This question hits my inbox literally every single week. And honestly? Most of you are asking the completely wrong question (sorry, not sorry 😅).

It's like asking "Should I wear the pink or blue dress?" when you haven't even figured out if you're going to a wedding or the gym.

Let's figure out what you should actually be doing (because I'm tired of seeing you stress about this) 😊

💰 Funding reality check: Early-stage funding is getting harder for everyone - longer timelines, more paperwork, more "we'll get back to you" emails that never come.

📊 The annoying truth: Research shows us female founders face way more obstacles in early funding rounds. But plot twist - bootstrapping can actually level the playing field!

My hot take: Stop asking IF you should raise and start asking if you're READY to raise. Completely different questions, babes.

Check our Free Money section for grants that don't make you give up any equity.

Let's skip the boring "pros and cons" lists 🥱

"How do I know if I'm actually ready to raise, or just terrified of bootstrapping longer?"

Valid question! Let's work this out together.

3 Tests to Know If You're Ready (No BS Version)

Test 1: The Traction Check Can you show 3 months of consistent growth WITHOUT throwing money at Facebook ads?

If your business only grows when you're constantly spending on marketing, you're not ready to raise money.

You're ready to figure out why people actually want your product in the first place!

Test 2: The Competition Truth Bomb Are well-funded competitors actually stealing your customers, or just being REALLY loud on LinkedIn?

There's a massive difference between real competition and "look at me I raised money" noise.

Don't let someone else's fancy press release make you panic 😅

Test 3: The Mental Health Check (This One's Important) How many more months can you realistically keep going without it completely messing with your sleep, relationships, or sanity?

Be brutally honest here. Burned-out founders don't make good decisions OR good pitches.

Here's something interesting that nobody talks about: while we female founders often get a harder time in early funding rounds, SO many successful women-led companies got their start by bootstrapping way longer than their male founders.

Why though? Because when you bootstrap, you don't have to convince some random dude in a suit that your idea is brilliant. You just have to prove it works to actual customers.

And customers? They literally don't care about your gender - they care about whether your product solves their actual problems

🎉Why this works: Angels typically invest in what they know based on their experience and background.

Grab a matcha(I recently discovered how coconut milk is better than oat) and answer these honestly:

If you said YES to all three: Time to start having those funding conversations.

If you said NO to any of them: Bootstrap for another quarter and check back in.

You're making solid progress with real customers who are paying you real money.

Your personal finances can handle 6+ more months without you eating instant noodles every meal.

Your so-called "competition" is mostly just making noise on social media.

When It's Actually Time to Raise

You've proven the business totally works but need cash to scale faster before someone else does.

Well-funded competitors are genuinely winning customers (not just Instagram likes).

You're running out of personal runway in 3 months or less and starting to stress about rent.

Sometimes the BEST funding strategy is proving you don't actually need funding. Investors absolutely love businesses that work perfectly fine without their money. It's exactly like dating - you're way more attractive when you're not desperately texting them every 5 minutes 😂

Whatever you decide, decide it ON PURPOSE. Don't bootstrap because you're scared to fundraise. Don't fundraise because you're scared to bootstrap longer. Pick the path that actually serves your business AND your mental health.

WAVE 2025 Competition - UK £75K grants for women-led innovation For female founders building actually innovative solutions Deadline: September 11, 2025 (that's this week!) Apply Here

StartUp Loans Company £500-£25K government-backed loans 1-6% interest rates, mentoring included Available literally all year for UK startups Apply Here

💰 Actually ready to raise? If you're

I’ve opened up my calendar to support 1 founder become their fundraising outreach partner and handle the stress for you.

Just reply with "READY" and we’ll chat! 🙌

Next week: What should I tackle next? Reply with whatever funding question is keeping you up at night 📩

Sometimes the best funding strategy is proving you don't actually need funding.

Talk soon (and stop stressing about this decision)
OnAgenda Team

P.S.

A founder just told me she bootstrapped for 18 months, then raised 3x more than she originally planned because she had properly solid numbers to show. Sometimes patience literally pays off big time! 💪