Don’t Listen To The Bozos

You sadly will find yourself in way too many discussions with bozos. The people who tell you that something can’t be done (not because they actually know but because they always say that); the ones who will tell you that it’s too hard (not that they ever tried, it’s just their…

What To Spend Money On

Founders sometimes have funny habits when it comes to spending money. They end up buying stuff nobody needs (hello karaoke system which nobody ever used), which is useless (thank you for the awful schwag) or simply superfluous (all those software licenses for stuff we don’t use).

Maybe Baby

All too often I hear and see entrepreneurs using self-deprecating language in their pitch: Anything from closing a statement with “anyway” before moving on to the next statement (which effectively renders the first statement completely worthless — as you indicate that not even you, the originator of the…

Time Is Of The Essence

As an entrepreneur you typically live on borrowed time. Your startup only survives as long as there is money in the bank. This is mostly a curse. But there is a blessing hidden in this situation.

The Most Important Question You Can Ask

The one (simple) question I always ask an entrepreneur is: Why?

Why this project?

Why now?

Why with this group of people?

Nobody Says No

When was the last time someone gave you a clear and firm “no”? If you find yourself in fundraising mode (and the reality for most startups is that they are in perpetual fundraising mode) you will have experienced that very few people, if any, ever say no. They will say things like:

Fear Irrelevance More Than Failure

I got this one from Regina Dugan, who heads up Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects Group (which is different to Google [x]).

Failure is painful. As it should be. But never forget: