When Do You Really Need A Board Of Directors?

By Brett Fox | May 12, 2020

“I want to establish my board of directors,” “Allen” said to me. “What? Why would you want to do that?” I asked. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “I just think I need a board of directors. After all, we’re doing over $1M per year in revenue,” Allen…

Why You Shouldn’t Fear Having A Strong Competitor

By Brett Fox | May 7, 2020

One of the most brilliant technologists, if not the most brilliant technologist, ever in the analog semiconductor industry is Bob Dobkin. Dobkin, known as “Dobby,” was the co-founder of Linear Technology, one of the most successful startups ever in the analog semiconductor business. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click…

How Should You Decide Who You Should Lay Off?

By Brett Fox | April 30, 2020

“That is sacrosanct,” one of our investors, “Raul”, said to me. I had just told Raul that we were going to perform a layoff as part of our next funding round. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Raul was pleased to hear me state the obvious. We needed…

How Do You Validate Your Great Business Idea?

By Brett Fox | April 27, 2020

My mind started racing. I was having a hard time trying to hide my excitement. Mike, the managing partner of a San Francisco based VC, had just asked me to help them start an Analog semiconductor company. In other words, Mike’s fund was going to provide the financial backing for my new company. [Do you…

How Do You Bounce Back From A Failed Pitch Meeting?

By Brett Fox | April 22, 2020

There’s a lot of pressure on you when you’re raising funding. After all, the odds are over 100:1 against an investor funding you. I knew the odds were against us raising money, yet I never felt nervous. In this short video, I’ll share with you the mindset I used to successfully raise money during the…

Why You Should Give Your Team Lots Of Equity

By Brett Fox | April 20, 2020

“Would you mind telling me your stock option plan at Maxim?” Carlos, the VP HR at Micrel asked me. “I want to do some benchmarking.” I had just joined the company as General Manager of one of three divisions the company had, so I was glad to help. [Do you want to grow your business?…

What Is Essential Reading For You During COVID-19?

By Brett Fox | April 15, 2020

Read The Video Transcript Below:   Are you wondering what business books are essential during COVID-19? I just got back from my walk as you can see, let me pull this down. Okay, that’s much better. And look, there are a lot of books that are really good to read, but there are three essential…

Why It’s Okay If Your Cofounder Doesn’t Quit Their Day Job

By Brett Fox | April 14, 2020

…Especially in the aftermath of COVID-19 I was thrilled when Jeroen agreed to become my cofounder and VP Engineering. Jeroen was perfect for the role with his strong technical skills combined with his ability to recruit and manage a team. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] But we…

The Most Important You Need To Manage Any Crisis

By Brett Fox | April 8, 2020

There’s nothing that challenges a leader like a crisis. Like it or not, your team is looking at you for answers and leadership through the COVID-19 crisis. There’s one skill you need to master that is likely the difference between you and your team successfully navigating any crisis. I’ll explain what this skill is and…

How You Can Get Funding Despite COVID-19

By Brett Fox | April 7, 2020

I Raised $12M During The Great Recession. You Can Do It Too! “VCs seem to be hiding under their chairs,” I said. “You can get meetings, but they’re really distracted. And the last thing they seem to want to do is give you money.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help.…