Response from: alan    (12/17/07 9:02pm)

These are all great points and essential,but if the mezzanine complexity requirements of the business are beyond one individual's monetary means, it can be very hard to bootstrap.

I may have to turn away from building the business of aggregated dispatch, to merely providing professional education on the subject - which may lead to a partnership.

Not every business (systems based) can be hiked up with 10k, grad students, and a basement office.

I'm losing my self esteem - I feel like Im letting my forebears down. They where immigrants who got off the boat at Ellis Island and Galveston, with something like 15$. And they made decent lives for themselves. Not the Levi's fortune, mind you.

But some tech startups are not mercantile in nature. Some, as mine, are complex, and need a whack of expertise and time, and lubrication to get going. That mostly needs cash...but somehow...somehow, I dimply perceive that I might meet the right people to move this forward without needing large external investment.

I believe in the boostrap, I do, but it's looking dark here as I sell of my stuff.

Response from: Shawn    (12/18/07 3:12am)

Alan,
I think everyone who's tried the bootstrap approach has met challenges and certainly some businesses are harder to bootstrap than others in a fully scaled form. But I think things like providng expertise and professional education can be a kind of bootstrapping if it leads to teaming with the right resources. A team of entrepreneurs with different skill sets can be key to bootstrapping projects. Don't give up. I'm sure your forebears didn't walk off the boat and found a successful department store chain the following day.

Response from: alan    (12/18/07 10:53am)

I think I was venting a little there after a hard day. Your advice on this blog is actually very valuable and inspiring.

Response from: Shawn    (12/19/07 3:56am)

Thanks, Alan. And thanks for the comments...venting included.