SUBMIT

Lessons From Women Entrepreneurs Who Bootstrapped Their Startups

creatopy-b6Fo9loWZUk-unsplash

By

June 9 2025, Published 3:00 p.m. ET

Share to XShare to FacebookShare via EmailShare to LinkedIn

Bootstrapping originates from the idea of pulling oneself over a fence by bootstraps. In business, it means doing your business with no external funding, just personal funds or money gotten from friends and family.  

A lot of women entrepreneurs are bootstrapping their startups, and this correlates with the recent trends in venture capital funding. Analysis of global venture capital deployment shows that just 2.3% of the $289 billion invested globally in 2024 went to female founding teams. 

The lack of funding is a primary reason for bootstrapping, but there are other nuanced reasons for this trend.

Why They Bootstrapped

Bootstrapping is multifactorial and is chosen as the path for startup founders as a result of multiple reasons.

One reason is a lack of funding. Women-led startups are grossly overlooked for funding by venture capitalists, and this has led them to more resilient and creative ways for raising money.

This was the case for Blume’s founder, Karen Danudjaja, who shared her story on the Female Startup Club Podcast. She said she started the superfood wellness brand while still working a full-time job in commercial real estate. At the start, she did not have access to outside funding and wanted to minimize risk by investing only her own limited resources.

///flipsnack Mg_KjYNqc unsplash x

SOURCE: UNSPLASH

Article continues below advertisement

Another factor that influences these founders’ decision to bootstrap is their preference to maintain full control of their company.

Karen said that bootstrapping allowed her to maintain full control over decision-making.

Similarly, Dana Jackson, the founder of Beneath Your Mask, shared in an article by Create & Cultivate that she didn’t want to give up a piece of her company so early on. She said she also didn’t want to take money without guidance.

In a roundup by TechCabal, Sisan Dorsu, the founder of Torche, a company providing biometric payment solutions, said it’s less about the money and more about who they were taking money from. She said she wants investors who could be strategic partners, such as industry experts or potential customers.

Catherine Mary Said the founder of Gooday, said in the Ultimate Global Podcast that she chose to bootstrap as a strategic choice to grow organically and learn the business hands-on. She said bootstrapping allowed her to build a strong foundation by validating the business idea through customer discovery before scaling.

Article continues below advertisement

How They Bootstrapped

There are multiple steps that come together to enable these women entrepreneurs to bootstrap their companies successfully.

At the start of the company, founders have to embody all roles to save money. When Karen launched Blume, she said she handled everything herself: product development, packaging, sales, and customer service.

Dana said she also recognizes the benefit of bootstrapping, which is that you’re forced to learn every aspect of your business because you can’t afford to hire someone to do every little thing at first. And when you do go to hire someone, you know exactly what they should be doing because you’ve already had to do it yourself.

wp content/uploads///the jopwell collection ZZlMCidFY unsplash

SOURCE: UNSPLASH

Article continues below advertisement

Since money is a scarce resource, it is acquired through personal investments and spent carefully. Karen said she launched Blume with less than $1,000 of her own money, worked her day job, and ran Blume at night, only quitting her job once the business had reached about $200,000 in sales. Afterwards, she said was extremely careful with cash, pushed for quicker invoice payments, and managed inventory tightly to avoid overextending financially.

Bootstrapping doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Your community is a great resource. Gooday founder Catherine said she recruited her two co-founders by pitching her idea to friends. Another way she leveraged her community was by applying to the University of Sydney Incubator Pre-Accelerator Program. This provided mentorship, structure, and access to resources.

You can’t bootstrap a whole company without upskilling. Both Catherine and Karen did this in their course of building. When the pandemic hit and 85% of Blume’s business dried up, Karen quickly learned digital marketing and pivoted to ecommerce, launching themed bundles and building direct-to-consumer sales. Catherine consumed podcasts and sought advice from mentors to gain knowledge and guidance, which helped her avoid mistakes.

Ambition Delivered.

Our weekly email newsletter is packed with stories that inspire, empower, and inform, all written by women for women. Sign up today and start your week off right with the insights and inspiration you need to succeed.

Advertisement
Edikan Profile – Edikan Umoh
By: Edikan Umoh

Edikan Umoh is a writer who uses her insight for storytelling to create pieces that help us form practical ideas about better ways to live. She tells stories about media, communities, the creator economy, women, and internet culture with simple and engaging language. Her editorial experience includes writing essays, articles and other texts that tell the stories of a particular audience. She aims to positively resonate with different groups of people with her work.

Latest The Main Agenda News and Updates

    Link to InstagramLink to FacebookLink to XLinkedIn IconContact us by Email
    HerAgenda

    Opt-out of personalized ads

    Black OwnedFemale Founder