The Art of Bootstrapping

Guy Kawasaki on The Art of Bootstrapping

Someone once told me that the probability of an entrepreneur getting venture capital is the same as getting struck by lightning while standing at the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day. This may be too optimistic.

Let’s say that you can’t raise money for whatever reason: You’re not a “proven” team with “proven” technology in a “proven” market. Or, your company may simply not be a “VC deal” — that is, something that will go public or be acquired for a zillion dollars. Finally, your organization may be a not-for-product with a cause like the ministry or the environment. Does this mean you should give up? Not at all.

I could build a case that too much money is worse too little for most organizations — not that I wouldn’t like to run a Super Bowl commercial someday. Until that day comes, the key to success is bootstrapping. The term comes from the German legend of Baron Munchhausen pulling himself out of the sea by pulling on his own bootstraps. Here is the art of bootstrapping.