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How Can You Stand Out To Potential Investors?
“Did you notice the depth of his answer?” My friend and mentor Dave said to me. “The good CEOs stand out, don’t they.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I’d been an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at the venture capital fund that Dave was a partner at for…
Read MoreWhat Do You Need Besides Talent To Start A Company?
One of the most technically talented people I ever worked with was “Doogie.” Doogie was, and probably still is, a brilliant engineer. He was creative, and he was always coming up with novel ideas for how things should get done. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. And energy?…
Read MoreWhat’s The Most Likely Mistake You’ll Make As A Founder?
I’ve worked with a lot of startups over the past few years, and, by a wide margin, the most common mistake founders make is not having a vesting schedule for their equity. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. It’s not a mistake to have everyone 100% vested if…
Read MoreWho Should Approve Your Expenses As CEO?
One of the things that always made me laugh was my bimonthly check signing ritual with Tina, our Controller. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. We would review the financials, and she would tell me the story behind the various checks I was signing. Once a month, I…
Read MoreHow Do You Determine Your Salary As A Startup CEO?
“Here’s what we can afford to pay you,” I said to Greg, one of the best Analog IC design engineers in our industry. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Greg was making $400,000 per year working part time at Maxim Integrated Products. I had known and worked with…
Read MoreWhat Is The Real Truth About Creating Killer Products?
“You just go visit customers. They’ll tell you what to do,” the job candidate said to me. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Read any trade publication, listen to an earnings call, or listen to any podcast. You’ll hear the same advice: “Listen to your customers. They’ll tell…
Read MoreHow Much Over Market Should You Pay Employees?
The days of expecting employees to work only for equity are long, long gone. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Early stage employees have a gotten a lot smarter and a lot savvier than twenty years ago. Your employees have options including working for large established companies. That means your…
Read MoreHow To Successfully Pitch Your Business In One Slide
Imagine this scenario. You’re in a meeting with a major potential customer. And this one customer can make or break your business. You have to win this deal or your business is going to fail. Or imagine this scenario. You’re raising money. Do you want to nail your investor pitch? Then download the free, Startup…
Read MoreHow To Handle Co-Founder Issues During Fundraising
Every time I raised money, there was drama with one of my co-founders. It’s a nightmare because you’re worried the drama could cost you your funding. Since at least 50% of all co-founder relationships end up in failure, you have a pretty good chance of having co-founder issues happen when you’re raising money..That’s what today’s…
Read MoreWhat’s The Worst Leadership Advice You’ll Ever Get?
“I don’t care who it is, but you need to fire one of the people reporting to you.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. This was the advice I received from a CEO, “Ed”, I knew when I became General Manager of a division of a company. I…
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