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April 1, 2020Have we forgotten what the natural (and most rewarding) way of growing a project is?
April 1, 2020
By: Maria
Far away in space and time, VC investors agree: when managing a project submitted for funding we usually asks for more than it needs (mostly out of fear). The problem is that, frequently, we ignore that starting from scratch and reaching success (whether it’s a startup, a job, or a couple) intrinsically carries a big dose of uncertainty and unsatisfied needs.
But, what else is the raison d’être of a startup? It’s none other than identifying a problem or necessity and finding a good solution for it. Creativity is born from lack: Whenever we find a problem that we would need to solve, we test one possible solution after another until we find the best one — or at least, the most suitable for that moment. Lack drives creativity, while ‘over-sufficiency’ (if you allow us this word) makes it stagnant.
Forgetting how and where they come from, most founders start running desperate races to earn funds to carry out their project. No matter what stage, we all suffer from this anxiety of wanting to foresee all the possible scenarios and not being found with empty pockets.
‘Will 2 developers be enough? Better be 3.’
‘What if I have to make variants of my app?’
‘This is not enough, we are going to need thousands more.’
‘Will we have to pivot?’
‘I’ll probably need to ask for a little more capital.’
That’s how the budget goes up, and creativity stagnates. Having an excess of resources limits us and extinguishes the flame that brought us here ina first place. We’re not saying that you should not take advantage of opportunities to receive some of the many subsidies that are out there. What we want is for all of us to get that crazy idea — that you can not get ahead without VC money — out of our heads once and for all.
More than just one successful company was born without the need to ask for money. ‘But how?’ you’re probably asking yourself. We’ll tell you: with a good idea, low initial costs, and the talent to adapt to what may come.
If you choose the path of bootstrapping, soon you’ll see that it wasn’t so bad to immerse yourself in the vertigo of self-financing and self-made — even if you have to learn to listen to your breathing just to control the anxiety. To sum up, you’ll probably come out of this experience with your soft skills strengthened more than ever — and believe us, these skills are not learned in any course; don’t let them lie to you.
Bootstrapping will make you:
Is that the way your company has to go? We can’t tell you that. That’s something that only you can decide. But what we can tell you, based on our experience — and a lot of suffering — is that it is possible to make a living out of your project without receiving a single dollar from outside. Not even from Grandma, who didn’t believe in banks and kept her savings in neat rolls between her nylon stockings.
Going back to Grandma and her spoon: most previous generations did their business or enterprise from scratch on a shoestring. We all have some of those stories in the family. There was no VC or crowdfunding, yet they were able to support themselves and get ahead, face crisis, and grow back. But, above all, they made do with what they had at hand.
Without a doubt, bootstrapping is more sacrificial than solving your project with a huge non-refundable budget. Still, nobody will take away the taste and experience of knowing that you fought (and won) with your own boots on.