Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

.&# It was my investment philosophy that observing teams’ performance over time was far more insightful than reacting to how good of a product demo they do, how good they present Powerpoint slides or how great tech blogs say they are. I felt the exact same way when I was an entrepreneur. Lines vs. Dots is all about people.

Entrepreneur 330

Entrepreneur Marketing Venture Capital Hulu 330

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 28, 2015

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 12, 2014

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. A recent book, “ Hunting in a Farmer''s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 109

Entrepreneur Startup News Slides 109

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

She presents a roadmap to help us navigate this new business landscape, retaining the best of the old, while innovating the path to success. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that numbers and text on a slide with a bar graph won’t. Good stories make us think and make us feel.

Commerce 109

Commerce Slides Customer Custom 109

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 30, 2018

I agree they certainly apply to the great entrepreneurs I have known. They never think they have "arrived"—because they know that once they think that, they'll start sliding back to the place from which they came. It helps them move from success to significance. You need to think about how they apply to you.

Entrepreneur 99

Entrepreneur Training Slides Pricing 99

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. Thinking out loud – I’m sure that’s important for entrepreneurs as well. Help me understand which you prefer.&# I lost zero customers.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Customer 306

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 54

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 54

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

You are an entrepreneur – go for it. If you are forced to display financial data, ensure that the slides are unintelligible. An effective method to incite Death By PowerPoint is to deploy an extraordinary number of slides. A minimum of 20 to 30 slides per minute is a reasonable rule of thumb. Of course not.

Slides 220

Slides Tips Startup RSS 220

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 4, 2016

I agree they certainly apply to the great entrepreneurs I have known. They never think they have "arrived"—because they know that once they think that, they'll start sliding back to the place from which they came. It helps them move from success to significance. You need to think about how they apply to you.

Entrepreneur 105

Entrepreneur Training Slides Pricing 105

Tech Zulu Event

MAY 19, 2016

To help you avoid this, take a look at the five biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs often make on social media. It’s possible to take a blog post and turn it into a slide show, infographic and video, for example. Many entrepreneurs and businesses have topics that are too broad. Not Responding Appropriately to Criticism.

Social Media 56

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Content 56

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I believe in this so much that, despite my post advising you to be prepared for the *norm* in VC, I wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. I think the norm in the industry is still to see Powerpoint slides and I wouldn’t hold this against anybody.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

In their passion and excitement about a new product or service, entrepreneurs tend to continually narrow the scope of potential competitors, and often claim to have no direct competitors. A narrow scope doesn’t help your case either. First to market, for example, is not normally a sustainable advantage for startups.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2011

It’s any meeting where you are in a small room and are being called on to present on some form of overhead slides. Sit closest to the projector – Many times a week I have entrepreneurs who do presentations for me and often I’m with some or all of my colleagues. In slides, less is almost always more.

Tips 392

Tips Screening Slides Venture Capital 392

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Don’t dwell on this slide for ever. If I have an hour with you I want to maximise the time we have a discussion so I want to get through the slides quickly. Most entrepreneurs are.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2021

Most entrepreneurs don’t even know how to keep track of what people are saying about them on the web, much less how to respond or remove it. With the right focus on search engine optimization, or the help of companies like ReputationDefender , you can usually push negative links out of sight into the swamp of the Internet.

Search Engine Optimization 163

Search Engine Optimization Content Social Network Google 163

InfoChachkie

APRIL 18, 2011

The attributes that must be present in order to conduct an effective 360-review include: Impartial Data Arbiter – The facilitator must have no preconceptions, other than providing information that will augment the reviewed party’s self-awareness and help the company seek the truth.

Entrepreneur 217

Entrepreneur Startup Slides Examples 217

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

You are an entrepreneur – go for it. If you are forced to display financial data, ensure that the slides are unintelligible. An effective method to incite Death By PowerPoint is to deploy an extraordinary number of slides. A minimum of 20 to 30 slides per minute is a reasonable rule of thumb. Of course not.

Slides 154

Slides Tips Startup Research 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2021

She presents a roadmap to help us navigate this new business landscape, retaining the best of the old, while innovating the path to success. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that numbers and text on a slide with a bar graph won’t. Good stories make us think and make us feel.

Customer 140

Customer Custom Slides Commerce 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2019

Even if it’s only a few PowerPoint slides or typed paragraphs, writing something down is the first step toward making it real. Before you know it, you will have a ten-slide pitch that you can use to gauge interest from potential customers, as well as friends, family, and early investors.

Ideas 99

Ideas Slides Writing Startup 99

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

The entrepreneur cannot wait to show me their product via a demo. Most entrepreneurs seem confused by my reaction and often say something like: “VCs love demos. Fool A Fool – I sold surgical robots from PowerPoint slides in the early 1990’s, before the robots existed. A version of this article previously appeared in Forbes.

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

After seeing Chamillionaire interact with several entrepreneurs both at events and as an investor I started introducing him to startups in an advisory capacity. It always started the same way – a founder would ask for an intro because they figured he could help with promotion. They make a great pair.

Conference 150

Conference Slides Social Media Summary 150

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Most entrepreneurs believe they are “different,” but they can’t quite understand how. The classic book, “ Hunting in a Farmer's World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur ,” by serial entrepreneur and business coach John F. Dini makes the case that entrepreneurs are hunters, while the rest of us (large majority) are farmers.

Entrepreneur 95

Entrepreneur News Slides Startup 95

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

The number is much higher for those who choose to go it alone, without help. Thus, I’m more impressed with entrepreneurs who ask me to review their implementation plan, rather than listen again to their idea. Present at trade shows and network with your ten-slide pitch to build your following.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

I also recently wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. If you’re not “feeling it&# then you need to get to the slides or demo quickly as a means of trying to engage. I need something structured like slides or a demo to orient me.

Venture Capital 238

Venture Capital Slides Startup Sales 238

socalTECH

OCTOBER 11, 2016

We take a really friendly, Shark Tank approach that promotes young entrepreneurs, and lets them pitch to a group of seasoned investors and venture capitalists on a panel, and where they not only get an actual investment, but also go through a retail challenge, to get consumer feedback. How did you get involved with angel investing, initially?

Startup 100

Startup Entrepreneur Invest Competition 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 12, 2011

I agree they certainly apply to the great entrepreneurs I have known. They never think they have "arrived"—because they know that once they think that, they'll start sliding back to the place from which they came. It helps them move from success to significance. You need to think about how they apply to you.

Entrepreneur 122

Entrepreneur Training Slides Pricing 122

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2012

I agree they certainly apply to the great entrepreneurs I have known. They never think they have "arrived"—because they know that once they think that, they'll start sliding back to the place from which they came. It helps them move from success to significance. You need to think about how they apply to you.

Entrepreneur 106

Entrepreneur Training Slides Pricing 106

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2009

I recently got a phone call from an entrepreneur whom I respect and who runs a company that I hope will do great things one day. Entrepreneurs get so used to friends and family congratulating them on their press coverage that they forget sometimes that this isn’t real. Many entrepreneurs have a PR page in the PowerPoint deck.

Venture Capital 291

Venture Capital Press News Startup 291

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2021

I agree they certainly apply to the great entrepreneurs I have known. They never think they have "arrived"—because they know that once they think that, they'll start sliding back to the place from which they came. It helps them move from success to significance. You need to think about how they apply to you.

Training 121

Training Slides Pricing Entrepreneur 121

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

If you are one of the thousands of entrepreneurs who need equity funding to get your startup going (no loans to repay), you are probably overwhelmed at the prospect of finding, contacting and pitching to the huge number of qualified angels and investment groups around the country. Prepare a slide deck to highlight product and business.

Platform 94

Platform Equity Invest Technical Advisors 94

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 28, 2010

.&# In many of the meetings you’d meet clients who would tell you everything you needed to know, would offer to help you and then would never follow up on the help that they had offered. And he was one of those guys that you meet and you just want to help because he’s so earnest and nice. He had a family.

Startup 378

Startup Framework Slides Coach 378

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

You put some update slides on things like key hires or biz dev deals being negotiated and you didn’t plan to talk about them. But they were in a slide and people asked you questions so it ended up chewing up 30 minutes. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. You didn’t intend it to happen that way.

Startup 331

Startup Slides Guide Writing 331

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I started by trying to think I could explain my concept without having to patronize everybody with artificial PowerPoint slides. This approach generally works well with customers because I find it much easier to build rapport when we talk like humans than when we all stare at the PowerPoint slides being projected on the wall.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

Jason Nazar

JUNE 1, 2016

These are the pitch techniques the best entrepreneurs employ to raise billions in capital. Forget Your Slides. Have your slides there, reference the key points as needed, but keep the focus on each other — not a slideshow. Too many entrepreneurs get thrown off because they can’t go through their pitch the way they practice it.

Slides 49

Slides Startup Entrepreneur Metrics 49

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Unless you are a serial entrepreneur with a string of successes behind you, you need a business plan to convince investors that you can build a business out of the dream that has been driving your passion to change the world. An entrepreneur who can’t manage a plan, probably won’t be able to manage the new business.

Startup 65

Startup Writing Patents Competition 65

socalTECH

JULY 10, 2019

Spencer Price: Halla is the only software company to dynamically profile human tastes so we can help people make better choices. Halla exists to help people understand a more curious world. When you say you help people make better choices, what does that look like to a user? Spencer Price: That's a fair question.

Pricing 113

Pricing Startup North Hollywood Platform 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

I’m still amazed at how many technical entrepreneurs don’t have a business pitch, and offer me their product pitch or product spec instead. Certainly a slide or two needs to carry over describing the product and features at a high level. Solo entrepreneurs have a hard time finding an investor. But it’s critical to have one.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58