Why You Shouldn’t Hire Engineers That Are Jerks

By Brett Fox | May 21, 2024

No matter how good you think they might be, don’t do it! “Why are we interviewing this guy?” I asked Jeroen, our VP Engineering. “Look at his resume, he’s bounced from one company to the next.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I  can help. Click here.] “‘Terry’s’ a really talented engineer,” Jeroen…

How Should You Handle Desperation?

By Brett Fox | May 20, 2024

“I think we should shut down the company,” “Raul”, one of our two investors, said to me during our board meeting. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] We were in the middle of raising our Series B funding, and we already had one term sheet in hand. Raul…

When Should You Be Fired If You’re The CEO?

By Brett Fox | May 14, 2024

My wife was working at a start-up about ten years ago, and the company was doing really, really well. Revenue and customers were growing exponentially. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. The CEO was a brilliant and charismatic leader. The management team was strong. It looked like everyone…

What’s The Best Use Of Your Excess Cash?

By Brett Fox | May 13, 2024

“If you give a startup $1 million, they’ll find a way to spend it,” my friend and VC, Dave said to me early on in my company’s life. Then he delivered the punch line. “If you give a startup $10 million, they’ll find a way to spend that too!” [Do you want to grow your…

5 Avoidable Marketing Mistakes That Can Kill Your Startup

By Brett Fox | May 7, 2024

Let me ask you a question. If you had a machine where you could put money into the machine, and for every dollar you put in you got three dollars back, wouldn’t you be stuffing money into that machine as fast as you could? Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help.…

Why Trying To Limit Your Investors Ownership Doesn’t Matter

By Brett Fox | May 6, 2024

One of the greatest lines in movie history was said in the classic, All The President’s Men. The line is, “Follow the money.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. The idea was that if you traced the trail of money, you would find out who was behind the Watergate break-in.…

Is It Really Worth It To Be A Startup CEO?

By Brett Fox | April 30, 2024

“Are you having fun?” Bob Dobkin, our only angel investor, asked me when I was giving him an update on our progress about two months after we closed our Series A funding. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe can I help.  Click here.] Bob was the co-founder and CTO/VP Engineering of Linear Technology.…

What Should Your Mindset Be As A Startup CEO?

By Brett Fox | April 29, 2024

To: Past Self From: Future Self Subject: If I knew then what I know now Hey, it’s your older and wiser self. Somehow or other, despite all your screw ups, you made it! You’re done. You’ve achieved your dream of starting, building, and leading a company from scratch. Do you want to grow your business?…

How Do You Overcome Investor Objections In One Slide?

By Brett Fox | April 29, 2024

Every VC or customer, or potential employee you ever meet with has reasons why they say no to the deal, no to closing the sale, or no to signing up to work with you.  The question is how do you overcome these objectives to close? In today’s short video, I’m going to show you how…

How Should You Manage Your Board Of Directors?

By Brett Fox | April 23, 2024

“Never surprise your board,” my friend and mentor, Dave, said to me. We were meeting for coffee at Peets in Palo Alto four weeks before my first board meeting as a startup CEO. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] I nodded my head because Dave’s advice sounded sage.…