Bootstrapping

Building a business without external investment, funding growth from personal savings, revenue, or both. The founder retains full ownership and control.

Bootstrapping forces profitable thinking from day one. You can't spend money you don't have. Many of the world's most valuable businesses were bootstrapped. Ownership retained = compounding return to the founder.

A founder launches her SaaS using £3,000 of savings. She focuses on getting paying customers quickly, reinvests every pound of revenue, and reaches £8k/month without giving up any equity.