Latest news with #bootstrapping
Entrepreneur
21-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How AI Can Make Starting a Business on Your Own Even Easier — and Faster
Being a bootstrapped founder isn't easy. But thanks to AI, it's certainly easier now than it was 20 years ago — or even two years ago. Here are three ways every single entrepreneur should be leveraging AI tools now. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. I will never regret bootstrapping my business — but that doesn't mean it was easy. Now that they're so far in the rearview, it's easy to look back on those early days through the rose-colored haze of memory: the up-with-the-birds mornings, the evenings where I was so enthralled in my work that dusk faded into night without my even noticing. It was exhausting, but it was also invigorating. I was building something completely mine, on my own steam. But if I were to do it all again now, I know my journey would look completely different. Because now, I'd be using AI. Don't get me wrong — I actually think there's value in having built my business the hard way. My bootstrapping journey is where I learned not just how to found a company, but how to lead one. But would I choose to do it like that again, with all the resources of 2025 at my disposal? Absolutely not. Just like I don't use a scrub board to wash my clothes or mail a letter every time I want to reach out to a friend, building a business today means using all the modern tools at your disposal — doing otherwise is simply a waste of time. Here are some of the most impactful ways AI is changing the game for bootstrappers right now. Related: How I Use AI Tools Daily to Build Better Habits and Hold Myself Accountable Streamline everything When you're bootstrapping, time isn't just money — it's momentum. Every hour you spend buried in spreadsheets or manually responding to emails is an hour you're not pitching a new client or refining your product. That's why one of the smartest moves a bootstrapped founder can make is to treat AI like a team member whose job is simple: handle the busywork so you don't have to. AI-powered tools can now automate entire workflows that used to eat up hours of your week. Need to log leads, send follow-ups or route a customer request to the right place? Tools like Zapier can string those tasks together into seamless workflows that run 24/7. AI assistants can draft emails, schedule meetings, transcribe calls and even analyze sentiment in customer reviews. Meanwhile, predictive analytics tools help you spot trends and make decisions based not just on intuition, but on real-time insights. At Jotform, one practice I swear by is regularly mapping out my workflows to identify what can be automated. I've seen firsthand how even a few small changes — like removing redundant approval steps or auto-generating reports — can free up huge blocks of time and mental bandwidth. As a stretched-thin founder, those wins add up fast. Related: How I Turned AI Into a Teammate, Not Just a Tool — and How You Can, Too Level-up customer support In the early days of my company, I found myself feeling less like an entrepreneur and more like an always-on-call customer support agent. I spent countless hours fielding questions, troubleshooting issues, and trying to keep users happy. It was rewarding in some ways, but it was also a major drain on my time and mental energy. It was only after I hired our first customer support specialist that I was finally able to redirect my focus to growing my business. But getting to that point took a long time. Today, AI offers a better way — and you don't need to wait until you can afford your first hire. With AI-powered customer service tools, bootstrapped founders can build a responsive, around-the-clock support system that scales with demand. Tools like Intercom's Fin or Zendesk's Resolution Platform can instantly handle frequently asked questions, resolve simple issues, and even recommend products — no human input required. These aren't the clunky, rule-based bots of the past. Modern AI agents can understand context, make decisions based on customer intent, and take follow-up actions like processing a return or suggesting a pricing tier. Ultimately, support won't scale itself. But AI can get you pretty close. Before customer questions start piling up — and pulling you away from your core mission — put systems in place that can handle the day-to-day, so you can stay focused on building the future of your business. Related: 8 Ways to Use AI to Keep Your Customers Happy Prototype faster One of the biggest hurdles for early-stage founders is turning an idea into something real. Building your first version — what's often called a minimum viable product, or MVP — can take months, cost thousands and eat up the very resources you're trying to conserve. When I bootstrapped my business, this process was slow and painstaking. Every feature required custom development, and each decision felt high-stakes. But today's AI tools have completely changed the game. Now, you can validate an idea, test demand, and build a functioning prototype before writing a single line of code. AI-powered market research tools can help you pressure-test your idea, identify gaps in the market, and even generate early messaging and positioning. From there, you can move directly into building mode using AI-assisted no-code platforms like Bubble, Glide or Softr, which offer generative tools to create working web apps or landing pages based on simple prompts. These tools offer more than just speed — they offer clarity. I've written before about how an idea without the right market is destined to remain an idea. AI can help you get products into users' hands faster, so you can test, refine and pivot without sinking too much time on something that may not pan out. It's the difference between building faster and building smarter, and when you're bootstrapping, that edge can make all the difference. Being a bootstrapped founder isn't easy. But thanks to AI, it's never been easier than it is now. Take advantage of the tools that are out there, and save your brain for mental heavy lifting that only you can do. Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.
Forbes
16-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Scaling A Niche Tech Business Without Venture Capital
Zeydulla Khudaverdiyev is the founder of PITS Global Data Recovery Services. In today's startup world, headlines are dominated by venture capital raises, unicorn valuations and pitch deck success stories. But outside of the spotlight, there's a different kind of business story. One that doesn't begin with a funding round but with a customer problem, a technical skill set and a deep commitment to solving something hard. That's the path we took when we founded PITS Global Data Recovery Services, a company that now operates advanced data recovery labs across the U.S., U.K. and Germany. We didn't raise capital. We didn't go viral. We built slowly, quietly and relentlessly by bootstrapping every step of the way. When we started, data recovery wasn't glamorous. It didn't attract big investors or make headlines. In fact, it was often viewed as too technical, too risky and too niche. That's exactly why we pursued it. We recognized early that data recovery isn't optional, but it's essential. Hospitals, law firms, media companies, universities and local governments all rely on data they can't afford to lose. We didn't invent a new market. We committed to mastering one that already existed and was underserved. What most missed was this: People will always value trust, expertise and real results, especially when they have a critical need. And that can apply to nearly any niche tech business. Growing Without Investors: The Discipline Advantage Without funding, we had to be creative. Every dollar we earned went back into the business. Our first cleanroom setup came from stretching our budget to the limit. Instead of hiring fast, we trained deeply. Every engineer had to go beyond certification. They had to solve real-world cases under pressure. That focus on technical excellence became our mantra. Marketing was lean. We didn't have the budget to run massive ad campaigns. So, we told stories. We shared real case studies with no exaggerations or gimmicks. People began to trust us because we showed them exactly how we worked and what they could expect. We also invested in content, SEO and building a strong local presence. Over time, our web traffic became one of our greatest assets. We weren't just getting clicks. We were earning trust from people who needed help right away. Scaling From A Single Lab To Global Reach Most people assume bootstrapped means small. But discipline creates growth. We scaled not by spending but by systematizing. We built our own tools to manage diagnostics, parts matching and customer communication. We streamlined logistics to handle device shipping across states and countries. We implemented strict standard operating procedures to ensure consistent outcomes in every location. This allowed us to grow sustainably, adding labs in New York, Los Angeles, London and Düsseldorf. Lessons From The Lab These lessons are forged from years in the trenches, solving high-stakes data loss cases without outside funding. Next, I outline the key takeaways that have helped us grow sustainably, build customer trust and operate with resilience. Whether you're bootstrapping your own venture or navigating a crowded niche, these insights will serve as a practical guide. 1. Niches are deeper than they look. Many entrepreneurs chase what's popular. But unsexy problems often hide massive opportunities. For example, data recovery is a niche, but every person and company depends on data. You don't need a billion users. You need deep problems that you could solve better than anyone else. 2. Bootstrapping creates clarity. When your cash is limited, you don't waste time. Every decision becomes sharper. You don't experiment wildly. You refine deliberately. This kind of discipline builds a culture of ownership in your team. Everyone knows their work matters. 3. Reputation is your best currency. Referral programs aren't necessary if your clients recommend you to their peers. One successful case can lead to five more. Reputation, when earned, becomes more powerful than any marketing budget. 4. Infrastructure scales more than people do. Invest early in building repeatable systems. Growth comes not from throwing people at problems but from designing resilient processes that can scale without lowering quality. Venture-Backed Isn't The Only Way There's nothing wrong with raising capital. But there's also no rule that says it's the only path to building a successful tech business. In fact, for niche, technical or operations-heavy companies, bootstrapping can be an advantage. You stay closer to your customers. You develop stronger internal processes. You learn to solve problems without just throwing money at them. And most importantly, you build something real—something that lasts. We didn't start with capital. We started with a broken hard drive, a clean desk and a belief that every bit matters. That belief still guides us today—and it can guide you, too. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
24-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Use AI To Test Ideas, Refine Marketing, And Grow Smarter
Photo by Growtika on Unsplash As a founder with a developer's background, I never considered myself a marketing pro—until I launched my company in 2006. Overnight, I had to learn everything I could about getting the word out. My strategy, as a bootstrapper, was simple: launch a free version while keeping my day job. I tested the idea, refined the product, and slowly gained traction. Over time, free users became paying customers. Today, artificial intelligence is quickly reshaping the marketing landscape. But some fundamentals haven't changed: experimentation and listening to customers are still essential. What has changed is how easily and effectively we can do both, thanks to AI. Tools that once required global teams and big budgets are now more accessible to any entrepreneur, including solopreneurs. While I wouldn't change my path—bootstrapping was the right move for me—I would have absolutely used AI for market research had it been available. Here's how I recommend today's founders harness AI for marketing research and sustainable growth. Gather Pre-Launch Insight Like an airplane without fuel, a great idea without customer demand will never take off. Before investing significant time or money, it's worth validating what people actually want. Sometimes your idea might have no market. Or, it might be one small tweak away from traction. I've seen this firsthand. We once launched a new version of a product that, to me, seemed like a clear improvement. But usage dropped. I was stumped—until we polled our users. It turned out they didn't dislike the new version; they just wanted the option to choose. So we gave it to them. That simple insight made all the difference. Today, AI can help uncover those kinds of insights faster. In a recent experiment, we used Google's Dynamic Search Ads to validate a new idea. As we prepared to launch our AI agents, we asked: What if we replaced traditional website forms with conversational agents that could interact with users and have some personality? We built a directory of 2,000 AI agents—each designed to replace a specific type of form. Then we handed the entire library to Google's AI—no headlines, no keywords, just the agent pages. Google's system analyzed the content, generated ad copy, selected keywords, and ran the campaigns. What we got back was instant market research. We saw which agents sparked engagement, which use cases drove traffic, and where demand really existed. This approach helped us identify our top-performing use cases before committing major resources. And anyone with a website can do this: use AI to spin up new landing pages, run dynamic ads, and let the data show you where the opportunity lies. Instead of guessing, you can pre-validate ideas with AI and double down on what the market wants. Optimizing Your Creative With AI Nowadays, personalization is key. Research has found that 71 percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. What's more, 76 percent said they became frustrated when companies did not deliver that kind of tailoring. In one study, 65 percent of customers reported that targeted promotions were a top reason for making a purchase. AI-powered tools can help you to gather important customer insights—who are your users, what do they need, and how do they behave—and tailor interactions to them accordingly. For example, you can use AI to analyze chatbot transcripts, support tickets, or survey responses to cluster users into personas and identify pain points or motivations. With generative AI, companies can craft personalized messages and content at a fraction of the speed and price. As McKinsey notes, addressing small consumer groups with customized content has traditionally been cost-prohibitive and infeasible. With gen AI tools like ChatGPT, marketers can craft tailored content at scale while keeping costs down. We're also seeing a major shift in how paid ads work, especially with Google. In the past, you could buy specific keywords and manually manage bids. Then came smart bidding strategies, where Google's algorithms optimized based on your campaign goals. Now, with tools like Performance Max, AI does nearly all the heavy lifting. You just give it your creative assets and goals, and it figures out how to serve the right ad to the right person at the right time. Manual optimization has basically become obsolete. What's exciting is that AI is getting better and better at this. It means you can move faster, test more, and focus your energy on the creative and strategic side of marketing, while AI handles the execution and optimization. Unlike the first example, validating your ideas, this is more about validating which marketing messages connect with which audiences. AI accelerates that process. In the end, the goal isn't to hand over your marketing entirely to machines, it's to hone your great ideas and amplify the messaging. AI gives founders the freedom to test more, learn faster, and make smarter bets without burning through resources.
Forbes
15-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
4 Ways To Bootstrap An SaaS Business Without Overspending
Startup team having strategy meeting getty Bootstrapping your software as a service or SaaS company means you're doing it without the help of outside investors. No venture capital will be supporting your early growth and market breakthrough. However, you'll maintain complete control of your product without worrying about pleasing investors. While they can fund companies, their interest in a startup's success often does not extend beyond strong financial returns. While this independence is compelling, I've observed that bootstrapping comes with its own set of challenges. You're relying on limited resources, including smaller cash flows. Founders are also tasked with navigating competitive markets with a lean business model. If you're considering bootstrapping a SaaS business, it's entirely possible to succeed by executing low-cost strategies. Here are a few to consider. You don't want to develop your product only to discover you've miscalculated demand potential post-launch. It's more challenging to recoup losses after investing significant resources into software the market doesn't want. While verifying demand pre-launch seems like a no-brainer, it's easy to get swayed by enthusiasm. As marketers soon learn, however, internal perspectives and preferences don't determine whether a concept will succeed. Although you might not have a powerhouse marketing research team in the beginning, low-cost ways exist to verify demand. For instance, you could create a landing page to generate leads and sign up customers for your product before launch. You might also publish videos demonstrating how your software will work, including a link to sign up for ongoing developments. Another idea is to have a curated list of prospects emailed to you via a tool like Growth List. The tool funnels B2B sales leads to your inbox, with 100 of these coming in at no cost each month. This allows you to grow your pipeline of prospects who are in the market for new software-based services and products—no chasing required. Your operating budget is lean, so you'll need to consider how to maintain quality without breaking the bank. From developing your app to building a website, you can leverage a range of low-cost tools to assist you. These options often let you balance efficiency with acceptable production standards and results. Examples include open-source and low-cost coding software, which enables efficient app development. You can create a minimum viable product or MVP without needing a coding bootcamp. There are also no-cost AI tools to assist with content marketing and low-cost backend solutions to scale SaaS app development. If you're concerned about how you'll get a website up and running on top of developing your app, rest assured. Low-cost tools exist for this as well. One option is ROI Marketing Applications, which helps create websites for free. You'll pay hosting fees but will have one of the most critical marketing platforms ready to go. You don't have to overspend on marketing to grow your company. Focus on organic channels like online content, digital communities and social media sites instead. Not having a full-time content team could be a hurdle in the beginning. However, outsourcing or using low-cost content tools may be viable options. For instance, ChatGPT can generate blog outlines and basic posts. You'll get a head start on your latest piece without spending hours at the brainstorming table. Flesh out the content AI creates by adding your unique insights, statistics and real-world examples. Even the most seasoned writers and editors benefit from platforms like Hemingway Editor, which double-check for structural and grammatical errors. You don't have to be an expert wordsmith to get started. Other low-cost solutions exist to help with SEO research and social media post management, including automated scheduling. Online communities like Reddit could serve as starting points where you can leverage word-of-mouth. Identify trending topics, add value to existing conversations and consider building your own forum. For startups, achieving more with less can be tough. You'll find the people you bring on board will need to initially wear multiple hats. Yet, you don't want to stretch them too thin. Simultaneously, you might not be able to secure all the skills your business needs by hiring a smaller team. To make the most of your resources, determine what capabilities you require in-house and which functions you can outsource. For example, relying on a few freelancers to augment your content marketing may be more cost-efficient than an internal team. Likewise, you might want to keep software development and sales in-house. One approach is to build an internal team with the core skills your SaaS business requires. Then, delegate the non-core functions to outside experts. These non-core functions usually encompass one-off projects and areas where you need to supplement the output of your employees. Also, consider hiring part-time staff for roles where full-time hours may not be justified. The decision to bootstrap your SaaS business versus seeking venture capital is a significant one. You'll be attempting to fuel your company's growth with more limited resources, at least in the beginning. However, bootstrapping doesn't mean you're restricted to your immediate resources. You can leverage minimal-cost tools and strategies to successfully break into the market. Although 51% of SaaS early startups are backed by venture capital, data shows bootstrapped companies have lower customer acquisition costs. The average cost per customer is $21,000 for venture capital-backed businesses versus $5,000 for bootstrapped competitors. With comparable year-over-year growth rates, bootstrapping lends the advantage of efficient progress. Plus, you'll have the benefit of influencing where that growth leads.
Entrepreneur
30-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Building a High-Performing Team Beats Individual Brilliance
Founders who try to do everything end up doing nothing well. Long-term growth doesn't come from heroics — it comes from teams, systems and the discipline to let go. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In the early days of starting a business, the "do-it-yourself" mindset is a survival skill. You write the code, pitch the client, manage the books and clean the office. There's pride in wearing every hat, and sometimes, no other option. But eventually, if you're still doing everything yourself, you're the bottleneck, not the solution. One of the hardest transitions a founder has to make is letting go of being the hero. I've been there. I bootstrapped 46 Labs from day one. There were no investors, no parachute, no backup plan. For the first few years, I didn't take a salary. I handled the technical architecture and the business strategy while working alongside a handful of teammates who also had skin in the game. But here's what I learned: scaling a company doesn't happen when the founder works harder — it happens when the founder learns to trust and build around others. The hero-CEO model doesn't scale. It burns out. And often, it takes the company down with it. Related: 7 Steps to Building a Smart, High-Performing Team Why the hero mentality fails Being the hero can feel good, especially early on. You close the deal, solve the client issue, squash the bug and feel indispensable. But that "indispensable" feeling is dangerous. Because if you're the only one who can solve a problem, you've just created a fragile system. I've watched brilliant founders build businesses that revolved entirely around their abilities. They made every decision. They approved every hire. They were on every sales call. Eventually, the business outgrew its ability to control it. And instead of delegating, they worked longer hours. They held on tighter. That works — until it doesn't. When something breaks, the team doesn't know how to respond. When you step away, progress stalls. That's not leadership. That's dependency. In aviation (which I've done for years), no pilot flies alone for long. You rely on checklists, instruments, copilots and systems. Not because you can't fly the plane solo, but because flying safely requires redundancy, collaboration and awareness of your own limitations. Business is the same. You don't scale by controlling everything — you scale by building systems that work without you. Related: 5 Long-Term Strategies to Build and Sustain High-Performing Teams Hiring people you'll actually trust One of the best things I ever did as a founder was throw out the traditional hiring playbook. I don't look at resumes. I don't care where you went to school. I want to know how you think, how you solve problems and how you communicate under pressure. We've hired people from outside the telecom industry, from outside the U.S., from industries like fashion or finance. They've become some of the best team members I've worked with. Not because they knew telecom, but because they knew how to think critically, challenge assumptions and own their outcomes. If you want to stop being the hero, you have to hire people you'll trust with the keys. That means focusing on mindset and fit, not just experience. It also means giving people the freedom to operate. A strong team isn't just made of smart people — it's made of empowered people. Replace yourself (over and over again) A lot of founders talk about "working on the business, not in the business." But few follow through. Why? Because stepping out of a function you once owned feels like giving up control. But in reality, it's the most strategic move you can make. I've made it a habit to regularly ask myself: "What am I doing today that someone else should own within the next six months?" If I can't find anything, I either haven't built the right team—or I haven't learned to let go. Replacing yourself isn't about disappearing. It's about creating clarity. When everyone knows what they're responsible for, decisions get made faster. Mistakes become learning moments instead of bottlenecks. And progress scales with or without your direct involvement. When I handed off key engineering decisions to people I trusted, our product got better. When I stepped back from day-to-day project management, execution improved. When I stopped being the one reviewing every deal, we closed more of them. Your job isn't to hold everything together. It's to build something that holds together without you. Related: 7 Ways to Build a High-Performing Team Focus on systems, not heroics One of the best lessons from flying is that systems outperform instinct. In a crisis, you don't rely on your gut—you follow the checklist. You troubleshoot systematically. You communicate with the team. You execute the procedure you practiced 100 times before. Businesses should work the same way. If a deal goes south, a product fails or a system breaks, your company shouldn't rely on you to dive in and save it every time. That's not sustainable—and it's not scalable. Instead, build systems that catch problems early. Build dashboards that show you where things are headed. Build processes your team can run without hand-holding. The less your company relies on heroics, the more it can rely on consistency. Lead from the front, not the center There's a difference between leading and doing. I still jump in when needed. But I don't try to be the center of everything. That's not leadership — that's inertia. Leading from the front means setting direction, making the hard calls and clearing obstacles so your team can execute. It means showing up with clarity, not with your hands on every project. When your business is small, you have to do a little of everything. But as it grows, your job is to make sure everyone else can do their jobs better. That starts with letting go of the need to be the hero. Final thought If your company falls apart when you take a week off, it's not a business — it's a solo act with support staff. The founders who scale well are the ones who replace themselves again and again, who build teams that make good decisions without them and who see their job as building the system, not being the system. You don't need to be the smartest person in the room. You need to build a room full of smart people — and trust them to fly the plane.
