Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Alex Slobodkin


Here's a brief list of reasons I've come up with through brainstorming:
• Networking. Knowing what your fellow bootstrappers and their supporters in the community have to offer can be critical to the process by helping the bootstrapper determine what resources are available and what he/she may have to do without.
• Inspiration. Finding out what others are up to and sharing your own projects can be important. I'm hoping the group will be a place of ideas too, most rising right out of discussions on line.
• Pooling resources. From knowledge bases to freelance or full-time talent, bootstrappers must use what's available. Let's see what we can share to improve all bootstrappers' lot through cooperation.
• Bartering. Trading one product or service for another among struggling bootstrappers should be a way of life. A social group like ours can be a clearing house for such transactions. Join up and tell others what you have to offer.
• Team building. I've saved perhaps the most important for last. Bootstrapping guru Bijoy Goswami suggests team building may be at the heart of the bootstrapping process. Finding other entrepreneurs whose personalities and talents compliment your own may be the first step toward building this team, so join up.