Founders and Fundraising
What Should Startup CEOs Know About Accounting?
I was having dinner with Bill. Bill is someone I worked for years ago. Bill was asking me about how things were going at my company. He asked me, “Are you signing every check?” I told him I was. “That’s good!” Bill is seriously old school. But Bill is right. You need to understand where…
Read MoreShould You Or A Potential Investor Open The Price Negotiation?
There are too many people that think raising money is like an episode of Shark Tank. You say, “I’m raising $XM at a valuation of $YM” just like they do on Shark Tank. Not only does providing a valuation makes you look like an amateur, providing a valuation can reduce the value of your company.…
Read MoreWhat Are The Best Books For CEOs To Read?
I know you’re busy as founding CEO of your company, but make time to read. The reading will likely pay off for you big time. I like using Audible as a way to improve my productivity. I can listen to a book while driving. Or I can listen to a book while going for a…
Read MoreWhat Do I Do If I Run Out Of Money For My Startup?
I recently started working with a young entrepreneur named “Chris”. Chris has a really cool idea to disrupt the industry he is in. On a shoestring budget Chris has built up a large customer base, and Chris is generating revenue. One of the first things I will usually ask an entrepreneur is to review the…
Read MoreShould You Bootstrap Or Take VC Funding?
If ever there is a question where the answer is “It depends”, this is the question. I’ve known entrepreneurs that have bootstrapped that have made a fortune, and I’ve known entrepreneurs that raised VC money that made a fortune. I don’t really think the question is whether bootstrapping or VC funding yields you the most…
Read MoreWhat Is It Really Like To Be An Entrepreneur?
I remember talking to my Dad years ago when he was running his company. My Dad used to talk about being “knocked around.” I would say to my Dad, “It doesn’t sound like much fun. Why would you want to do this?” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.]…
Read MoreHow Do You Protect Yourself From VCs Stealing Your Ideas?
“We can stop right there,” the VC said to my cofounder “John”. John, to my surprise, had just asked the VC to sign an NDA. “I’m not signing an NDA,” the VC continued. It was the first sign of paranoia from John that would eventually cause him to quit. And the VC wasn’t wrong to…
Read MoreCan You Succeed When You Don’t Get Along With Your Cofounders?
There were these four founders that got together to start their business. Peter, John, Roger and Keith were their names. The products they produced were some of the best in their industry. The customers they had loved their products. And they were well respected by their competitors. By their own admission, they got along horribly.…
Read MoreWhen Should You Become An Entrepreneur?
“I built a spreadsheet to determine the value of my stock options if I join your company,” the candidate said to me. “I adjusted the returns for risk, and I think I will make more money staying at my large (corporate) company.” I’d seen it before. I knew the minute the spreadsheets come out the…
Read MoreWhat’s The Best Pitch Deck You’ve Ever Seen?
The best pitch deck I’ve seen that’s been publicly released is LinkedIn’s. What I love about it is maybe not so much the content, but Reid Hoffman’s commentary about what he was trying to do and what he would do different. But, you really don’t have to go beyond the first slide. The first slide…
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