We started our company almost 6 months ago using our own savings and absolutely zero investment. So far it’s been great fun and has been very rewarding, especially knowing that we own 100% of everything we do.

In regards to your comments on VC funding, I couldn’t agree more and, in fact, I think the whole thing is sometimes even more distasteful than you describe. There seems to be a trend in the modern market to pump money into companies to inflate them just so they can go public within a short period of time and the investors can reap profitable payouts. They are manufacturing their own artificial boom and, often, being a bit dubious in their activities in the process.

Groupon is a great example of this. A good idea pumped full of cash incredibly quickly with the whole idea being to raise a ridiculous IPO before going destroying itself. The strategy is unmaintainable and the investors know this so they want to get their cash and bail. It came as now surprise to me when, under scrutiny, their initial IPO projection was complete and utter fiction, inflated 100% over its ‘real’ worth. It’s a dangerous game.