Bootstrapped vs. Self-Funded - DONN FELKER (2024)

posted on by Donn Felker

Bootstrapped vs. Self-Funded - DONN FELKER (1)

In the startup community you’ll hear these two terms used when folks talk about building a product (SaaS, App, etc).

You’ll hear things like …

“I bootstrapped myself to profitability …”

and

“I self funded the app and found product market fit…”

They sound very similar. These two terms have been tossed around interchangeably for years. I remember Rob Walling talking about this often on his podcast Startup’s for the Rest of Us (and he even mentions this exact topic in his book, the SaaS Playbook).

But, let’s quickly unpack it …

What’s the difference between Bootstrapped and Self-Funded?

Bootstrapped is when you invest your personal time, resources and reinvest the revenue back into building a product.

Self-funded is when you’ve used your own funds (savings, credit, income from another business, etc) to fund the development of a product.

That’s it.

The nuance is different, but important. If you don’t have money saved up, a large credit line or another business that can fund the new product you’re working on – you’re likely bootstrapping. This also means your probably doing a lot of the work yourself very early on.

If you’re taking the funds from your savings, credit or from another income source to fund the development of the product you’re working on, then you’re likely self-funding. This also means you’re likely paying others to do the actual work (development/etc).

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Bootstrapped vs. Self-Funded - DONN FELKER (2024)

FAQs

Bootstrapped vs. Self-Funded - DONN FELKER? ›

Bootstrapped is when you invest your personal time, resources and reinvest the revenue back into building a product. Self-funded is when you've used your own funds (savings, credit, income from another business, etc) to fund the development of a product. That's it. The nuance is different, but important.

What is the difference between self funded and bootstrapped? ›

Key Takeaways: Startup funding and bootstrapping are two different methods to finance a startup's growth. Startup funding involves seeking capital from external investors, while bootstrapping relies on self-funding.

Which is better, bootstrap or funding? ›

If your score, as calculated through the scorecard, is below 30, you should seriously consider bootstrapping. If your score is above 40, you're probably a good candidate for fundraising. If you're between 30 and 40, you're in a zone that requires more consideration of the pros and cons of both options before choosing.

What is the difference between bootstrapping and personal savings? ›

Bootstrapping is a common approach for entrepreneurs and small business owners who are trying to launch their businesses with limited resources. It involves using existing resources and personal savings to fund the business, rather than relying on outside investors.

What is the difference between self funded and funded? ›

Since fully-funded plans are organized and run by insurance carriers, getting claims and health data from requires a little extra time and paperwork. In a self-funded situation, the employer is making the payments, and has all that data for themselves.

Why is self-funding good? ›

Employers have more control over their health benefit program. Increased Financial Control. Self-funding eliminates insurer profit margin and puts cost control in the employer's hands rather than the insurance company's. Lower Operating Costs.

What are the disadvantages of Bootstrap financing? ›

Disadvantages of bootstrapping

Increased chance of business failure: For early-stage companies, bootstrapping may not provide sufficient resources to build traction and survive beyond the startup phase. Increased risks assumed by owners: Initial funding usually comes from owners' personal savings.

Why is Bootstrap preferred? ›

Bootstrap in web development has become popular because it helps developers to create responsive websites without spending much time and effort. The Bootstrap framework is based on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Bootstrap is used by 22% of all websites on the internet.

Is there a better alternative to Bootstrap? ›

Are there any free Bootstrap alternatives? Yes, many Bootstrap alternatives are open-source and free to use. Some of the notable ones include Bulma, Foundation, Semantic UI, Tailwind CSS, and Material UI. These offer robust features and extensive component libraries without any initial cost.

Why is bootstrapping better? ›

“The advantages of bootstrapping are that it is a straightforward way to derive the estimates of standard errors and confidence intervals, and it is convenient since it avoids the cost of repeating the experiment to get other groups of sampled data.

What are the disadvantages of self funding a business? ›

Growth limit

Limited resources limit your business's future growth. You might not be able to keep up with your intense demands if you have a limited budget. Slowing your business's growth might be the best option. It can limit your ability to hire new employees or expand your business in other ways.

Should you use your own money to start a business? ›

It can be difficult to borrow from a bank or attract other investors unless you're also investing some of your own money. The easiest and cheapest way to finance a new business is to use your personal savings. However, this can be risky, and you may not have enough to cover all the funding you need.

What is the weakness of Bootstrap? ›

If the sample is narrower than the population, the bootstrap distribution is narrower than the sampling distribution. Typically for large samples the data represent the population well; for small samples they may not. Bootstrapping does not overcome the weakness of small samples as a basis for inference.

What is the difference between self funding and bootstrapping? ›

What's the difference between Bootstrapped and Self-Funded? Bootstrapped is when you invest your personal time, resources and reinvest the revenue back into building a product. Self-funded is when you've used your own funds (savings, credit, income from another business, etc) to fund the development of a product.

What are the cons of Bootstrap? ›

Uniformity and lack of originality

One of the most common criticisms of Bootstrap is that websites built with it can look very similar. The default Bootstrap styles are easily recognizable, and unless significant customization is done, websites can end up looking generic and lacking originality.

What does it mean when a company is self funded? ›

A Self Funded, or Self-Insured plan, is one in which the employer assumes the financial risk for providing health care benefits to its employees.

What does funded bootstrapped mean? ›

In startup funding, bootstrapping means funding your business with your own money, income from your company's sales and, occasionally, money from friends and family. You can also think of it as funding your startup without taking venture capital investment.

What is a self funder? ›

People arrange their own care and support for different reasons; some may pay the full costs and others may be council supported but still pay a charge. If you're paying the full cost of your care, you are known as a 'self-funder'.

What does self-funding mean business? ›

Self-financing means funding your business with your own money. It could come from personal savings, a home equity loan, liquidating your investments or even business credit cards. The key is that you are using your own money to finance your business rather than borrowing from outside sources.

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