Founders and Fundraising
How Do You Keep Stress From Crushing You As A CEO?
“I think we should sell the company,” One of our investors said to me. I was meeting with the investor at his office on Sand Hill Road. We were in the process of closing our Series B funding. We had a term sheet from an outside investor that he (and our other investor) had agreed…
Read MoreWhat Are The Six Traits Of Great Co-Founders?
I had known and worked with one of my co-founders for over twenty years. Two of my co-founders came through recommendations of other co-founders. Another co-founder and I worked together and had known each other for about nine years. The one thing all my co-founders had in common was they all came through trusted…
Read MoreHow To Take What Happens To You Personally In Business And Win
By Brett Fox at www.brettjfox.com Large quantities of blood were spilling on the office floor. My blood. Seconds ago, I had just been shot. The investor just sneered at me. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying my predicament. He had just pulled his support for the term sheet he agreed to the week…
Read MoreWhere Did the Silicon in Silicon Valley Go? The Lessons Everyone in Any Industry Should Learn From
By Brett Fox Marc Andreessen famously said that the Silicon Valley was “dead” when he got here in the 1993. And he was right: Software didn’t rule the Silicon Valley in 1993: Hardware did, and semiconductor companies led the way. Not anymore though. I wrote last year about the coming consolidation of the semiconductor…
Read More20 Hidden Benefits From Losing Your Job or Selling Your Company
It was Sunday night at 11PM, and I heard the phone ring. The second I heard the phone ring I knew my Dad was dead. My Mom told me the paramedics were at the house, but Dad was gone. “I need you here tomorrow,” she said. Blossom and I hurriedly arranged to fly down to…
Read MoreLearn How to Make Your Reference Checks Awesome
“Can you believe it?” my wife asked me last night. “I have to fill out an essay because my friend asked me to be a reference.” “Is she applying for college?” I asked. “No, for a job!” My wife was not very happy about having to spend the next 45 minutes writing an essay. Who…
Read MoreHow You Can Destroy a Business in One Easy Step
I was driving one beautiful Bay Area summer morning. The temperature was a perfect 65 degrees. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, yet there was a storm on the horizon. Just then, my cellphone rang. It was Leon calling. “Are you driving?” Leon asked ominously. “Yes, I am.” “I think you should pull over.”…
Read MoreCan You Prevent Yourself From Being Screwed Over In Business?
Here’s a story about one of the co-founders of my company. Dan (not his real name) came with great credentials. He was smart and he had accomplished a lot. His was a name that investors would respect. Dan was also independently wealthy. Dan joined the company during our Series A fundraising. Dan was such an…
Read MoreHow Stuttering Can Make You A Better Public Speaker
Even though it was over 20 years ago, I remember the moment just like it was yesterday. It was a nightmare. I was presenting at my company’s sales conference. There was a disconnect between my brain and my mouth. My brain was telling me the words I needed to say, but my mouth couldn’t say…
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