Bootstrapping is the term used for nontraditional funding of a company using a series of interim techniques and sources to move from one company stage to another. Bootstrapping somehow implies funding a business when it is not supposed to be funded or in a way that is not expected to work. The technique is routinely used by start-up or early stage businesses that do not have institutional or professional investors, keeping in mind that the great majority of start-up and emerging growth companies do not obtain funding from institutional or professional investors.
From the perspective of the entrepreneur or businessperson, bootstrapping may be viewed as a resourceful or creative way to address the financial need of the business for an interim period using the cash flow of the business and minimizing the use of external capital until the cash flow of the business can support ongoing operations. Given that excess funds are rarely available in this situation, bootstrapping may have the benefit of instilling financial discipline in the company's leadership team and processes as they focus on managing cash flow and all of the influencing factors; they grow accustomed to running a tight operation.
The downside of bootstrapping is that cash flow decisions can take precedence over business decisions that may be in the long-term best interest of building value. In addition, it takes considerable effort and persistence to implement some of the techniques discussed, so it may distract from the daily management of operations. Lastly, in some industries and markets, it is just not feasible to bootstrap. In reality, bootstrapping can be an effective way to discipline the management team and process, given that excess capital in the hands of inexperienced business people often leads to waste and failure, as we saw in the 1999-2000 Internet fiasco.
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Author: Kenneth H. Marks, Larry E. Robbins, Gonzalo Fernandez, John P. Funkhouser and D. L. Williams
