Most growing startups quickly reach a point where they are choked by the founder’s limited time. As humans, we simply don’t scale well. There is only so much that efficient work and forgone sleep can squeeze out of a day. The problem is that the entrepreneurs need to delegate more of their responsibilities. This is not an intuitive process for most of us. The typical career path is all about accumulation responsibility and power. Rising through the ranks and building ever larger fiefdoms. As a founder, you go through the opposite process. Founders start off doing literally everything. They are CEO, accountant, customer support, and janitor. Between there and running a large successful company, they need to delegate almost all of that.

Video: https://youtu.be/S_KTNIM5UMs

Blog: https://www.feeltheboot.com/blog/delegation

I recorded the video for this episode in a hotel room while evacuated from my home because of the Kincade fire in Northern California. I wondered if I should just skip this episode because I was feeling very stressed and distracted. I decided that it might be interesting to do a short episode about how sometimes life makes you look at where your true priorities lie. Video: http://bit.ly/2pCGfWa Blog: http://bit.ly/32a7qVt

Video: http://bit.ly/2pCGfWa
Blog: http://bit.ly/32a7qVt

When founders come to me for advice, they are often looking for help with pitching, fundraising, strategy, or security. At some point, they will often ask what one piece of advice I would give them. I always tell them “stay due diligence ready”. This comes from my personal experience of being totally unprepared when an offer to buy my business come out of the blue five years after starting. What followed was months of the hardest work and longest days I have ever experienced. We had to obtain signatures from former employees and past vendors for work done years earlier. We hunted through old emails for key contracts and agreements. It was a mess. If we had started keeping all of our records organized early on, and kept them up to date, we could have avoided all that pain. In the end, the deal fell through and it was for the best, but it was an experience I will never forget. The bottom line is that it is much easier to stay due diligence ready than to get due diligence ready, and the earlier you start the simpler the process will be. Investors will want different things, so it is impossible to be perfectly prepared but with the right systems and processes you can be 99% ready and able to fill in that last part with minimal effort. The following is my list of the records you need to have close to hand and up to date.

Video: https://youtu.be/4dMpbfNaB-M

Blog: https://www.feeltheboot.com/blog/duediligenceready

Virality is the holy grail of business growth strategies. In this installment I explain the three kinds of virality and how you can leverage them in your startup. Investors love viral business models, but are also skeptical of the claim. Through early testing and clear analysis, you can show why your company has the potential for viral hyper-growth.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyxTtZ6Gl0w

Blog: https://www.feeltheboot.com/blog/virality

If you are launching a blockchain based company, I have some specific advice for you. Right now, I see many times more blockchain and Initial Coin Offering pitches than anything else. And most of them are bad. This creates additional hurdles that I want to help you navigate. The tsunami of blockchain pitches causes investors to set the bar very high. At the same time, the entrepreneurs are making a lot of unforced errors. Learn what these other founders are doing wrong and how you can deliver a pitch that will stand out and interest investors.

Video: https://youtu.be/jOAcvAyttJY
Blog: https://feeltheboot.com/blog/blockchain-pitching-mistakes

Your business is your baby. You don’t want anyone to take it. But holding on too tight could smother it. Understanding the dynamics of power and control in a startup will allow you to grow and succeed. 51% ownership is less important than you might think and the contortions required to hold that number can scare off the investors you need.

Video: https://bit.ly/51percent-video
Blog: https://bit.ly/51percent-blog

Founders and entrepreneurs need to understand the inner workings of stock options. Otherwise they can waste equity, disappoint key employees, and dilute their ownership. In this episode I cover: Why you should issue options How to create an option plan Setting up the initial option pool Negotiating changes to the option pool How many options to grant an employee How to vest options

Video: http://bit.ly/stock-options-explained-video
Blog: http://bit.ly/stock-options-blog

https://tools.ltse.com/sizing-the-option-pool-whats-normal-95e0f2bc0b88
https://gust.com/launch/blog/how-much-equity-should-you-offer-your-startup-team-members
https://firstround.com/review/The-Right-Way-to-Grant-Equity-to-Your-Employees/

Many times, when giving out stock options, I found that the recipient did not understand them. Options are one of the most important employee motivators and a big part of their compensation, and confusion substantially reduces their effectiveness. This episode is devoted to educating employee about the options they receive and helping founders explain them to their teams.

Video: http://bit.ly/options-explained-video
Blog: http://bit.ly/options-explained-blog

Founders are confused about all the different terms used for funding, and what they all mean. Are they ready for a seed round and what does it take to get an A round? Learn what each kind of investment round means, what to expect, and what investors will expect from the business. Making the right ask to the right people at the right time is one of the keys to startup fundraising.

Video: https://bit.ly/investment-rounds-explained-video
Blog: https://bit.ly/investment-rounds-explained

Media and popular culture focuses excess attention on flashy “big ideas”, but it is excellent “execution” that separates the massive successes from the failures. Too many founders focus on finding that perfect idea, rather than making a great business out of a good idea. Investors need to know how you are going to grow. Focus on the things that you are going to do more than on the big picture.

Video: http://bit.ly/execution-over-ideas-video
Blog: http://bit.ly/execution-over-ideas