Welcome to this week’s edition of The Bootstrap Insider (Thoughts of the Week). If you’re new here, subscribe to ensure you receive my next piece in your inbox. If you want to read more of my posts, check out my archive.

Hi {{first_name}},

thank you for being part of this newsletter.

As I mentioned before, the main goal of The Bootstrap Insider (Basic) is simple:
to help you find equity-free prize money and opportunities that actually move your startup forward.

But on Sundays, I’m sharing something different: Thoughts of the Week.
Personal learnings. Stories. Reflections. Things that stuck with me.

It’s not a fixed category yet—but if you enjoy this kind of content, give me a sign.

Best,

Bartosz

It’s late. The house is quiet, and usually, this is when the "overthinking" starts to creep in.

You start wondering if your website looks professional enough, if your pricing is "correct," or if your latest offer is too confusing. You look at the giants in your industry and feel like you're playing a different sport.

But here’s a secret from the trenches: I am actually "bad" at most of the things a business owner is supposed to be good at.

And yet, the business works.

I used to think that "being an entrepreneur" meant having a sleek pitch deck, a high-converting email funnel, and a polished website that looked like it cost ten grand.

I was wrong.

In fact, I’ve spent the last few years being "bad" at almost everything the gurus tell you is mandatory. My "marketing" is sporadic, and I’ve definitely over-complicated my offers to the point of confusion.

And yet, the business grows. Why?

We have this habit of over-engineering our success. We think that to get the next client or reach the next revenue milestone, we need:

We treat business like a Rube Goldberg machine—adding more gears and pulleys, hoping that complexity equals value. It doesn't.

When we overthink, we stop focusing on the only person who matters: The Customer.

Your customer doesn't wake up in the morning hoping you’ve updated your Squarespace site or polished your pitch deck. They don't care if your email list has 800 people or 80,000.

They are looking for a solution to a specific pain. While you’re busy "building the business," you might be neglecting the very thing they are paying for.

If you want to strip away the noise and get back to what actually makes a bootstrap business survive, it comes down to three non-negotiable activities:

That’s the bottom line. You can be "terrible" at 90% of business operations, but if you master these three, you will outperform the "perfect" competitors every single time.

By narrowing your focus to delivery and quality, you gain the most valuable asset an entrepreneur has: focus.

Stop worrying about the "junk folder" or your lack of a "perfect" offer.

Concentrate on the delivery. Never miss a deadline. Never compromise on the output. If you become the person who "just gets it done," the market will forgive almost every other mistake you make.

What is one "extra" thing you're stressing about right now that doesn't actually help you deliver better work?

Hit reply and tell me. Sometimes just saying it out loud makes it easier to stop doing it.

Have a great Sunday,

Bartosz

([email protected])