Category Archives: Business

Starting a bootstrappers group

In the drinks after the first Life Time Value conference last year, two different friends hinted that it would be great if there was a local meet up for people who were trying to start their own ‘product’ businesses. They were telling me partly because they were interested to see if I would come along, but mainly because I’ve organised various groups and events before, and they wanted me to do this one. After some humming and haaing, and checking another friend would come along, I said yes.

I’d been in a group of people trying to bootstrap their own startups before. In 2009 Jon Markwell (now co-organiser of the Life Time Value conference with Andy Croll) organised a weekly meet up for people trying to get their own product or service up and running. Even though I later burnt out on the idea I was pursuing then, I’d found the group very helpful. Even better, Jon said he’d both come to this new group and lend us part of his coworking space, The Skiff, to hold the meetings.

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Why start a SaaS as a freelancer?

I’ve been a freelancer for 14 years and am currently starting a Software as a Service (SaaS) to supplement, and perhaps replace, my freelancing income.

I’m quite successful as a freelancer. By that I mean I earn enough to pay all the bills and save some extra, supporting my child and wife while our son is young and it’s easier if she does not return to work, all in an expensive area to live in. We’re not rolling in cash, but we’re not in the “just getting by” category so many of our friends are in.

So, why start something extra? Starting something new is going to be a distraction, I’ll have to turn away client work that could have filled that time.

New challenges

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