Clarity and shared understanding of goals (i.e., everyone gives the same answer to the question “Why are we building this and what do we hope to achieve with it?”). Unity around the specific work required and how each person will contribute to it (i.e., everyone can give an answer to the question “What am I supposed to be doing and how does that

First, do not attempt to raise money or talk to potential investors without reading Brad Feld’s superb, transparent, and surprisingly fun-to-read guide Venture Deals

Venture firms generally get money from four places: large endowments from very wealthy individuals or families; pension funds from big employers; well-endowed university funds; and evil

The problem with MVPs, and with the “something > nothing” model, is that if you launch to a large customer base or a broad community, you build brand association with that first version.

path for ICs to progress means you get the best people in the right roles with the ability to advance their careers and their pay. Forcing management to be the only way up will cost you talent in places you need it, and worse, install the wrong people in those roles, harming everyone on the team. CHAPTER 15 VULNERABILITY ≠ WEAKNESS In Silicon

Clarity and shared understanding of goals (i.e., everyone gives the same answer to the question “Why are we building this and what do we hope to achieve with it?”). Unity around the specific work required and how each person will contribute to it (i.e., everyone can give an answer to the question “What am I supposed to be doing and how does that

let’s be real: phone calls are terrifying). This approach has been historically uncommon

The classic funnel optimization promoted by many marketers has this peculiar idea that we must race to turn as many visitors as we can into paid customers and that any missed opportunity represents a flaw in our marketing process.

The best entrepreneurs . . . know how to tell an amazing story that will convince talent and investors to join in on the journey. —Alejandro Cremades, 2016