GMCR isn't a coffee shop, it is a company which makes coffee machines and K-cups that go in those machines. # of coffee shops that went national with no financ

GMCR isn't a coffee shop, it is a company which makes coffee machines and K-cups that go in those machines. # of coffee shops that went national with no financing = zero. You can argue about the type of financing, but any type Starbucks had after the first investors expected big growth. Even today their stock price is at a P/E of 30 which means the market thinks they will growth at double digits every year. I'm not saying going VC is good, or not going VC is good. Rather I am saying that each strategy has its own ups and downs depending on the type of business. Some businesses need VC funding to beat competitors, some can grow slow.