Bootstrapping
Metrics That Don't Matter
> [Company] raises $X, now valued at $Y That's probably the most common headline for startup coverage. That coverage focuses on the wrong numbers. Startup founders and employees have already chosen to play the VC game. That's their call. Good luck. I worry about bootstrapped founders
How to Fund Your Bootstrapped Business
Bootstrapping any business is hard. Bootstrapping a physical product business is really hard. Today, money is cheap. You can get favorable interest rates from banks... if you have two years of profit to show. If you're making money, you can get more. The hard part is making first
Perception (of Success) Isn't Reality
This graphic from a recent CB Insights [https://www.cbinsights.com] newsletter shows the numbers behind three online mattress companies. Can you guess which is which? Casper (#1), which seems omnipresent, is losing money and "is a fundamentally inferior company to two of its competitors." Only 11% of
Forget Creating Jobs; Create Entrepreneurs
The focus on jobs during the election [https://www.fredperrotta.com/remote-work-small-towns/] was woefully misguided. The discussion reflected an industrial-era mindset, which isn't surprising since both Democratic finalists and the Republican nominee were all over 65. Talking about creating jobs as a goal is wrong. Jobs are an
Bootstrapped V-Commerce
In my last post [https://www.fredperrotta.com/reinvesting], I outlined how we've improved our products by increasing our investment in materials and design. The Outbreaker backpack [http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/products/outbreaker-travel-backpack] and daypack [http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/products/outbreaker-travel-daypack] each cost twice as much to make