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In the startup world we’re used to hearing about billion dollar outcomes and massive exits. We’re all living the dream that our startup might be the one that turns into gangster retirement wealth. And, chances are, so are the people we’ve eagerly handed stock options to. We’re all hoping for that massive Powerballesque exit.

Yet, what if I were to suggest that a massive exit isn’t the only life changing outcome? What if I were to suggest that a $250,000 lump sum check might have more life changing impact than anything? Not because it’s more valuable than, say a $10 million check, but because it will likely have more near term impact and more importantly — you might actually get it.

Base Hits versus Home Runs

We’re all sort of used to a...

I recently had a difficult conversation with the founder of a startup looking for a small seed extension investment. I reviewed the company’s performance since their seed round and expressed concern with the unexpected increase in the monthly burn and the shorter-than-expected runway immediately after they closed on their seed round. I discovered that this individual and his co-founder had started taking combined annual salaries of almost $300k. This is a company with less than $400k in the bank and less than 6 months of runway. The company did not disclose the amounts of these salaries in the Use of Proceeds provided during the seed round fundraising process.

I tried to explain to this founder that he and his co-founder were going to blee...

Recruiting talent into a team is one of the most important things yet conducting interviews is often done in a haphazard way. It’s time for an intervention!

Let’s cut right to the chase: the interviewer’s first and foremost goal is to objectively assess the candidate’s ability to do the work.

If that sounds like what you and your colleagues already do as interviewers, remember this is an intervention — so let’s make absolutely sure.

The interviewer’s goal is not:

• to talk with the candidate about other work they’ve done
• to see how the candidate would ‘fit’ in the company
• to hear from the candidate about relevant experiences
• to gauge what the candidate says in alignment with the job description

And certainly not:

• to ascertain a candidate’...

How do you figure out what’s the right mix of skills for the co-founders of your startup?

Surprisingly if you’ve filled out the business model canvas you already know who you need.

I was having breakfast with Radhika, an ex-grad student of mine who wanted to share her Customer Discovery progress for her consumer hardware startup. She started by sketching her business model canvas on a napkin, but somehow the conversation quickly shifted to what was really on her mind. “After reading your post on Why Founders Should Know How to Code it looks like web/mobile startups have it easy. They seem to know the right mix of skills on their founding team is a hacker, hustler and designer. But what about for us, a consumer hardware hardware company? Tr...

The words “successful startup” seem pretty straightforward at first glance. But, what do you picture when you hear them? A unicorn? A world-famous company, like Twitter or Facebook? A small company bootstrapping and grinding through the night, with steady growth? A lifestyle business? A thriving brick-and-mortar shop? A string of failures, followed by the perfect product/market fit?

Like so many things in the startup world, the definition of what a successful startup truly is can be elusive — and frustratingly subjective. While some founders might strive for that billion dollar valuation, others measure their success by how happy their customers are or the biggest impact they’ve made on the world. When we dig past the visions of unicorns da...

Forget Snapchat. One of the most speculated about potential IPOs in Silicon Valley this year is file sharing and storage company Dropbox.

Dropbox was one of the earliest Valley unicorns to seem to defy any logic in valuations, and at its last round was valued at $10 billion making it one of a handful of so-called “deca-corns.” At one time, it and Airbnb made up some 95% of the value of Y-Combinator’s entire portfolio. And it was backed early on by top venture capital firms Sequoia Capital, on their way to raising some $600 million in capital. Its office was so lavish it reportedly spent up to $40 million a year just on employee perks. Its lobby sported a $100,000 statue of a Panda.

Yes, for a while, Dropbox and its co-founder and CEO Drew H...

“It all comes back to our neanderthal brain craving the structure of a story.”

–Donna Griffit, The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for your Startup Investor Pitch Deck

Feeling self-confident that you could talk about your company to anyone? How ‘bout Grandma or your little niece? Could you hold their interest, make them understand quickly and clearly? Talk about a tough pitch!

The importance of startup storytelling has become a hot topic. Awareness is on the rise. However, most Founders have yet to master the science and art of storytelling. Why is it so hard? What are the key ingredients to winning your audience’s attention? Who does it well?

Special guest Donna Griffit joins Startups Live to share her storytelling expertise and to help Founder’s avo...

Question: What is your best marketing tip that specifically applies to B2B marketing?

1. Make Helpful Introductions

When speaking to and building a relationship with another business, ask how you can serve them. Then do it. One way you can always help another business grow is by introducing them to other potential customers, vendors, partners and team members. When you make a connection that serves and lasts well for them, they will remember who did it. The favor always comes back to you tenfold.

– Matt Shoup (@MattShoup), MattShoup.com

2. Get Through the Gatekeeper

Reaching the right decision maker in a B2B sale is often the first hurdle. Figuring out how to either bypass the gatekeeper or impact them so greatly that they pass the informatio...

Stream keys, bitrates, codecs. If you’re familiar with live streaming, you know why these terms make people reach for aspirin. If you’re curious about live streaming and interested in jumping in yourself, you can be thankful that you’ll never have to trouble yourself with issues related to these words.

Lightstream is “a beautiful, intuitive, drag-n-drop broadcast studio in your browser that makes it easy for anyone to become a streamer.” No downloads required. No technical expertise necessary. Free of charge.

Set up an account and you can stream directly to platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, or Beam. Simple drag-n-drop lets you easily add assets such as webcam, art overlays and display feeds. Basically, going live is as easy as clic...

Not long ago, promotions went to employees with the most technical expertise. Companies bent over backward to gain specialized industry knowledge, so it made sense to promote based on its merit. But the times, as they say, are a-changin’. At a certain point in history, technical ingenuity began to take a back seat to interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence (EQ). In fact, a recent study by Harris Poll found that 77 percent of employers believe these “soft skills” are as important as talents directly related to specific job functions.

I witnessed this shift while working with one female executive who rose through the ranks to a senior position based on her technical prowess. Those skills opened numerous doors on her path to leadershi...