Real Founder Lessons
The best startup advice from experienced founders...one real-world lesson at a time.
The best founders eliminate risk
(at minute 36:16)
Founder Lesson
The notion of “risk” in new businesses has always fascinated me. The best founders that I know believe passionately in their idea and space, but they spend most of their time/energy/creativity removing risk to increase the likelihood that they will succeed. And if they can’t property remove/mitigate risk then they don’t . . .
What angel investors want to see
(at minute 41:46)
Founder Lesson
As a group of investors, angel investors fall into a tricky middle ground that founders should understand and appreciate. Angels are typically individuals who are able to invest $10,000 to $100,000 personally. Most angels that I encounter act like friends & family investors - they focus on the people and idea. Like your . . .
Who are your real competitors?
(at minute 21:54)
Founder Lesson
Over the years I’ve struggled with how to think about competition. There are obvious competitors in your industry that you can find with a simple Google search, but I’ve found that the best founders think more deeply about this topic.
The best founders fixate on their primary customer value proposition and who else . . .
A good startup education for anyone
For this post, I decided to switch things up a bit to give a little backstory on where I get most of the content for my blog.
I frequently have coffee meetings with first-time founders where they ask for advice on how to learn the basics of startups.
Here are the best four ways to learn about startups...
1) Best way . . .
Focus all of your resources on the one key risk in your business
(at minute 41:10)
Common Founder Issue
I've spent the better part of 20 years working on startups and thinking about what makes founders successful. The single most important lesson that I’ve learned is that focus is the biggest competitive advantage that startups have, so I’m always on the lookout for additional thoughts on this topic. In this podcast . . .
The best founders are going to be entrepreneurs no matter what
(at minute 20:38)
Common Founder Issue
I tend to believe that the best founders are going to start something no matter what. The feeling of putting something new and amazing into the world and having their ideas touch lots and lots of people is what motivates these folks. And during tough times - like the downturn in SF during the financial crisis - the . . .
Here's why you should share your best startup ideas with lots of people
(at minute 16:13)
Common Founder Issue
This is the link that I share most with new startup founders. Many new founders worry about people stealing their ideas. But even once they get past this notion, it takes a while to truly appreciate (and be able to mentally accept) feedback from other people. And even once that happens, being able to reconcile their . . .
