In November, we're delighted to welcome another Bournemouth business founder, James Lewis, of Pro2col. This month we'll be talking about successfully bootstrapping a startup. With so many startups now seeking investment and explosive growth from day one, James and his journey serves as a great example of bootstrapping a business and growing more sustainably and organically. James co-founded his managed file transfer (MFT) business, Pro2col, back in 2003 and instead of seeking funding at the outset, has bootstrapped the startup’s growth from the beginning and now has a team of 20+ operating from offices here in sunny Bournemouth. Pro2col now service over 800 customers in more than 30 countries throughout the UK, mainland Europe and North America and while James is responsible for strategy and business development amongst other things, he is also exploring other growth opportunities for the future.

In this interactive chat, James will be covering:

The drawbacks of bootstrapping

Why you should bootstrap your business

The importance of finding a niche

Choosing the right business partners

About James

James co-founded Pro2col back in 2003 to provide specialist expertise in managed file transfer (MFT) and B2B technologies for public and private sector businesses, having worked in the file transfer industry since 1999. Operating from offices here in Bournemouth, Pro2col service customers throughout the UK, mainland Europe and North America and now have over 800 customers in more than 30 countries around the world. James' experience in MFT & B2B solutions has enabled the Pro2col team to work in partnership with SME's and leading global brands across a range of industries. James is now responsible for strategy, business development, vendor management, customer service and finance. He's a self confessed file transfer geek and has what some might call an unhealthy knowledge of file transfer technologies!