[Swizec]

As far as bootstrapped startups go I can say one thing -> they suck.

When you're in that spot where you don't really know which bill to pay this month and which can probably wait a little while longer, all the while you're asking the bank to extend the limit on your bank account and trying to look all "Yeah hey, I sure as fuck am making enough money to pay for this! Yeah!" ...

... it's not a fun place to be.

But on the other hand, it's a whole lot more fun than when I had a somewhat cushy job as a webdev doing repetitive mindnumbingly horrible things for an advertising agency.

[felixge]

I think there is another way to look at it -> Bootstrapping allows you to stay in control.

You get to decide how many financial sacrifices you take for your business. We do 3 days of contracting and spend another 3 days working on our product. Yes, this even includes one "free" day on a regular basis.

I don't even think it hurts our progress that much. Personally I couldn't focus on a business while not being able to pay my bills.

Being limited on time, but having a little extra cash has been a very good combination for us so far. We spend our time efficiently, and we can sometimes hire people to help us with stuff we're not good at.

Note: I live in a nice big place in Berlin paying most expenses for myself and my girlfriend (she is studying). Not fancy, but certainly not sacrificing anything either. (YMMV, especially in a more expensive city or with kids)

[togasystems]

I hear ya. When you have to get your spouse to pay for simple items because you have to keep your servers running or giving i-o-u-s for Christmas, you really have to start considering if what you are doing is the right thing to do.

But, I wouldn't trade the experience of bootstrapping for anything in the world. It taught me frugalness and prioritization. It also brought me a hell of lot closer to my sig other.