Early-Stage Startup Problem-Solving: Pick Your Battles In the Moment
At some stage, early-stage growth startups can’t solve every problem they are facing at once. They are forced to solve the problem that is of most consequence to earn the right to solve the next etc. etc. This is how founders earn their right to elevate.
However, knowing which problem to solve and how to go about it can be difficult. There are so many trade offs and “guess work” involved. Therefore, most startups default to speed and learning through doing versus theorizing. However, if you aren’t thoughtful enough, you could end up burning money, time, and human capital unnecessarily. Here’s are 4-lenses to decide where to focus next.
Accountability Through 1:1 Comms
Top teams treat accountability like a game and pattern this mindset into their teams— they win together, learn together, and fail forward together. In this post, we share a simple communication model so you can drive accountability when:
You communicate with others in your team.
You respond to communications.
You provide corrective feedback for sloppy communications.
Other team members communicate with you and others.
The model is first-principles based so that you can repurpose it appropriately for specific communication media— email, Slack, SMS, Asana, for example— and in your voice.
Early-Growth Best Practices: Team Communication & Meeting Cadence
This note is most appropriate for startup founders who are growing their team head count (20 - 30+ people) but have yet to hire out their VP layer (which normally happens at the Series B+). The purpose is to provide guidance to some best practices so that the founding team can continue to lead the way without being overwhelmed with 1:1 meetings.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 16
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 15
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Functional Feedback Frame
Human beings are often not explicit about their positive intentions for others (and themselves). When our intentions are ambiguous, then others are left to their own devices to extrapolate what we mean using their personal biases, historical experiences, and internal stories.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 14
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 13
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Startup Board Meetings: 5 Step Cycle to Leading Your Board
Proper board stance is better described as a partnership. This may seem idealistic and is not always practical in reality as it requires buy-in from both parties. Nonetheless the ideal board member provides transparent, professional views on the company— wins, challenges, opportunities, and resources— working with the management team to maximize company value.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 12
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
How to Write a Great Email Request for Introduction: Fundraising, Sales, Partnerships, and Anything Involving Human Beings.
The opportunity: when you combine the right approach with modern-day technology, you can effectively activate your networks to reach people who would otherwise remain strangers.
Warm email introductions are a great way to leverage the trust you have in your network, making the world a smaller, more accessible place for you. Warm introductions are one of the best ways to:
Secure an investor.
Source and hire talent.
Grow your sales.
Establish strategic partnerships.
Instigate, grow, and nurture friendships for life.
Get anything you want!
Essentials for Raising Your Pre-Seed or Seed Round
How can you find the right investors for your company'? How can you quickly fundraise so you can get back to building your company? In this post, I share the process and psychology behind fundraising to help you:
Find the right investors (and fast).
Secure the funds your company needs.
Get back to building your company.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 11
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 10
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 9
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 8
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 7
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Cultured by Design
If your company is growing incredibly fast within a year (if not months), from a tight-knit core team to over a hundred employees, it will be natural to feel like you are losing control. Furthermore, it will be natural to fear that the behaviors and practices that made your company great today, won’t translate to your new team members in the future.
We can’t tell you how to build your culture. But we can share essential first-principles that will help augment your culture-building efforts. In this post, we share seven things to consider when growing, cultivating, and refining your company culture.
Raising Your Institutional Round: Chapter 6
The focus of this book is to help you raise more venture capital with a proven strategic fundraising process. Using the playbook outlined in this book, I have assisted startup founders in raising more than $500MM in early-stage venture capital over the past five years— many instances of which were considered impossible in light of a series economic shock events such as Covid-19, various wars, election drama, and aggressive quantitative tightening. My clients are backed by notable institutions such as: Menlo, Sequoia, Goodwater, Tiger Global, Softbank, a16z, Lightspeed, Accel, and Founders Fund, to name a few.
Principles for Leading Your Board
Proper board stance is better described as a partnership. This may seem idealistic and is not always practical in reality as it requires buy-in from both parties. Nonetheless the ideal board member provides transparent, professional views on the company— wins, challenges, opportunities, and resources— working with the management team to maximize company value.
We underline the word ‘professional’ because in our experience, it isn’t wise to engage in a manner that is too ‘friendly’ or ‘personal.’