Bootstrapper Breakfast: Real Recognizes Real

I had a great conversation with a first timer after today’s Bootstrapper Breakfast in Sunnyvale. He was a serious entrepreneur who had been bootstrapping for two years and he said, “Real recognizes real, this is the first entrepreneur Meetup I’ve been to where I have been able to talk about my challenges and get practical advice. Also, the other entrepreneurs weren’t just pitching, they were trying to help.”

Bootstrapper Breakfasts®: Real Recognizes Real

I said, “starting at 7:30am helps, so does sharing a meal. Moderating the discussion so that there is only one conversation also means that everyone only has to make one introduction and everyone gets to hear everyone else’s comments, insights, and needs. If you look around the room right now there are a number of private conversations taking  place because these folks had a chance to get acquainted during the breakfast.”

Bootstrapper Breakfasts Now In Their Tenth Year

I started the Bootstrapper Breakfasts in Silicon Valley in October of 2006; we had our first breakfast at the Coco’s in Sunnyvale where we still meet today. I wanted the chance to compare notes with other entrepreneurs who were actively bootstrapping about real challenges and to find out about new technologies and ideas I could use in my business. Over the years we have added two more in Silicon Valley and volunteers have come forward to bring this same experience to other cities:

• Silicon Valley (Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale)
• San Francisco, CA
• Oakland, CA
• San Diego, CA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Chicago, IL
• Philadelphia, PA
• Detroit, MI
• Midland, MI
• Baltimore, MD
• Tampa, FL
• Raleigh/Durham, NC

We are in conversations with teams who are spinning up breakfasts in Bangalore, Kyoto, and Rochester (NY) if you want to volunteer to help them launch or bring the Bootstrapper Breakfast to your area please contact events@bootstrapperbreakfast.com