The Five Traits To Look For In A Problem Employee

By Brett Fox | November 9, 2025

“They even got me an apartment to stay in when I went to Shanghai,” “Tommy”, my new VP Sales said to me. It was offhand comment Tommy made about his time consulting with another startup that was based in China. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get…

The Five Signs You’re Not Thinking Big Enough

By Brett Fox | November 2, 2025

“Why are you worried about selling your company?” I asked Fred. “You’re just getting started, and you’re worried about selling (your company)? That doesn’t feel good to me.” If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. I had just met Fred,…

The 7 Things You Don’t Know About Working With VCs

By Brett Fox | November 2, 2025

“Brett, I’m going to be leaving the VC fund,” Dave, the partner I had been working with as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), said to me. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. I nodded my head, and then said, “Okay,…

Should You Be Afraid To Tell Your Team Bad News?

By Brett Fox | October 26, 2025

“Tina, can you help me get all the VPs together? I need to meet with them right now. It’s urgent.” “Okay,” Tina said. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. “Have everyone, including you, meet me in the large conference…

Is Starting Your Own Company Worth it?

By Brett Fox | October 26, 2025

“It’s a mug’s game, then?” Dave, one of the hosts of the podcast Jeroen, my co-founder and VP Engineering, and I were being interviewed on, said to us. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. I had just finished telling…

How You Should Think About Employee Compensation

By Brett Fox | October 20, 2025

“Hi Brett, it’s Carlos. Uh…” “What’s the issue, Carlos?” I asked our HR VP. “You know the salary you wanted to pay your new engineer, Fred? Ray (the CEO) wants to reduce it by $20,000.” If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch…

How You Can Easily Identify Your Company’s Weaknesses

By Brett Fox | October 19, 2025

Years ago, I worked for a company called Micrel. Micrel’s CEO, Ray, sold me on joining the company by saying, “Bring us up to your level.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Ray’s pitch sounded to me like he would welcome my help and honesty. I’ll get back…

How Technical Do You Need To Be As A Startup CEO?

By Brett Fox | October 5, 2025

I’ll never forget my co-founder and VP Engineering, “John”, telling me (and I’m paraphrasing here), “I don’t see what value you bring to the company.” Is something wrong with your pitch and you don’t know how to fix it? Don’t stay stuck. Join Zero to Pitch Gold and fix your pitch. I was focused on…

How Should You Think About Compensation After A Round Of Funding?

By Brett Fox | October 5, 2025

“It is sacrosanct,” one of our investors said to me. I told him that we would perform a layoff in preparation for the next round of funding. If you are not sure what to do next and feel like you have no one to talk to, click here to apply for 1:1 coaching. There really…

How Should You Talk About Bad News With Your Team?

By Brett Fox | September 27, 2025

“I think we’re getting really close to getting funding,” I said to myself. We had just had another VC pass, but THE WAY VCs were passing seemed different to me. Maybe we were getting close to getting funded. More likely we weren’t. Is something wrong with your pitch and you don’t know how to fix…