<story><title>Why you shouldn&apos;t join Y Combinator</title><url>https://newsletter.smallbets.co/p/why-you-shouldnt-join-y-combinator</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>greatpostman</author><text>If you build a business that makes 500k a year, which can be done with 30-50 customers for saas selling for 10-15k, you can sell the business and retire. Even at 250k a year, you have an asset that could change your financial life for good.&lt;p&gt;If you raise VC money, the above scenarios are considered a failure. You will have to shutdown&amp;#x2F;get acquired for nothing. You have to shoot for the moon to get massive ARR, that very very few companies ever hit.&lt;p&gt;It’s really about the level of success needed to have a financial windfall, and bootstrapping is way lower for that.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>gavinhoward</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m a business owner currently doing what the parent says to do, and the parent is &lt;i&gt;exactly&lt;/i&gt; correct.&lt;p&gt;I want a business that can support my wife and me; 500k is my target, and it would be a great situation for us because I would have a great work&amp;#x2F;life balance (based on how much time I spend right now).&lt;p&gt;But if I took money, the investors would clamor for &lt;i&gt;more&lt;/i&gt;, and the stress would probably kill me.</text></comment>
<story><title>Why you shouldn&apos;t join Y Combinator</title><url>https://newsletter.smallbets.co/p/why-you-shouldnt-join-y-combinator</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>greatpostman</author><text>If you build a business that makes 500k a year, which can be done with 30-50 customers for saas selling for 10-15k, you can sell the business and retire. Even at 250k a year, you have an asset that could change your financial life for good.&lt;p&gt;If you raise VC money, the above scenarios are considered a failure. You will have to shutdown&amp;#x2F;get acquired for nothing. You have to shoot for the moon to get massive ARR, that very very few companies ever hit.&lt;p&gt;It’s really about the level of success needed to have a financial windfall, and bootstrapping is way lower for that.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Waterluvian</author><text>This general concept is what I wish I’d see more of: it’s okay not to grow.&lt;p&gt;When you’re a public or funded company you have no choice. You must grow until you pop. But if you’re some small private org, you can carve out a very comfortable niche.</text></comment>