Founders and Fundraising
How Should You Prepare For Entrepreneurship?
“How did you survive here?” I asked my friend Steve. We were having lunch about one month after I joined Micrel as general manager of the communications division of the company. Steve and I had known each other for years, and Steve was now my employee. He was the only competent direct report I had.…
Read MoreYou Need A Better Reason Than Money To Start A Company
“Most startups fail,” I said to the interviewer, Dave. “If I wanted the surest path to wealth, then I would have never left my corporate job.” “It’s a mug’s game then?” Dave, said to me. Then I started laughing. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Why are you…
Read MoreHow Should You Start Your Investor Pitch?
“You never know what’s going to come through the door,” Dave, a partner at the VC fund I worked at as an Entrepreneur in Residence, said to me. Then he continued by saying, “That’s one of the things I love about this work.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click…
Read MoreTrying To Stay CEO Is A Waste Of Your Time
If there’s one mistake I’ve seen startup CEOs make over and over again, it’s focusing on finding creative ways to stay CEO. So, the startup CEO focuses on different classes of stock, voting rights, and other crazy schemes. Trying to stay CEO is waste of your time. In fact, not only is this the wrong…
Read MoreWhat Is An Acceptable Sale Price For Your Investors?
One of the things many entrepreneurs fail to realize is that selling your company gets much more complicated when you take outside funding from professional investors. Now, it’s not just about what you want, it’s about what your investors want too. I’ll explain what you need to look out for in this short video. I…
Read MoreWhy Money Isn’t The Key To Your Startup’s Success
“The whole problem with chip investments is no one wants to fund them,” Mike, a VC I knew, said to me. “But we’ve solved that with our investment in Smooth-Stone.” “How?” I asked. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Easy. We have the whole syndicate lined up for…
Read MoreHow Do You Get Funding Before You Have Paying Customers?
What comes first, your funding or paying customers? Well, it depends on the type of funding you’re trying to get. I’ll explain, in this short video, what’s your best bet for raising your early funding. I hope you like it. Read The Video Transcript Below: Is it possible to raise funding when all you…
Read MoreWhat Traits Do You Want Your Angel Investors To Have?
“I think I can get Dobkin to invest in us,” “Randy,” one of my co-founders, said to at lunch. Randy had just officially joined our company, and we were talking about fundraising. “Bob Dobkin?” I said to Randy, trying to hide my excitement. Dobkin was the co-founder and CTO of Linear Technology, one of the…
Read MoreHow Does Adding Investors Change Your Exit?
Everything changes when angel investors or venture capitalists invest in your company. And, one of the most important changes is what price can you sell your company for. In this short video, I’ll explain how investors think about your exit, and why you can’t just sell your company for any price you want. I…
Read MoreHow Can You Get Investors Without Having A Network
“My network really isn’t that strong,” “Peter,” said to me Tuesday. “Can you help me meet investors?” I probably get a version of this question just about every week. And, my answer is always the same, “No, helping with investor introductions is not something I usually do.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…
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