Negotiate every operating expense to extend runway at pre-revenue stage
When bootstrapping pre-revenue, treat every monthly expense as negotiable. Most SaaS tools, services, and subscriptions have flexibility to reduce pricing for early-stage startups - you just need to ask. Small reductions (e.g., $100→$20/month) compound across multiple tools to extend runway by months.
When to use
Use when bootstrapping with limited runway and no revenue. Most relevant in first 1-2 years when every dollar counts and you're not yet generating meaningful revenue to cover operating costs.
Don't do this
Accepting default pricing without negotiation. Assuming tools won't offer discounts. Spending on tools you don't absolutely need instead of focusing on revenue-generating activities.
1 Founder Who Did This
Emailed Crisp Chat asking if they could reduce the $100/month cost because they couldn't afford it. Crisp agreed to $20/month. Applied this negotiation approach to every purchase to keep operating expenses as low as possible. Also shared single coworking space entry card between two founders.