Are You Prepared to Pay the Real Price of Startup Success?

The truth is, you should be looking for hard things. The hard things are what keep the competition away. The hard things are what create barriers to entry. The hard things are the things that, once you push through, make it nearly impossible for anyone else to follow.

Or, as I always tell my students: The hardest-working entrepreneur will always bea... See more

The mistake is thinking your startup idea is venture-scale and getting on the VC treadmill. Once you’re on the treadmill, here’s what changes:

1. High growth expectations: VCs are looking for companies that grow big enough fast enough. If your business isn’t suited to this kind of rapid growth, it can lead to undue pressure and unrealistic expectation

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Because big businesses aren’t built on gimmicks. You can blitz your way through Sand Hill Road and spike up the App Store charts on gimmicks, but you can’t actually use them to replace Gmail, or Salesforce, or Instagram, or Instagram, or Instagram, or Instagram. Even seemingly instant successes can’t become lasting companies without putting in the ... See more