Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
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!
Competence isn’t a bad thing, but it’s no longer enough. Maybe there was a time when you could build a successful life based on “pretty good.” But those days are gone, along with three martini lunches and wearing hats all the time. Pretty good works in a stable environment because of the principle of leverage. … Continue reading Competence Kills
We live today in am impatient world. In many ways, that’s good. We’re unwilling to wait for the world to change; instead we go out and change it. But this impatience has a cost. People tend to view startups these days as overnight successes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most successful startups had … Continue reading Impatience Kills Startups
Hire nerdy business people. Counterintuitive, right? When you think businessperson, you think of a smooth-talking charmer, the opposite of the archetypal “nerd.” But when you’re hiring business people, the most important interview question might be, “Kirk or Picard?” It’s not that they’ll be more fun at hackathons (though that helps). It’s that nerdy = detail … Continue reading Why You Should Hire Nerdy Businesspeople
It’s no secret that media businesses have struggled with monetization in the Internet era. Journalism, for example, is famously in free-fall. But all the hand-wringing conceals a simple fact: There is a very successful model that has been around for decades, and it still works today. All we have to do is learn from porn … Continue reading What Internet Startups Can Learn From Comics And Porn Stars
With all due respect to the genius that is Jessica Hagy and Indexed, the seed of a startup is *NOT* cheap technology, disgruntled workers, and an anemic economy.While that portion of the Venn diagram represents the ideal soil for starting a company, the real seed of a startup is a need.Every successful startup gives people … Continue reading The Real Seed Of A Startup Is A Need
When I hear a high-tech entrepreneur tell me, “If I can just raise $250K to build a prototype…” I know he or she is never going to make it. You used to be able to raise venture money based on an idea and a team, but those days are long gone unless your name is … Continue reading Build Product, Not PowerPoint (Even If You’re Non-Technical)
People throw themselves into 100-hour work weeks because they are afraid to make choices that others might not understand. If you work 100-hour weeks, no one (investors, co-founders, employees) can blame you if things don’t work out, right? I had a moment like this during my first startup, when I was held late at a … Continue reading Workaholism Is A Choice (Usually The Wrong One)
I recently Twittered about the fact that I have a plan for a recession-proof business. I created the plan a couple of years ago, even lined up some killer reference customers, but never had time to put it into effect because of more time-sensitive priorities (Ustream, PBwiki). My “problem” is that between work, family, and … Continue reading Wanted: Co-founders for a recession-proof business concept
As recession mania spreads, lots of folks have weighed in with their recommendations. Sequoia says to hunker down and start firing people. Dave McClure says that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. All fine and dandy if you’re interested in reinforcing your natural optimism or pessimism. But all of these posts focus … Continue reading Recession Winners And Losers