Impossible Foods has succeeded by appealing to meat eaters and getting free publicity whenever possible, including menu adoption and word of mouth, says Chief Financial Officer David Lee. Impossible Foods is not competing against health foods but "was designed to compete in the $1.7 trillion global meat and dairy market in which meat eaters want to eat meat not just every week but at every meal," he says.

Neighbor, a startup that connects homeowners with people who need storage space, is posting 500% annual growth, says CEO Joseph Woodbury. The pricing model is cheaper than what the big self-storage companies offer, threatening to disrupt that industry segment.

Side jobs were key to survival for eight bootstrapping entrepreneurs, who share the lessons they learned. Tiffany Yu, founder of Diversability, says taking on a variety of odd jobs taught her that she could find solutions, while Katherine Sprung of Squish Marshmallows says working as a voiceover artist has taught her how to speak clearly and succinctly during press opportunities.

Putting the customer experience at the forefront and unloading day-to-day tasks can help women-led startups improve their cash flow, writes Martha Salinas of MSTS. "[B]usinesses should strive to adopt a long-term mindset that can help facilitate growth both now and in the future," she writes.

On-demand massage app Zeel is being accused by therapists of failing to seriously investigate complaints of harassment, misconduct or abuse. Therapist Ilene Antelman says the startup kicked her off the platform for making a complaint about a client, but the app denies that claim.