I love the movie, “The Social Network.” I think it’s kind of like The Godfather, but for startups instead. What do I mean by this? There are so many memorable lines and takes in both movies. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] In The Godfather, you have, “Leave…
Being a great startup CEO requires you have certain skills. The good news is that being a great startup CEO doesn’t mean you have to extroverted. It also doesn’t mean you have to be introverted. In this video, I’ll go over the first five of my list of ten traits of great startup CEOs. Next…
“Would you mind meeting with me, so I can pick your brain?” That was the LinkedIn message I received from “William,” the CEO of an unfunded semiconductor startup in the Bay Area. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I had sold my company six months previously, and I…
“I want us to look big,” I said to Regis McKenna. Regis is a legendary Silicon Valley marketer who has worked with Apple (their first PC launch) and Intel (their first microprocessor launch. He was an advisor to one of my investors (Gill), and he had worked previously with my other investor (Raul). [Do you…
How do you divide equity between co-founders? This is my definitive guide to splitting equity. I’ll cover everything to do with equity splits in this video. There are 8 different topics regarding equity we will talk about. So grab a pen and some paper to take notes. The bottom line is you do two things:…
Of all the hires you make as a startup CEO, hiring a VP Sales will likely be the most challenging. That’s what we’ll explore in this video. I’ll walk you through the all the issues you’re going to face hiring your VP Sales, and I’ll give you tips to solve these problems too. Plus, stick…
When I was an engineer in the prehistoric, pre-internet days, I loved when sales reps would come to visit. They would bring data books with them which had their whole catalog of products. The salesperson would also bring samples and data sheets of their latest products too. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…
It’s common. You and a couple of friends start a company. Your friends regarded you as a peer, and now you’re the CEO. But there’s one tiny problem: Your friends/co-founders see you as a peer, not the CEO. In this video, I’ll give you my tips for how to overcome this challenge. Plus, stick around…
I was fortunate to be involved with one of the most successful companies ever formed in the chip industry, Maxim Integrated Products. Maxim grew to over $2 billion/year in revenue, with net margins approaching 40%. It was a cash machine. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The company…
“Everything hinges on us being able to find a great VP Engineering,” I said to Dave Epstein. Dave was a partner at the VC firm that was thinking of bringing me on as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR). [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] EIRs are brought in by VC…