Leadership and Management
Why Equity Dilution Is Good For Startups
When I started my company, I was obsessed with retaining every percent of equity I could. And I remember telling my mentor and advisor, Dave, about my equity-retention philosophy. Dave looked at me and laughed. Then he said something I’ll always remember, “Brett, dilution is good.” I was shocked. However, Dave was right. In today’s…
Read MoreWhat Can You Learn From A Little Boy And A LEGO?
I was at home Saturday night enjoying a really nice evening with my wife and daughter. We had just finished dinner, and I was thumbing through one of my Twitter feeds. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] That’s when I saw this tweet: Boy writes to Lego after…
Read MoreWhat Is The Hardest Part Of Starting Your Company?
I was scared. I should have been thrilled, but I was scared. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. It was Sunday night, and Monday I would officially begin my journey as an EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence) at a Venture Capital fund based in San Francisco. It was an…
Read MoreThe Ten Things Startup CEOs Need For Success
I’ve built several businesses from zero to over $100 million, and I’ve worked with a lot of CEOs to help them grow their businesses too. Over and over again, the successful CEOs I’ve worked with have been able to master the same set of core skills. That’s what today’s video is all about. I’ll explain:…
Read MoreIs Giving Schwag To Your Employees A Bad Idea?
Years ago, I was watching Shark Tank, and there was a recap about an investment Barbara Corcoran did in a bathing suit company (The Mix Bikini). Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. The founder of the company spoke about the blow out party he threw after receiving Corcoran’s…
Read MoreCan Sandbagging Your Goals Be The Key To Your Success?
Somewhere in the universe there’s an older version of me rolling his eyes. Have I gone mad? Sandbag your goals? Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Let me explain what I mean and what I don’t mean. No. I’ll let the older version of me and the newer…
Read MoreThe Five Must Read Books For Entrepreneurs
There’s a great scene in the show Billions where Bobby Axelrod, played by Damien Lewis, explains his investing strategy. Axelrod talks about the obvious stocks to invest in like Google or the not so obvious stocks that give his firm, Axe Capital, an outsized return. Well, that’s like what I’m going to share with you…
Read MoreHow Do You Keep Your Team Highly Motivated?
Do you want a highly motivated team? Well, then you need to walk the walk, and talk the talk every single day. It’s easy to motivated and enthusiastic when things are going well. The true test of a CEO is how the CEO reacts when things aren’t going well. [Do you want to grow your…
Read MoreWhat Not To Focus On When You’re Starting Your Startup
I thought I was so smart when we were starting our startup. However, for someone who was allegedly smart and experienced, I certainly had a knack of focusing on the wrong things. Sometimes, as I look back, it’s amazing we were able to get the company off the ground. I don’t want you to…
Read MoreThe 5 Signs You’re An Entrepreneur
There’s a great story about how Earl Woods, Tiger Woods father, taught Tiger about how to be cool under pressure. In golf, the audience is supposed to be quiet while a player prepares to hit the golf ball. Earl turned everything upside to teach his young son. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…
Read More