Our blog
Helping bootstrapped SaaS startups grow to scale and achieve dream exits.
Why We’re Investing In a New Model of Startup Business Funding with Earnest Capital
There are a lot of great businesses out there that can benefit thousands of potential future employees and customers that need some help getting off the ground. But the typical funding paths and assistance available to startups don’t work for the vast majority of founders.
Hiring Your First Employee
Hiring your first employee is an exciting, and potentially stressful time for any business. But if you’ve never hired or managed anyone before, how do you find the right people for your team? We’ve got all the details for you including where to post your jobs, how to filter applications, interview questions, and more.
15 of the Best Books for Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs
We came up with this list of 15 of the best books for bootstrapping entrepreneurs by asking our own team of founders for their personal favorites. From classics to new releases (and even a little inspiration outside of the business section) we’ve got something for every entrepreneur’s reading list.
These App Developers Were Running Two Successful SaaS Startups When They Decided to Sell One
When Tristan Gamilis and Nicholas Firth-McCoy launched their SaaS startup, Paydirt, they were also running a website and app development company, and a second startup. Eventually they faced the question many entrepreneurs will: Which business ventures to dedicate their attention to? And what to do with the rest?
Content Maximizing: An Exciting New SaaS Marketing Strategy
A lot of SaaS startups have a blog as part of their marketing strategy. On most blogs, a few posts will outperform the rest of your content combined. Instead of spending time, energy, and money refreshing outdated and poor performing articles, learn how to identify your top-performing content, and maximize the heck out of the results.
She Was Working a Full-time, Six-figure Job When She Bought Out Her Co-Founders and Grew Her Startup to Scale
SureSwift Capital acquired HelpTeaching, an Education Technology platform for teachers, tutors, and homeschooling parents with more than 1 million global members in 2015. Lilia Tovbin, who co-founded the business shared her story with us recently including what it was like to scale a business while working a busy, full-time job, why she decided to sell a company she considered her family business, plus her latest business venture.
Best Practices for Managing Virtual Teams
Building a virtual team should be a top consideration for every startup, entrepreneur, and online business in growth mode, because expanding your talent search to “everywhere” means access to better job candidates. However, managing a team that’s spread across the country (or the globe) presents its own unique set of challenges. Here are the essential apps, qualities you should look for in your candidates, how to build company culture, and more.
The Journey from Founder to Entrepreneur
“Co-Founder and CEO.” That’s what it says on my business card, on the signature line of my emails, on my LinkedIn profile, and my Twitter bio. The “Co-Founder” part tells you that I started SureSwift Capital with a partner. The “CEO” part means that I’m ultimately accountable to my team for creating an environment they can thrive in, and for the overall success or failure of the business. So it’s correct and complete… but it isn’t the title I’m proudest of today. That title is Entrepreneur.
How to Prepare Your Startup for an Exit (or Anything Else)
Only 44 percent of small businesses make it to their fifth year, the timeframe when an acquisition becomes most likely. In light of this, it makes sense that most businesses never create an official exit plan. Unfortunately, that oversight can hurt your business in both the short and long term. Find out why, and get 8 simple tips to get you back on track.
6 Reasons Every Entrepreneur Needs an Exit Plan
If you’re an entrepreneur whose business is generating profit, the last thing on your to-do list might be making a plan to sell that business. Unfortunately none of us can predict the future, and there are a variety of reasons people wind up selling their companies before they thought they would. Coming up with an exit strategy now is something that can have big benefits later.