Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 6, 2020

Like the downturns in 2008 and 2001, this has been a very trying time for entrepreneurs running startups. While some level of stress is inevitable if you are running a startup, times like this can ramp up the stress factor considerably. Here is advice I collected for dealing with the stress of running a startup: 1.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

I have never been more optimistic about the impact that the tech startup community is having on cities in America or about the role that cities outside of San Francisco / Silicon Valley can play in our future. Changes in the Startup Ecosystem. So the startup work moves to where the startup founders live and not vice versa.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2015

Even when I’m not the one being sued I find myself being dragged into deposition after deposition and my blog (along with all my emails) are being served as evidence. There is not a single case I’ve been involved with in any of the startups I’ve backed that has even a small bit of merit. It is insanely common.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 4, 2013

I recommend you read Fred Wilson’s recent blog post about the need for a well articulated business strategy before pushing a particular business model. I found myself in violent agreement with Fred’s blog post(s). LEAN STARTUP MOVEMENT. ” is Eric Ries who wrote the must own, “ The Lean Startup ” *.

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strategy startup peer-to-peer advice 401

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 17, 2012

In his blog he says, “I responded that I thought it was stupid. Oblong, led by Kwin Kramer, which houses more MIT grads per startup than probably any other in LA. So his Twitter handle is @infoarbitrage and his excellent (must read) blog is Information Arbitrage. My views are pretty well known. I hate Silicon Whatever.

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communities startup creativity VC 304

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

Tracy DiNunzio isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup founder. She did her first tech startup after the age of 30. Tracy was an artist throughout her 20′s but she watched her then husband found a tech startup. So Tracy began keeping a blog about … (what else?)

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This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

People often ask me for advice on fundraising, generating deal flow, hiring, increasing visibility , triathlons, babies, etc.--a As the person giving the advice, doing a half-assed job of getting someone all the information they need is pretty unsatisfying—so that becomes a barrier to wanting to do it at all.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

OCTOBER 27, 2023

We reconnected in 2016 and began angel investing in startups in New York City.  When we decided to invest in a startup, it was because we saw a unique combination of a strong idea with a solid team. The book is full of insights and advice for every stage of your entrepreneurial journey. and more articles from the EO blog.

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entrepreneurs startup advice angel investing 251

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

I was reading Danielle Morrill’s blog post today on whether one’s “ Startup Burn Rate is Normal. I love how transparently Danielle lives her startup (& encourages other to join in) because it provides much needed transparency to other startups. ” I highly recommend reading it. Profitability.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 6, 2018

As a VC with scores of startups in our portfolio we have ringside seats to many, many fund raising processes plus I had to raise money across about 5 different rounds of capital as an entrepreneur so I’ve developed some thought on the process that I hope can be helpful to some of you before you start. Remind me why I love you?

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advice VC entrepreneurs SaaS 236

NZ Entrepreneur

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Launching a startup in New Zealand is exciting, but navigating the accounting side of things can be tricky. In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know, from choosing the best business structure to getting professional help. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Sue de Bievre, Beany Founder.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

In a startup this is a mistake. In this instance I typically recommend that startups NOT hire a big, well-known PR firm. All too often I’ve seen senior PR people from big firms come in and pitch for new business to startups while having 22 year-olds who do all the work once it’s won. There is one carve out.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

One of my favorite events last year was attending Startup Grind where I got to interview Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. And of course we talked about many of my views of building startups. You didn’t join startups then. You joined a startup if you couldn’t get a real job.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 23, 2015

One of the questions we discussed is, “How much capital should a startup raise?” My goal in the interview overall was to capture more of the personal side of Fred since so much of his investment thesis and portfolio work already comes out in his blog. Blogging is like Venus Fly Paper. This is classic Fred.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 12, 2013

But less as a complaint and more as advice to younger networkers, the more you invest in relationships the more you will get when you need. Brunson’s short and to-the-point blog post, “ It’s Called Networking, Not Using.” It’s why I wrote the blog post on 50 Coffee Meetings. Startup Advice'

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advice VC networking entrepreneurs 407

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2012

And that person has almost certainly chosen specifically to be a startup lawyer over serving other types of customers because he or she enjoys working with entrepreneurs. And they will offer you some of the best business advice you will ever receive if you’re open to it. And it’s not just lawyers.

startup 363

startup real estate VC venture capital 363

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Final startup grind from msuster. And the folks at Startup Grind have been kind enough to invite me to present this morning in Mountain View on the topic. PMs are a vital part of a tech startup. And what your views / tips for early-stage startup teams are. figure out roles. measure performance / quality of team.

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Hunter Walk

FEBRUARY 22, 2025

.’ In addition to hustle and one’s existing network, I’m always interested in whether or not a ‘needle magnet’ is being built alongside the other efforts to find startups. Some force that pulls exceptional startups to you, directly or via intermediaries, in a privileged and sustainable fashion.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 17, 2011

I wrote an entire blog post about this in the past highlighting my belief that you should hire people who “punch above their weight class.” I think the most limiting factor that stops startups from recruiting is the “we don’t have an open spec” or “we already have somebody doing that role” excuse. We know the mantra: Team matters.

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Startup Blogpost

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Kristin Marquet, Founder, Tech/Analytics/PR Expert, Academic Finance Background, Marquet Media Kristin, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming an expert in the startup world, especially focusing on the intersection of digital marketing, health and wellness, and parenting?

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media financing finance founder 105

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. The major battle for press is a battle for “mindshare” and it’s exactly the reason I blog. I am a VC. I hand out money.

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mix-use advice VC technology 389

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 4, 2011

It’s a very important concept for me because in a startup you are constantly under pressure and have way too many distractions. Commitment & urgency are key drivers of success in startup businesses. I was recently talking with a startup company who wanted me to try their product. You already know it from your personal lives.

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Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

I often advise startup companies not to try and pin all of your brand equity into an announcement. Simply – we believe it’s hypocritical to sit with tech startups every day and talk about the need to innovate while ourselves making no major changes. who is talking about putting in up to $30 million in our startup.

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ventures VC strategy advice 324

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 29, 2012

History has shown that newly creates wealth shops the startup scene like a kid in a candy store. Before you start writing checks, just spend some time with startups. In fact, taking your own startup experience and assuming that all of your lessons learned apply to every startup is probably a really bad idea.

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peer-to-peer angel investing advice entrepreneurs 307

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

I recently did a post for startups on understanding sales people. A few people have asked me to try and define the perfect startup organization chart. But I do have more insight into understanding your startup team. Often I’m asked by startup CEO’s about how to best build an engineering team.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 27, 2013

Santa Monica is the place where the highest concentration of early-stage startups are created if you consider also the contiguous geography of Venice Beach. Startup Advice' But in Los Angeles, Santa Monica is akin to SoMa in San Francisco, Cambridge in the Boston area or Flatiron / Union Square in NYC.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Jeff (also an HBS alum) co-teaches the LTV course with Professor Eisenmann about a student of theirs who had written a blog post about sales taking on some of my previous assertions. Her post is short & well written so definitely worth a read if you’re a startup person and want to hear some sensible views on sales.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

MARCH 22, 2024

Guiding your startup to success demands much more than dreaming up a brilliant concept, launching a captivating social media campaign, and crossing your fingers that magic will happen. Back in 1990, during a radio interview with Dr. Wayne Dyer , I received a piece of advice that changed the course of my career.

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startup entrepreneurship mentorship entrepreneurs 210

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

I will even take to emailing people I don’t know offering small bits of advice. You’re writing a freaking blog post! The same kind of tasks that a startup team has. I met for coffee with one of my favorite “startup advisors” in LA. Plus, he’s a loyal reader of this blog. Operations.

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advice culture board VC 314

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

More importantly, he has just announced his first investment – he led a $7 million investment in Deliv – please read about it on Greg’s spiffy new blog. Startup Advice' I wrote about him here. I guess he’s one step ahead of the rest of us in being super lean.

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transportation advice energy innovation 331

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 16, 2013

I became aware of Sam several years ago as I started noticing his name repeated in the comments section of my blog. He pinged me that he was thinking about joining a startup based in LA with the CEO in NYC and would I be willing to meet him and give him advice on this process. Sam later decided he wanted to do a startup.

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pitching advice VC entrepreneurs 372

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

By spending more time educating your board on your business you get more valuable advice from them. So what are Rob’s secret hacks that he didn’t spill in his blog post? . Key point – if your emails are as long as my blog posts you’re forked. Startup Advice' Email updates frequently.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 1, 2011

years ago you’d remember RIP Good Times from Sequoia, which still strikes me as having been prudent advice in late 2008. If you’re a tech startup person I know you know what I mean. I was thinking about all of this as I looked at the logs from my WordPress blog this evening. I started blogging 2 years ago.

advice 391

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Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

The frantic pace of technology cycles, the amount of tech news, the blogs, the conferences, the demo days, the announcements, the fundings, the IPOs. It got me thinking about the advice that I often give to new VCs. Building Startups for Basecamp. It’s exhausting. Perhaps unsustainable. Lines, Not Dots. And so forth.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

His blog is even called SaaStr (a bit too close to Suster if you ask me ;-)). My partner Steven Dietz is an auto enthusiast and more than just an admirer of amazing cars he has worked around the auto industry for 20 years and backed a couple of billion-dollar startups in the category. True Ventures with hardware startups.

peer-to-peer 373

peer-to-peer VC pitching entrepreneurs 373

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 27, 2013

Last year I wrote a blog post on entrepreneurs with a chip on their shoulders. My friend Seth Levine covered this well in his blog post on “ Handling Rejection ” which you should also read. I could link to a bunch of blog posts that come across this way but prefer not to single anybody out. Here’s the deal.

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Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . It’s one of my favorite blog posts. I had planned to blog about it at the time but I waited 2 days and the whole world blogged about it so I didn’t pile on. I HATE LOSING. I hate it.

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