Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

I started in 2007 with a thesis that my primary investment decision would be about the team (70%) and only afterward about the market opportunity (30%). I was telling him that it was much easier when I started because there were fewer deals, life was less public and somehow the world seemed to be spinning more slowly. I don’t.

Venture Capital 374

Venture Capital Invest Press Startup 374

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

We’ve hung out periodically over the past few years and I have enjoyed debating many startup topics. They switched to a flat rate model and sharing went up immediately. to $12 conversion went up! Sign me up.&# Awesome. All viral adoption starts with one thing – great content. Gregg says at $9.99

Startup 303

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Writing 303

Berkonomics

AUGUST 17, 2023

Preparing for the game… If you have been following our recent insights, you’ll be up to speed knowing that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to sell their shares and more.

Invest 296

Invest Capital Startup Entrepreneur 296

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

So I thought I’d write about out with what I would look for in a VC knowing what I know now and why. VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. In the end it will be up to you to figure out what to do. Nothing blows up great opportunities faster than founders who are constantly fighting.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2010

Most early stage startups having monthly board meetings. A prominent startup CEO in NYC wrote me a private message telling me that this was an issue he was struggling with. I ran board meetings as a startup CEO for more than 8 years. We’re all just grown up big kids who operate the same way we did when we were young.

Startup 301

Startup Venture Capital Software Review Email 301

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

I think my mentality to banker pitches was best summed up in this article about Y Combinator in which Paul Graham apparently made the following quotes. start-ups are overvalued. The other quote from the article is this: “The other thing they say is that they can’t tell on Demo Day which are the good start-ups.

Startup 361

Startup Venture Capital Pricing Technical Review 361

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Before I tell you the reasons I’m concerned about investment banking intros, I should start by saying I think bankers are enormously helpful for entrepreneurs in raising money. start-ups are overvalued. And I’m seeing this even at some really well run startups. We are judging how well you are coached on stage.

Venture Capital 347

Venture Capital Startup Pricing Invest 347

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 30, 2019

In addition, the discipline of producing it, like writing a business plan, will help you immensely in understanding the key elements that drive you and your business. Yet, most good business people I know agree, but don’t know where to start. What’s holding you back from starting today?

Writing 19

Writing Technical Review Entrepreneur Advertising 19

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series Startup Advice. I write this post as a warning to pick your VC’s carefully. In these many exchanges similar questions crop up. Either you’re not a good leader and he shouldn’t be investing at all, or he has no clue what it takes to build a startup.&#.

Venture Capital 297

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur 297

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 2, 2011

Several people have been asking me to weigh in publicly on the “20 under 20″ initiative announced by Peter Thiel in which he will award up to $100,000 to 20 people under the age of 20 who agree immediately to pursue entrepreneurship (the implication of which is that they’d drop out of university to do so). Experience life.

Education 322

Education Startup Incubator Class 322

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 9, 2013

Every time I think to write a post about this I figure the most recent board meeting I’ve attended will think it’s about them so I don’t bother. So I’m going to write a series of board meetings posts unrelated to anybody or maybe an amalgamation of them all. Startup Advice' Ideal Board Meeting.

Writing 337

Writing Venture Capital Help SaaS 337

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

We had a training session from somebody who put up the four-quadrant graph you see above. This is really important as extroverts like to have the answers presented to them up front. For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Drain in quickly.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 2, 2010

As a VC I’m acutely that a “yes&# decision to support an entrepreneur can do just that, yet I only write 2-4 of them per year and maybe another 3-4 as an angel. I’m not a saint who wakes up every day trying to make the lives of other people better. I started blogging because Brad Feld blogged.

Startup 352

Startup Help Blogging Entrepreneur 352

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. My first startup was no different. I’ve started writing up some of those sales & marketing lessons and I plan to continue to build that section out over time. Startups are the art of the possible.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Customer 316

socalTECH

JUNE 13, 2011

Jonathan Lehmann: I was awarded the Larry Wolfen Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at UCLA, after getting amazing coaching from Matt Ridenour in our business plan development class. Exatly a year ago was the very beginning of KarmaGoat, where I was trying to come up with something that would work as a marketplace donating items.

UCLA 256

UCLA Startup Ideas Help 256

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

I recently got together with Aaron Shechet and an early stage startup to discuss the direction the company might want to take. I grew up in Los Angeles and went to undergrad at UC Santa Barbara, graduating in 2003 with Honors in Economics. While at UC Santa Barbara, I started a café which served over 1100 dorm residents.

Startup 150

Startup SEO Pepperdine Blogging 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. I came several times to NorCal (where I grew up, actually) and went and met several partners from each Silicon Valley firm.

Outsource Development 328

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 328

Berkonomics

JUNE 29, 2017

If you have been following our recent insights, you’ll be up to speed knowing that professional investors negotiate tough terms, from provisions of control over asset acquisition, eventual sale of the company, future investments, forced co-sale when others attempt to sell their shares and more.

Invest 243

Invest Entrepreneur Sales Startup 243

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

What people don't know is how First Round got started and often people know less about the amazing background of one of its co-founders, Howard Morgan (everyone tends to know Josh Kopelman as one of the highest profile players in our industry overall). Josh and Howard began co-investing as angels and in 2005 they started a $10 million fund.

Capital 284

Capital Venture Capital Technical Review Startup 284

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

And as Rob points out – if you email members with short updates more frequently they are more up to speed when you do need them to weigh in. He did it yesterday, “Mark, I’m going to write a blog post following on from your VC’s aren’t dumb. He is very pleasant when he calls and writes. Rob does it.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

But for some strange reason they make you file your progress on fund raising, which is the widely picked up by the press. I plan to write about it early next year when we’re all through. And why I woke up at 4.50am. As a startup founder you rarely have much money in your bank accounts. But he learned.

Blogging 420

Blogging Press Entrepreneur Venture Capital 420

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

My very first investment as a professional angel was in a small startup where the entrepreneur’s vision fueled my imagination in the audio market niche where I had run a business in an earlier life. Starting up Raising money. [Email readers continue here.]

Resource 149

Resource Startup Invest Entrepreneur 149

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2012

In my experience, there is no magic gene involved, just simple good habits executed consistently and convincingly until everyone around you in a startup wants to follow your example. In a startup, things don’t always work, and it’s easy to blame someone else, the poor economy, or just bad luck. Be accountable for your actions.

Startup 104

Startup Examples Entrepreneur Ideas 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Millennials have come a long way in business since I started writing about them nearly ten years ago. They started out as that spoiled generation of kids, born between about 1982 and 2004, who had everything, and could care less about business. Their success is now vital to our success.

Tips 127

Tips Mentor Coach Guide 127

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2014

I would start by asking the candidate, “How did you decide on these five people” as part of your review process. I usually start with, “Obviously Stacy has made it far into the process or I wouldn’t be calling you. I usually try to disarm the person I’m calling this way. You expected no less.

Startup 302

Startup Technical Review Entrepreneur Report 302

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2022

After many extended coaching sessions with entrepreneurs and small business owners, I’ve found myself wondering if my value-add was anything more than you could get by self-coaching. Open up to growth and refuse to prejudge yourself. It helps to partner with and coach others. Change your “nots” to “not yets.”

Coach 105

Coach Help Satisfaction Metrics 105

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

And a key point is that when it comes down to “negotiations&# you need to turn up your personal heat and dial back the middle man. Let me start with an example. She told me, “start with the price you want but the move in date he wants.&#. I said, “If I start with your position I have nowhere to go but down.

Venture Capital 319

Venture Capital Pricing Startup Outsource 319

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits. I came several times to NorCal (where I grew up, actually) and went and met several partners from each Silicon Valley firm.

Outsource Development 333

Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review News 333

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2022

Phrases like “holding people accountable” imply negative consequences or punishment, rather than rewards or providing the freedom and coaching to team members to choose their own actions, and pursue what matters most to them. It’s up to you to build that relationship by listening to their needs and concerns, and offering help where you can.

Coach 145

Coach Slides Social Network Metrics 145

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

Millennials have come a long way in business since I started writing about them over ten years ago. They started out as that spoiled generation of kids, born between about 1982 and 2004, who had everything, and could care less about business. Their success is now vital to our success.

Mentor 134

Mentor Coach Guide Startup 134

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 9, 2021

In my view, the most effective entrepreneurs are those with a background of an array of real-life experiences, both positive and negative, as well as good academic and coaching activities. Starting a business is not rocket science. Don’t forget business writing and communication. Then branch out to local business groups.

Entrepreneur 149

Entrepreneur Tips Writing Coach 149

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Most of you business professionals that I know have at least thought about or talked about starting their own business, to get more control, make more money, or to get more satisfaction out of their life. As a mentor to young aspiring entrepreneurs , I often get asked for tips on a strategy to get started.

Startup 114

Startup Tips Coach Satisfaction 114

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 28, 2018

In my view, the most effective entrepreneurs are those with a background of an array of real-life experiences, both positive and negative, as well as good academic and coaching activities. Starting a business is not rocket science. Don’t forget business writing and communication. Then branch out to local business groups.

Startup 97

Startup Writing Coach Incubator 97

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series on Start-up Lessons that I learned from founding two companies. It is never as rewarding when you’re the coach (but coaching has many other benefits ;-). But first I’d like to start with a story. We helped the write out their requirements for a system.

Startup 151

Startup Outsource Development Software Review Technical Review 151

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

Having time to think about “leadership” at most startups feels like a luxury. The reality of most startups is about survival. If people don’t know the mission there is no way to achieve the objective and you end up with a team pulling in 100 different directions – even if only by small amounts.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Therefore, I was pleased to see some good insights and recommendations in a new book, “ Intrinsic Motivation ,” by Stefan Falk, a McKinsey & Company performance coach. The key to harnessing self-doubt starts with your confidence in your ability to set yourself up for success. Never focus on things you can’t control.

Coach 110

Coach Satisfaction Activity Startup 110

Eric Greenspan

APRIL 11, 2019

Sharing those ideas was the goal, but the achievements came first” It starts with the idea, or the accomplishment, whether it’s the NHL or TED. As they grow up, they may choose a path. They may never step inside that blue circle on NHL ice, but they won’t give up either. I believe it is. What’s yours?

Writing 179

Writing Ideas Startup Coach 179