Bootstrapping, traditionally, involves limiting overhead while focusing on making a single project or service work for you. According to Seth Godin, it’s a state of mind, not necessarily a financial state of being. Unfortunately, for working poor people with dreams, it’s a state of being — financially, intellectually, and emotionally. We strive to build something that pays for itself every day so we can work for pleasure, not to merely make ends meet.

And, to be frank, it’s very difficult to gain traction.

In the first few years of Insanitek, I pounded out the business concept time and time again. It went from a vague wish to a well-defined business concept — even if it is big. In recent days we’ve even had some ideas as to what we would like to sell — at least in terms of science communication. We are putting together classes for later uses in homeschooling, webinars, and outreach opportunities for all Insanitekians to use and grow with. Another area we are working on is the store so we can bring all manner of geekery to you, but we are especially keen on working with our new photographer, Emily Matthiessen, to put together a collection of science stock photos.

A lot is going on, but many of these things take money, time, or expertise I don’t have. Sometimes it’s hard to keep pulling myself forward, let alone leading my team. I work hard at my seasonal job at Rosie’s Garden and Hugh’s Landscape, tutoring, consulting and writing to bring enough money in to pay my personal bills and keep Insanitek going. But doing it I am. Insanitek is going to be bootstrapped from the ground up, and the entire process is going to be chronicled for our clients. I want them to see that it is possible even when you have come from literally nothing.

One of the things that gets me through is reading ideas from others. My favourite on the concept of bootstrapping has been Seth Godin, specifically his Skillshare class, “The New Business Toolbox” and the free goodies he puts with it. One of the free goodies he gives out when you take the class is the Bootstrapper Manifesto, which is a shortened form of his book, The Bootstrapper’s Bible. I fervently repeat the manifesto’s core tenets in times when I feel like giving up. It reads:

I am a bootstrapper. I have initiative and insight and guts, but not much money. I will succeed because my efforts and my focus will defeat bigger and better-funded competitors. I am fearless. I keep my focus on growing the business—not on politics, career advancement, or other wasteful distractions.

I will leverage my skills to become the key to every department of my company, yet realize that hiring experts can be the secret to my success. I will be a fervent and intelligent user of technology, to conserve my two most precious assets: time and money.

My secret weapon is knowing how to cut through bureaucracy. My size makes me faster and more nimble than any company could ever be.

I am a laser beam. Opportunities will try to cloud my focus, but I will not waver from my stated goal and plan—until I change it. And I know that plans were made to be changed.

I’m in it for the long haul. Building a business that will last separates me from the opportunist, and is an investment in my brand and my future. Surviving is succeeding, and each day that goes by makes it easier still for me to reach my goals.

I pledge to know more about my field than anyone else. I will read and learn and teach. My greatest asset is the value I can add to my clients through my efforts.

I realize that treating people well on the way up will make it nicer for me on the way back down. I will be scrupulously honest and overt in my dealings, and won’t use my position as a fearless bootstrapper to gain unfair advantage. My reputation will follow me wherever I go, and I will invest in it daily and protect it fiercely.

I am the underdog. I realize that others are rooting for me to succeed, and I will gratefully accept their help when offered. I also understand the power of favors, and will offer them and grant them whenever I can.

I have less to lose than most — a fact I can turn into a significant competitive advantage. I am a salesperson. Sooner or later, my income will depend on sales, and those sales can be made only by me, not by an emissary, not by a rep. I will sell by helping others get what they want, by identifying needs and filling them.

I am a guerrilla. I will be persistent, consistent, and willing to invest in the marketing of myself and my business.

I will measure what I do, and won’t lie about it to myself or my spouse. I will set strict financial goals and honestly evaluate my performance. I’ll set limits on time and money and won’t exceed either.

Most of all, I’ll remember that the journey is the reward. I will learn and grow and enjoy every single day.

I love the message this has. It has strength, choice, determination, intelligence, and self-reliance as the core to this whole mindset. It’s the values I hold highest, and it’s also the ones I hope to inspire in others through my actions and choices while bootstrapping Insanitek every step of the way.