“Brett, I know you love Netflix’s culture document,” Jeroen, my cofounder and VP Engineering, said to me. “But I’m not sure I like the idea of firing our worst team members.” “I’m not sure I’m on board with that either,” I responded. “There must be a better way to do that (manage the quality of…
Do you want to die of a broken heart? Good, I didn’t think so. Then you want to learn about the power of what Admiral James Stockdale learned as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. It’s called the Stockdale Paradox, and it might be the most important thing you’ll need to get through the tough…
“This looks pretty startup friendly,” Marsha, our attorney, said to me when I sent her our term sheet. “There are no crazy terms, and the board composition looks reasonable. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “I think this is pretty clean,” Marsha concluded. “What about the board composition?”…
“I think we should sell the company,” “Raul,” one of our investors said to me. Raul’s demand came out of nowhere. We were doing well. Revenue was growing at a healthy clip, and we had just received a term sheet from a new investor to lead our next round of funding. [Do you want to…
How hard will it be for you to raise money in the aftermath of COVID-19? No one knows for sure. But I have a pretty good idea because I raised $12M during the Great Recession. I’ll give you my thoughts on how the funding environment is likely to change, whether it makes sense to continue…
“Great IC design engineers are the toughest thing to find,” I said to Dave. “And to hire great design engineers, we need a world class VP Engineering because great designers will only work for a great VP Engineering.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Dave nodded his head…
Despite the crazy times we are living in right now Coronavirus (Covid-19) has thrown everything for a loop. The fundraising environment and economic environment reminds me of when I was raising money during the Great Recession. There’s a lot uncertainty, just like during the Great Recession. And there’s a lot of fear, just like during…
“Brett, what does it mean? We have to shelter in place starting at midnight according to the mayor.” Blossom said to me. “Maybe ‘Jane’ (a friend of ours) isn’t that crazy after all.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Jane’s been in a panic because of the Coronavirus. …
Supposedly, in order to be a successful startup CEO, “they” tell you that you have to give up everything, including your family, and be 100% devoted to your startup. I am here to tell you that “they” are wrong. And who are “they” anyways? But that’s a different story. Yes, you do need to make…
“Brett, you should fly to the UK in Business Class,” Tina, our Controller, urged me. “You need to be fresh when you get there.” “Man, it’s tempting, but that’s not something I think I should do…” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Brett, you’re the CEO,” Tina said.…