Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Mar 9, 2020Member-only17 of the Most Important Criteria to Getting Startup Investment From Smart MoneyHow to Get Funding for Your Startup Using Ideal Investor Profiles — So many entrepreneurs rush the startup fundraising process. Even the most senior people seem to think it happens faster than it really does. …Startup9 min readStartup9 min read
Feb 26, 2020Member-only5 Steps to Building Your Best Startup Strategy with OKRs in AsanaGet measurable results out of your high-performing team — “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker In the early 1950s, Peter Drucker developed a concept called Management by Objectives (MBO). It’s basically a way to develop goals, which connect a company’s bigger vision to the immediate tasks that help achieve that vision. …Startup5 min readStartup5 min read
Feb 11, 2020Member-onlyFrom Sanctions to Startups: The Role of Emotional Resilience in Building a Drone BusinessA memo to gritty entrepreneurs in the physical security world — People who’ve fallen in love with the entrepreneurial life have a condition. I have it too. It’s the kind of sickness that makes us persevere in the face of market obstacles. We call it passion. Others call it craze. Yet, those people probably haven’t experienced the joys of succeeding at…Startup4 min readStartup4 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Jan 28, 2020Member-onlyHow to Land a $5m Investment by Getting Product-Market Fit5 detailed objectives for your startup to execute — One of the biggest challenges we overcame at Skylift was getting product-market fit to prove to investors we had a viable business. At Skylift, we helped firefighters cut half the time in extinguishing wildfires. We did this by enabling them to focus all their attention on extinguishing the fires and…VC10 min readVC10 min read
Published in The Startup·Jan 23, 2020Member-only$2.4 Billion VC Fund Lux Capital Shares 3 Maxims to Successfully Raise Startup CapitalThe Power of Narrative for Entrepreneurs — “In building technology companies, often the difference between success and failure is the incredible power of a great narrative.” Zack Schildhorn, Partner at Lux Capital If it wasn’t enough to hear it from a successful venture fund, let me share with you others who agree. …VC3 min readVC3 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Jan 21, 2020Member-only8 Mistakes to Avoid for Your Startup to Outwit the CompetitionWhy entrepreneurs get their competitive strategy so wrong. — Going into 2020, major entertainment companies like Disney and Warner Brothers have been laying out billions of dollars to compete with Netflix’s movie streaming business. Even Apple has gotten in the game, and it alone has dropped a billion into new video content. Startups, however, don’t have billions of dollars…Startup5 min readStartup5 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Jan 21, 2020Member-only4 Startup Fundraising Alternatives That Help You Avoid DilutionThe most common term entrepreneurs use when negotiating an investment term sheet is dilution (or the anti-dilution clause). It’s the clause that dictates how much ownership an entrepreneur retains as he sells off pieces of his startup’s equity. I remember talking to a startup founder who raised money from someone…Startup5 min readStartup5 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Jan 15, 2020Member-only7 Ways Mobile Marketing Can Increase Online Sales for Your BusinessA look into a local restaurant’s marketing strategy — Earlier this year, a catering company out of San Diego asked me to take a look at mobile marketing efforts for its new BBQ restaurant. The owners were solely in the catering business for many years, but they looked at the seating area in the new building and thought “why…Mobile Marketing6 min readMobile Marketing6 min read
Published in The Helm·Jan 8, 2020Member-onlyAt War With Investors? Here’s a Simple Tool for Entrepreneurs to Manage ConflictCommunication styles for investor management — It’s hard to find good investors for your startup. That’s why only .05% of startups raise venture capital funding. Of the entrepreneurs I’ve spoken with who have raised startup capital, almost all of them complain about having investors they can’t manage. But the definition of a “manageable investor” is relative…Venture Capital4 min readVenture Capital4 min read
Published in The Startup·Dec 31, 2019Member-only$869.2B in Federal Contracts — How to Land One for Your StartupInsights for entrepreneurs on submitting for federal business opportunities with the US government. — Only 10% of what you see on SAM.gov is actually available for you to bid. This is because most businesses already have relationships with procurement officers before the opportunity goes online. I didn’t know this as an entrepreneur. I pushed my business through this never-ending cycle of bidding on government…Government4 min readGovernment4 min read
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