It’s always amazing to see people bootstrap into something much bigger. To grow a company using limited resources takes a lot of creativity and determination. There’s a lot to learn from this kind of journey.In this episode, Erica Rankin from Bro Dough talks about what it’s like to bootstrap a business to a level where you’re talking to investors. She shares what's working for her in marketing and the biggest mistakes she's made this year.Listen and learn in this episode!KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODEBootstrapped companies understand how to and not to spend money.When you look back at the time when you were bootstrapping, you’ll realize that it was an important time for you to learn.Putting it all out there and being consistent is the secret when you’re using social media platforms.When you go online, see all the shiny stuff, and you’re not achieving the same level of success, it can be hard and very discouraging.Experiences are so valuable when people are willing to share them.Show up and build a community. The journey gets people on board and turns followers into fans and almost friends.Being on TikTok is all about getting exposure, building the story, and doing what your competitors aren’t. It’s putting in the effort and compounding the interest. You’re not going to see the ROI right away, but it will come. Do not make decisions too quickly. Do tons of research, figure things out, and reach out to advisers.Being scrappy and not spending tons of money where you don’t need to is the secret to successful bootstrapping.Automate, delegate, lay out your business, and put things where they should be.Recommended Tool:HootSuite https://www.hootsuite.com Shield https://www.shieldapp.ai Recommended Podcast:The Ed Mylett ShowApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-ed-mylett-show/id1181233130Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19TdDBlFkqh7uevYO0jFSW Today’s Guest:Erica Rankin is the founder and CEO of Bro Dough, a cookie dough company that provides a healthier way to indulge in this childhood treat. Connect and learn more about Erica and Bro Dough here: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabrodough/?originalSubdomain=ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brodoughcanada/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brodoughcanada?lang=en We love our podcast community and listeners so much that we have decided to offer a free eCommerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more and how we can help, click here: upgrowthcommerce.com/grow Join our community and connect with other eCommerce brand owners and marketers! https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretstoscalingpodcast