Off the top of my head, I think plenty of service businesses start out this way. E.g., consulting companies, legal firms, cleaning companies, hair salons, etc. Sometimes they start accidentally: a person does a friend&#x27;s tax return or a little legal work on the side from their day job. Eventually they build up enough of a reputation and a client base that they say, &quot;Now let&#x27;s make it official.&quot;<p>I think the same trick can be pulled off with food. A good SF example is the Creme Brulee Cart:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thecremebruleecart.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thecremebruleecart.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;</a><p>It started out with one tiny handmade cart, grew up to a food truck, and eventually added a physical store.<p>For startups that are service businesses, the Concierge MVP is a great example of ways to go after early revenue. For example, consider a friend&#x27;s startup:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;amazingairfare.net&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;amazingairfare.net&#x2F;</a><p>This is the kind of thing that at scale would require sophisticated software. But for a small number of people, you can just do it manually.<p>Another good concierge MVP example comes from my colleagues at Code for America:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=lqTFi2U2Ebc" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=lqTFi2U2Ebc</a><p>They aren&#x27;t getting revenue here, as it&#x27;s a public service, but you can see how the manual-to-automated approach can work incredibly well.<p>If you&#x27;re near to one, consider dropping by a Bootstrappers&#x27; Breakfast:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com&#x2F;</a>