Recently discussed some principles we used when bootstrapping Farcaster with someone.

Stated vs. revealed preference is the one that I hadn't really internalized prior to starting. https://i.imgur.com/GoBfh44.png

https://cdixon.org/2015/01/31/come-for-the-tool-stay-for-the-network

Building /stokefire a mobile strategy game onchain. Run and own poolfish.xyz a calculator for LP providers. Built Potion solo and sold for $300k.

Bootstrap in this sense was getting sufficient conversational liquidity for the network.

But to your question, @v and I funded it for the first year and a half.

How long did you bootstrap Farcaster for before funding?

stated vs. revealed preference -- for most people:

1. have a hard time telling you what they want ("faster horse problem")

2. will tell you what they want to do (aspirational) and will do the opposite (because it's easier, they're busy, etc.)

3. give you feedback try to be nice and actually unintentionally harmful

on order of magnitude, break any daunting task into orders of magnitude

get 1 user (probably should be yourself)

then 10 (your immediate co-workers / close friends / niche community)

100 - figure out how make that process to get to 10 repeatable

Too pithy, would be interested in reading the expanded version!

Stated vs revealed is an interesting dynamic to experience first hand.