If there’s one mistake I’ve seen startup CEOs make over and over again, it’s focusing on finding creative ways to stay CEO. So, the startup CEO focuses on different classes of stock, voting rights, and other crazy schemes. Trying to stay CEO is waste of your time. In fact, not only is this the wrong…
“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. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Have you spoken with any customers yet?” “No, I don’t need to,” Joe…
The first presentation I did about my company for the venture capital fund where I was an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) was titled, “Where are the engineers?.” The point I was trying to drive home to the partnership was simple: The success or failure of my company would rest on our ability to recruit elite…
One of the things many entrepreneurs fail to realize is that selling your company gets much more complicated when you take outside funding from professional investors. Now, it’s not just about what you want, it’s about what your investors want too. I’ll explain what you need to look out for in this short video. I…
“The whole problem with chip investments is no one wants to fund them,” Mike, a VC I knew, said to me. “But we’ve solved that with our investment in Smooth-Stone.” “How?” I asked. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Easy. We have the whole syndicate lined up for…
“I’m worried about keeping the culture,” “Omar,” a CEO that I’m working with, said to me yesterday. Omar’s company is at that classic transition point between being a 7 figure company and an 8 figure company. I smiled back at Omar over our Zoom link. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can…
What comes first, your funding or paying customers? Well, it depends on the type of funding you’re trying to get. I’ll explain, in this short video, what’s your best bet for raising your early funding. I hope you like it. Read The Video Transcript Below: Is it possible to raise funding when all you…
“I think I can get Dobkin to invest in us,” “Randy,” one of my co-founders, said to at lunch. Randy had just officially joined our company, and we were talking about fundraising. “Bob Dobkin?” I said to Randy, trying to hide my excitement. Dobkin was the co-founder and CTO of Linear Technology, one of the…
Everything changes when angel investors or venture capitalists invest in your company. And, one of the most important changes is what price can you sell your company for. In this short video, I’ll explain how investors think about your exit, and why you can’t just sell your company for any price you want. I…
“My network really isn’t that strong,” “Peter,” said to me Tuesday. “Can you help me meet investors?” I probably get a version of this question just about every week. And, my answer is always the same, “No, helping with investor introductions is not something I usually do.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…