[ErinHattaway]

Hello there. I started working for a company back in March- the owners of the business went the bootstrap route- started with $5,000 out of their own pockets. The company has grown and expanded and is now doing $100,000 a month in revenue with a 50% margin. The business is secure and growing. In your experience, how typical is this of a bootstrap venture?

[akula]

not typical..
new ventures normally go through a 2 year a j-curve..so it's about 67-80% unlikely that any nascent venture would break even and turn cash positive within this period
the example you describe is an extreme statistical outlier

[stolenmojo]

Agreed that it is not common, but I have done it before and though it is hard to handle the growth if self financed it is surely possible if the product, service or idea appeals to the masses.

If you have a good idea and a few bucks to spare, all it takes is some time to spread the word and go from there.

Good luck

[DCswimwear.com]

I'd say it's not that uncommon anymore for bootstraps to turn into multi million dollar businesses. just look at myspace,.. However, given enough time to develop. How long has the company been in business? I agree with stolenmojo though, it would be a task to handle a very rapid growth, keeping inventory stocked is not cheap in those quantities. You just have to be prepared to work 24/7 for as long as it takes to mature.. but it's possible. At least with a minimal investment like that, if you lose it, it's not the end of the world. The benefits far outweigh the risks..