How Do You Raise Money And Not Lose Control Of Your Business?
There is this false belief that the way to keep control of your company as an entrepreneur is by owning a majority of the stock or creating special classes of stock so you control the voting rights. The concept is pretty is simple: You control the votes, so you can’t be voted out of being…
How Can You Ruin Your Chances With Investors?
“I know that guy,” I whispered to Dave, the partner that was looking at the deal. It was the first meeting our venture fund was going to have with, what we thought, was a very promising company. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Who is he?” Dave whispered…
How Can You Meet And Beat Your Project Commitments
“You’re the only one of my portfolio companies with a tranche,” Gill said to me after closed our $12 million Series A funding. Then he added, “These are tough people (the other VC fund, “Donald Ventures”) we’re dealing with, and we’re going to be looking at each other if you don’t meet your commitments. Do…
How Can You Keep Your Great Engineers From Quitting?
“Brett, I wanted to let you know I am going to retire,” Dave said to me. “What? Why!” I said getting my bearings. “You can’t retire! You’re too young to retire.” “I don’t want to retire,” Dave said. “But I’m being pushed out by ‘Ted’.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can…
How Can You Make Team Building Work?
I looked at the inbox of my email one morning, and there was an email with the title, “Team Building,” from Mark, the Chief Operating Officer of the company I was working at. I opened the email, looked at the content, and I groaned my disapproval. Mark wanted a limited group of senior managers to…
How Can You Improve Your Marketing Spending?
Years ago, I was fortunate enough to work with one of the smartest people I know, Ziya Boyacigiller. Ziya hired me when I joined Maxim Integrated Products. He was a true intellectual, almost professorial in his approach to business. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I’ll never forget…
How Can You Fix Your Big Sales Mistakes
“Ken” was a great director of Asian sales for Maxim when I worked there. Ken and his team knew their accounts inside and out. In fact, Ken was so good that he became the cofounder of my company years later. The market share we enjoyed in Ken’s region was around 80%. [Do you want to…
How Being Too Frugal Can Hurt Your Company
“We’re not spending money on voicemail!” Jack Gifford, the CEO of Maxim Integrated Products said. “We don’t need it!” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Several other senior executives and I were meeting with Gifford and the subject of voicemail came up. Gifford’s negative response wasn’t a surprise…
Does Experience Help You Or Hurt You As A Startup CEO?
I used to love watching Roger Federer play tennis. He looked like he was gliding across the court. And, no matter how hot it is, the guy never sweats. Never. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Then, there’s his polar opposite, Blossom’s favorite player, Rafael Nadal. Before he…
Do You Need to Think Big to Win?
I was recently in a new product idea meeting, and Greg was proposing his latest idea. Greg and I have worked together, on and off, for over 20 years. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Greg has always thought big ever since we met. Today was no…