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What Are The 5 Rules You Need To Divide Founder Equity?

“How much equity do you think I should give “Frank?”” That was the question “Sam”, the co-founder of a company that I’m working with asked me last week. He was considering bringing Frank on as a late co-founder to the company. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “I’ve…

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How Do You Compensate A Part Time Co-Founder?

“You should stay at your job until we get funded,” I said to Jeroen. It was September 2008 and Jeroen had just agreed to be our co-founder and VP Engineering. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The economy was sinking like a stone and venture capital funding appeared…

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How Should You Manage Your Remote Team?

I was talking with “Vikram”, a CEO I’ve been working with, the other day. Vikram commutes between the US and Bangalore, spending three months in the US, and then three months in India. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] When we spoke, Vikram had just spent time with…

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What Are Five Decisions You Need To Make Before Raising Money?

“I don’t think we should raise $11 million,” my co-founder, “John”, said to me. “We will give up control of the company! We should only raise $6 million.” “John, we’re going to have to raise the $11 million and probably more. Getting the $11 million gives us more runway,” I said. “Let’s get the money…

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How You Can Avoid Nine Startup Sales Killers

“It’s too early to hire a VP of Sales!” The VC said to me. “You should be doing the selling!” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “I hear where you’re coming from,” I said. “And believe me, I will be selling.” “’Ken’s’ been part of the company since…

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How Do You Know It’s Time To Fire Someone?

By Brett Fox at www.brettjfox.com “See that property over there? Steve Jobs owns it. That’s going to stay in his family for a long time,” Bill, Venture Capitalist, said to me. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I was being interviewed by Bill at his home in Woodside.…

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7 Tips For Pitching Your Company To Anyone

I’ll never forget how nervous I was before my presenting to a VC for the first time. I was an EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence) at a VC fund based in San Francisco, and we were going to give a dry-run presentation to Dave and Alain, the two VC partners I was working with. [Do you…

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What You Need To Know About Reference Checks

I curled up on my bed in a fetal ball, sobbing. I kept repeating to myself: “What have I done?” “What have I done?” “What have I done?” Why was I crying? [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] We had been raising money for over eighteen months at…

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How Quickly Should Your Business Get To Cash Flow Positive?

“I hate high margin businesses,” “Donald”, the billionaire VC head of Donald Ventures, said to me. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I ignored him, and continued on with my pitch knowing he would never fund us. I mean, after all, how do you respond to an idiotic…

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