The Most Efficient Path

When a startup has plenty of funding, they take the shortest path to their vision. They get out ahead of the market to offer something new. What they build is disruptive. It’s different from what customers are asking for.

In contrast, bootstrapped startups need to sell their product right away. The resistance of customers to change has a greater impact on what they do. Many will take “the path of least resistance” by simply doing what the market asks them to until they inevitably reach their vision. The problem is that someone else will reach it first.

Companies that minimize resistance will never be responsible for a disruptive product (e.g. from horses to cars, or typewriters to PCs) because customers never ask for one. The value of a disruptive product isn’t immediately obvious, for example: Cars and PCs started off as toys for hobbyists.

The market doesn’t ask to be disrupted, but greatly rewards those who disrupt it.

In order to innovate, bootstrapped startups must recognize that customers require a nudge at times. That facing some friction with customers to bring them closer to the vision is healthy. The goal is to discover those areas where customers can be challenged and leading them through changes that quickly demonstrate the value of the vision. As customers grow to understand the vision they become just as eager to see it happen, and they place their trust in the company that revealed it to them.

By gaining the trust of customers through many small challenges, you break down resistance and find a more efficient path. By simply doing the things that customers ask for, you will never disrupt an industry. And if you race towards your vision without bringing customers with you, someone else will win their trust and loyalty first.