StartUp Advisor:
StartUp Advisor:
Relentless: The Hidden Ingredient in Every Success Story
Dear Reader, They say that startups are a marathon, not a sprint. That’s a lie, running a startup is more like an ultramarathon through a minefield, uphill, in the pouring rain, wearing cheap flip-flops. (tweet this) There’s an overlooked truth in the startup world: truly great founders don’t fail. The often repeated, “Your odds of […]
The Unexpected Power of Doing Things that Don’t Scale
Dear Reader, Are you obsessing over the smallest details, relentlessly serving individual customers, working on insignificant tasks so your team can operate at full capacity, insta-responding to every slack notification, buried in customer data you don’t actually understand, trying to understand customer journeys and updating excel spreadsheets through the night? Is this really the dreamy […]
Against the StartUp Grain: The Pitfalls of Trusting Your Gut
Dear Reader, For startup founders, the phrase “trust your gut” has been romanticized to the point of becoming a cliché. You, the maverick founder, throwing caution to the wind and relying on your gut to make the next big move. You, the oracle of your startup, who always has the answer, even when no one […]
Vision or Delusion: The Thin Line Between Optimism and Fraud
Dear Reader, Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster ride – exhilarating, unpredictable, and rewarding, yet fraught with ethical dilemmas, especially in the high-stakes world of startups. Tempted to oversell a feature to a prospect or inflate your deal pipeline to an investor? Each decision in these grey areas influences your venture’s trajectory and reputation. Where does visionary […]
Startup Success Secrets: The Power of Early Socialization and Diverse Perspectives
Let’s talk about this critical step often overlooked by first-time founders: the need to socialize their startup idea at an early stage. The general tendency among these founders is to wait until they have a fully developed product before bringing it to the broader audience. This reluctance to socialize their concept often stems from fears […]
The Startup Growth Imperative: Strategies for Scaling Successfully
The quest for growth is the ultimate driving force behind every startup. It is this relentless pursuit that distinguishes startups from other new businesses and shapes their narrative. This critical insight is often overlooked, yet it remains at the heart of every successful startup story. Sam Altman, renowned for his leadership at Y Combinator and […]
Harnessing Chaos: The Catalyst for Innovation and Your Unique 8%
Dear Reader, Welcome to this week’s counterintuitive journey: embracing chaos. This isn’t about typical startup chaos or the overwhelming mayhem of an endless task list. This is about strategically harnessing chaos to bring focus, clarity, and a profound understanding of your mission, vision, and objectives. This week’s topic isn’t about chaotic brainstorming or design-led thinking […]
Cold Outreach Vs. Warm Introductions: Navigating Investor Relations for Startups
Investor outreach is a key aspect of every startup’s journey, and the prevalent belief is that warm introductions to venture capitalists and angel investors reign supreme. However, in my experience as a startup consultant, I’ve noticed that cold emails can be just as effective, depending on the investor’s preferences and openness. When it comes to […]
Mastering Fundraising: The Unseen Role of Startup Founders
In the venture capital industry, there’s a pervasive sentiment that a startup founder’s paramount role is to evolve from focusing on the product to becoming an extraordinary fundraiser. In essence, the chief responsibility of a CEO is to ensure that the business stays solvent. This paradigm underscores the crux of my message today: the landscape […]
