I raised $6M in VC. I’ve bootstrapped 5 startups.
VC money made me SOFT. Starvation made me DANGEROUS.
Most founders dream about that fat raise.
I thought VC was my shortcut to greatness.
It wasn’t. It was my shortcut to excuses.
When you're drowning in runway, discipline evaporates.
↳ You hire before you have a product-market fit.
↳ You buy tools before you even have users.
↳ You burn $50k a month and call it “moving fast” — but you’re moving in circles.
Starvation is harsh.
But it turns you into a killer.
At BuddiesHR, every dollar fought tooth and nail:
↳ I argued with my co-founder about $99 SaaS subscriptions like they were life-or-death.
↳ I wrote landing page copy at 1am because nobody else was coming to save us.
↳ Every meeting was about “how do we close a customer?” not “how do we impress investors?”
VC didn’t sharpen my instincts. Starvation did.
If you can bootstrap (even for 3 months) do it.
You’ll build discipline the funded never get.
You’ll learn what REALLY matters.
You’ll stop playing startup and start building a business.
That’s how we did it at BuddiesHR.
No excess. No permission. Just survival (and results).
VC money is a comfort blanket.
Starvation is a forge.
And I’d rather stay dangerous.
Agree? Or are you still addicted to the dopamine hit of a term sheet?
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