Roundup of events for bootstrappers in May 2025. Online and in-person events are offered at $10.
Roundup of May 2025 Bootstrapper Events
We offer online events for bootstrappers including Bootstrappers Breakfast and Lean Culture. There are also in-person Bootstrapper Breakfast meetings in Las Vegas, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. These events are for “entrepreneurs who eat problems for breakfast.”®
We have eleven events this month to help you move your business forward. Join us as your interests dictate and schedule permits.
Are you an entrepreneur who’d like to share lessons learned? If you’ve a reached a milestone in your entrepreneurial journey and would like to share lessons learned, please contact Theresa Shafer (tshafer@skmurphy.com) to explore scheduling a short briefing at a Bootstrapper Breakfast or a talk at a Lean Culture event. You must have attended a Bootstrapper Breakfast or Lean Culture event to be considered.
Thurs May 1 8:00 am PDT Mastermind Open House https://www.meetup.com/skmurphymastermind/events/306809859
Fri May 2 9:00 am PDT Silicon Valley Bootstrappers Breakfast (In Person) Downtown Campbell – NEW LOCATION
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bootstrappers-breakfast-in-downtown-campbell-tickets-215740344177
Tues May 6 9:00 am PDT Las Vegas Bootstrappers Breakfast (In Person) Mothership Coffee – NEW LOCATION
https://www.meetup.com/bootstrappers-breakfast-las-vegas-startups/events/307420177/
Tues May 6 12:00 pm PDT Drop-In Mastermind for Non-Fiction Writing
https://www.meetup.com/skmurphymastermind/events/307324769/
Writing a business book or a blog? Join our non-fiction writers group of similarly minded small business folks where we can keep each other motivated and accountable. Each attendee will have a chance to share a short piece (500-1,000 words) by reading it aloud or providing access to a google doc or emailing other attendees to get feedback. We do this every mastermind session.
Fri May 9 9:00 am PDT San Francisco Bootstrappers Breakfast Startups at CityGroup Center (In Person)
https://www.meetup.com/bootstrappers-breakfast-san-francisco/events/307239839/
Thurs May 15 8:30 am CDT Chicago Bootstrappers Breakfast (Online)
https://www.meetup.com/bootstrappers-breakfast-chicago/events/307329587/
Fri May 16 9:00 am PDT Mtn View Bootstrappers Breakfast at Red Rock Coffee (In Person)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mountain-view-bootstrappers-breakfast-tickets-262928394907
Tues May 20 8:00 am PST Silicon Valley Bootstrappers Breakfast (Online)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/silicon-valley-bootstrappers-breakfast-online-2024-tickets-1200389901509
Weds May 28 11:00 am PDT / 1:00 pm CDT / 2:00 EDT Lean Culture: Build a Canon to Kill a Mosquito
https://www.meetup.com/lean-culture/events/307425376/
There are two kinds of startup ideas that succeed: (1) Business ideas like Uber that solve real-world problems, starting with niche users and expanding over time and (2) Technology breakthroughs like OpenAI that push the frontier of intelligence. They’re hard to build but see massive adoption once achieved.
But there’s a third kind: solving a small, overlooked problem in a popular product—a missing feature many users desperately need. Something like beautifying Google Forms. For Google, it’s a mosquito not worth swatting. For a third-party developer, solving it requires recreating Google Forms’ interface, since it’s not available through standard APIs. It takes enormous effort—more like building a cannon to kill that mosquito. But sometimes, that cannon reveals gold.
Mani Doraisamy writes meta code (AI, rule engine, middleware). He has been building tools for Google Workspace customers for over 15 years and enjoys creating products for them.
Fri May 30 9:00 am PDT Silicon Valley Bootstrappers Breakfast (Online)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/silicon-valley-bootstrappers-breakfast-online-2024-tickets-1200393863359
SKMurphy Market Exploration Bootcamp Kicks Off in May 2025
The SKMurphy market exploration bootcamp again is modeled on the SKMurphy Peer Advisory Program but focused specifically on the challenges of creating a product or service that serves the needs, pain points, and challenges of potential customers. The format is the inverted classroom model: content and homework are presented in advance, and class time is used to review and refine the answers you developed for your business. We pick convenient times for attendees once folks sign up.
There is a kickoff plus six weekly Zoom meetings of 90 minutes where we help you review and work through your market exploration with other entrepreneurs. The cost is $140. More details and registration at Customer Discovery Bootcamp for Market Exploration
Lightning Round Question for May 2025
How do you keep moving forward in the face of distractions and setbacks?
Trademarks: “Bootstrapper Breakfast” and “Entrepreneurs Who Eat Problems For Breakfast” are registered trademarks of SKMurphy, Inc.
Image Credits: “Work” on Pixabay by RichardsDrawings used with permission.