A notebook of laser-cutting experiments for bootstrapping planar fabrication
Published in 2015, this chronicle by @luu details the mechanics of building a profitable, self-funded business without venture backing.
Core Principles for Independent Builders:
Charging customers from day one acts as the ultimate filter for building software that solves genuine, high-urgency problems.
Keeping fixed overhead low and leveraging lean infrastructure allows founders to stay alive until market tailwinds kick in.
Small, repetitive improvements in customer retention and conversion rates yield massive returns over multi-year horizons.
Community Debate Themes:
The community focused on B2B customer acquisition channels, cold email vs SEO distribution, and balancing full-time employment with side-project development.
CATEGORY Bootstrapping & MRR →
HISTORICAL ERA Cloud & Mobile Era (2014–2019)
COMMUNITY SCORE ★ 25 points
TOTAL DISCUSSIONS 2 comments
And for your open source CAD needs I always recommend solvespace:
http://solvespace.com/index.pl
If you want to try making motors, I've got a parametric 12-slot stator drawn up in solvespace - and a 10 pole rotor IIRC - ready to laser cut from steel. You should just need some magnets from say JKmagnetics, bearings and such, and you have a motor. Catch me a gmail if you like and I'll send the files.
I started making a catalog of construction techniques that take advantage of parts made using laser, waterjet, etc.: http://www.bigbluesaw.com/tags/construction-techniques.html