Bootstrapping to the Extreme (or “Consulting Your Way to Millions”) | Hacker News

In the Harvard Business Review book on entrepreneurship, the first question is, "What are your goals as an entrepreneur? What are you hoping to get out of the business?" That's an important question. If you're wanting to build a company that will have a higher chance of survival and where you'll retain control, and ideally aren't going into a market that's about to tip and become something highly competitive, then bootstrapping can work well. The line that investors use when you're talking to them, at least in my limited experience seemingly universally, is, "Speed is a key factor in this market." That doesn't mean much coming from an investor, but if you know that it's true then taking investment can be an important step. Also at an early phase the money that you get isn't all that important. If you're lucky enough to find a good investor, it's the connections, advice and reality checks that make all the difference.