Hey bootstrappers,

Starting a business is simple enough. 

Finding customers who want what you sell is the hard part. 

This is a two-fold problem: 

1. You must have something they want or need, and
2. know where to find your best customers.

Solve one without the other and you won’t ever scale. 

This week’s founders attacked the problem from opposite directions. 

One gave up everything for the business, while others hustled on the side. 

All three succeeded in turning their startups into profitable businesses.

Find your solution to the “first customers” problem and you will too. 

Colin McAtee has lived soccer since he was a child. When he got into coding, he gave back to the game that had given him so much joy with a recruitment platform that puts athletes first.

This Former Division I Athlete is Changing the Recruiting Game in a Big Way

“A few companies have reached out to me about potential acquisition but right now, ProductiveRecruit is my baby. I’m still working on a lot of cool features to make the app entirely self-service.”

Jesse Cole had it all, lost it all, and then rebuilt everything while living in a shipping container free from the distractions of everyday living. Find out how his new “office” was the ideal launchpad for his startup.

How This Founder Created a Successful Venture Portfolio While Living and Working in a Shipping Container

“I have a network of people that I went to school with and I invited them to visit the warehouse. These are high-horsepower individuals who could throw around ideas, give honest feedback, and punch holes in what I was working on.”

Aman Goel developed a chatbot at college that piqued the interest of India’s biggest banks. Just months from graduating, he won his first $100,000 contract. Here’s how he did it.

“Distribution Is Key,” Says the Founder of This $1.5 Million AI-Led Enterprise Communications Startup

“If you’re young and want to bootstrap, I suggest looking at enterprise business ideas. I got a $100,000 contract from SBI because they saw the value in our product. They paid a premium to co-create it and customize it with us. It takes longer to grow, but you’re profitable from day one.”

 -Jesse Cole, SkyDrop Capital

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