Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 8, 2010

Almost by definition. Mavericks are by definition bad at following rules and bad at process. But in the end they know how to put the big wins on the board. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Sales & Marketing Advice. They’re also usually very loyal to your organization. They’re journeymen. Yeah, kind of.

startup 350

startup frameworks advice entrepreneurs 350

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

In 1999 I was in Japan doing a strategy project for the board of directors of Sony. Being the number one investment bank in a greatly reduced data set shouldn’t stop you from wanting to broaden the definition of “number 1″ next year. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice.

consulting 415

consulting data analysis advice construction 415

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

And we all know that Ron Conway is considered the savviest of angel investors and yet by definition not all of his investments succeed. Tags: Startup Advice Tech Market Analysis VC Industry. Just ask the people who poured money into once “hot&# companies like RazorGator or Friendster. I don’t believe these times will last.

angel investing 288

angel investing investing investment advice 288

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2010

Otherwise you’re not serious and you’ll never get the right job so don’t bother.&# Definitely gets shock value. Why do I give this blunt advice? The best jobs are the ones that have not already been put on a job board. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice.

advice 326

advice entrepreneurs networking sustainability 326

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

By definition, you read blogs. I was meeting regularly with entrepreneurs and offering (for better or for worse) advice on how to run a startup and how to raise venture capital from my experience in doing so at two companies. Or “I’m a new entrepreneur, why would I offer advice on how to run a startup?&#.

startup 373

startup advice communities VC 373

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

bang on the windows of a board meeting recently and stick his tongue out at all of us. In the most perfect sense of the definition. Startup Advice' Aka Punky Brewster. We’ve had many celebrities walk through our doors including a-list film stars. Heck, I even had Robert Downey, Jr. And Tasha never screamed before?

startup 398

startup creativity advice entrepreneurs 398

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2010

This is a problem for a strategy consultant because you are, by definition, a generalist that is thrown into new problems again and again. And few people in my experience do this well so many board meetings wander. Tags: Startup Advice. Often I had a very limited time. I struggled on my first few assignments.

entrepreneurs 372

entrepreneurs consulting frameworks advice 372

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

I think they definitely qualify as a VC and not a seed fund. Yet talk to virtually any FRC company and they’ll tell you that these guys are some of the most active board members and offer some of the best advice in the industry. I could definitely see that happening. They do many early-stage deals.

VC 283

VC real estate advice venture capital 283

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 20, 2013

You’re not lecturing to a college class, you’re not at a cocktail party and you’re not chatting with a small group in a board meeting. It definitely is an IQ test thing for me. Startup Advice' – No great presentation can be delivered like a conversation. You’re on stage!

creativity 399

creativity education advice support 399

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 4, 2014

There were cultural challenges across the board. In many cases it’s easier if this person isn’t a board member or VC unless you have an extremely close or trusting relationship with them. You want to be able to be open without your board members losing confidence in your future. Startup Advice' Nurture it.

founder 340

founder board culture advice 340

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2015

The more specific you can get in your definition the better. In summary, many advisors, board members or executives will steer you away from exclusivity agreements. So you might agree exclusivity for the “oil refinery” industry rather than the entirety of the oil & gas sectors.

innovation 329

innovation creativity development advice 329

Entrepreneurs' Organization

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Over the years, I’ve grown my network to about 700 people – my “mentor board of advisors” or MBA. He gave me invaluable advice over lunch, and his expertise was a reminder to seek out expert advice – every time. I believe with the right approach, anyone can get advice from the best in business. Guess what?

advice 100

advice mentorship culture networking 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 8, 2014

If that isn’t the original definition of “angel” money I don’t know what is. On my trip I also gave my usual advice to entrepreneurs who don’t live in a major tech funding hub: Find VCs who are from your area originally. CincyTech today has $28.5 million under management across three funds.

startup 390

startup communities venture capital angel capital 390

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 25, 2010

If you haven’t read it you should definitely buy it – other people just like you did. In the video I linked to above Farb talks about how he got Rob Lord on board at Grockit. Tags: Raising Venture Capital Startup Advice. If it’s below 50% I will almost never go and see it. So what are you waiting for?

strategy 293

strategy venture capital SaaS investing 293

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 3, 2012

Age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc are all topics that are deeply emotional for people--and, by definition, personal. I think Fred was trying to offer some friendly advice to young investors that you're going to "take lumps" and that it's worth learning from those who are more experienced.

VC 274

VC board venture capital ventures 274

TechCrunch

JULY 14, 2021

Anyone , an audio app that’s building a ‘marketplace for advice’ one five-minute phone call at a time, is launching new versions of its iOS and Android apps today* and beginning to large-scale onboarding after operating in a limited closed beta for the past six months. It’s one-to-one only.

advice 99

advice networking sustainability communities 99

TechCrunch

AUGUST 31, 2022

Two weeks ago, longtime venture capitalist Chris Olsen, a general partner and cofounder of Drive Capital in Columbus, Ohio, settled into his seat for a portfolio company’s board meeting. ” He also says that it isn’t the first time a board meeting hasn’t happened as planned lately. They stopped having them.”

board 83

board ventures hospitality VC 83

Y Combinator

JULY 15, 2019

One of the most common questions we hear from founders is “How do I manage my board?” It’s something that provokes anxiety, because this is the first time the founder/CEO is subject to external supervision, and the board has powers that include the firing of the CEO and the senior management. But first, what’s the purpose of a board?

board 96

board frameworks advice peer-to-peer 96

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

After numerous discussions we held the line and all agreed as a board that profitability was much more important than chasing new markets and that perfecting our systems and methods was critical before we expanded and just increase the scope of our problems to solve. If I could close with some advice for startups and boards ….

innovation 286

innovation startup board leadership 286

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

When we invest they are often the company counsel so we see them at board meetings. WTF is the definition of “may?&# In human speak that sounds like they also have the other option, “may not.&# What a waste to sign an agreement that someone “may&# offer your service. Our lives are intertwined.

startup 318

startup advice entrepreneurs VC 318

Hunter Walk

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

For startups, a good Board is better than no Board, but a bad Board is worse than anything. One component of a good Board is a high value add Independent Board Member, which in my experience, often doesn’t get added early enough (for a variety of reasons). I knew I wanted to help build it from the ground up.

board 78

board collaboration energy advice 78

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 17, 2011

I apply visual thinking for nearly everything I do: preparing for important phone calls (I imagine my opening lines, I imagine the responses), writing keynote presentations, deciding whether or not to invest in a company, preparing for board meetings – you name it. These are all creative processes. I had my model in hand.

creativity 356

creativity frameworks media innovation 356

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

But if you’re a concentrated investor who takes board seats then you know the hard bit starts the day after. And why my advice to newer VCs would be not to feel bad if you’re missing out on what is perceived as a few hot deals. By definition this means others will doubt you. Be a non-conformist. Have conviction.

VC 374

VC investing investment entrepreneurs 374

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 6, 2011

Because my wife is a superstar she published them all on a blog here along with much other wonderful type-A mom advice. He stresses the importance of his initial legwork getting his “champions” on board before going to AngelList and feels this is a crucial first step for any startup. This is also a cause for increased valuations.

VC 292

VC peer-to-peer investing investment 292

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2013

was definitely in the bucket of amazingly talented founders with a great product that hadn’t yet proved product/market fit. The board was unanimous in our opinion of this including outside director Ian Rogers who has served as Jonathan’s mentor and friend. Startup Advice' I saw it first hand.

peer-to-peer 303

peer-to-peer energy founder advice 303

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 18, 2010

Here’s how I break down the four quadrants (and I’ve put my definitions in here – not Covey’s). As the CEO you have a team that is counting on you and a board that is measuring your performance. Tags: Startup Advice. The Urgency Addiction – Deep down I’m a procrastinator. How about you?

mentorship 374

mentorship creativity energy entrepreneurs 374

TechCrunch

AUGUST 4, 2021

What’s the board’s role in an early-stage startup? Startup founders frequently ask me about the role of a board of directors. A board can be a crucial asset in an early-stage startup. What is a board of directors, anyway? What is a board of directors, anyway? What exactly can a board help you do?

board 100

board startup strategy frameworks 100

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

I guess if you do more than one, I guess by definition, that’s serial. I came from a board meeting to here. I was saying to this CEO at the board meeting, I said, “I don’t know, I just have this blind belief that you guys are going to create an enormous success. ” I said, “Why? 100 billion idea.

startup 337

startup entrepreneurs consulting board 337

Smart Hustle Magazine

DECEMBER 30, 2020

You can still take advantage of all the small business advice that was shared throughout the event. You can still listen to the whole thing, but we wanted to share some of our favorite moments and pieces of small business advice. Awesome small business advice! Great small business advice from Jason! Thanks, Steve!

advice 98

advice consulting media networking 98

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 22, 2011

I hold true to form and follow my own advice. Nobody has family duties, board meetings, full schedules. As you may know I outlined my rules for maximum impact at events / conferences before SXSW began. If you didn’t read it, it’s here. I booked several high-profile meetings in advance. But at SXSW? McClure was omnipresent.

mix-use 294

mix-use accelerator opportunity startup accelerator 294

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 25, 2011

I don’t know if he’d agree or disagree with the book, but he’s always encouraging us to think more broadly about the definition of “entrepreneur&# is a global sense). It shows us how the other 6 billion humans live, compete, struggle for resources and find clever ways to rise above their means. (I

entrepreneurship 334

entrepreneurship entrepreneurs culture education 334

Entrepreneurs' Organization

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

It’s also good advice to treat your marriage like a business partnership, in that both require commitment, communication and a shared view of values and goals. Kelvin serves on the Georgia Restaurant Association’s board of directors. Mandy: You definitely have to own your strengths and weaknesses to make a partnership work.

peer-to-peer 130

peer-to-peer leadership advice hospitality 130

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2011

I’m sure everybody has their own definition of the attributes of an entrepreneur. My SVP of Sales & Marketing quit 30 minutes before an important board meeting. High stress. It only looks sexy when you read TechCrunch. There is no shame in being an exec at a company or whatever.&#. And I mean this. Your highs are super high.

entrepreneurs 384

entrepreneurs startup VC real estate 384

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 19, 2019

I called every person I knew in Accenture Europe and asked for advice to get transferred. They were trying to sell a project to the board of Sony. Taking risks is, by definition, risky! I always wanted to work in Europe but it was hard to ask for a sponsoring company to pay for you to come over. Take chances.

peer-to-peer 253

peer-to-peer networking ventures advice 253

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

By definition an MVP (minimum viable product) means there’s room for improvement. We’re definitely a premium product, which is why we don’t just drop prices to match their moves to “buy&# business. Management always sets sales budgets that roll up to a number beyond the actual board budget. Or whatever.

support 316

support startup consulting board 316

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

If you have a team of 10 people then by definition 90% of the time spent on activities is not put in by you and on a team of 100 it’s 99%. Great leaders communicate early and often with boards and investors. They are clear about what is working and what is not and how the board and investors can help them.

leadership 280

leadership peer-to-peer culture board 280

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2019

Defensible IP When I’m asked by newer, younger VC partners for advice on our sector, one of the things I always emphasize is looking for companies who have built defensible intellectual property (IP). almost be definition you should be scratching your head. Over the past 2.5

VC 223

VC venture capital capital investing 223