The right time to raise capital isn't always for aggressive growth. For Boll & Branch's founders, it was when personal financial pressure from debt became overwhelming. Raising money to de-risk their personal lives allowed them to run the business with "clear heads."
Related Insights
Instead of choosing between going all-in or shutting down a struggling business, consider a hybrid approach. The founder can return to a full-time job for financial stability, turning the venture into a side hustle. This reduces pressure while allowing them to use targeted, low-cost marketing to rebuild demand and potentially scale back up later.
A guest's business success only came after he stopped focusing on money and instead prioritized building a family and becoming a good person. A weak emotional foundation causes you to fold at the first sign of business hardship. True professional scaling happens after personal stability is achieved.
Deliberately slowing your business's growth is not about giving up. It's a strategic choice—a 'brake pedal'—used to protect personal priorities and realign with your life's direction. It is a powerful act of control, trusting in your ability to accelerate again later.
Emma Hernan, who bootstrapped her company, observed funded competitors fail by spending investor money carelessly. Her advice to funded founders is to adopt a bootstrapped mentality, treating every external dollar with the same discipline as if it were their last personal dollar to ensure prudent capital allocation.
