They say bootstrapped business can't compete with large VC-backed one.

Well, bootstrapping may not have the fancy VC backing, but it's like coding without autocomplete - challenging yet rewarding in its own right. Would you rather DIY your startup journey or have investors on speed dial for support?

While VC backing can definitely provide advantages in terms of capital and resources, I think bootstrapping can still work well, especially in the early stages. You maintain full control and ownership, and if you can generate revenue early on, that gives you more optionality. Later on you could always consider VC if you need to scale faster. Plenty of big successes started out bootstrapped! Curious what others think though.