…If you’re not careful There are the obvious things like your team and execution that you should absolutely focus on when you are developing your MVP. But are there some non-obvious things you should focus on too? [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I’ll tell you the story…
It was surreal when we were raising money at the height of the Great Recession. Sand Hill Road was essentially closed for business for early stage startups for close to one year. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I didn’t plan to raise money at the worst time…
“I think Greg is going to join us, “ I said to my cofounder and VP Engineering Jeroen. “That would be a huge coup for us.” Jeroen smiled and nodded his head. Then he said, “I know it would be great if Greg joined us.” Then he paused and asked me, “But can we afford…
I’ve been coaching startup CEOs for several years now. There are two mistakes I see startup CEOs make time and time again. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The sad thing is these mistakes are entirely preventable. I’ll explain what these mistakes are and how you can prevent…
If you go on just about any investor website, you’ll likely see the investor touting how they will help you recruit and build your team. The reality is buyer beware. In other words, your investor’s ability to help you may not be what you think it is. I’ll explain why in this short video. …
I have a simple rule I like using, and I’ll share it with you. It’s always a red flag when something (with the exception being the technology) is supposedly complex. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The same holds true for getting your team to buy into your company culture.…
When I was just starting my career, I was blessed to work at a really successful company for a really good CEO. I learned a lot working for Jack Gifford at Maxim that I could use when I started my own company. One of the most important lessons I learned was the power of promoting…
I remember talking with my Dad about the absolute necessity of having Tier 1 investors for my company. I was an EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence ) at a San Francisco based VC fund at the time, and I had just formed my company. In fact, we hadn’t even started raising money. Yet here I was,…
“I want to pay half market rate,” the CEO, “Richard”, said to me. Richard had just raised his first round of funding. I asked Richard why? Richard said, “I want them (the employees) to share in my risk.” Richard’s feelings are not unique. You might feel the same way. “But 50% of the market rate…
When you’re just starting out, you may have some members of your team that have serious issues. Ideally, you’d let the person go and find a replacement. But you may not have that option when you’re just starting out because the perfect fit for a given role may not want to join your startup yet.…