Why Learning To Delegate Is Critical
“That’s insane!” I said to Bob. “You’re spending twenty hours a week on accounting? That can’t be right.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “That’s right,” Bob said. “And this week I’m going to spend thirty hours.” Revenue in Bob’s company was at $8 million, and Bob and…
What’s Your EQ And Why It Matters
“You have an EQ of zero!” “Ken” yelled at me. “What the hell is an EQ?” I asked. “Perfect!” Ken screamed back. Then he hung up the phone. Those were the last words Ken ever said to me. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Just like that a…
Protecting Employee Stock Options From Dilution
Your employees are going to be really worried about their stock options being diluted after a round of funding. This is especially true in bad economic times when you might take a down round with heavy dilution. However, there is a secret weapon you can employ to reduce the dilution you and your employees will…
How To Hire Elite Talent When You’re Broke
“He wants a salary of $200,000, but I can’t afford to pay him that,” “Stefan” said to me. “Then he doesn’t fit your company culture right now,” I said. “That’s okay…” Do you want to grow your business? I can help. Click here. “Why is it okay?” Stefan asked me. “And what does it have…
How To Raise Money In A Tough Environment
Raising money is never easy for an early stage startup.. However, raising money in a tough environment is really hard. However it is doable. I should know. I raised my company’s initial funding of $12 million during the toughest startup fundraising environment of the last 50 years; The Great Recession. And I’ve helped several entrepreneurs…
How Do You Determine Your Co-Founder’s Salary?
“I think our salaries should be different,” “Jim”, my co-founder, said to me and “John”, my other co-founder, “You should be paid the most, but, I think we should all have the amount of equity.” That was not the response from Jim I was expecting at all. My head was spinning. What Jim was proposing…
What Do You Tell Investors When A Co-Founder Quits?
“What’s your plan?” That’s what “Raul”, one of our two large investors, asked me after I let him know that I was going to fire “Randy”, one of my co-founders. Yes, he also asked my why I was firing Randy. I’ll get back to that later. I told Raul that my plan was to have…
Should You Ask An Advisor To Invest?
“I would like you to invest $50,000 in my startup,” “Peter” said to me. Peter and I had been introduced a few weeks earlier, and I’d met with him a couple of times. I really liked what Peter was doing, and I was happy to advise him. However, investing in Peter’s company was another matter.…
7 Survival Tips For Startup CEOs
“Hey Brett. Congrats on getting your company funded. I’ve heard the horror stories, and I was just wondering how many hours you’re working?” Kent asked me in an email. The horror stories of founders working 100 hours week on end are commonplace. The reality, or at least my reality, was different. [Do you want to…
Do You Need A CTO To Get Funding?
“I like you, Brett. And I really like what you’re (company is) doing,” Jack, the Venture Capitalist, said to me. “However, I think I’ll wait until you have a VP Engineering before I invest.” In my pitch I had been upfront with Jack that we were looking for a VP Engineering, and, in the interim,…