The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

You Are the First Investor

Even if you’re bootstrapping, you always have an investor. You are your business’s first and most important investor. And you invest something much more important than cash—your life. You put everything on the line to attempt a treacherous mountain climb, upon a crumbling path that is littered with the tombstones of failed startups. If you give anything less, you might as well quit now. You’ll never make it halfheartedly.

Since you’re the first investor, you must evaluate your business as an investor would. Is the industry good? Is the market receptive to new entrants? Can I make enough money to be happy in the long run? Is the reward worth the risk? Is the go-to-market plan realistic or a pipe dream? Pretend that an entrepreneur trying to raise money pitched you your company. Would you invest 20 percent of your net worth? Be honest with yourself! This is one of the hardest things for entrepreneurs to do, but it’s also one of the most important.

If you come to the difficult conclusion that you wouldn’t invest, what holds you back? Can you fix or mitigate the issue? If you can’t justify investing 20 percent of your net worth, how can you justify investing your life? Don’t rush into a business that isn’t right for you. Take your time, and wait for the right idea. It will come.

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