How Do You Know You Have Too Many Competitors?
“What other startups have gotten funded in your space?” I asked “Ray” during one of our first meetings. Ray said, “There are a lot of them. I think there are around 50, the last time I counted.” “50! That’s a lot,” I said. “What are you going to do different?” There can never be too…
What Do Great Startup CEOs Do?
There are ten things that great startup CEOs do that other startup CEOs don’t do. These 10 things, interestingly enough, are things that you can do too. I go deep in this video as I walk you through the ten things that the great startup CEOs do that the other startup CEOs don’t do. I…
Should You Be Breaking Things To Move Fast?
“We’re ready to push the button,” Jeroen, my co-founder and VP Engineering, said to me. “You’ve signed off on all the design changes that needed to be made?” I asked Jeroen. “Yes. Sid has done everything on the list,” Jeroen said. “Okay, then let’s do it.” And with my agreement, we just spent $180,000 “taping…
How Should You Manage Your Time As A Startup CEO?
Time is the scarcest resource you have as a startup CEO. You can consistently work long hours and end up working on the wrong things. And you never get that lost time back. In this video, I’ll share with you my tips for managing my time for optimum results. We’ll cover schedule management, how to…
The Surefire Way You Build Loyalty As CEO
“When’s Jack coming in today?” I asked his co-founder, Bob. I had joined the startup about two months prior as the VP Marketing. It was 10:30AM on a Friday morning. I needed Jack’s approval on an offer I was about to make to a candidate. Jack, the CEO, was nowhere to be found. “I don’t…
How Do You Scale Your Startup?
“Tell me about the other executives?” I asked “Jason,” the CEO of a life sciences startup. “There aren’t any other executives. It’s just me. That’s why I wanted your help,” he said. “I’ve never scaled a business before.” That was almost four years ago. At the time, Jason’s revenue had just passed the $1 million…
How Do You Know What Investor Feedback Is Valuable?
You’re going to get tons of feedback from investors when you pitch your startup. The problem is, a lot of the feedback you get will lead you in the wrong direction, and actually hurt your chances of getting funded. So what are you, the CEO, supposed to do with the feedback you get? In today’s…
The 9 Tips You Need To Know Before Raising Your Series A
“Just visit ten investors,” my friend Dave said to me. “If no one is interested, then you should just move on.” Dave is a dear friend, a mentor, and, at the time, a VC. Usually his advice is spot on. However, this was one time I just couldn’t agree with his advice. “But you told…
What Is The Best Strategy For You To Impress Investors?
“You should have seen the look on Gill’s face,” Barry, the Chairman of the Board of my company said to me. He was telling me about sitting in on a pitch to our lead investor’s fund. “Gill gave me this look about five minutes into the pitch,” Barry said, laughing. “He just wanted this thing…
How Can You Make Your Pitch Stand Out?
Whether you realize it or not, you’re in a competing against hundreds of other startups, inside and outside your industry, for funding. So the question is how can you make your pitch stand out? In today’s video, I’ll share with you four tips that will help your pitch and pitch deck stand out from the…