Bootstrapping is hard but it preserves equity and is perhaps your most efficient capital.  Some business are more conducive to boot strapping than others and it all hinges on how much personal equity and investment you have to put in.

Pharmaceuticals – definitely not a bootstrap model for a single entrepreneur.  CD Baby, on the other hand, was a great boot strapping success story for Derek Sivers.

Complex business models, those with a lot of companies involved in the decision making and sales process, cost a lot of money and time.  Sales people, distribution partners and retailers are all worthy  but they take their share.

For bootstrappers, it’s best to sell directly to the customer.

Read Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki

Blogging Gazelle is published daily by Shawn Carson

• Bootstrapping