When I started
my Romance Novel Business,
no one was interested
in giving me funding for it.
I had very little choice.
I HAD to bootstrap it,
fund it out of my own cash
and my business’ sales.
Luckily, I also WANTED
to bootstrap it.
I didn’t want to owe other people,
be influenced by them.
I wanted to write edgy books,
risky books,
books with a high probability
of earning no sales.
Those types of books
usually don’t interest investors.
Once I became semi-successful,
MANY people wanted
to fund my Romance Novel Business.
They wanted to give me cash
for partial ownership
of parts of it
like the audiobook product line
or TV rights.
I continue to bootstrap
because I continue
to want total control over my books
and all products associated with it.
“Funded entrepreneurs are the ones
you hear about all the time.
They use other people’s money
to fuel their growth,
and one day,
they have to pay
that money back,
either by going public,
selling, or distributing
the profits.
And Bootstrappers?
Bootstrappers build a business
using their customers’ money.
Bootstrapping is a special case,
an intentional choice,
the chance to serve
your customers so well
that they eagerly fund your growth.”
You might not have a choice now
between bootstrapping
and
accepting outside funding,
but
you likely will have a choice
in the future.
Decide which path
you prefer.