[HN Gopher] My eighth year as a bootstrapped founder
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My eighth year as a bootstrapped founder
Author : mtlynch
Score : 81 points
Date : 2026-02-08 11:47 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (mtlynch.io)
(TXT) w3m dump (mtlynch.io)
| mtlynch wrote:
| Author here.
|
| Happy to answer any questions or take feedback about this post.
| verelo wrote:
| I'd love to learn more about your process of the sale. And in
| your graphs, is that attributed to profit/revenue in 2024?
|
| I'm on a super similar journey. Started in 2022, did about 400k
| in revenue in 2025 at 79% margin, we'll se how this year goes.
| Theres a world where i'd love to add a lot of scale, but
| that'll rely on some experiments (underway) panning out. It's
| 'failure' in most peoples books but 2x'ing would be great too?!
|
| How did you find a buyer? How did you come to a sale price? Why
| didn't you keep going?
| mtlynch wrote:
| > _I 'm on a super similar journey. Started in 2022, did
| about 400k in revenue in 2025 at 79% margin, we'll se how
| this year goes. Theres a world where i'd love to add a lot of
| scale, but that'll rely on some experiments (underway)
| panning out. It's 'failure' in most peoples books but 2x'ing
| would be great too?!_
|
| Nice, congrats!
|
| Yeah, I think depending on what bubble you're in,
| bootstrapping to 400k and 2x'ing every few years is either
| failure or amazing. The VC/hypergrowth path doesn't appeal to
| me, so I think something that gives you $100k+/yr in profit
| is a huge success.
|
| > _I 'd love to learn more about your process of the sale._
|
| Sure, I wrote a couple of posts with the details.[0, 1]
|
| [0] https://mtlynch.io/i-sold-tinypilot/
|
| [1] https://mtlynch.io/lessons-from-my-first-exit/
| scalemaxx wrote:
| Do you do podcast interviews? Would love to dig into the
| no-VC/hypergrowth path as that's what I'm all about.
| mtlynch wrote:
| Yep, the place where I've talked about it the most has
| been _The Software Misadventures Podcast_.[0, 1]
|
| [0] https://softwaremisadventures.com/p/michael-lynch-on-
| quittin... (2022, two years into the business)
|
| [1] https://softwaremisadventures.com/p/michael-lynch-
| indie-hack... (2024, just after I sold)
| Exoristos wrote:
| I think scalemaxx is offering to interview you.
| mtlynch wrote:
| Oh, I'm open to that!
| verelo wrote:
| Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify the picture for me,
| was the 2024 jump in profit attributing the sale or was
| that just a solid year?
|
| Agreed on the 2x every year or two being a weird failure
| state. I've done both, and I'm at a junction point right
| now, but I really think a huge part of going all in on the
| VC route is finding the right money to work with. I've been
| mostly technical, hidden in dark places all my life. I love
| having the chance to be customer facing, i love the
| business side of my work, but doing that with the wrong
| backers is so unappealing i'd rather not have their money.
|
| Edit: just skimmed your prior post
| (https://mtlynch.io/i-sold-tinypilot/). Great stuff, love
| the transparency!
| mtlynch wrote:
| > _Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify the picture for
| me, was the 2024 jump in profit attributing the sale or
| was that just a solid year?_
|
| Mostly the sale. The deal closed in April, but Jan-March
| was an especially profitable quarter.[0]
|
| [0] https://mtlynch.io/retrospectives/2024/04/
| Flux159 wrote:
| I'm currently a solo bootstrapped founder, have done short
| stints in the past - 1 year in 2022, then became cofounder of a
| funded startup for a year. Now doing it again.
|
| Question is how you stay motivated to keep at it - looks like
| it took about 4 years before you made similar to your Google
| salary, did family pressure or external pressure ever impact
| you? Or is it mainly just keep your eyes on the longer term
| goal?
|
| I'm also quite lucky that I was aiming for lean-FIRE before I
| left Facebook, so I have the luxury of being able to keep at
| it, but sometimes it is demotivating seeing peers / others.
| mtlynch wrote:
| > _Question is how you stay motivated to keep at it - looks
| like it took about 4 years before you made similar to your
| Google salary, did family pressure or external pressure ever
| impact you? Or is it mainly just keep your eyes on the longer
| term goal?_
|
| I found it helpful to go in with low expectations.
|
| I was listening to a lot of podcasts about bootstrapping
| while I was still at Google in 2017-2018, and even the big
| success stories usually had 5+ years of failing or succeeding
| only marginally. So, I went in with the expectation that I'd
| probably fail for the first 5 years, and so there wasn't that
| feeling of disappointment from not earning much the first few
| years.
|
| I also had a lot of lucky conditions that made it easy to
| take the risk at the time, including no family to support,
| lots of savings, low expenses.
|
| > _I 'm also quite lucky that I was aiming for lean-FIRE
| before I left Facebook, so I have the luxury of being able to
| keep at it, but sometimes it is demotivating seeing peers /
| others._
|
| Yeah, honestly I do sometimes think, "Wow, if I'd stayed at
| Google and kept getting that comp (which was about 50% equity
| IIRC), that would be a lot of money." But I also am very
| pleased with my life now, and I know I wouldn't have enjoyed
| my job nearly as much for the last 8 years had I stayed an
| employee. And that's a huge amount of my life to not do what
| I'd like to do.
| FiberBundle wrote:
| How do you see the solo bootstrapping landscape going forward?
| In what ways do you see agentic coding changing things?
| mtlynch wrote:
| > _How do you see the solo bootstrapping landscape going
| forward? In what ways do you see agentic coding changing
| things?_
|
| It's hard to say. I think it could go either way.
|
| My optimistic take is that it has a similar effect to cloud
| computing on solo bootstrapping. If you tried to start a SaaS
| company in 2005, you'd have a hard time because in addition
| to knowing software, you'd also have to know how to provision
| servers in a data center, so you didn't see a lot of one-
| person software success stories from that era. But then with
| cloud computing, it radically lowered the barrier to entry,
| and there were lots of one-person SaaS businesses making
| $1M+/yr.
|
| So, the best case for me is if that AI increases the power of
| solo bootstrappers even more so if you're great at software
| but terrible at website design / running ads, you don't have
| to hire people to help you anymore, and you can achieve more
| by yourself.
|
| The pessimistic outcome is that it becomes less profitable to
| be a bootstrapped founder because the reduced barrier to
| entry means you're competing with 10-100x as many people and
| that companies are more comfortable building in-house tools
| with AI rather than purchasing B2B SaaS products.[0]
|
| I actually have a hard time imagining B2B SaaS dying because
| AI makes it easy to roll your own tools. I feel like even if
| you reduced dev cost to nearly zero, there's still headache
| of maintaining an app. Like, for my last business, we were
| paying $200/mo for HelpScout to manage support emails. If one
| of the devs said they spun up a reimplementation of HelpScout
| over the weekend that we could run for $2/mo, I'd still say
| no because the cost of managing it internally is at least
| $200/mo of people's focus.
|
| [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46888441
| scalemaxx wrote:
| I'm curious about your book journey. Sounds like having a big
| audience and pre-existing list really helps! How did you go
| about building that audience and list, and what helped the most
| to doing that? Which lists / audience converted the most for
| your book offer, and how did you promote or otherwise let folks
| know about your book? What was the compelling ask to pre-order
| a book? And, how do you plan to publish the book? Lots of book
| questions
| mtlynch wrote:
| > _Sounds like having a big audience and pre-existing list
| really helps!_
|
| I didn't have a particularly big audience. I had about 2k
| mailing list subscribers on my main blog, but a pretty small
| percentage of them purchased. And I had something like 600
| subscribers for the book because I've been saying I'd write
| it since 2021, but all I had was a mailing list.
|
| > _How did you go about building that audience and list, and
| what helped the most to doing that?_
|
| I haven't been focused on growing the list that much.
|
| My main goal right now is to get feedback from readers and
| use it to improve the book. Once the book is done and I can't
| think of ways to improve it, I'll probably switch to focusing
| more on finding more places to find paying readers.
|
| > _Which lists / audience converted the most for your book
| offer_
|
| I find the most paying readers from HN, actually. I don't
| think it's the most in terms of conversion percentage, but
| it's the most in absolute terms because HN is so big. And
| then there are secondary effects of something doing well on
| HN because people share the link on other, smaller sites and
| social media.
|
| > _how did you promote or otherwise let folks know about your
| book?_
|
| The thing that's always worked best for me is writing blog
| posts that I hope my target audience will find interesting.
| So the thing that's worked for the book is adapting parts of
| the book to standalone blog posts and sharing those
| online.[0] A few of those posts did well on HN because I
| tried to make them interesting to developers interested in
| writing/blogging.[1]
|
| > _What was the compelling ask to pre-order a book?_
|
| Haha, maybe I should craft that more. It's mainly that they
| get to read more of whatever samples they've already
| hopefully found useful.
|
| My pitch for early access is that early readers get to read
| it and ask me questions and help shape the book.
|
| > _And, how do you plan to publish the book?_
|
| I'm already publishing it as a PDF/epub that I sell through
| Stripe.
|
| I might eventually do a print run or sell Amazon, but I hate
| dealing with Amazon and physical products, so I'd have to be
| really confident it would have a big impact on sales.
|
| [0] https://refactoringenglish.com/chapters/
|
| [1] https://refactoringenglish.com/tools/hn-
| popularity/domain/?d...
| tizio13 wrote:
| Hey OP, thanks for posting your journey. This helps more than you
| know
| mtlynch wrote:
| Thanks for reading! I'm really glad to hear that you found it
| helpful!
| switz wrote:
| Thanks for being so transparent. As a fellow solo bootstrapper, I
| think the thing people most often misunderstand is the relative
| inconsistency (income, "wins", the camaraderie, etc.) so it's
| nice for you to bare all.
|
| That being said, you do get the consistency of independence and
| autonomy. As I watch my peers deal with crappy work environments,
| losing their jobs, and other bullshit, I just keep chugging
| along: self-directed and happy to not have to answer to anyone.
|
| I've found it tough to talk about being a solo bootstrapper
| though. People don't seem all that interested in it until you
| catch them in the right light or perspective. Mostly they just
| care to know how much money you make (which to me ends up being
| rather shallow), or they can't relate to the process since it's
| so divorced from the traditional path. I mostly just keep my head
| down and keep working, since that's what I enjoy the most.
| mtlynch wrote:
| > _Thanks for being so transparent. As a fellow solo
| bootstrapper, I think the thing people most often misunderstand
| is the relative inconsistency (income, "wins", the camaraderie,
| etc.) so it's nice for you to bare all._
|
| > _That being said, you do get the consistency of independence
| and autonomy. As I watch my peers deal with crappy work
| environments, losing their jobs, and other bullshit, I just
| keep chugging along: self-directed and happy to not have to
| answer to anyone._
|
| Yes, I completely agree.
|
| Bootstrapping, you realize that employment smooths out a lot of
| issues for you. Like if you're sick for two weeks as an
| employee, maybe it hurts your OKRs, but you'll be fine. If
| you're sick for two weeks as a solo founder, that can be
| catastrophic. And if you need to do something like take
| parental leave for six months, the company can't just continue
| on without you like it could if you worked for a large company.
|
| But as you said, you get the consistency of being your own boss
| and directing your own time, which more than makes up for it
| for me.
| switz wrote:
| Yup, I always say - the hardest part of my job is that _if I
| don 't do it, nothing gets done_. That copy error on the
| website. That minor bug. We take for granted the velocity we
| get by having colleagues. If I get lazy, everything grinds to
| a halt. And those little nits add up. But I strongly agree
| it's all worth it.
| jyscao wrote:
| This is the path I want to take too. Do you find it difficult
| to focus on the marketing and sales side of the business rather
| than the building part?
| switz wrote:
| It really depends on what you want to do. By the nature of
| being self-directed, you elect what roles you want to play. I
| personally don't love the marketing and sales cycles, so my
| current business is B2C and I don't do any marketing.
|
| Almost all growth was done via word of mouth. There are
| business models whose network effects lean in this direction.
| In order to use my product, you _must_ bring along peers so
| it 's inherently 'viral'. I fell into this by accident rather
| than by some grand design, but it became obvious to me after
| I saw it happen. Design a business in which the flywheel can
| spin without you, if you don't want to spend your time
| marketing.
|
| My next business that I'm working on is B2B, so I'll have to
| have a much stronger handle on marketing and sales. But I'm
| more ready for that now, after a decade of running a B2C
| business.
| Joel_Mckay wrote:
| In general, most firms form relationships with marketing lead
| generation companies. i.e. you pay for customers interested
| in buying something, and pay a reward if a sale is made.
|
| Don't bother spamming with FAAG, as the conversion rates are
| still hypothetical for many. Go to trade shows, and note how
| sales people operate with the public... hint, the big deals
| are never done on the floor area.
|
| The sales conversion rates and tax postures will determine if
| this type of business is viable in your area. =3
| Joel_Mckay wrote:
| Most people start side-businesses for tax reasons, and those
| that seek others to solve their problems for them... usually
| don't last long in business.
|
| I've witnessed many firms run the gauntlet with varying levels
| of success, and would suggest the following:
|
| 1. sell what the customer already wants, as people with loss
| aversion stick with what they already know.
|
| 2. sell what makes customers feel good buying, and reward them
| with actual functional utility in their life
|
| 3. Never compete, focus on service with a novel niche product.
| Stupid people by their nature destroy everything around them
| regardless of long term benefit.
|
| 4. Never hire people unless absolutely necessary, and contract
| with tax responsibility clauses when possible.
|
| 5. Never buy equipment unless absolutely necessary, or lease
| when possible
|
| 6. Never enter legal or subscription agreements even with your
| own legal specialists feedback
|
| 7. Never become a poser burning $170k/month on labor in a
| vestigial office
|
| 8. Position your firm to leverage tax and grant programs
|
| 9. Stay quiet (especially online in a sea of cons), and only
| talk about the distant past when people try to goad you into
| telling them how you make revenue
|
| 10. Avoid bums in suites as many are dangerous well practiced
| thieves. Never let technical staff talk with the customers, or
| vendors. Some people go crazy when they see a bit of money, and
| do not behave rationally.
|
| 11. There must only be 1 president, and all agreements must be
| in contract form.
|
| 12. Never risk more than 15% of annual revenue on ANY deal.
| Customers lie and disappear on rare occasion... Large firms can
| grab your firm like a dog with a rag doll, and may still stiff
| you on the contract knowing the legal and fiscal power
| asymmetry
|
| 13. Chasing customers means your business model still needs
| work. If people are happy with what you are providing, than
| growth should naturally happen every year
|
| 14. Go to trade shows to see what other people are selling, and
| ask yourself what else does the customer need
|
| 15. Cash is king, as long as the money flows most other
| problems are irrelevant
|
| Best of luck, =3
| mrdependable wrote:
| I've had a similar journey to yours. Started January 1st 2019,
| early 30s, had a second kid. Loving every minute of it, though I
| do wonder when the fun is going to end. Every year I'm surprised
| the business keeps growing. This year my goal is to diversify to
| try and ease that gnawing anxiety, but every time I try working
| on something else I feel guilty about ignoring what's already
| been working for me. Tempted to just sell so I can have a bigger
| cushion and less distraction on my next venture, but not sure how
| the current climate would affect the valuation.
| mtlynch wrote:
| I recommend having an initial talk with a broker if you're
| thinking about it at all.
|
| The brokers I've met are happy to talk if you have a profitable
| business, even if you don't plan on selling anytime soon, and
| you don't have to sign anything to commit to them. They can
| talk to you about what you can do to prepare for an exit even
| if you don't expect that to happen for several years (and it
| might take you several years to manage yourself out of the
| business).
|
| I personally liked the broker I worked with and recommend
| him.[0]
|
| [0] https://quietlight.com/advisors/chris-guthrie/
| LightBug1 wrote:
| I like these kind of stories. Insight into these situation is
| inspiring. When I hang up the gloves in my current role I'll
| probably do something similar.
|
| But, come on ... isn't it just a touch disingenuous to call this
| a bootstrap situation?
|
| I assume an ex-Google developer jettisoned with a decent safety
| net. Perhaps I'm wrong. But I have a very different idea of what
| bootstrapping is.
|
| Anyway, kudos to you ... making your own move is brave and
| commendable.
| swalsh wrote:
| I think that "align your business with your passion" is a really
| important factor that divides the succesful from the not. When I
| look at Pieter Levels, he doesn't really seem to build ideas to
| make money. His projects seem to start off as play, and
| eventually they evolve into something new he can charge for.
| apparent wrote:
| Maybe it's just me, but it seems kind of weird to say you earned
| $8,200 in "profit" when there was no salary. Profit is typically
| the excess a business earns above its costs. For a solo founder,
| it can be a little tricky because the more you pay yourself in
| salary, the less you have in profit (and vice versa). But here,
| there was no salary. Maybe "earnings" or "income" would be a
| better term to use? Otherwise someone might (particularly for
| other years) think that the business earned $PROFIT dollars
| beyond all other costs, including presumably some sort of salary
| for all employees/contractors.
| joshuamcginnis wrote:
| Yea. Perhaps a better metric to use would be Seller's
| Discretionary Earnings (SDE) which includes the owner's salary,
| benefits, and discretionary expenses, after adjusting for non-
| recurring, non-operating, and non-cash items. This metric is
| often used when one person wants to acquire another business.
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