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 is simple: to help you find equity-free prize money and opportunities that actually move your startup forward. That's the hard business side.

But on Sundays, I do something different.

Bootstrapping can be a lonely game. While everyone else is celebrating fake VC-funding rounds on LinkedIn, we are the ones actually figuring out how to survive on cash flow.

That’s why Sundays are for the unglamorous reality. I share the behind-the-scenes learnings, the roadblocks, and the raw stories of what it actually takes to build a business without a safety net.

It’s a new format, and I want to make sure it hits the mark for you.

Do me a quick favor: Hit "reply" and just say "Yes" if you want more of the unpolished behind-the-scenes stuff—or tell me what your biggest headache was this week. I read every single one.

Best,

Bartosz

Hey {{first_name}},

Last week, I traveled to Kassel for my second business. Besides the software world, I also run a podcast agency where we do "done-for-you" podcasting and live shows.

We had a big live podcast scheduled. Months of preparation had gone into this, our guests were practically on their way, and my "partners in crime"—Hardy Isken and Nicolas C.W. Rode—and I arrived at the venue 45 minutes before the show was supposed to start.

There was just one problem. We were standing in front of locked doors.

The venue had simply forgotten our booking. The lights were off, no one was answering the phone, and all of our heavy audio equipment was still sitting uselessly in the trunk of my car. Plan A was completely, irreversibly dead.

I’ll be honest with you: Years ago, back when I was a regular employee, a situation like this would have completely broken me. I would have panicked, gotten incredibly angry, and probably canceled the whole thing in frustration.

But this time? I was surprisingly relaxed.

As an entrepreneur, you develop a strange kind of resilience. You face so many roadblocks that you eventually adjust your expectations. You learn that perfect plans are a comfortable illusion. You don't freeze anymore—you just pivot.

We didn't panic. We instantly switched into crisis mode. One frantic emergency call to our network later, we found a savior at the literal last second: Sebastian Fleiter from the Nachrichtenmeisterei.

Then the real sprint began. We jumped back into my car, raced across the city, unloaded the gear, and rebuilt the entire podcast setup in a new location in absolute record time. We saved the show.

Do you see our adrenaline in this video? :-)

What we experienced in Kassel—and especially how we reacted—is actually completely normal in the startup world. In fact, there is scientific research that perfectly describes this exact founder mindset.

It’s called the Effectuation approach, developed by researcher Saras Sarasvathy. She studied how successful serial founders make decisions under extreme uncertainty.

When a traditional "Manager" faces a crisis where the plan breaks, the project fails. But an "Entrepreneur" uses effectuation. They stop looking at the broken plan and start looking at the present moment.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where everything is going off the rails, you don't need a whiteboard to analyze your life goals. You need a mental framework to survive the next hour.

Here is the exact thought process of effectuation, applied to our acute podcast crisis—and how you can use it when your next launch or project catches fire:

1. The "Bird in Hand" Principle (Start with what you have right now)

2. The "Affordable Loss" Principle (Manage the downside, forget perfection)

3. The "Crazy Quilt" Principle (Leverage your network immediately)

4. The "Lemonade" Principle (Embrace the surprise)

True entrepreneurship only shows itself the moment Plan A goes up in flames. Don't fight the chaos. Embrace it, look at the tools you have in your hands, and build Plan B.

A massive thank you to Sebastian for the spontaneous rescue, to our incredibly flexible guests—and especially to Hardy and Nicolas. We completely rocked this madness together!

P.S. Let’s celebrate our collective resilience. Hit "Reply" and tell me: What was your ultimate "Plan B" moment? When did everything go up in flames, but you salvaged it at the last second using whatever you had lying around?

I read every single email and I am going to feature the best "battle scars" and survival stories in next week’s Sunday Read! Don't be shy—let's show the community what real entrepreneurship actually looks like behind the scenes 😀

Best,
Bartosz

([email protected])