Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
Photo courtesy of toprankonlinemarketing I first met Dave back in 2002, at an SDForum (now SVForum) volunteer dinner. I was one of the chairs of the Startup SIG (special interest group), while Dave was one of the chairs of the Venture Finance SIG (the two SIGs have since merged). Back then, Dave was “just” working … Continue reading The Long, Strange, Inspirational Trip of Dave McClure
Nothing happens unless you do it. It’s a simple truth, but hard for first-time entrepreneurs to grasp, largely because much of the world works hard to conceal it. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to unlearn the lessons of childhood, school, and working for big organizations. In each of those situations, a lot of … Continue reading Nothing happens unless you do it.
As a proud graduate of Stanford’s d.School, I’m privileged to be part of the alumni mailing list, which includes a lot of the world’s smartest, most creative people. We’ve had a number of interesting discussions recently, ranging from 3D printing to the best source of “tiny balls” (don’t ask). One of the most interesting has … Continue reading The 7 Steps of Storytelling for Entrepreneurs
image courtesy familymwr It’s amazing what people can do once they know it’s possible. The SuperHappyDevHouse hackathons occurred because Jeff Lindsay and David Weekly threw a party for hackers, and a dozen people showed up. Now hundreds attend every month. (By the way, SHDH 44 is this Saturday; click here to register) Every great thing … Continue reading Be the first to stand and applaud
Nothing matters but traction. It makes everything easy, but it is the hardest to accomplish. Too many entrepreneurs focus on working around a lack of traction when they would be better off using that energy to get traction. A common occurrence is that an entrepreneur comes to me asking for money. “I need money for … Continue reading Nothing Matters But Traction
One of my pet peeves when it comes to management is when someone tells me, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to explain.” When that happens, I think that person has been watching too many action movies. If you’re on the run from a secret government conspiracy, you probably don’t have time to explain … Continue reading If you don’t have time to explain, you’re not decisive, you’re unfocused
I’ve been saying quite a bit privately, but I think it’s time to say it publicly: If you are an entrepreneur, raise money now. It’s never easy to raise money. People who say, “It’s easy to raise money,” usually neglect to mention the second half of the sentence, which is “if you are in a … Continue reading Raise Money Now!
I recently ran across this post from Justin Vincent, where he argues that entreporn–the overwhelming focus on chasing “the next big thing”–holds developers back from their full potential. Instead, he writes: “The absolute truth is that each and every one of us can build a business that can support us.” That’s bullshit. While Vincent makes … Continue reading What If Every Developer Focused On Lifestyle Businesses?
If you liked my recent post on How To Avoid Getting Fired From Your Own Company, you’ll love my upcoming panel on founder/CEO succession issues, What Color Is Your Parachute? The good folks at Orrick and I have assembled an All-Star panel with three founders and three VCs for a frank discussion of when/why/how founders … Continue reading Free Event Thursday: Founder/CEO Succession
This is a golden age for entrepreneurs–if you build a sustainable business. The costs of starting a business are lower than ever before. Social media makes it easier than ever to spread word about great products and services (note that I said easier, not easy!). There’s more transparency in the startup ecosystem (AngelList, VentureHacks, HackerNews) … Continue reading Why This Is A Golden Age For Entrepreneurs Who Follow This Approach