Business Quote by Brian de Haaff
““When Craig Newmark launched what would become Craigslist back in 1995, not only did he not have outside funding, he did not even have a business plan. I do not recommend that, but he succeeded by creating something he cared about — an email distribution list in and around San Francisco — and posted it online. When it grew into a classified ad monster, investors pressured him to take their money. The company refused, waiting until 2004 to sell a 28.4 percent share to eBay. Craigslist Inc. has since bought back that share and continued to do things their way.9 As far back as 2006, the company’s president and chief executive Jim Buckmaster told reporters he was not interested in selling out, preferring to focus on helping users find apartments, jobs, and dates rather than on maximizing profit.10 When you only answer to yourself, you can concentrate on building value your way.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Startup Playbook, 2013
Building a business without external funding lets you stay true to your vision and retain control over growth decisions.
In simple terms: Self‑funded ventures keep founders independent.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize autonomy over quick capital.
Themes
entrepreneurship
independence
vision
control
growth
Mood
determined
reflective
Type
pragmatic
inspirational
When to use this quote
- starting a classifieds site
- building a community platform
- resisting acquisition offers
- maintaining mission focus
Key Concepts
bootstrapping
founder autonomy
value creation
Questions to Reflect On
- How would you fund growth without compromising values?
- What trade‑offs are acceptable for independence?
A Different Perspective
Risk of limited resources can slow scaling and market reach.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)