What’s The One Type Of Investor You Absolutely Must Avoid?
Like every industry, Venture Capitalists can be broken into three groups: A. The really great VCs. This is about 20% of the population of VCs. B. The good to mediocre VCs. This is the majority of the population of VCs; about 60% in my experience. C. The really, really bad VCs. This is about 20%…
What Are The 11 Painful Things You Need To Do As CEO?
I was talking to a Venture Capitalist early on about our company. Out of the blue the VC looked at me and said, “Well you’re the CEO, so you get to deal with investors like me. “And that’s why you get more stock than the others.” If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero…
The Nine Facts Of Fundraising You Need To Know
“Hey Brett, I’m going to be on vacation for the next couple of weeks. I’ll pick up the diligence when I get back,” Tucker said to me. Tucker was a potential new investor in our company. I could tell he was serious about investing in our company based on the work he was doing. If…
What Are The Five Fatal Mistakes That Will Kill Your Business?
Did you know that it took me three founding teams before I was able to get the right team to start my company? It’s true. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. Team number one failed because my two co-founders…
What Are The 11 Steps You Can Take When A Cofounder Quits?
I started my company with two co-founders: “Jim” and “John”. I was the CEO, Jim was the marketing guy, and John was the engineering guy. My two co-founders and I had worked together previously. We understood the plan and direction we were going in. We started pitching VCs after working on the plan for about…
What Are The Challenges When You’re Getting Started?
“I just want to be able to breathe,” I said to Irwin and Winston, two VCs I was meeting with as I began raising our Series B funding. The second I uttered those words, I wanted them back. I thought my words exposed my inner feelings, but Irwin and Winston just moved on with the…
What Are The 6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Be An Entrepreneur?
“Hi Brett, it’s Steve. I know it’s been a while since we spoke, but I’d love to catch up with you to bring you up to speed on what we’re doing.” Then the voice message ended. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your…
What Are The 17 Biggest Surprises When You Founded Your Company?
I remember talking with Jeroen, my fellow co-founder and VP of Engineering. Jeroen smiled at me and said, “I’m in line at the market and I just want everyone to start moving faster! If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this…
The Six Mistakes You’re Making To Not Get Customers
“How do you know your product is going to sell?” I asked “Joe,” the entrepreneur I was speaking with. “I just know it’s going to sell,” was Joe’s response. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. “Have you spoken with…
The Right Way For You To Handle A Competitive Threat
When I worked at Maxim Integrated Products, we used to have our planning meetings over at the Peppermill restaurant in Cupertino. I think it’s gone now, but it was a great venue for us to meet at. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on…