It is a daunting task to get a business up and running. And that too bootstrapped. Software startup like ours takes quite some time in figuring out the product market fit. It gives us enough room to build a revenue stream alongside tweaking the product.
To get growth, we need to set a burn. This is one of the most important realisations I’ve had recently.

As a bootstrapped founder, it is easy to fall into the ‘Let me do this as well’ trap. Or its just a small task – no need to outsource it. Because at the end of the day you are looking to keep spendings minimum while building your revenue.

On the other hand, when you are well funded, either through revenue or through external funding, you think of outsourcing the smallest of tasks as you’ve got the money to do so.

Herein lies the classic trap for the bootstrapped founder – how much growth is he sacrificing by not spending enough? At the end of the day, the founders have to understand they need to set a burn. Setting a burn means having to outsource tasks that have become mundane to keep up.

Here’s a theory – if a Founder is just continuing to do the same kind of laborious task month after month, its a red signal. This is a sign that this task must be outsourced.

The Founder should keep freeing himself, and assigning new tasks to himself. This is the only way he will be able to grow his company.

Unless you are outsourcing tasks, or recruiting frequently, you should ask yourself if you have been stagnant. And what can you do to grow from there.