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Is It Really Worth It To Be A Startup CEO?
“Are you having fun?” Bob Dobkin, our only angel investor, asked me when I was giving him an update on our progress about two months after we closed our Series A funding. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe can I help. Click here.] Bob was the co-founder and CTO/VP Engineering of Linear Technology.…
Read MoreWhat Should Your Mindset Be As A Startup CEO?
To: Past Self From: Future Self Subject: If I knew then what I know now Hey, it’s your older and wiser self. Somehow or other, despite all your screw ups, you made it! You’re done. You’ve achieved your dream of starting, building, and leading a company from scratch. Do you want to grow your business?…
Read MoreHow Do You Overcome Investor Objections In One Slide?
Every VC or customer, or potential employee you ever meet with has reasons why they say no to the deal, no to closing the sale, or no to signing up to work with you. The question is how do you overcome these objectives to close? In today’s short video, I’m going to show you how…
Read MoreHow Should You Manage Your Board Of Directors?
“Never surprise your board,” my friend and mentor, Dave, said to me. We were meeting for coffee at Peets in Palo Alto four weeks before my first board meeting as a startup CEO. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I nodded my head because Dave’s advice sounded sage.…
Read MoreWhy Your 51% Ownership Guarantees You Nothing
You know the scene in The Social Network where Eduardo meets with Peter Theil’s attorney for the first time. The attorney casually mentions that Mark Zuckerberg’s equity will be over 50% ownership, and Eduardo, sagely, says, “That’s good because Mark needs to be protected?” Yeah, that scene. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…
Read MoreWhy You Should Offer Your Team Unlimited Time Off
One of the smartest things we ever did was offer our employees unlimited vacation. I know it sounds crazy for startups to tell their employees they can take as much time off as they want, but it’s really not crazy at all. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.…
Read MoreHow Do You Really Feel As A Startup CEO?
I’d love to sit here telling you that being a CEO was great, and it was great. Truly, truly great. However, I’d be lying if I told you there was only one feeling I had being CEO. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] There were times I felt…
Read MoreWhat Are The 11 Biggest Myths About Being A CEO?
Blossom, Avery, and I were at dinner at Nobu in Palo Alto. I looked over at the table next to us and who’s there but Marc Andreessen and his wife. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] No one was paying attention to them, and no one asked Marc for…
Read MoreHow Do You Extend Your Runway Before Raising Money?
I was talking with one of my 1:1 coaching clients today. Two weeks ago, “Sam’s” company was ramping demand and preparing to raise their next round of funding. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Sam told me today that every customer meeting he had was canceled because of…
Read MoreCan You Ever Lie To Your Investors?
“Brett, I want to share with you what the CEO of ‘Company X’ (a well known public company) said at the investor conference I went to,” Jack Gifford, Maxim Integrated Products CEO, said to me. Then he barked at me, “Take some notes.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.]…
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