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Too many startups discover they’ve got an acquisition-blocking or acquisition-inhibiting issue after a price tag has already been agreed with the acquirer.  It comes out during due diligence and the…

It’s unbelievable how many startups get into trouble not because they aren’t finding product-market fit or because their customer acquisition model is inefficient but rather because the co-founders have some…

Sales incentive plans are really delicate things.  This stems from the fact that the best sales reps/managers intuitively do whatever puts the most money in their pocket.  They do so…

We sometimes refer to quota-carrying sales reps as “coin-operated”, but it’s not actually an insult.  Charlie Munger, longtime vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, is quoted as saying “Show me the…

“Everyone has a will to win.  What’s far more important is having the will to PREPARE to win.” – Bobby Knight

When it comes to marketing in the digital era, content is king. You need content for your website, inbound landing pages, social channels, advertising campaigns, email outreach campaigns, shows and…

It happens over and over and over again.  A company has a successful growth spurt and is ready to ratchet up to the next level.  They are sitting around a…

Here’s the scenario. After securing your first investors and then having a flurry of activity over a couple of months (see related article titled “The Domino Effect of Fundraising”), you…

You’ll hear phrases like inbound marketing, digital marketing and Internet marketing used somewhat interchangeably.  What is all this newfangled stuff?  Prospects commonly take themselves through 60% or more of the…

Customers of all types have an unbelievable amount of information with which to use to decide if they want to buy your product – and all without ever having to…

Certain startups can only guess what type of sales model they will end up with once their ready-for-primetime product is released.  We are now conditioned to use the Lean Startup (order book here) concept…

Regardless of your sales model, your website should be the #1 asset when it comes to enabling sales.  It is commonly reported that prospects these days take themselves through 60%…

Many years ago, a large American shoe manufacturer sent two sales reps out to different parts of the Australian outback to see if they could drum up some business among…

Fundraising can seem like herding cats.  You get some initial momentum, potentially from a pitching event, and have a bunch of conversations but can’t seem to get the funding commitments…

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be 21, I was…

I don’t know who came up with this analogy but I’d love to thank them, because it’s a perfect way to think about your offering and its value proposition.  Is…

If you find yourself in the position of considering a sale of the company, the significance of the distinction between selling your company and someone buying your company is HUGE. …

For years I’ve helped friends and former business colleagues with their job search.  If I find out they are thinking about working for a startup or early stage company, I…

“Every man is the creature of the age in which he lives.  Very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time.” – Voltaire (1700’s)

I have a lot of pet peeves with business development, having run the function for multiple companies.  This one in particular relates to how, too often, a PR-related effort is…

I use this rule all the time when advising startups and early stage companies.  Actually, it has application in any sort of sales pitch, regardless of your company’s stage.  I…

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom” – General George Patton

Pitching events (often called “demo days”) are prevalent these days.  There’s possibly too many of them for active startup regions, which results in fatigue on the part of investors looking…

As you’re getting started with your new company, possibly the last thing on your mind will be defining the principles you want to run your company by for years to…

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on.  But that’s not what it means at all.  It means saying no to the hundred other good…

Welcome to my website.  I have a lot to talk about and a lot to share.  I have "zigged and zagged" throughout my career, spending time as an individual contributor and...