Most Companies Run on Sales, Not Investment
I had a slightly disturbing talk with an entrepreneur at a smartups.org meeting last Thursday night. Smart-ups is a local group getting entrepreneurs together in the Eugene-Corvallis area in Oregon. This man will probably make it. There was nothing dumb or naive about him, and he was old enough to know better. But the underlying...
A Respectful Hats Off to Bootstrapping
Guy Kawasaki’s recent repost of his “The Art of Bootstrapping” reminds me how much I liked it when it first came out, along with Seth Godin’s “Bootstrapper’s Bible” and Thomas Frey’s “10 Rules for Bootstrapping Your Business.” This is the real world. Bootstrapping is often the only way to start, build and grow your business....
True Story: Friends and Family Financing
He was about 45 or maybe 50 when I met him. He was spreading, graying and somber. You don’t know him. You probably never even heard of him. He’d spent the last 15 years of his life starting, building and growing a sailboat manufacturing company. It sounds glamorous, doesn’t it? He sailed as a hobby,...
Funding a Business from Friends and Family
If I could make a point with budding entrepreneurs, it would be that you should know what money you need and understand that it is at risk. Don’t bet money you can’t afford to lose. I’ll always remember a talk I had with a man who had spent 15 years trying to make his sailboat...
Classics on Bootstrapping
Links to two classics on bootstrapping, by Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin
The Art of Bootstrapping
Here’s a must-read post from Guy Kawasaki on The Art of Bootstrapping. If you’re starting a business, read this. Actually, if you’re starting a business, you should be reading Guy’s blog. Period.
