Here is an extract from an email I sent my cofounder recently, regarding getting external funding, and the martyrdom MUST WORK HARDER AND BOOTSTRAP complex. Seems relevant:<p>"I've been reading a lot about boot-strapped startups recently. My feeling is that we want investment early ... although not too early. I think once we have an active small user base (1-200 users, even), that's when we look to investment for building up the next steps of it.<p>This may not be the idea that makes us rich (although I sincerely think it will be), and I'd rather share the risk (and return) of that with an investor, rather than slaving away on it for three years to find out it doesn't work, just so we can squeeze out an extra percent equity..."