#82 - Bootstrapped vs. VC Funding & Preparing for a 15-Hour Cycle

Welcome back to the pod! With the massive 200-mile "Chase the Sun" charity cycle only days away, the nerves are officially setting in.First up, we give a quick update on our fundraising for Say it with a Smile (we are over the £1,600 mark!) and break down our completely untested strategy for surviving a 15-hour day on the saddle.We then jump into a debrief of the recent team conference. We talk about the feeling of wanting to "kick on" and grow the business faster, and contrast the grind of being a bootstrapped SaaS company against tech startups running on VC funding.The conversation moves into product updates and how feature requests (like custom fields and AI integrations) seem to hit the Giig inbox in massive waves. We also take a quick detour to talk about our newfound obsession with Clarkson's Farm and the brilliant editing tricks they use.Finally, we dip into Lee's Lunchbox for a moment of reflection: What is the one thing you have improved on the most in the last year? This leads to a great chat about the importance of continuous learning, why old-school recruitment training was often lacking, and the memories of making our very first placements in the industry.Enjoy the episode, and wish us luck on the bikes!Links & Resources:🚴‍♂️ Support our £10k Goal for 'Say it with a Smile': https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/say-it-with-a-smile-1#📈 Check out Giig: https://giighire.com/