I remember walking into the lobby like it was yesterday. I was excited because I was wrapping up negotiations to join the company as VP Marketing. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I remembered seeing a planter with a dead plant outside. I didn’t think much of it…
“You’re going up against Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Linear Technology, National Semiconductor, and Maxim,” the Venture Capitalist, Jim, said to me. “These companies have all been in business for over twenty years. How do expect to compete against them?” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Jim’s question was almost…
I’ve built several businesses from zero to over $100 million, and I’ve worked with a lot of CEOs to help them grow their businesses too. Over and over again, the successful CEOs I’ve worked with have been able to master the same set of ten core skills. That’s what today’s video is all about. I’ll…
You’re not raising enough startup funding Not raising enough startup funding is one of the most common self inflicted wounds you can give yourself raising startup funding It’s a flawed thought process that raising less money is easier, but that’s not necessarily true. That’s what today’s video is all about. I’ll explain: The fatal mistake…
“Welcome.” That was Steve Jobs’ famous response when IBM entered the PC market in 1981. Maybe Jobs should have been more worried. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. After all, by 1984 IBM sold $4 billion worth of PCs versus Apple’s $2 billion. The question of “What if…
I remember the first business plan I wrote like it was yesterday. I had just joined Maxim Integrated Products, and my boss, the late Ziya Boyacigiller, asked me to develop a plan for Maxim’s Voltage Reference business. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] So I set about developing…
The Five Steps For Scaling Startups How and when to scale a startup is where too many startup CEOs fail. They either wait too long to scale, and their startup loses momentum. Or, the CEO moves too quickly and burns through their cash and the startup fails. I don’t want this to happen to…
We walked into the big conference room. On one side of the room sat a team of six executives from the company that was going to pitch us this Monday afternoon. We sat on the other side of the table with our backs pointing toward a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge. “They passed the…
Thank you again, ideal employee, on everything you continue doing. We could not achieve what we want without you. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I asked you last time to be loyal, be a positive force, do your best always, recruit your friends, have the company’s best…
When I started my company, I was obsessed with retaining every percent of equity I could. And I remember telling my mentor and advisor, Dave, about my equity-retention philosophy. Dave looked at me and laughed. Then he said something I’ll always remember, “Brett, dilution is good.” I was shocked. However, Dave was right. In today’s…