Bleeding my first Shimano brake without the funnel tool, got lucky

Been working on my own bikes for maybe 2 years now, mostly older stuff with cable brakes. Picked up a 2018 road bike last week that had squishy levers down to the grip. Watched a video that said you need the special funnel kit and a bleed block, but I didn't want to drop $60 on tools I might use once. So I tried the old syringe method from the caliper end, pushing fluid up instead. Messed up the first attempt, got air bubbles everywhere and fluid dripped on my garage floor. Second try I went super slow, opened the reservoir cap just a crack so pressure could escape, and tapped the caliper body with a plastic wrench handle to knock bubbles loose. Ended up getting a solid lever feel in about 20 minutes. The lever still has a tiny bit of travel compared to my friend's shop-bled bike, but it stops hard and consistent now. Anyone else run a DIY bleed without the factory tools and get it good enough to trust on a descent?