Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 11, 2022

I had realized that I didn’t have it within me to be as good of a player as many of them did but I had the skills to help as mentor, coach, friend, sparing partner and patient capital provider. It was a way to make it hard for your competition to compete. I see your $500 million fund and I raise you with a $1.5 billion fund.

Venture Capital 466

Venture Capital Startup Marketing Pricing 466

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 18, 2023

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. You know the basic ingredients, and you can visualize the results you want. Yet you may not be so sure where to start, and how to put it all together. For now, get cooking!

Startup 112

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 112

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

The venture capitalists we look at to fund our deals are certainly tightening down, there's no question about that. What is not happening, is those marginal deals that would have gotten funded a number of years ago, when things were better, are not making it. So you don't see as many people looking for funding now?

Tech Coast Angels 231

Tech Coast Angels Technical Review Angel Southern California 231

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2022

in sociology, and is a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. Can be a competitive advantage. Competition over salary, promotions, and position. This can cause feelings of unfairness, and initiate emotionally competitive efforts. One source I like is the classic book “ Who’s That Sitting At My Desk? ”

Startup 119

Startup Course Competition Social Media 119

Berkonomics

JUNE 8, 2017

[Email readers, continue here…] Bootstrapping: This term describes your ability to start a business with little investment and grow it using internally-generated funds. And just for measure, VC’s fund less than 2% of all deals they do investigate. There is a lot to say about retaining control.

Venture Capital 266

Venture Capital Class Invest Equity 266

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 20, 2022

Your role is to provide this enablement, through listening to their needs, and providing personal coaching and mentoring as required. He is always open to the ideas of his team, and even if he doesn't agree that an idea will work, he'll say so, but he often supports and funds it anyway. Foster collaboration rather than competition.

Product 109

Product Training Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. You know the basic ingredients, and you can visualize the results you want. Yet you may not be so sure where to start, and how to put it all together. For now, get cooking!

Startup 156

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 156

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 9, 2023

Remember that productive relationships have to show value in both directions, so don’t expect that you can pump someone for funding or connections without offering something worthwhile in return. Effective networking can also lead you to great coaches and mentors, as well as business and customer connections.

Networking 104

Networking Mentor Conference Summary 104

Tech.Co

MAY 25, 2018

Still though, when founders are seeking funding, “ 75 percent of the venture capital goes to three states: Massachusetts, New York, and California,” said Steve Case in an interview with Recode. BlackTech Week was created in 2014, and in four short years, they’ve gained over 2700 participants, 150 speakers, and 3 pitch competitions.

Startup 140

Startup Technical Review Competition Software Review 140

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

Then, he'll need to patent it and create a plan to show opportunity, competition, and financial projections. I find the best business plans are not books, but may actually should start as a one-page “elevator pitch” that succinctly encompasses your business goals, problems and solution, opportunity, competition, and business model.

Ideas 126

Ideas Writing Examples Outsource 126

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2016

Increasingly I find myself engaging executive coaches at companies an trying to help executive teams get 360 degree feedback. The best leaders I know encourage coaches to come in and are willing to listen to feedback about themselves. In fact, I’d observe that most board meetings don’t on this important topic.

Coach 150

Coach Technical Review Framework Google 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Competitive (Athlete: skier & rowed at Princeton, hates losing at everything she does). For starters we’re an LA-based venture fund who invests nationally (and sometimes internationally, but less so). She is a coach and mentor to team members. Thus began my marketing campaign. And the contractions always come back.

Venture Capital 408

Venture Capital Startup Outsource Development CitySearch 408

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2023

As a business owner, I myself had to learn to depend on skilled partners, rather than jump in and try to solve every business challenge myself, from fund raising to social media. Use your support resources and access to coaching to solidify your mindset and personal values, and don’t back down prematurely.

Satisfaction 101

Satisfaction Startup Social Media Summary 101

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 10, 2013

I made many classic first-time mistakes which serves both as my warning signal of which teams to avoid funding (if I perceive they will make critical mistakes often led by hubris) and also as my source for coaching others. It’s why I believe startup coaches are so important and I wish I know more great ones.

Startup 412

Startup Press Course Entrepreneur 412

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2012

I often caution entrepreneurs about seeing too many VCs when you’re beginning your fund raising process both because information tends to leak and because if you see too many people who talk with each other you’ll soon have whispers amongst all of the VCs who “passed on you” and your deal will seem over-shopped and lacking in momentum.

Technical Review 316

Technical Review Venture Capital Customer Custom 316

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

in sociology, and is a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. Can be a competitive advantage. Competition over salary, promotions, and position. This can cause feelings of unfairness, and initiate emotionally competitive efforts. One source I like is the classic book “ Who’s That Sitting At My Desk? ”

Startup 94

Startup Course Competition Social Media 94

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 22, 2014

I had an enjoyable conversation this morning with a young team straight out of college this morning and they were calling to ask advice on how to approach fund raising (angels vs. VCs, how to select a VC, etc.) VCs should be more of a coach than proscriptively telling you what to do. I think of VCs as coaches.

Venture Capital 364

Venture Capital Coach Writing SaaS 364

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2018

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. You know the basic ingredients, and you can visualize the results you want. Yet you may not be so sure where to start, and how to put it all together. For now, get cooking!

Startup 81

Startup Coach Metrics Marketing 81

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

I acted as the occasional mentor, advisor and coach to Ethan. In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. We generally have a policy to only fund entrepreneurs once the first version of a product has shipped or it near to shipping. So I asked Ethan to build his product first and then we would fund.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

socalTECH

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

You can find a mentor, a coach, a project, or experience, to help you prepare for the role you are looking for. We were originally operating as a coaching company, and we built out this assessment technology for our own clients. It was really a meeting of the minds with the fund. It's very much matching pieces into a puzzle.

Help 100

Help Southern California Startup Technical Review 100

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

Any startup coach or business advisor will tell you that, on your way to being a great chef, you don't start your journey by inventing the ultimate entre. You know the basic ingredients, and you can visualize the results you want. Yet you may not be so sure where to start, and how to put it all together. For now, get cooking!

Entrepreneur 93

Entrepreneur Startup Coach Metrics 93

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 30, 2010

Convertible debt is an investment that “converts&# into equity in the future usually at a discount to your next funding round price and sometimes has a “cap&# (maximum price). But as an angel you’re usually not only taking risks but also helping the company succeed (through introductions, social proof, coaching, recruiting).

Equity 319

Equity Pricing Venture Capital Entrepreneur 319

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 22, 2015

in sociology, and a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. Can be a competitive advantage. Competition over salary, promotions, and position. This can cause feelings of unfairness, and initiate emotionally competitive efforts. One source I like is the classic book “ Who’s That Sitting At My Desk? ”

Startup 96

Startup Course Competition Social Media 96

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 3, 2014

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. ” So I did want any rational person who wants to improve does – I hired a coach. Sure, you need to be competitive on price. Sales people will always tell you how far ahead the competition is. My first startup was no different.

Sales 382

Sales Help Startup Pricing 382

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2015

We envy them all and want to emulate them but know that they are just people dealing with struggles of a different magnitude from the pressures of going public, the pressures of pricing competition, the pressures of over-reaching of journalists and regulators and the pressures of activist public shareholders with short-term expectations.

Press 150

Press Venture Capital Startup Entrepreneur 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

Find a coach who has a holistic view of all elements. Small businesses, on the other hand, more often need advisors on the overall strategy, funding, and the integration of individual components. You can delegate to them, and you learn from them over time. The solution here is more likely peers than experts.

Sales 69

Sales Organization Entrepreneur Examples 69

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2017

in sociology, and is a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. Can be a competitive advantage. Competition over salary, promotions, and position. This can cause feelings of unfairness, and initiate emotionally competitive efforts. One source I like is the classic book “ Who’s That Sitting At My Desk? ”

Startup 53

Startup Course Competition Social Media 53

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2017

Most business leaders today realize that smart management of scarce resources is the key to competitive success. Many venture firms go even further, by insisting on investing their own key players in an interesting startup, before they commit any funds. That’s why they manage money so carefully.

Product 58

Product Startup Guide Framework 58

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 10, 2013

in sociology, and a coach and speaker on work issues and friendship. Can be a competitive advantage. Competition over salary, promotions, and position. This can cause feelings of unfairness, and initiate emotionally competitive efforts. One source I like is a recent book “ Who’s That Sitting At My Desk? ”

Startup 92

Startup Course Competition Social Media 92

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. So if all I need to do is make some customer calls, interview potential employees or help with his fund-raising decks – hallelujah. And improve.

Tips 365

Tips Email Venture Capital CTO Coach 365

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2010

These are key to transforming your vision into a solid written plan, soliciting the initial funding, and adapting to required changes during implementation. Now the vision has become understandable to potential funding partners. Find friends, Angels, or VCs to fund your plan. What is the difference between a dream and a vision?

Technical Review 91

Technical Review Summary Entrepreneur Coach 91

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2012

I now observes the fund raising process as a profession. This is the fund raising perspective from both sides of the table. Fund raising (as is much of life) is a sale – pure and simple. Every company is different so it’s hard to listen to advice from the uber-successful fund raisers. Executive Summary.

Develop 366

Develop Development Funding Venture Capital 366

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2013

Trevor is a highly successful serial entrepreneur and success coach who has studied this phenomenon for many years, including the latest findings in neuroscience. You can’t survive with that kind of help in today’s competitive environment. When you feel an excuse coming on, no matter how trivial, stop yourself. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Startup Press Coach 100

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

We want to invest in early-stage technology enabled startup businesses – upfront in the funding cycle. We like to hire people and fund people who are deeply ethical and we try to be long-term in our investment thinking. This is something I try to coach against. He had a sense of purpose and everybody knew what it was.

Startup 150

Startup Coach Course Invest 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2012

Trevor is a highly successful serial entrepreneur and success coach who has studied this phenomenon for many years, including the latest findings in neuroscience. You can’t survive with that kind of help in today’s competitive environment. When you feel an excuse coming on, no matter how trivial, stop yourself. Marty Zwilling.

Entrepreneur 104

Entrepreneur Startup Press Coach 104

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Most technology startups seem to be funded by product people or business people. So I did want any rational person who wants to improve does – I hired a coach. Sure, you need to be competitive on price. Sales people will always tell you how far ahead the competition is. My first startup was no different.

Sales 316

Sales Startup Pricing Customer 316

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2015

What about a top athlete in the NFL or NBA or even part of the coaching staff. I’m not looking to fund people who err too much on the life side the work/life balance. Chief of Staff for a major political figure? Think they don’t have work/life balance challenges in a field they’ve chosen to work in?

Startup 150

Startup Demand Organization Social Network 150