Founders and Fundraising
The 7 Things You Don’t Know About Working With VCs
“Brett, I’m going to be leaving the VC fund,” Dave, the partner I had been working with as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), said to me. I nodded my head, and then said, “Okay, I understand.” Then Dave continued, “I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I thought you should know. That means they’re (the VC…
Read MoreWhy You Need To Build Your Team Before Raising Money
Imagine this scenario. You have a great idea for a new startup. You’ve done the research, and maybe you’ve even talked to a few potential customers. There’s no doubt in your mind that this venture is poised to be a huge hit. So, you start reaching out to investors, and you get a couple of…
Read MoreThe Trick To Tell What Advice You Should Take Seriously
You’re going to get tons of advice as a startup CEO. The challenge is determining the good advice from the bad advice. In this short video, I’ll give you a simple tip I use to determine what advice I take more seriously than other advice. I hope you like it. Read the video transcript…
Read MoreWhat’s The Right Way To Take Money Out Of Your Company?
“I’ve been at this now for seven years,” “Rob” said to me. “I just want to take some money off the table, so my family can have financial security. “Is that too much to ask?” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “How much money are you thinking of,”…
Read MoreWhich Investor Feedback Should You Follow?
“Do you know who Don Valentine is?” The investor asked me. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “Of course,” I responded. We actually had a meeting the next week at Sequoia Capital, and Valentine, the legendary cofounder of Sequoia, was going to be in the meeting. “Well, Don…
Read MoreWhy You Want Investors To Say No To You
The odds are decidedly against you, like 300:1 against you, when you try and raise money from VCs. So, you’d think hearing an investor tell you, “No, I’m not interested,” is the last thing you’d want to hear. Well, that’s exactly true. In fact, hearing “No” from an investor can be great. I’ll explain why,…
Read MoreWhen Do You Really Need A Board Of Directors?
“I want to establish my board of directors,” “Allen” said to me. “What? Why would you want to do that?” I asked. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “I just think I need a board of directors. After all, we’re doing over $1M per year in revenue,” Allen…
Read MoreHow Do You Validate Your Great Business Idea?
My mind started racing. I was having a hard time trying to hide my excitement. Mike, the managing partner of a San Francisco based VC, had just asked me to help them start an Analog semiconductor company. In other words, Mike’s fund was going to provide the financial backing for my new company. [Do you…
Read MoreHow Do You Bounce Back From A Failed Pitch Meeting?
There’s a lot of pressure on you when you’re raising funding. After all, the odds are over 100:1 against an investor funding you. I knew the odds were against us raising money, yet I never felt nervous. In this short video, I’ll share with you the mindset I used to successfully raise money during the…
Read MoreWhy It’s Okay If Your Cofounder Doesn’t Quit Their Day Job
…Especially in the aftermath of COVID-19 I was thrilled when Jeroen agreed to become my cofounder and VP Engineering. Jeroen was perfect for the role with his strong technical skills combined with his ability to recruit and manage a team. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] But we…
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