There is a good chance that we all look back on this post two years from now and realize that this is where the legacy began. This is where Unstrapp’d started. Clearly, I remember the day I tested the waters of blogging. It was back on December 30, 2008 and I had no clue about what I was getting into. For me, it was a way for me to tell some stories of the many stupid mistakes I’ve made in business in which I was previously too embarrassed to talk about.
In my eyes, a blog was just a thing these nerdy tech guys use. People actually read these things? Now I know what many of my friends probably think when I say I write a blog. Regardless, writing is therapeutic to me and it has allowed me to connect with business leaders and young entrepreneurs all across the globe.
Bootstrapping My Way To Success
A few months after launching BradleyWill.com, I experienced what to me what felt like Twitter-like growth, going from a pitiful 766 monthly views to 8,246. The count continued to rise as I began to “master” my craft. Honestly, I still think I’m a shitty writer but since you keep asking for it, I will step up and deliver.
Blogging is like a business to me, and by business I mean fun. I’ve also had some fun in network marketing, real estate investing, internet marketing, affiliate marketing, coaching, consulting and even trying to become a professional poker player. All of my businesses over the past three years have been built on a shoestring budget. Meaning very little cash and funded all from my own pocket. Also meaning I do whatever it takes to make it work. Many people may know it as bootstrapping. I am sure the majority of you reading this have heard of a bootstrapped entrepreneur, but if you have not, here is the definition from BusinessDictonary.com:
boot·strap·ping — v.
Building a business out of very little or virtually nothing. Bootstrappers rely usually on personal income and savings, sweat equity, lowest possible operating costs, fast inventory turnaround, and a cash-only approach to selling. Many of today’s largest corporations (such as Apple computer, Clorox Co., Coca Cola, Dell Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft) began as boot-strapped ventures. Most of world’s startups still follow this road; either because there is no alternative, or because of the unmatched control and independence it offers.
Honestly, I feel this is the best route for *almost* every young entrepreneur to take. “Bootstrapping is a fast and the best way to build a solid small business, because you are starting with sales as your priority task – that creates cash-flow and keeps your small business alive.” says Stefan Töpfer the CEO of WinWeb. I feel one should only go look for the money to fund their startup when they don’t need it. That way, they don’t blow it and go bankrupt.
What Does Unstrapp’d Mean?
There is a good chance I have made every mistake under the sun. Just like the story you have heard time and time again, my downfall has become my passion. I didn’t read blogs back in college or even when I first started in business. I occasionally think “what if”. What if I had a resource where I can learn from the experiences of other young entrepreneurs who are going through what I am going through? I want to hear the real stories from every imaginable angle and what it takes to build a business.
Unstrapp’d is the ability to unleash yourself from your business to enjoy the ultimate freedoms and wealth that manifests from being an entrepreneur. You would think that the opposite of bootstrapping is to go out there and raise money for your new venture. And you are right. But here, I write the rules. The purpose of this blog is not to teach you on how to pitch your business to venture capitalists (although we may talk about that). Our goal is to help gen-y entrepreneurs make fist fulls of cash in their bootstrapped ventures allowing freedom and the ability to create at will and change the world. Yep, that’s it! We want to help you change the world by changing your world.
5 Reasons You Are About To Get Unstrapp’d
1. We’re not your old school professors. If you rattling off business theory from a dusty textbook. What do they know about Facebook? Or Twitter? Or video blogging? Or even crowdsourcing? That’s right, we have the upper hand now. Business has evolved. Social media and new technology has played a massive roll. Just think, soon you will be the ones teaching your old professors on the fresh ways to build businesses.
2. Seriously, we have made ALL the mistakes. We’ve blown sales calls, got screwed on deals, chased away friends, pursued pie in the sky opportunities, gone broke (a lot) and even came dressed in the wrong attire all so you don’t have to. You don’t want to do this stuff, right? I mean we could let you if you really want to…
3. Discover the real life brutal facts about building businesses. Do you think it would shorten your learning curve if you had stories of your peers who are building businesses just like yours? Of course it would. That’s why the main purpose of this blog is to bring you the stories and experiences of many Gen-Y entrepreneurs and their trials and tribulations. You hear horror and success stories passed around in business all the time. Now, you will get the true facts straight from the horses mouth. Or however that saying goes.
4. You are sitting on a goldmine and you may not even know it. This may be the single greatest time in the history of the earth to build wealth. The economy sucks, which means there is money to be made. New technologies are emerging and the funny thing is, we grew up on this stuff. The is huge opportunity for you to rethink the way business is conducted and put a new spin on existing businesses. Generation-Y is community and collaboration driven, which means we are not out to slit the competitions throat. There actually is no such thing as competition. Once you get this through your dome, you can dominate any market.
5. Damn it, We CARE! This is what gets us pumped every single day. I know it sounds crazy, my mission in life by empowering millions of young entrepreneurs to discover their hidden greatness to live a healthy, social responsible and purpose driven life! You like that mission statement? We will teach you how to do that too! 
Your move. Don’t be the one sitting on the sidelines anymore. Get in the game. And if you are already in the game, you have the upper hand. But, have no fear! Keep coming back and we are going to absolutely blow your mind with inspiration, motivation, education, and maybe even going as far as pissing you off from all the young success stories we bring you from around the world.
thanks for reading. let’s get Unstrapp’d.
