RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT BUZZ
Many questions entrepreneurs face have little to do with raising investment. Instead, they revolve around cash flow, delayed payments, hiring and the daily challenge of keeping a business running. After more than a decade of working with founders across India, Panaji-based entrepreneur Prajyot Mainkar has written ‘Bootstrapped in Bharat’, which addresses these challenges.
His third book and first on business, ‘Bootstrapped in Bharat’ was inspired by what he saw as a gap in existing business literature. He says, “The most popular advice comes from places where raising money is easier and founders can experiment for longer. That’s not the reality for most people building here.”
Mainkar chose to focus on bootstrapped businesses because he says they show how many ventures in India are built. “The majority aren’t backed by venture capital. They’re built through grit and resourcefulness, with founders carrying full ownership because it’s their own money and effort on the line,” he says.
He adds that many such businesses are built by small teams solving practical problems rather than chasing rapid expansion. “A self-funded business built in India is not a backup plan. Founders who build without outside funding are making deliberate choices about ownership, growth and the way they want to build.”
Based on his experience of mentoring hundreds of entrepreneurs, including many in Goa, the book uses composite examples drawn from recurring situations instead of individual success stories. Each chapter concludes with practical frameworks and exercises to help readers assess client churn, improve decision-making and calculate a “Freedom Number”, the income needed to feel financially secure.
“I didn’t want to publish motivation dressed up as method. If a model didn’t hold up when we ran the actual figures, it got cut,” he says.
The book is targeted at bootstrapped founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, freelancers and small business owners.
Mainkar believes improved internet connectivity, digital payments, affordable software and remote work have made it easier to build businesses from smaller towns. He says, “More entrepreneurs in Goa are choosing to stay in the state while working with clients across India and abroad. This trend can be seen across sectors, including technology, services, education, retail and other small businesses.”
He also cautions against equating revenue with financial health. “Plenty of profitable businesses die simply because the money came in three months too late,” he says, stressing that managing cash flow is as important as
generating sales
Mainkar argues that profitable, self-funded businesses should not be viewed as second best. According to him, carefully curated success stories often create unrealistic expectations for new entrepreneurs.
“Many entrepreneurs mistake periods of difficulty for failure because they compare their journey with simplified versions of success shared publicly,” he says. “I want to normalise that struggle. Not to glorify the pain but to prepare people for it.”
He adds that one of the toughest decisions founders face is knowing when to persist and when to change direction.
Through the book, Mainkar hopes to give readers the confidence to build businesses on their own terms. “I wanted to write a book that speaks directly to the founder who is building quietly, with their own money and real stakes, the one who needs honesty more than hype,” he says.
(Founders interested in joining conversations with other bootstrapped founders can visit: https://prajyot.com/join)
