Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
Last month, Joel Gascoigne wrote about some of the decisions that he and the team had made at Buffer. One of the things that he struggled with was how to correlate choices with success: http://bit.ly/Rpz6Bu “If we don’t attribute our choices to success or failure, how can we assess if we are on the right … Continue reading Values are Ends, Not Means
Jason Lemkin has written an excellent post pointing out that a major drop in public market valuations is about to affect SaaS startups: http://bit.ly/1si4dMG Lemkin points out that major SaaS players like Workday and Cornerstone have fallen by nearly 50% since February 2014, and predicts that early-stage startup valuations will plummet. Bad news? Maybe. But … Continue reading Valuation Multiples Don’t Matter If Your Startup Is Growing Exponentially
Famously, VCs take a portfolio approach, betting on numerous startups, while entrepreneurs bet the farm on their single startup. This fundamental difference helps explain many of the conflicts that arise between entrepreneurs and their VCs, because an entrepreneur is focused on the success of a single startup, while a VC has a fiduciary obligation to … Continue reading How To Use Portfolio Theory At Your Startup
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since I became your dad. While I knew that it would change my life, I didn’t know how much it would affect both my daily activities and my overall perspective. I still remember being 11 years old, and wishing I could stay that age forever. Even … Continue reading A Letter To Jason On His 12th Birthday
One of the biggest Silicon Valley controversies in recent memory is the short, turbulent tenure as Mozilla CEO of co-founder and JavaScript inventor Brendan Eich. The quick summary, for anyone who hasn’t followed the story, is that Eich donated $1,000 to support California’s Proposition 8 in 2008. Prop 8 has a single meaningful clause: “Only … Continue reading Politics vs. Civil Rights (Why Brendan Eich Needed To Go)
Each night, I wash the dishes for my family. Some nights, the sink is fairly empty, and it’s easy. Other times, the sink is overflowing with dirty dishes, and it’s tough to work up the motivation to get started. But what allows me to get the job done every night is that I know where … Continue reading The Power of Knowing Where To Start
One of the advantages of money that people fail to appreciate is the value of being able to take risks. Because risk and reward are typically intertwined, the rich do get richer. This year’s March Madness tournament provides a particularly striking example. Quicken Loans and Yahoo Sports are running a “billion dollar bracket“: Pick the … Continue reading The Value Of Being Able To Take Risks
This morning, I had the misfortune of having my car’s transmission conk out while I was on the freeway. Fortunately, I was able to exit the freeway and park on the street, where I could safely call GEICO for roadside assistance. But this post isn’t about the $2,000+ I’m going to have to spend on … Continue reading The $2,000 Customer Service Call
My good friend and fellow writer Ben Casnocha asked the question recently, “Do You Want a Happy Career or a Meaningful One?” http://linkd.in/1kPS9RQ To Ben, there is a fundamental conflict between the two: “The things that make you happy (low stress, good health, sex) are not the same things that make your life seem meaningful … Continue reading You Don’t Have To Choose Between Meaning And Happiness
One of the popular expressions used by investors is “How much hair is on the deal?” A hairy deal includes messy complications, like a product that hasn’t yet found a market, or inexperienced founders. Some investors shy away from hairy deals. I, on the other hand, have decided to ply my trade as a startup … Continue reading Life as a Startup Barber