[boredprogrammer]

Is there any other (realistic) way of doing it though?

EDIT: I added realistic, as not just anybody can get venture capital or have rich friends/family willing to invest a little.

[Silhouette]

Is there any other (realistic) way of doing it though?

Yes: go slowly but stay within your means.

Whether this is a good strategy depends on the nature of the business and the people involved with running it.

[jacquesm]

Organic growth.

[song]

Yes, and if you really need investment to grow faster, do not necessarily take it out of your pocket, seek investors, it's important to plan for the potential failure of your startup.

Being broke and in dept, after your startup failed and you closed, it is not a good situation to be in.