Should You Grow As Fast As Your Investors Want?

“Don’t worry, Brett. We’ll support you,” “Raul”, one of our investors, said to me in our board of directors meeting. Raul wanted us to go faster than I had originally planned for. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. And Raul meant what he said. He was, in that…

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How Do You Get Multiple VCs Or Angels To Invest?

“I want to invest, but I’d like someone else to set the terms,” Bill, a VC interested in investing in our company, said to me. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. That’s great,” I said, standing up. Bill and I shook hands. “I’ll keep you posted on our…

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Does Your Startup Really Need A Board Of Directors?

One of the questions I get asked the most by early stage startup CEOs is, “I think I need a board of directors. What do you think?” In today’s video, I’ll answer all the questions you’re likely to have about startup boards including: What is an advisory board? What’s the difference between a board of…

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Why You Should Obsolete Yourself To Succeed?

I’ve had a pretty simple goal ever since I first started managing teams years ago. My friends used to tell me I was crazy to have this thought process. Maybe my friends were right because it is a risky strategy. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Yet, I…

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How Should You Manage Your Startup’s Spending?

“Don’t worry, Brett. We’ll support you,” “Raul”, one of our investors, said to me in our board of directors meeting. Raul wanted us to go faster than I had originally planned for. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. And Raul meant what he said. He was, in that…

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Save Your Early Stage Startup In Three Simple Steps

The NASDAQ is down over 30% from its high. Interest rates are rising. It’s only inevitable that the economic environment is going to affect your early stage startup. How? Well, customers may not want to take a chance on buying from you because they’re worried you’re going to go out of business. Raising that next…

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Should You Focus On Profits Or Providing Value First?

One of the greatest lessons I ever got in business was from my mom. She began her career as a successful writer. Then, when my brother and I entered middle school, my mom pivoted and began selling homes in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…

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How Do You Keep Your Development Team On Schedule?

“My project is going to be delayed by one month,” Richard said to Jeroen, my co-founder and VP Engineering, in our weekly engineering review meeting. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Jeroen went through the usual list of technical questions to understand what was causing the delay, and…

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How Do Early Stage Startups Get Their First 10 Customers?

I am really excited to share with you how do early stage startups get their first 10 customers.  Now, your first 10 customers may not seem like a lot, but when you’re starting, and you have zero customers, 10 customers is a huge number. Over the past five years, I’ve worked directly with over one…

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How Can You Tell If Someone Will Be A Great CEO?

I’ve worked with over 100 early stage startup CEOs over the last five years. Some of these early stage startup CEOs have built companies worth well over $1 billion. And some of these early stage startup CEOs, that had what looked to be promising startups, flamed out. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…

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