Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. Thinking out loud – I’m sure that’s important for entrepreneurs as well. If you haven’t spent time over there you should.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Burn Rate Cofounder Sales 306

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

I originally conceived it as the Top 11 things that I believe “all entrepreneurs need to succeed.&# If it stuck to this theme then I would stand by my top 11. It isn’t a “must&# for me but it’s certainly a huge positive when entrepreneurs have it. I met the CEO Brian Malewicz several times. That’s OK.

San Diego 267

San Diego Entrepreneur Philadelphia Cloud 267

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

It is a truism that with more capital you will hire people more quickly and spend more liberally whether it’s on external contractors, PR firms, attending events, doing legal work (trademarks, patents) or whatever. It forces harder decisions about whom you’ll hire and whom you’ll delay. million or $4 million.

Pre-Money Valuation 292

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Early Stage Startup 292

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Last week a company we enthusiastically backed, uBeam , led by a very special entrepreneur, 25-year-old Meredith Perry , announced a $10 million round of financing. Here I make the case that entrepreneurs must stay focused on the prize, not the doubters. Entrepreneurs. ” **. It can be one of the strongest motivators.

Technical Review 417

Technical Review South Korea San Francisco Software Review 417

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 6, 2014

Whether you’re considering hiring a new employee or as an investor whether you’re looking to do a background check on the founders of a company. By the way, I also strongly advise that entrepreneurs reference VCs. But the problem is that by the time you actually call people you really WANT to hire the candidate.

Technical Review 302

Technical Review Hiring Later Stage Employee 302

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

You hire people who look good on paper. So one of the surest signs you’ve hired a leader is the willingness of his or her former team to re-assemble. When you’re hiring most reference checkers focus on the person’s former bosses. Working hard together at a big company just isn’t the same. You REALLY know.

CTO Hire 320

CTO Hire Cofounder San Francisco Silicon Valley 320

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2020

He said to me (only 9 years ago), “I hope you’re not just hiring her because she’s a woman.” (I Kara will now be really involved with what goes on to successfully create and run a firm but while still handling her core duties of funding great entrepreneurs. I remember years ago trying to recruit Kara. Does This Mean You’re Retiring?

Partner 361

Partner Management Cofounder San Francisco 361

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

Most firms hire associates straight out of MBA programs and usually it is a “2-3 years and out” type of job. At Upfront VC we have a very strict policy to hire pre MBAs into the role. And we’ve begun relaunching our “platform services” for entrepreneurs. Just ask Rob Bailey.

Jordan 365

Jordan Technical Review Portfolio Partner 365

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 8, 2010

If you ever have to interview, hire, judge the performance of, decide whether to promote, assign clients/regions to them or have to decide whether to fire sales people, I think having a framework for thinking about them is helpful. Mavericks do work well in early-stage companies and are probably your best bet for you first hire or two.

Early Stage 350

Early Stage Startup Sales Campaign 350

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

My mom was an entrepreneur – she was kind of my inspiration for entrepreneurship. And no one could see me as anything but a startup guy, so I started a second company and called myself a serial entrepreneur. Then everyone just started calling me a serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur you have to suspend disbelief.

Cofounder 337

Cofounder Technical Cofounder San Diego Startup 337

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

And so do entrepreneurs who are quick to pivot to new businesses or to sell in an acquihire. It’s been high tide since 2009 so an entire batch of entrepreneurs don’t know what low tide even looks like. And the “stay lean” argument isn’t only good for entrepreneurs, it can be good for VCs, too.

Silicon Valley 390

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Startup Technical Review 390

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 1, 2009

I was reading one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs, VentureHacks, this weekend and noticed that they are running a long piece on how to pick a co-founder. But I would hate to not tell future entrepreneurs the truth at the risk of slightly upsetting some of my friends. Resist the temptation to hire clones of you.

Hiring 289

Hiring Cofounder Dilution Startup 289

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 27, 2011

” I mention journalists here because they perpetuate the myth that focusing on profits is ALWAYS the right answer and then I hear many entrepreneurs (and certainly many “normals”) repeating the same mantra. So your Q1 results will be $180,000 less profitable than if you hadn’t hired them. ” The Details.

Startup 418

Startup Revenue Technical Review Flash 418

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 16, 2011

I think this video should serve as an inspiration to any young aspiring female entrepreneur (and male!) You already know that&# ), in sales and more broadly as an entrepreneur. Not enough entrepreneurs dedicate enough of their day to this. They all want to be entrepreneurs – they don’t want to be rock stars.&#.

Startup 311

Startup Sales Database Community 311

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 6, 2016

I even prefer to fund entrepreneurs who have experience some level of set-backs in their careers or startups because I think it brings a humility to decision-making that I find healthy. You also ran the risk that if you hired employees quickly and then demand wasn’t as strong as expected it was incredibility hard to fire people.

South Korea 261

South Korea Silicon Valley Los Angeles Japan 261

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Ryan was the most talented technologist we had hired at BuildOnline. We hired Ryan at a really young age and without a tremendous amount of prior experience. We had a strategy of hiring people really young because we couldn’t afford to hire too many senior people. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Startup Advice.

San Francisco 322

San Francisco South Africa CTO Hire Fractional CTO 322

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

The problem with consulting is that they hire very smart, young people out of top colleges who come in to evaluate data and advise large organizations but the people doing the work are often only book smart. The more self-assured the VC is and the more impressionable the entrepreneur is the worse the outcome. It is unknowable.

Entrepreneur 337

Entrepreneur Non-Compete Operations Search 337

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

I like to say to first-time entrepreneurs, picking a VC is more permanent than marriage. Keeping a blog has been great because so many entrepreneurs have written me with questions about their companies and I’ve gotten to know many of you personally through the process. There are many great VCs. Let me explain.

Pakistan 297

Pakistan India Technical Review Software Review 297

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2011

This was an audience of mostly first-time entrepreneurs. It is great for entrepreneurs and great for VCs. So here is what I have been telling entrepreneurs privately for the past 6 months. What a bubble means for each entrepreneur. Still, market amnesia by ordinarily rational actors always surprises me. I believe that.

Saudi Arabia 309

Saudi Arabia Valuation IPO Technical Review 309

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Recruits, hires, and retains the very best talent for the company. Hiring & Firing the CEO. Some entrepreneurs make the mistake of never devolving power. As things got bigger we hired a head of European sales and a head of European marketing. Makes sure there is always enough cash in the bank. Selling the company.

Ireland 319

Ireland Sales Bankruptcy Germany 319

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 4, 2010

But there are a lot of things that become norms in the VC industry that always drove me crazy from entrepreneur’s side of the table. Translation for any first time entrepreneurs can mean one of: a. As an entrepreneur you’re used to being optimistic and finding a way to make things work despite the odds. I get that.

Entrepreneur 297

Entrepreneur Silicon Valley Java Ruby 297

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 6, 2013

He wanted to work in venture capital and I was new to the industry and in no position to hire anybody. A few years later I was in the position to hire but Aaron was way more senior than our entry-level positions. But we continued to meet over the years and swap experiences. I absolutely loved the idea from day one and told Aaron so.

San Diego 344

San Diego Technical Review Seed Capital Sacramento 344

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

For a well-funded seed company I have controversially recommended hiring a great office manager that doubles as an administrative assistant. This happens because many CEOs are passionate, market-driven people who are constantly trying to launch new products, win contracts, get press, hire staff and woo VCs. Hire a great CFO.

Operations 150

Operations Metrics Early Stage Non-Compete 150

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 26, 2016

Perhaps the most misused terms I see these days from entrepreneurs involve CAC (customer acquisition costs) and LTV (life time value) and a lack of understanding these critical components is driving many companies to premature failure. So I spend an inordinate amount of time with entrepreneurs focused on payback. End of story.

Metrics 150

Metrics Cost Acquisition Startup 150

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 19, 2009

This is part of my new series on what makes an entrepreneur successful. I originally posted it on VentureHacks , one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs. I started the series talking about what I consider the most important attribute of an entrepreneur : Tenacity. Many entrepreneurs struggle with their setbacks.

Entrepreneur 288

Entrepreneur Early Stage Leadership Salary 288

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 30, 2011

The part of the movement that resonates the most with me (in my words) is that entrepreneurs should keep their capital expenditures really low while they’re experimenting with their product and determining whether there is a large market for what they do. This benefits you, the entrepreneur. It takes options off of the table.

Development Team Review 374

Development Team Review Technical Review Bulgaria Lean 374

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2014

So rather than hiring a VP Marketing [to establish a strategic marketing plan, build and manage the marketing team, manage outside vendors, etc.] I recommend hiring or appointing a growth hacker.” And if there is a term for that which helps entrepreneurs stay focused on these good and true objectives then I’m all for it.

Technical Review 384

Technical Review Hockey Stick SEM Channel 384

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2011

One of the most common questions that entrepreneurs who meet me for the first time like to ask is, “Do you miss being an entrepreneur? I thought I’d talk a bit about the differences I’ve experienced between being an entrepreneur & a VC – you know, from “both sides of the table.&#. On Being an Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur 384

Entrepreneur Startup Salary Egypt 384

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

There were tons of young entrepreneurs showing their latest Web 2.0 I will quote a prominent, well-known entrepreneur whom I like and respect and who told me when he was raising money, “I don’t know how much I’m going to charge for my product so why should I create an artificial spreadsheet? How much will you pay?

Business Plan 334

Business Plan AJAX Venture Capital Technical Review 334

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Because I am true to the hiring practices I preach, I wanted a strong exec who would “ punch above their weightclass ” by taking a job they hadn’t yet done but would hugely aspire to and thus work harder to out perform. And we wanted a head of global marketing. We like to be able to see the concept.

Southern California 359

Southern California San Francisco CTO Hire SEM 359

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. Entrepreneurial lawyers like Don Lee , Dave Young or Ted Wang are good at sussing out which entrepreneurs are high potential. I asked for intro’s from entrepreneur friends. Real life entrepreneurs are messier.

Early Stage 361

Early Stage Deal Flow Investment Bankers Technical Review 361

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2016

They hire their initial co-founders and early employees and everybody has a sense of “mission.” We try to hire deeply analytical associates to can help companies problem solve and who make us better investors. You can’t let every team hire as many team members as they want. A Sense of Purpose.

Leadership 150

Leadership Southern California San Diego Hiring 150

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

It should help some entrepreneurs to better access early-stage capital and should allow some angel investors better access to deal flow. In Jason’s mind half of the VC industry will now disappear as entrepreneurs flock to him and to Dave Morin for their money. interviewing critical hires at a time where they have 3 other offers.

Syndicate 356

Syndicate Syndication Cofounder Early Stage 356

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

Because entrepreneurs often went to lawyers at their earliest stages to get their company registration done. Entrepreneurial lawyers like Don Lee , Dave Young or Ted Wang are good at sussing out which entrepreneurs are high potential. I asked for intro’s from entrepreneur friends. Real life entrepreneurs are messier.

Deal Flow 347

Deal Flow Early Stage Investment Bankers Technical Review 347

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 9, 2012

Many through history became entrepreneurs precisely because they were unemployable. I don’t know an entrepreneur or a VC who wouldn’t cut him in on any deal.” That he would have to have just about any entrepreneur want to work with him. Neither did his stint at Mint.com as Dave has himself acknowledged. I think I am, too.

China 309

China Incubator Email Portfolio 309

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

“Hi [entrepreneur], I hope all is well. I know the firm well and I know the entrepreneur & his business well. But if that’s all that they’re after then entrepreneurs should definitely be wary of taking these calls. So I have to imagine many other entrepreneurs felt the same. They’re flattered.

Programming 294

Programming Entrepreneur Private Equity Equity 294

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 5, 2010

Two weeks after Brad’s post I was at the 140 Conference in LA and I held open office hours for any entrepreneur who wanted to spend 15 minutes talking with a VC about their business. But it turns out I met a bunch of really interesting entrepreneurs. But TWTFelipe is an entrepreneur. Irony, hey?). Her response?

Technical Review 282

Technical Review Canada Green South Carolina 282