Bootstrapping has its place in any startup. Webster defines bootstrapping as transitive verb. : to promote or develop by initiative and effort with little or no assistance. It is also an effective process for “transformation.” Albeit digital, change management, leadership, etc. When you don’t have the resources, process, people or tooling in place, bootstrap to get from point A to point B. Many have heard the phrase: “form, storm and norm.” Bootstrapping can look like chaos at first. It usually starts with a meeting of all hands where the problem is communicated and debated. But great leaders know that there is only really one purpose in bootstrapping, and that is to get out of the bootstrapping mode. Some leaders thrive in bootstrapping, pulling fire drills constantly to feel validated in their quest for relevance. This mode of operation is non sustainable; it leads to burn-out, mistakes, bad decision making, and a generally unsatisfying work experience.

Why should you care? If you are a leader in Tech, demonstration of the understanding and mastery of bootstrapping provides optimism and confidence to all internal and external stakeholders. You know that there is a better way and there is commitment to get there quickly.

Let’s examine the components of bootstrapping any process:

1. Problem definition. Is there mindshare amongst leadership as to what the problem is and why a change is required. Sometimes this is a forced exploration as market conditions have changed, personnel changes, growth requires changes in order to scale (great problem).
2. Do you have the right people? Expertise can be expensive, but without it it will be had to create a roadmap to success. To get out of bootstrapping, getting people with not only experience, but solid leadership qualities and a clear idea of what done, or success looks like.
3. Tooling. I confess that I am a big fan of using manual tools to prove the process, then purchase instrumentation. It is cheaper, does not require training or expense, and I find that google forms/sheets can mimic almost anything to test out a process. (ticketing system, feedback forms, even CRM).
4. Process(es). A process can be put in place (deployed) tested, refined, expanded, streamlined, etc. Almost any defined process is better than none, as long as:
   1. The goals are clearly communicated and measured.
   2. There are checkpoints and feedback loops, especially important early on.
   3. Team members empowered to make changes in the process to streamline and create efficencies.
   4. Steps map to an automated process, or manual, that has defined a owner(s).

In your business, have you found yourself in bootstrapping mode? e.g. Building a reporting system for your team, integrating “Customer Success” as part of the sales process, feature exploration for your product. How did you go from whiteboard to process definition to implementation? How long did it take? What did you learn along the way? Did you find experienced help to guide you? How much difference did it make once implemented?