Founders and Fundraising
The Ten Things Startup CEOs Need For Success
I’ve built several businesses from zero to over $100 million, and I’ve worked with a lot of CEOs to help them grow their businesses too. Over and over again, the successful CEOs I’ve worked with have been able to master the same set of core skills. That’s what today’s video is all about. I’ll explain:…
Read MoreHow To Answer Five Trick Investor Questions
I’ll never forget it. The second I answered the investor’s question I wanted to take back my answer. I had stepped right into his trap. The worst part was I knew better and I still screwed. I don’t want that to happen to you. That’s why I’ll teach you how to answer the five most…
Read MoreStop Wasting Your Time Looking For Value Added Investors
I remember having a conversation with my Dad when I became an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at a San Francisco based venture capital firm. The VC firm had hired me to build a company, and we were just about ready to start raising money. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help.…
Read MoreWhat Not To Focus On When You’re Starting Your Startup
I thought I was so smart when we were starting our startup. However, for someone who was allegedly smart and experienced, I certainly had a knack of focusing on the wrong things. Sometimes, as I look back, it’s amazing we were able to get the company off the ground. I don’t want you to…
Read MoreThe 5 Signs You’re An Entrepreneur
There’s a great story about how Earl Woods, Tiger Woods father, taught Tiger about how to be cool under pressure. In golf, the audience is supposed to be quiet while a player prepares to hit the golf ball. Earl turned everything upside to teach his young son. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe…
Read MoreHow You Can Succeed As An Over 40 Startup CEO
I was in my 40’s when we raised our initial funding. I was the youngest of my four co-founders. The oldest co-founder was over 60 years old. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Yet, we were able to raise $12 million in funding. Three years later, with an…
Read MoreWhat’s The Right Way To Ask Investors For Money?
Imagine this scene. You’ve just finished your investor pitch, and you think the pitch has gone well. However, you don’t know what to say. More importantly, you don’t know how to ask investors for the money you need. As surprising as it sounds, I’ve witnessed hundreds of startup CEOs not know how to ask for…
Read MoreHow Do You Get Execs To Join Your Startup Without Equity?
“I want missionaries, not mercenaries,” The CEO of a startup I am working with, “Jeff,” said to me the other day. He was frustrated because his VP Sales just asked to increase his base salary, that was at the market rate, by over $100,000 per year. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I…
Read MoreWhat Are The 3 Best Tips For Negotiating Your Term Sheet?
The first term sheet I ever negotiated took just forty minutes in elapsed time to negotiate. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] The longest a term sheet took to negotiate that I’ve been involved with was ten months. And the investor was the same investor in both…
Read MoreUse Your Competitive Analysis Slide To Get Funded
If you want your startup to get funded, then you’d better nail your competitive analysis slide. Your competitive analysis slide is an opportunity for you, the CEO, to shine. Yet sadly, too many CEOs do exactly the wrong thing and don’t take advantage of a golden opportunity. I don’t want that to happen to you. …
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