Why You Should Ignore The Rise Of The Unicorns
“I hate high-margin businesses,” one of the most famous VCs in Silicon Valley told me during my pitch. “There’s not a hope in hell this guy’s going to fund us,” I thought to myself. I ignored his comment, and I continued on with my presentation. So what did this world-renowned VC mean? I asked one…
What Shouldn’t You Waste Your Time On?
There are so many things I wasted my time on when I started my company. Some of them were silly, and some of them were downright stupid. Let me start with the most controversial thing I shouldn’t of wasted my time on, and that was hiring a Vice President of Sales. Not only did I…
5 Pitch Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
I have watched hundreds of entrepreners pitch their startups and fail because the CEOs make killer mistakes. The sad thing is these mistakes are avoidable and easy to fix. In today’s video, I’ll show you what these mistakes are and how you can fix them. I hope you like it. Do You Want To…
How Do You Deal With Feeling Like A Fraud?
I felt like the biggest fraud in the world. My co-founders, “Jim” and John”, had just quit three months after we started the company. John said, in his parting comment to me, “I know better how to build a analog IC company than you do.” In other words, John was saying, “We don’t need you.”…
Are You More Powerful Than The Board Of Directors?
Do you know about the theory of rational thought? The theory of rational thought has at its core the basic assumption that people will act in a logical manner. Now, if that was true, then a great startup CEO would have much more power than a board of directors because a great startup CEO is…
What’s The Best Way To Start Your Pitch?
You have, maybe, 7 seconds to make an emotional connection with investors. If you fail this critical step, your window of opportunity is gone, and it gets infinitely more difficult for you to raise your funding. Most startup CEOs start their pitches slowly, and lose their investors attention, and their chance to raise funding. Worse…
What Books Do You Recommend For CEOs?
Since I’m biased, and you asked, you could start by reading my book, “Learn How to Take a Punch: Building Your Startup Isn’t a Marathon, It’s a Prizefight.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. While every startup’s journey is unique, I noticed similar patterns in the startups I’ve been…
Why Learning To Delegate Is Critical
“That’s insane!” I said to Bob. “You’re spending twenty hours a week on accounting? That can’t be right.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “That’s right,” Bob said. “And this week I’m going to spend thirty hours.” Revenue in Bob’s company was at $8 million, and Bob and…
What’s Your EQ And Why It Matters
“You have an EQ of zero!” “Ken” yelled at me. “What the hell is an EQ?” I asked. “Perfect!” Ken screamed back. Then he hung up the phone. Those were the last words Ken ever said to me. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Just like that a…
Protecting Employee Stock Options From Dilution
Your employees are going to be really worried about their stock options being diluted after a round of funding. This is especially true in bad economic times when you might take a down round with heavy dilution. However, there is a secret weapon you can employ to reduce the dilution you and your employees will…