I fail to see how you could read my comment and draw the conclusion that I am committed to an ideological position that bootstrapping is the only valid way to s

I fail to see how you could read my comment and draw the conclusion that I am committed to an ideological position that bootstrapping is the only valid way to start a business because I implied no such thing. Many businesses require capital, and it's worth noting that equity isn't the only means by which it can be raised. This said, money isn't free (except in certain financial centers of course) and the people and institutions providing it generally aren't doing so out of the goodness of their hearts. My comment simply points that out. Want something useful? How's this: it's easier to raise capital on reasonable/favorable terms when you don't need it. In other words, put yourself in a position where you're raising capital to grow, make bigger investments earlier, etc., not to make next month's payroll. I always figured this was common sense, but in Silicon Valley, more than a few people seem to believe that the way to build a business is to return to the funding trough every time you've exhausted your last round of funding.