Founders and Fundraising
What Are The 11 Painful Things You Need To Do As CEO?
I was talking to a Venture Capitalist early on about our company. Out of the blue the VC looked at me and said, “Well you’re the CEO, so you get to deal with investors like me. “And that’s why you get more stock than the others.” If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero…
Read MoreThe Nine Facts Of Fundraising You Need To Know
“Hey Brett, I’m going to be on vacation for the next couple of weeks. I’ll pick up the diligence when I get back,” Tucker said to me. Tucker was a potential new investor in our company. I could tell he was serious about investing in our company based on the work he was doing. If…
Read MoreWhat Are The 11 Steps You Can Take When A Cofounder Quits?
I started my company with two co-founders: “Jim” and “John”. I was the CEO, Jim was the marketing guy, and John was the engineering guy. My two co-founders and I had worked together previously. We understood the plan and direction we were going in. We started pitching VCs after working on the plan for about…
Read MoreWhat Are The Challenges When You’re Getting Started?
“I just want to be able to breathe,” I said to Irwin and Winston, two VCs I was meeting with as I began raising our Series B funding. The second I uttered those words, I wanted them back. I thought my words exposed my inner feelings, but Irwin and Winston just moved on with the…
Read MoreWhat Are The 6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Be An Entrepreneur?
“Hi Brett, it’s Steve. I know it’s been a while since we spoke, but I’d love to catch up with you to bring you up to speed on what we’re doing.” Then the voice message ended. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your…
Read MoreWhat Are The 17 Biggest Surprises When You Founded Your Company?
I remember talking with Jeroen, my fellow co-founder and VP of Engineering. Jeroen smiled at me and said, “I’m in line at the market and I just want everyone to start moving faster! If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this…
Read MoreThe Five Signs You’re Not Thinking Big Enough
“Why are you worried about selling your company?” I asked Fred. “You’re just getting started, and you’re worried about selling (your company)? That doesn’t feel good to me.” If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. I had just met Fred,…
Read MoreThe 7 Things You Don’t Know About Working With VCs
“Brett, I’m going to be leaving the VC fund,” Dave, the partner I had been working with as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), said to me. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. I nodded my head, and then said, “Okay,…
Read MoreIs Starting Your Own Company Worth it?
“It’s a mug’s game, then?” Dave, one of the hosts of the podcast Jeroen, my co-founder and VP Engineering, and I were being interviewed on, said to us. If you’re serious about raising your funding, join Zero to Pitch Gold now and get expert feedback on your pitch this week. I had just finished telling…
Read MoreHow Technical Do You Need To Be As A Startup CEO?
I’ll never forget my co-founder and VP Engineering, “John”, telling me (and I’m paraphrasing here), “I don’t see what value you bring to the company.” Is something wrong with your pitch and you don’t know how to fix it? Don’t stay stuck. Join Zero to Pitch Gold and fix your pitch. I was focused on…
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