How Much Equity Should You Give Investors?

By Brett Fox | January 5, 2022

When you’re an entrepreneur raising money for your startup  from angel investors or venture capitalists, the question that’s on your mind is, “How much equity should you give your investors?”  It’s a tough question to answer because angel investors and venture capitalists negotiate term sheets every day and you don’t. I’ve raised over $100 million…

How Do You Make The Most Out Of A Weak Team?

By Brett Fox | January 3, 2022

“Where did they find these people?” I asked my friend and employee, Steve. “We would have never hired them at Maxim (Integrated Products).” I was talking to Steve after I’d been at Micrel for a month as General Manager of one of the company’s three divisions.   Steve had been at Micrel for two years,…

The 5 Steps For You To Create A Great Elevator Pitch

By Brett Fox | December 29, 2021

Malcolm Gladwell, in his landmark book, “Blink”, explained how you only have 7 seven short seconds to make a connection with your audience or you lose their attention. Microsoft did a study showing attention spans are only 8 seconds. That’s it. That’s all the time you get.

The Real Reasons Your Startup Isn’t Scaling

By Brett Fox | December 22, 2021

You launched your startup’s first product, and, now that it’s been in the market for a while, you can see it’s not scaling and you just don’t know why? In today’s video, I’m going to explain the likely reasons why your having trouble scaling and what you can do to fix it. I’ve launched hundreds…

The Hidden Secrets To Successfully Setting Goals

By Brett Fox | December 15, 2021

Venture Capitalist John Doerr famously said that the key to success is setting the right goals.  And, of course, Doerr’s right.  You do need to set the right goals to succeed.  However, there are other things you need to do, in addition to setting the right goals, to succeed.  That’s what today’s video is all…

How Do You Achieve Startup Success As A Contrarian?

By Brett Fox | December 8, 2021

Are you wondering if being a contrarian is the right strategy for startup success? That’s what I’m going to explain to you in today’s video. Being a contrarian is all about doing the opposite of what is expected. Zigging when everyone else is zagging. And depending upon whether you believe Jeff Bezos or Peter Thiel,…

How Often Should You Meet With Your Investors?

By Brett Fox | December 7, 2021

“That’s insane,” I said to “Kevin”, a CEO I am working with. “Your investors want you to have weekly meetings with them. Good luck with that.” “That’s too much?” Kevin said to me. “But the weekly meetings will just be updates, and there will be monthly board meetings.” I sighed. Kevin laughed and said, “Too…

How Do You Build A Tech Startup Without A Tech Background?

By Brett Fox | December 6, 2021

There’s an impressive list of non-technical founders that successfully built technology startups. The most notable being Steve Jobs. Now, I have a little experience as a non-technical founder of a technology company. Even though I have a BSEE, I hadn’t designed the products we were developing ( Analog Integrated Circuits) in years. So there was…

How Do You Get Investor Meeting And Raise Money?

By Brett Fox | December 1, 2021

Have no idea how to raise money from investors? That’s what I’m going to explain to you in today’s video. Learn how to raise money from investors, explained in three easy steps. If you’re a startup CEO, and you want to learn how to raise startup funding, then you’ll want to watch this video. I’ll…

The Five Traits To Look For In A Problem Employee

By Brett Fox | November 30, 2021

“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. But, the comment didn’t ring true to me. “What startup gets an apartment for a…