Hey bootstrappers,

>> These folks know what’s up

Throughout your career, one thing’s for certain… 

You’ll find no end of people and self proclaimed “experts” telling you what to do. 

Just type “How to start a business” into Google and you’ll get almost 5 billion results. 

From authors, bloggers, and influencers to the consultants that charge thousands – they all lay claim to the “secret” of successful entrepreneurship.

(We've been known to share entrepreneurial wisdom ourselves, from time to time! 😉)

But guess who could teach you more than all of them combined?

I’ll give you a clue: They’d love to hear from you, would be honored to give their advice, and won’t charge you a cent for it. 

In fact, they probably pay you. 

Yes, you guessed it, it’s your customers. 

When times get tough, rather than resorting to someone’s else’s solution, which may or may not work, speak to your customers first. 

They’ll tell you what’s working, what’s not, and what they want more of. 

All of which will help you formulate a plan for success. 

This week’s founders exemplify what it means to be “customer-led” or “customer-first”.

It worked brilliantly for them and I suspect it would for you too. 

Marcus Taylor isn’t your typical bootstrapper – he builds a new venture every year according to a simple mandate: will customers pay for this?

How This Founder Starts a New Bootstrapped Venture Every Year – While Maintaining 50 Percent Net Profit

“You can’t spend a year building a product, then figure out whether people will want it and pay for it. We’re finding out ways to speed up that process – asking the right questions, etcetera. But that’s really what it comes down to.”

Julia Rodgers and Sarabeth Jaffee listened to millennials complain about the cost of drafting prenups. Their attorney-free solution cut prenup fees and landed them a deal on Shark Tank.

How These Bootstrapped Entrepreneurs Landed a Six-Figure Deal on Shark Tank with Media Darling, Mr. Wonderful

“It’s a lot more affordable, it’s faster, and it’s less intimidating than going to a divorce attorney when you’ve just got engaged.”

David Engle and Jackson Geller consulted for ecommerce clients before building their inventory management platform. Learning their clients’ needs first led to paying customers from day one.

These Founders Help Secondhand Retailers Earn $150 Million a Year in Ecommerce Sales

“We consistently ask ourselves: What does the customer need, how do they need it, and how can we bring it to them? Our whole growth strategy has been about solving our customers’ challenges and then those customers bring in new clients for us.”

“Do customers find us valuable? Are they going to pay for what we’re offering? If the answer is ‘yes’, we grow. If it’s not, we don’t. Simple as that.”

 - Marcus Taylor, Venture Harbour

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