flexible.

Many of our associates who have recalled their difficulties in business have shared their frustrations when they have been delayed or prevented from following their “action plans” because there were approval issues.  

One of these clients used this phrase to describe the feeling that he had to endure under those circumstances.  He said, “I felt like I had been driving on a traffic-free highway when suddenly, traffic stop signals began appearing out of nowhere.”

It should be easy to understand why he became heavily frustrated. 

Bootstrapping allows you to keep more of the profits

Bootstrapping allows you to keep all of your business profit. You would be making more money from your very first sales.  Investors will ALWAYS have their hand in your pocket.  There is no way around that fact.

The capability to bootstrap a business eradicates a lot of the challenges normally facing the entrepreneur. Raising capital, building inventory, dependence on support from other people, and covering all of the fixed overhead costs are mitigated when you bootstrap your business.

Every startup represents a unique set of challenges that must be overcome via a laser focus, and determination. ingenuity and inspiration wherever you can collect it.  Consider the following examples of companies whose successes should inspire you to dream big! 

CLICK HERE: SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES THAT BEGAN VIA BOOTSTRAPPING 

About The Author:

Sherman Hunter and SDK Hunter Consulting Group staff consultants provide global moneymaking opportunities and proprietary strategies that can accelerate business activity. You may familiarize yourself with these unique concepts by visiting the SDK Hunter Consulting Group blog located at:  https://sdkhunter.com

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