In a future post, could you discuss what ramifications this might have for startups and ventures looking for funding.

One of the main reasons I’m in the process of launching a startup is to express my ideas, profit from them… and NOT WORK FOR ANYONE ELSE. When a VC or angel enters the picture, they provide the money, so for the most part, they make the ultimate decisions. And if you truly enjoy your business, you don’t want to see control switched to an acquiring company or outside shareholders.

“My advice is to bootstrap until you can clear either the angel or the VC bar, but no longer.”

I would disagree with that statement. My advice would be to bootstrap until your company turns a profit (which should be a lot quicker than any of the other two options). Of course you would do that responsibly and know when it’s not financially smart to continue to personally finance a failing entity.

In all, both VC and Angel investing are great alternatives, but for someone like me who is passionate about what I do, and likes having control of something i created, and not the intention to just create something and sell it, bootstrapping has more positives than negatives.

Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but if I need money for financing, my first option will be bank loan/credit card, and just hire smart people to move my company in the right direction without giving up too much control.

If your startup doesn’t need funding, and you can bootstrap your way to success, more power to you.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an MBA from Stanford, my team doesn’t include any seasoned executives from successful or fashionable companies (such as Google), I don’t know any reincarnated angels (that know and respect me from a prior life). I’m not aware of the existence of an angel that has prior expertise in in my field and is comfortable evaluating much of anything involving any risk – with or without all the dots connected.

And even more unfortunately (perhaps this is where my lack of an MBA from Stanford is letting me down), I thought a “business” was supposed to generate a steady stream of revenue and profits.

And, crap, I never imagined that it would be hard, or take any effort on my part to start a business.

We’ll, I’m an idiot, so as soon as I burn the SUV and sell the kids to the onion farm down the street, I’ll just go put a bullet in my head.

Respectfully, I think you’re very wrong and misguided. VC dollars try to flow to the opportunities that show the most promise for Return on Capital. Once in a while a great project is passed over purely due to terms, meaning the founder has impossible expectations or something, but most of the time good projects get funded on some level. Findory was not something worthy of funding because it didn’t have a chance of returning a good return. Period.

You’re buying into the spin my friend.