We recently had our mid-year internal review of our funds. In going through our many investments, one factor that emerged was that we have three fundamental “flavors” of investments. We found that we actually use slightly different language when we discuss each of these investment flavors, because our perspective and expectations of the companies are distinctly different.
Management
How to Supercharge Your Most Important Relationships
Ten years from now, your future self is yelling, telling you to do something now, telling you to focus on the most important thing to your future self’s success—investing in your most important relationships. Your future self can see it clearly. Relationships are at the core of your future success. Some people let the universe […]
7 Startup Scenarios That Rarely Attract Investors
Here is my perspective on the highest risk elements, from my years of working with investors and watching startups come and go.
7 Pushbacks That New Founders Must Overcome
In business, and in your personal life, the ability to anticipate and overcome criticism is one of the biggest differentiators between leaders, who make things happen, and followers, who may have great ideas but never seem to get things to go their way. In fact, leaders are not remembered for their dreams, aspirations, or intentions […]
The Entrepreneur’s Most Dangerous Temptation
Change for the sake of change or for a sense of excitement can destroy just about any venture you take on. We must be diligent to avoid the dreaded “shiny object syndrome.”
8 Tips For Quantifying Traction In Your New Venture
Your personal assessment that you have traction probably won’t be convincing to potential investors and partners, so it’s important that you create and track your progress against some metrics. Here are some of the key specifics for credibility and acceptance as you create and use these metrics
Top 10 Traits of High-Performing Marketing Teams
Here some common traits that are found in some of the most powerful marketing teams in the e-commerce industry.
The Way to Win the Startup Game is Not to Play It
I won the startup game by opting out of it. Instead, I focused on my own business and stopped worrying about what everyone else was doing.
3 Pieces of Hard-Won Startup Advice
When you start a business, there’s no shortage of people offering you advice. Disqus founder Daniel Ha has found that the best advice combines experience and perspe
4 Basic Skills of CEOs Who Can Sell Well
The CEO of any company is expected to sell at all times. The primary objective of any business is sales. You begin by selling to yourself, then you sell your cofounders. Later, you’ll sell your first client and you’ll continue until you retire. The job of any CEO is sales.
Businesses Need Employee Engagement More Than Process
The days of leadership without engagement are gone. With interactive social media and video everywhere, everyone needs to feel they have a relationship with their leaders, and every brand needs leader personification for customers to relate. Soon you won’t be able to name a business as one of your favorites if you can’t personally visualize […]