paying rent and bootstrapping - what alternatives are there?
nobody_nowhere: It sounds like you have two separate problems:1. Your company is growing slowly, and you don't know how to accelerate the growth.2. You live in your office and don't have a way to change the situation.Approach the issues separately.  It's hard to get into specifics on either one without knowing more.Could you move the company out of your apartment by finding cheap shared office space?  Could you find a roommate situation to exact yourself at the same time? Can you just bite the bullet and get a mortgage?For the first one, it sounds like you're not confident in your ability to grow due to larger competitors.  How long do you want to bootstrap for?  Sit back and figure out how to make a bigger move.  Ask people you trust for help.  Ask them to refer you to people they trust and find thoughtful.  Look at your market from a different angle. Look at different markets.  Make a plan that you believe in and use it to get investment.  Don't be afraid of money.It's going to be tough to explain to someone why investing in real estate for you is better than investing in real estate just for themselves.  Tackle the issues separately.