Victor Macias

The Power of Saying YES: How Juggling Multiple Projects Unlocks Your Productivity

Welcome to another edition of the Bootstrapped Newsletter. Here's what's happening this week: * The Power of Saying YES: How Juggling Multiple Projects Unlocks Your Productivity * I gave a presentation for CSUF's Startup Incubator on Crowdfunding (The video and deck below) * Using ChatGPT for conducting

Find Your Winning Startup Idea with The OSP Method

In my 15+ years as an entrepreneur, startup advisor, and incubator mentor, I've observed common themes in businesses that succeed in the long run. These companies have winning ideas. A winning idea targets the right opportunity, aligns with your strengths, and connects to a larger purpose. Missing any

Five Ways to Get Your First 100 Customers For Your Startup With $0 Budget

Announcement: Introducing the Bootstrapped: The Newsletter for Solopreneurs & Startups by a 7-Figure Shark Tank Alum We've rebranded our newsletter to better serve bootstrapped solopreneurs and startups like you. Whether you're a long-time subscriber or new to our community, get ready for valuable insights, tips, and

Crowdfunding for Startups: How We Raised Over $100,000 on Kickstarter (Includes Successful Templates, Tools, etc.)

"Wait, we raised how much?" In 2016, we were just a couple of cookie-loving entrepreneurs baking out of mom's kitchen. We began making low-carb keto cookies and were excited to discover that not only did mom love them, but so did everyone else we shared them

Interview

NFL Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu on Confidence, Respect, and Humility

Troy Polamalu, an NFL Hall of Famer, is best known for his 12-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his time at the University of Southern California, he was a two-time All-American. Polamalu's leadership as a defensive player led the Steelers to seven playoff appearances, five division titles,

Interview

Nely Galán, The Latina New York Times Calls The “Tropical Tycoon,” Shares Her Path to Success

You may think that successful people are born into riches, or have exponential powers that boost their profile above all others, but in a revealing interview with Nely Galán, the Latino New York Times dubbed “The Tropical Tycoon,” I discovered that it’s not who you aspire to be, but

How to Get a Startup Business Loan with No Money: Tips and Resources

Do you have a startup business idea, but don’t have the money to get started? Do you find yourself thinking, “If I only had the money, I’d be able to start my business?” I’ve been there. Over the past few years, I’ve run a few startups

Interview

Interview: USA Soccer Legend Landon Donovan on Meditation, Self-Doubt and Ego

When people look back on how soccer took off America, one name is going to be on everyone’s lips: Professional soccer player Landon Donovan. As a member of Team USA, Donovan became the all-time leader in scoring and assists, becoming the only player to reach the 50 goals/50

Entrepreneurship

The Best Books For Starting a Business: A Must-Read List for Entrepreneurs

Starting a business can be both an exhilarating and frightening task. Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn says, "An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a bridge and builds a plane on his way down." From coming up with an idea to testing product-market fit, finding the right team,

Interview

Interview: Actor Michael B. Jordan on Rejection, Building Confidence, and Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Michael B. Jordan is an actor and producer. He's best known for his roles as boxer Adonis Creed in Creed, and Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. I had a chance to sit down and interview Jordan for Male Standard. I wanted to understand the type of person that

Entrepreneurship

What Must an Entrepreneur Assume When Starting a Business

Starting a business can be an exciting and challenging journey. Entrepreneurs must be aware of the hurdles that they may face. This blog post covers the key assumptions that an entrepreneur must make when starting a business.

Featured

How to make steady progress toward your goals

I hit a bit of a wall. I realized that I've been making good progress on my tasks, completing between 90-95% of my list consistently. However, I'm not seeing notable progress towards reaching my goals. For example, I have a goal to increase client revenue by

Daily Notes: Streamlining Inbox Management and Chat GPT Experiments

Today, I spent some time searching for a tool that can bring all of my inboxes (Slack, Asana, Messenger) into one place. The volume of incoming communication has been increasing, so I want a streamlined way to check them all at once in order to batch tasks and leave more

What happened to Nui Foods?

Note: The video below was shot a few months back, but I haven’t been able to share much until now. Here’s the Nui Foods story… Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur. Something about creating a business has signified freedom and self-expression for

Fun

Guilt-Free Play Fuels Quality Work

When’s the last time you had fun? I mean, laugh out loud, throw caution to the wind type of fun. Our society tends to devalue play as we get older. We push it aside because we have more “important” things to do. Did you know? * Guilt-free play is one

Guilt-Free Fun

Make It a Treat

When’s the last time you’ve visited a landmark or major tourist attraction in your city? We tend to devalue things that are easily available. This means that a latte, cocktail, or favorite restaurant, becomes less enjoyable the more frequently you consume it. By limiting access to your favorite

Happinesss

Buy Experiences, Not Things

People who spend more money on experiences report higher satisfaction with their lives. Experiences provide more satisfaction than physical goods because experiences create a connection with others. Experiences also make us happier because they create memories. You’re likely to enjoy your experiences more if: * The experience brings your closer

Entrepreneurship

Document what you do

Whatever your work, you have a unique approach to your art. There are people who are interested in that approach if it’s presented to them the right way. Documenting and showing your process connects you with others and is most valuable when you’re still learning. How to document:

Creativity

Show your process

Traditionally, artists worked in secrecy toiling away at their work until they were ready to unveil a masterpiece to the world. Little value was placed on showing what happened on behind-the-scenes. In today’s connected world, creators can share as much or as little as they want. They can share

Diversify your self-esteem

Ray Dalio says, “Whatever asset class you invest in, I promise you, in your lifetime, it will drop no less than 50% and more likely 70% at some point. That is why you absolutely must diversify.” The same is true for self-worth. Whatever area of life you’re most invested

Coronavirus: What if Social Distancing Was The Greatest Thing That Ever Happened To You?

” You can plan a pretty picnic but you can’t predict the weather.” OutKast, Ms. Jackson A few days ago, I was getting ready for a huge meeting with an international distributor. I was preparing to pitch a group of investors for a much needed cash infusion and I was

Focus

How To Focus When You Have Too Many Ideas

Have you heard this story? There’s a donkey standing halfway between a pile of hay and a bucket of water. It keeps looking left and right, trying to decide between hay and water. Unable to decide, it eventually dies of hunger and thirst. A donkey can’t think of

Entrepreneurship

How Pre-Selling Helped My Startup Grow From a $3K Investment to a Million Dollar Business

A few weeks ago, I asked what your biggest questions were about starting a new business. I was overwhelmed by the responses. I was shocked that most of the questions revolved around money.  I got questions like… * How much money do you need to start a business? * How can I

mindset

How To Break Through Fear and Finally Reach Your Dreams

See that clown? Yeah, I wouldn’t have hired me to watch your kids either. I was twelve years old and had just finished my babysitting certification program. I was gonna take the neighborhood of Alderdale by storm and watch every kid in town. For as long as I can

How To Build The Variety Habit

The need for variety and uncertainty is a basic human need. We all aspire to experience the novel and the new. Perhaps I have this need more than others. This is a constant struggle. I believe that in order to succeed at a high level, you need grit, consistency, and