Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

Generally speaking in venture capital financings the legal documents will specify that only “major investors” (a threshold set in the agreement – which can be $500,000 investor or more). We are doing what we do – writing larger checks and playing an active role at the company. There is a reason for this.

Venture Capital 352

Venture Capital Seed Funding Email Blogging 352

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 23, 2013

I’ve been writing a series on a simple methodology that we used at my first enterprise software company. If you’ve done a good job in the sales process you’ve already written out a needs document in which your wrote out what you believe the customer problems are with specific examples. Maybe they don’t?

Sales 328

Sales Customer Custom Examples 328

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

500 Hats , January 10, 2010 Developing new startup ideas - Chris Dixon , March 14, 2010 Batch Processing Millions and Millions of Images - Code as Craft , July 9, 2010 jQuery Plugin: Give Your Characters a NobleCount - The Product Guy , March 23, 2010 How do the sample Series Seed financing documents differ from typical Series A financing documents?

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

As I write this in late 2024, legislation is being proposed at the national level to eliminate non-competes. Email readers, continue here…] Yes, some companies were sloppy and did not have you sign a confidentiality agreement, but that procedural slipup does not protect you from their legal wrath. Digital or analog!

Design 156

Design Writing News Email 156

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 21, 2010

In writing anything positive about any of the companies I’m not suggesting that it means that I prefer them to any of their competitors. Also, some of the deals I write about I have actually seen as part of their fund raising process. Collaboration in business starts and ends with email. Really!). Enter Xobni.

Venture Capital 265

Venture Capital Capital Email Blogging 265

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Do you find yourself too much in email mode? I regularly shut down my email so that I don’t get pop-up alerts when I’m working. This can be your star Chief Architect who loves to code but hates having to handle the admin like testing, documentation, recruiting, etc. How can I play to my strengths?

Venture Capital 400

Venture Capital Conference Ideas Entrepreneur 400

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 9, 2023

Even in this age of videos and text messages, the quickest way to kill your startup dream with investors, business partners, or even customers, is embarrassingly poor writing. You have to be able to communicate effectively in all the common forms, including business writing, as well as talking, presenting, and producing videos.

Tips 123

Tips Writing Startup Summary 123

Berkonomics

MARCH 28, 2024

They write in their investment documents that they will occupy a seat on the board for as long as they are invested in the company, thinking of this as a protection for their investment and tool for them to influence growth. All other board functions are secondary.

Class 282

Class Coach Invest Sales 282

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

Here’s Why You Should Just Send the Deck I know you have your document sending tool to send your fund-raising deck to VCs and track who read your deck, which pages they read and how much time they spend on each page. I would likely open up your deck, read it again and begin contemplating your company again.

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

There’s one attribute (coming soon) that I need to have in order to write a check but I don’t believe is vital for success. My first company launched in 1999 and we were offering a SaaS document management in the cloud (we were called ASPs back then). It will be controversial – I know. I know this stuff cold now.

Entrepreneur 267

Entrepreneur Startup SaaS San Diego 267

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 24, 2016

Even in this age of videos and text messages, the quickest way to kill your startup dream with investors, business partners, or even customers, is embarrassingly poor writing. You have to be able to communicate effectively in all the common forms, including business writing, as well as talking, presenting, and producing videos.

Writing 62

Writing Summary Email Ideas 62

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2010

Make sure to send a monthly email to all board members / investors with a link to your spreadsheet saying, “I’ve made a few updates. But we barely get through all our email let alone log into online spreadsheets. They will likely forward your email to their partners. Make sure when you write it you assume this.

Startup 301

Startup Venture Capital Software Review Email 301

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 13, 2011

With all these companies vying for attention & others just here to soak up the vibe I thought I’d write a much broader piece on how startups can make the most of their attendance at conferences & events. Write them in advance and request meetings. We didn’t have any documents due that night. We just hung.

Conference 289

Conference Startup Technical Review Writing 289

socalTECH

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

dont have any self-esteem and feel that they are one of a thousand applicants and there is no way they can get a job, so why bother to send a polished document. Attach a Cover Letter: Far too many people simply email you their resumes and there is nothing in the body of the email, just a Word doc attachment.

Doc 145

Doc Email Tips Research 145

TechCrunch LA

OCTOBER 21, 2021

But Sarandos doubled down on his defense of the special, writing an internal email that “content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” After receiving backlash, he later told the Hollywood Reporter, “I 100% believe that content on screen can have impact in the real world, positive and negative.”

Netflix 300

Netflix Demand Content Hollywood 300

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

When to get a lawyer - If you plan to be a venture or angel backed technology company (what I mostly write about) the best time to start meeting and getting to know lawyers is long before you ever start your company. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. Many people start companies arse backwards.

Startup 318

Startup IP Southern California Entrepreneur 318

TechEmpower

JULY 5, 2016

We should write an alternative to JSON.stringify that produces an exact representation of our number.” We can no longer write Mustache or Handlebars templates like this: {{! We can no longer write functions like this: function updateEmailAddress(user, newEmail) { // Oops, we failed for user #2^62! The call will be hidden.

JavaScript 295

JavaScript Java Class Framework 295

Berkonomics

APRIL 27, 2023

Everyone who manages a company, a workgroup or a sales force wants to write as many new deals as possible and is usually wary about doing anything that might threaten the positive outcome of a pending sale. Do so within the offer document and with a personal comment with delivery of the offer. We hesitate to enforce our own rules.

Sales 156

Sales Tool Customer Custom 156

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 7, 2011

Microsoft Office ended up beating its competitors because it was able to read and write to file formats other than its own. Juno provided a free email service. Free email providers (like gmail or hotmail) didn’t exist, and you had to pay a separate fee to dial up companies like AOL to access the internet. Working at Juno.

Software Review 285

Software Review Software Blogging Startup 285

Berkonomics

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Email readers, continue here…]. Yet, most of us would want to have such documentation of progress other than an invoice. In California, there are still suits pending as of this writing as to whether app-based gig employees (think Door Dash, Lyft, Uber and many more) are really employees. Here are the ten IRS tests.

Outsource Development 177

Outsource Development Tool Services Report 177

InfoChachkie

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

Brad and Jason have been exposing venture capitalists’ secrets since 2005, when they began writing a blog series on Term Sheets at AskTheVC. Examples – The book is filled with text excerpted from actual funding documents, rather than the generic templates usually found in academic textbooks. Don’t Email Carpet Bomb VCs.

Venture Capital 205

Venture Capital Entrepreneur Writing Guide 205

Berkonomics

MAY 29, 2014

Email readers, continue here.] A business plan is yours alone. But it’s a valuable document for you. Studies found that people who write plans are more likely to put their goals in action and increases your likelihood of success. Assists you in raising capital. I’m not seeking a bank loan or investment. So why make a plan?

Startup 166

Startup Guide Help Mentor 166

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Speak to people, rather than write a document every time you want a change. When your customer phones or emails you, his timer starts, so it behooves you to return his call or email quickly. “Results” these days are not PowerPoint slides, or theories and recommendations. Have "customers", not "clients."

Startup 150

Startup Slides Email Customer 150

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

They write into their investment documents that they will occupy a seat on the board for as long as they are invested in the company, thinking of this as a protection for their investment and tool for them to influence growth. Email readers continue here.] All other board functions are secondary.

Class 179

Class Coach Invest Sales 179

Berkonomics

JANUARY 16, 2014

Email readers, continue here.] It is highly recommended that legal document are created and/or reviewed by a business transaction attorney. All agreements should be in writing and signed by all parties involved. Most of the important benefits for partnering include: Combining of complimentary skill sets. Access to new markets.

Technical Review 204

Technical Review Startup Examples Metrics 204

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Everyone who manages a company or its sales force wants to write as many new deals as possible, and is usually warry about doing anything that might threaten the positive outcome of a pending sale. Do so within the offer document and with a personal comment with delivery of the offer. Deadlines are an important sales tool.

Sales 120

Sales Tool Writing Customer 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

By Mahesh Raj Mohan Writing a business plan can be a difficult process. you still have to write the plan for a particular audience. Your business plan’s writing style should take their preferences into account. So what writing styles should you use for these very different audiences? Hi, I’m writing this plan because.”

Writing 97

Writing Summary Ideas Research 97

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 13, 2022

Don’t you wish that someone had prepped you on how to read the body language, interpret office gossip, and when to hit the delete key on your email rather than the send key? Business Email and Texting. Writing in business is not the same as in an academic environment. The business world expects exactly the opposite.

Class 140

Class Course Email Social Network 140

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 31, 2015

Save it to Pocket, bookmark it, email it to yourself or whatever other coping mechanism you have. I have checked Twitter at least 10 times during the writing of this post so far and Facebook 3 times. Email twice. I can’t write a blog post and then wait 3 days to publish. “I did that f **g documents yesterday!

Startup 150

Startup Writing Class Orange County 150

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Don’t you wish that someone had prepped you on how to read the body language, interpret office gossip, and when to hit the delete key on your email rather than the send key? Business Writing for Email. Writing in business is not the same as in an academic environment. The business world expects exactly the opposite.

Course 97

Course Writing Slides Email 97

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 12, 2013

Don’t you wish that someone had prepped you on how to read the body language, interpret office gossip, and when to hit the delete key on your email rather than the send key? Business Writing for Email. Writing in business is not the same as in an academic environment. The business world expects exactly the opposite.

Class 93

Class Course Writing Slides 93

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 23, 2014

Speak to people, rather than write a document every time you want a change. When your customer phones or emails you, his timer starts, so it behooves you to return his call or email quickly. “Results” these days are not PowerPoint slides, or theories and recommendations. Have "customers", not "clients."

Startup 102

Startup Slides Email Customer 102

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 10, 2015

I write about sales often both because it’s the lifeblood of any organization and because in my experience it is the area in which more startups are least experienced or inclined. I also write and talk about it frequently because raising capital is a part of sales and this is important for entrepreneurs to understand.

Sales 150

Sales Startup Venture Capital Funding 150

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 4, 2012

Schedule enough face-to-face time (not email or text message) to lay out your understanding of the problem, facts you have assembled, options that you considered, and your decision reached, with reasoning behind it. Put the decision in writing to prevent ambiguity. Follow-up.

Tips 116

Tips Satisfaction Training Entrepreneur 116

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2020

Understand and write down every expense, and budget for required costs, especially initial inventory and accounts receivable delays. Get in the habit of documenting all agreements and terms. Skip the complex contracts by lawyers, but at least use an email to confirm terms and conditions to all parties. Details are important.

Customer 125

Customer Custom Tool Writing 125

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Don’t you wish that someone had prepped you on how to read the body language, interpret office gossip, and when to hit the delete key on your email rather than the send key? Business Email and Texting. Writing in business is not the same as in an academic environment. The business world expects exactly the opposite.

Course 104

Course Email Social Network Ideas 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 1, 2013

Schedule enough face-to-face time (not email or text message) to lay out your understanding of the problem, facts you have assembled, options that you considered, and your decision reached, with reasoning behind it. Put the decision in writing to prevent ambiguity. Follow-up.

Entrepreneur 107

Entrepreneur Satisfaction Training Customer 107