City Leader Resources

Please see Leading a Subgroup if you would like to lead a city chapter.

Why create a Bootstrap City Chapter?

1. The primary purpose for creating a Bootstrap Chapter is to create a support network for bootstrap entrepreneurs. Others on the same entrepreneurial journey will provide advice, help and resources. Additionally, the bootstrap network can promote insight and expertise-sharing among entrepreneurs. This will amplify as the network strengthens. Networked entrepreneurs may also conduct mutual beneficial business with each other.
2. Create and spread a working model for bootstrapping. This is a known process and can be learned. If entrepreneurs are exposed to the model, they will significantly increase their chances of long-term successes.
3. Be inspired and learn from successful bootstrapped entrepreneurs. Most ventures go through the same challenges and having the experience and advice from successful entrepreneurs that have been able to cope with the challenges of developing a new venture is very valuable. This also creates an opportunity for mentorship.

Bootstrap Austin as a Model

See 'Welcome to Bootstrap Austin from Bijoy Goswami, the founder' to see how Bootstrap Austin works.

1. We meet every second Monday of the month at a local pub/watering hole. The group meets at 6:30pm. We usually have speakerswho have founded their own ventures and grown with it into successful enterprises. The speakers are local entrepreneurs. The speaker starts at 7pm and talks for not more than an hour. Folks stick around till about 8:30 to continue the conversations with each other – and often, the speaker too.
2. Conduct "breakout sessions" which are talks around specific topics of interest. These might be given by a bootstrapper or some expert
3. Use yahoo groups to continue the discussion virtually and every city has its own. Many of the questions posted are tactical and local in nature – which won’t be useful for other chapters. The calendar is also very useful to create a repeating event and reminder of bootstrap meetings.
4. Evite is great to invite folks to specific events and get counts for attendance. In Austin,folks can pay for a meeting using Paypal when they sign up.
5. Bootstrap Austin Blog in which leaders can contribute.
6. Website. Every city will have its own wiki page. You can also use the following URL to invite others to learn about your city chapter: http://www.bootstrapnetwork.com/boston. Intitially, it can point to your wiki page and over time you can develop your own site - like the Bangalore Chapter.

Essential Ingredients

1. A core group of leaders with one overall point-person - think Linus Torvalds. Other areas of help will be for the website, speakers, breakout sessions. As with any bootstrapping experience, one passionate person will start and do all the required tasks and then others can step up and take on some of the responsibilities!
2. Use the group to articulate needs. Listen to the banter on the yahoo group and talk to members.
3. Keep it very informal (except for breakout sessions). It’s most important for more and high-quality connections to occur. We are building Metcalfe Networks not Sarnoff ones!
4. Maintain a bar for joining – the group is specifically for bootstrappers, not folks who want to sell stuff or provide services to bootstrappers. Make the metric for joining that the individual is actively considering or currently engaged in a bootstrapped venture. Keep in mind that some folks are really great connectors, who will bring people into the group. They might not themselves be strict bootstrappers, but will be very useful.
5. Build a community. The better bootstrappers know each other, the more they can support each other in multiple ways. Many in the Austin group have done business with each other, provided advice and counsel or otherwise assisted. The core members should actively introduce members to each other, both in-person and electronically. One interesting example: we have a bootstrapper who helps companies locate space in Austin. He is working on finding a bootstrap

Location

Initially, with a small group, you can meet at a local bar. We initially chose the Gingerman Pub in Austin and met on their outside patio. This worked very well for the first six months or so. We started getting speakers and the informal atmosphere helped keep their talks informal, conversational and short! As the group grew, we also outgrew the pub and eventually found Opal Divine's. The key here was the room they have on the second floor which we reserve every second Monday. In classic bootstrap fashion, we don’t pay for our meetings. Since we’re bringing new customers to the venue, the owners were only too happy to host the events. See the Austin Meeting Locations list.

Meeting Times

Once a month works well. Set a day in the beginning of the week and stick to it. In Austin we do second Mondays. Earlier in the week is better because there are much fewer conflicting events. Mondays are especially good. And evening time is ideal. Star

Speakers

For the second-Monday events, the key is to have successful bootstrap entrepreneurs tell their stories. It goes without saying that an entrepreneur who has raised $5MM is quite simply the wrong person to address the group. Hearing stories from warriors who have been in battle does many things. First bootstrappers gain confidence that they too will find a way through seemingly impossible obstacles. Second, bootstrappers will become exposed (if not formally, then through the stories) to the principles of bootstrapping. Third, they will realize that there is no short cut, no magic bullet, no one way. They have to make their own.

Growing the Group

Bigger is not necessarily better; quality over quantity. (More bootstrapping principles applied to the group?!) We should resist the urge to try to get big fast. Rather, stay quiet and let other entrepreneurs find us. The best way that the group in Austin has grown is through existing members inviting others. This will keep the quality high. I currently approve all new members in Austin. Designate a person in your city to do the same.

Breakout Sessions

The breakouts are the forum to address specific issues that bootstrappers face – everything from legal, accounting, marketing, etc. This has happened sporadically in Austin. Usually, we do a brown-bag lunch or pick an evening in between regular meeting times. A more quiet and focused location such as a university classroom or corporate meeting room should be used. Find presenters who are deep experts in their field to talk about their knowledge.

Services & Dues

In Austin we have developed an innovative way to engage the community using our Open Source Model. While we do charge dues to those who want to enage that way (and dues are low and provide free meetings), something much more interesting happens when bootstrappers begin to serve the group, especially with their product or service. First off, Bootstrappers don't have much $ to spare – they’re bootstrappers! Second, getting Bootstrappers to pay by providing services to the group gets a ton more value than $10/month, creates greater community participation and causes Bootstrap to innovate. We use Bootstrapper Kevin Koym’s Enterprise Teaming application to negotiate and track these commitments and it has been extremely successful.

Some examples, worth noting:

1. Leadership: we have co-leads who organize speakers, breakouts, finances (since we collect dues in Austin now),
2. Bootstrap Ambassador Program: there are a ton of related localc groups that are natural connection points for Bootstrap chapters. See the blog for a listing in Austin. The ambassador's job is to coordinate joint events, negotiate special fees for bootstrappers and update the Bootstrap yahoo calendar with events.
3. Sub-group Leadership: these are led by 2 to 3-person teams (MRE-balanced if possible!). They organize their own topic-specific events and also have their own yahoo groups. BTW, topic and industry subgroups are cross-chapter.
4. The Bootstrap Book Club (Austin) is powered by Stuffopolis.
5. The Boot Rap, our podcast is powered by Hearthis.com
6. The Boot Board (Austin) initiative is led by 3 coaching bootstrappers.

Leverage the Bootstrap Network

The Overall Bootstrap Network will be continue to be run from Austin and will:

1. Evangelize Bootstrapping
2. Develop, research and articulate bootstrap principles
3. Maintain online resources for the global community
4. Connect all bootstrap members around the world
5. Create connections between Bootstrappers and large companies
6. Be self-consistent and use bootstrap principles for its own development