Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. If you can explain the problem to a mentor, or even write it down, you will more likely get to the root cause quickly, and avoid emotional and blame-infused responses. Explore solutions, outcomes, and options calmly.

Satisfaction 53

Satisfaction Marketing Mentor Entrepreneur 53

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

As a startup mentor and investor, I am approached regularly by aspiring entrepreneurs who assert that business plans are a waste of time. They cite sources like the BusinessWeek story, “ Real Entrepreneurs Don’t Write Business Plans ” and this Forbes article. A business plan may be a small investment to get a shot at that opportunity.

Technical Review 109

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Based on my experience as an angel investor and a mentor to dozens of entrepreneurs, having no business plan is the quickest way to define yourself as just a dreamer, or at best a hobbyist. Project revenues, costs and investment needs. No mention usually means no plan and not competitive.

Startup 65

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InfoChachkie

DECEMBER 8, 2011

At one level it’s a terrible return on time investment, but on another level, it’s a really positive one. Writing a book is very different from writing a blog. One, I wanted to know what it was like to write a book. Jason and I have a pretty good back-and-forth writing style. There were a couple motivations.

Venture Capital 224

Venture Capital Writing Entrepreneur Blogging 224

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

I have been writing a series on how startup boards get selected, who sits on them and what to avoid. I also find this as an invaluable source of future deal flow, future recruiting and future decisions about whom I want to co-invest with. I’m sure it’s true but consider writing yourself a note and telling them after the meeting.

Startup 251

Startup Help Technical Review Writing 251

InfoChachkie

APRIL 25, 2011

Although many are entertaining, most fail to provide entrepreneurs with a sufficient return on their time investment. At the beginning of the index, Guy writes, “I hope Robert Cialdini checks this index.” Ask For Mentoring. Like King, his writing style is breezy and engaging. No doubt, he did. Underpromise, Overdeliver.

Technical Review 279

Technical Review Blogging Class Entrepreneur 279

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 25, 2013

In the original version of his post, Andy writes. Most top tier VCs return about 3x invested capital and outlier funds (the best of a vintage) might return 6-8x. It’s true this was much bigger in the dot com era but I’ve studied the data and know that over the past decade these numbers are right. billion in returns.

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Venture Capital Entrepreneur Invest Funding 374

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

Huge thank you to Steve De Long for the write up. My initial desire to blog came from something that’s always been my approach to investing – I’m a nerd and I love to play with the technology and part of my approach has really been to understand things both at a user level and at a reasonably deep tentacle level. “My Brad on blogging.

Venture Capital 288

Venture Capital Startup Technical Review Software Review 288

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy studied SEOMoz and several other online sources of SEO tips. Tracy is knowledgeable enough to talk tech and swap design & product stories with other founders, but she realized early that networking amongst this group and reading and writing in their journals would not bring her more customers.

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SoCal CTO

AUGUST 3, 2010

Though this was 2000 , and all startup & VC blogs we've grown to love didn't exist yet, I did have mentors available. Computer scientists call the study of graphs “ network theory ,&# but on the web the word “network&# is used to refer to the websites themselves). Yesterday he outlined his investment thesis on his blog.

Startup 217

Startup Venture Capital Blogging Software Review 217