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Comment by jwr | Hacker News Reader

When people ask me whether my self-funded (bootstrapped) business is viable, I point out that a self-funded long-term stable business is more viable than a VC-funded startup.

In discussions, I ask customers to imagine which of the possible outcomes of a VC-funded startup would be good for them as customers (hint: none of the possible outcomes are good for customers, with the possible exception of a rare unicorn IPO).

My problem is that VC-funded startups have money to burn, so they artificially lower subscription software pricing.

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It's not just lower subscription software pricing.

It's also faster time to market, because they're able to field entire teams of engineers to deliver what your tiny team is working on much faster. And they can do a lot more content marketing and advertisement that you've no time or budget to get done.

And then when they run out of money they post a blog post on a Friday morning to announce that you need to get your data out of their system by the end of the day. (Edit: in this case 2 months.)

On an off topic note, your site's FAQ says:

> So is this a one-man operation?

> Yes, for the moment it is. Which is actually a good thing, if you're concerned about viability. This means that there are no investors, no burn rate to speak of, no need to shut the company down because the money ran out. It is a mature, long-term project.

FYI my own concern as a buyer would be what happens if you get hit by a bus. You really need to get some kind of partner, or an employee the moment you can afford one.

If I get hit by a bus, there is a list of people/companies that can take over the business and continue to develop/maintain it. And since it is a viable business, it will make sense for someone to take over.

Please note that getting hit by a bus should be considered in terms of probabilities: while possible, compare it to the near-certainty of "something" happening to a VC-funded business within 3 years, where none of the "somethings" are good for customers.

Consider adding that first paragraph to your FAQ. It will go a long way towards reassuring some of your prospects.

I’ve never liked the gruesome connotation of getting hit by a bus. I call the same risk the Lottery Risk. What happens when your most valuable employee wins the lottery today and doesn’t show up tomorrow?

Or they may very well decide to do something else and drop the project entirely on a moment's notice

"And then when they run out of money they post a blog post on a Friday morning to announce that you've need to get your data out of their system by the end of the day."

Are you referring to the date of May 16th given in the blog? That's two months, not one day. (Easy mistake on a fast read. No particular criticism intended.)

Yes, I did misread. Edited. Thanks!

I think you mis-read that they are closing on March 16th. It actually says May 16th, so users have two months to migrate....

Yes, I did misread. Edited. Thanks!

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