Video: “Sales and Marketing; How to Talk to Investors” by Tyler Bosmeny, founder and CEO of Clever; Michael Seibel, founder of Justin.tv and Socialcam and Partner at Y Combinator; Dalton Caldwell, founder of imeem and App.net and Partner at Y Combiantor; and Qasar Younis, founder of Talkbin and Partner at Y Combinator
“Ask not what you want to be when you grow up, ask what do you want to do every day, come what may.” ― Anonymous “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” ― Theodore Roosevelt So, we have reached the end. Start-ups are often, …
Module 20: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? And How Are You Going to Finance It? Read More »
This is directed more at advisors (such as First Avenue Ventures) than at businesses. It’s about rendering advice, which is a skill unto itself, and a skill of which we do not profess to be a master. We want to: Give feedback only when requested and Be open to the fact that something new is …
A couple of high-level principles: “In his writings, a wise Italiansays that the best is the enemy of the good.” ― Voltaire “Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face.” ― Mike Tyson “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” ― Thomas Edison “The difference between risk takers and calculated …
Module 19: What Could Go Wrong? Identifying Assumptions and Biases Read More »
Books: Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster by Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr Smart Business Metrics: Measure What Really Counts & Manage What Makes the Difference by Bob Phelps Articles: “5 Performance Metrics …
Some people (myself included, sometimes) use what some may call the checking account methodology. You open up the checkbook: if your cash has grown, you won; if it’s decreased, you lost. While there is some measure of success in cash, this is far too simplified a process to really get a good basis for what …
“It’s a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur’s metric for success. It’s not, and nor should it be.” ― Richard Branson “What’s measured improves.” ― Peter Drucker “If you don’t collect any metrics, you’re flying blind. If you collect and focus on too many, they may be obstructing your field of view.” ― Scott …
Books: High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It … and Why the Rest Don’t by Verne Harnish Articles: “Telling the Right Story With Numbers: Nailing Unit Economics” from Crunchbase News …
If something’s easy, everyone will do it. Entrepreneurial risk involves finding something that the market has yet to figure out, so in any new market, unit economics are tough. You don’t know what you don’t know. However, figuring it out is key.
