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How Do You Determine Which Investor To Contact?
Years ago,I decided I the way to achieve my career goals was working at a Venture Capital backed startup. The problem was I didn’t know any venture capitalists. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I went on the internet and built a spreadsheet of all the VC firms…
Read MoreYou’ll Fail If You’re In It Only For The Money
“I’m focusing on learning, not the grades,” Avery said to me the other day. She’s just starting her journey in college, so I couldn’t be happier to hear my daughter say that. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “You got it!” I exclaimed. “The knowledge will stay with…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do When Your Engineers Are Failing?
“What are we going to do about the DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) design?” I asked my co-founder and VP Engineering, Jeroen. “It’s floundering.” “I know,” Jeroen said. “I think we need to make a change.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. If you can announce five different…
Read MoreWhy Your Investors Don’t Need Control Of Your Board
“Brett, I need to have control of the board.” Who do you think said that to me? Was it a startup CEO, or was it an investor? Or was it both parties? Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. It seems logical, doesn’t it as a first time CEO.…
Read MoreHow Should You Divide The Work?
I don’t know how I came to this thought process, but, from the beginning of my career, I thought it was a great idea to obsolete myself. Yeah, I know this sounds like it’s self destructive, and I guess in some organizations it is. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help.…
Read MoreHow Should You Manage Your Engineering Team?
“How do you plan on managing the design team?” I asked my prospective co-founder and soon to be VP Engineering, Jeroen. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “The same as I have at Maxim (Integrated Products),” Jeroen said. I smiled, and then I said, “I’m sorry, but I…
Read MoreWhat 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…
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