My newsletter is a two-way street. Every week I send out a short email with quick updates on what I've written and what I'm writing. I also use it for a feedback loop and Q&A. You can opt out anytime.
Let's talk about crafting the perfect investor update. And more importantly, how to get them to respond. Every startup is different, and there is no single template for an investor update email. But I've learned that there are a few rules that you have to follow to get them to read it.
Your business can grow or it can remain profitable. Doing both at the same time is a circus-level juggling act. But it can be done.
Let's talk about who your best customer is, because it isn't you. Of course, I'm not saying that startups shouldn't use their own product. We absolutely should. But regardless of how familiar we are with the problem or how experienced we are with the market, when we're the creator of the solution, we tend to turn into a terrible customer.
No good investment is ever made without a relationship already in place. No good relationship ever starts out by asking someone for money.
Let's talk about how we build a product from scratch with low technology and no code. Not just a mock-up, but an actual product we launch, sell, and grow.
One of the most underrated secrets of success in startup is the ability to build not just a great product, but a great company.
Let's talk about why investors aren't returning your calls and what you should do about it.
A lot of people, including me, talk about when to launch an MVP. Let’s talk about when we shouldn’t. Chain reactions from one big mistake can take down great ideas, strong teams, and solid companies.
One of the coldest truths about startup is that it's pretty freaking lonely. I don't mean lonely in the sense that we spend long days in front of flickering laptop screens in dark, windowless basements. No, in that sense, startup is actually kind of social. When I say startup is lonely, I mean there aren't a lot of places to turn when we feel like we're going it alone.
What exactly does your product do? This is the most challenging and brain-bending question a startup faces, because if a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is going to succeed, its description has to be deceptively simple. And by "deceptively," I mean it has to convey a ridiculously complex idea in about 15 words.
Have you pivoted lately? If not, you should probably be thinking about it. Yes, a proactive pivot. Why? Because you’ve heard that old phrase: In startup, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. A lesser known but more actionable phrase is: If you’re not changing, you’re not growing.
The early stages of startup are full of challenges for both new and repeat entrepreneurs alike. Minimum Viable is 25 of my best startup advice posts from behind Medium's paywall, covering the period from the very beginning of the idea stage through to the growth stage. This isn't business plans and pitch decks. It's proven strategies and new ideas for making, leading, and growing a startup.
Startup is for everyone. If buying the book doesn't fit your current budget, contact me. Let me know your story and I'll hook you up with a copy.
Do you feel like an outsider when it comes to startup, entrepreneurship, or starting or running a business? Are there rules and processes and terms you don't fully understand? Does it feel like a closed club sometimes?
Everything You Should Know About Startup is all the stuff I wish I knew when I was first starting out, run through the lens of having done it for so long and still doing it. It's not Silicon Valley buzzwords and mantras. It's nuts and bolts and logic that applies in the real world.