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What Are The Two Biggest Mistakes That You Can Avoid?
“Do you have a vesting schedule for your co-founders equity?” I asked the CEO I was talking to. “No, I don’t,” he answered. “And how much equity does your co-founder have again?” I asked. “Uh, fifty percent,” the CEO answered. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I sighed…
Read MoreHow Do You Make Working From Home Successful?
I think Elon Musk made a huge mistake. Yeah, you can be the master of the universe, the world’s richest person. Whatever. Yet, you can still screw up. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. And that’s exactly what I think old Elon did when he issued his, “Remote…
Read MoreWhy Should You Send Your Unsolicited Pitch Deck To Investors
“Do you know ‘George’ from Maxim (Integrated Products)?” Mike, the managing partner at Crosslink, the San Francisco based VC Fund where I was an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), asked me. “Yes, I know George,” I said. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “He just sent his pitch deck…
Read MoreThe Real Reason Your Startup Will Fail
There’s a CB Insights study that you’ve likely seen about why startups fail. Their list is the classic, greatest hits, of why startups fail: Run out of cash No market need Got outcompeted Flawed business model Regulatory/legal challenges Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I could go on…
Read MoreHow Do You Prepare To Pitch Investors?
“You made things a lot easier for me,” Jim said to me, shaking my hand. My co-founder and VP Engineering, Jeroen, and I had flown to Boston to pitch Jim and his partners, and Jim’s reaction indicated the meeting went well. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “That’s…
Read MoreWhat Are The Characteristics Of A Great Investor?
“Oh, Great God of Venture Capital,” I said, “Can you help me find a good VC or two for my new venture? I won’t even ask for a great VC, just a good VC will do. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “Are you taking notes, oh Great…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do When You Lose A Deal?
“Nest designed us out of their final production build,” John, our Bay Area Sales Manager, said to me. “Thanks for everything you did to trying to win this,” I said. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I took a deep breath. I didn’t like losing, and we had…
Read MoreWhat Is The Most Important Thing You Should Know?
“You’ve gotta know what your cash position is at all times,” I said to “Kevin” yesterday. “If you don’t know what’s going on with your cash, then you can’t manage your company.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Kevin is trying to figure out how much money he…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do When An Investor Doesn’t Call You Back?
“God, do I hate radio silence,” I said to my friend and mentor, Dave. “Why don’t VCs just let me know they just don’t want to invest instead of leaving us hanging?” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Dave smiled and nodded his head in agreement. He had…
Read MoreCan I Pitch My Startup To Investors Without A Product?
Let me ask you a question. Do you want me to tell you what you want to hear, or do you want me to tell you reality? I am sure hoping you want to hear reality, especially when it comes to pitching investors. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click…
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