This year Amazon joined Netflix and the usual TV and cable outlets in contention for one of Hollywood’s most prestigious awards — the Golden Globe for best TV series. This has prompted many in the press to proclaim that Amazon has grown up, and proven that you don’t need a major network to make quality content. However, while Amazon may have already codified the business practice of pursuing growth over profit, that’s not a success that all startups can easily replicate. More likely than not, investors will want to see that your startup has a plan to make money, and doing that requires keeping your burn rate under control. What follows are three ways of thinking that influence my approach to the way I spend.