Old Adage it is who you know and the circles you run in..
Saw this post and it started me thinking.
We have had some conversations about seeking investment for our company page.ly, but are really too busy growing it to spend much time on it [raising capital]. We are profitable, acquiring new customers daily, and have a steady up and to the right revenue graph, and we are doing it all bootstrapped with next to $0 in marketing outlay.
Since we have not really dedicated ourselves to seeking investment, this is is really just me thinking out loud: Seems the techstars and Ycom‘s of the world are the way to get a startup funded these days. I wonder how they would work for a company like ours that is perhaps a bit further along path.. (moved past the idea stage into a cashflow business) but not as sexy a model as the next whatever. I would be happy for the advice and mentorship, but really seems the “street cred” and connections/introductons that come with going through a program like that are of the most value.
We are flying under the Radar… I kind of like it. But I struggle with the question of what could we do with a money injection, how far could we go, and how fast.
I see some of these companies getting funding, and of course I am not privy to their board meetings but I ask if the world needs another 1 of those, or how do they plan on making money. As far as I am concerned the “we need 10 million users then we can monetize with ads” model is dead.. but some folks are still investing in those ideas it seems.
Just random thoughts.. back to work.
Josh, my advice is to stay focused and continue to grow on your own, things change when your paying with others money. If you continue to see growth look for loans and more traditional methods of funding the business. Investment is nice but I think way to many focus on the “coolness” of the investment part or they forget about how little things change when someone invest into your company.
Just my 2 cents, oh and Kudos to you. Page.ly is a great service!
Keep on keeping on. If you don’t have to give a % of your company away and you’re making progress, why get outside money? Just to go faster? Unless there is some time sensitive or first mover worry, so what if it takes you a bit longer.
While I definitely get how the mentorship, “street cred” & connections can be of big help, if you’re making money & growing I’d rather take a bit longer and not have to fight to do what you want to do in the end (and also see the ducats go to line your own pocket).
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