Startup Therapy

By Startups.comBusiness

Startup Therapy episodes

July 26, 2021It's not What We Own - It's Whether It's Liquid
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about liquidation probability. Many Startup founders make the wrong decision to lose interest in what they currently have and start pursuing something else in the hopes of a much bigger outcome, completely skipping the part where they first have to gauge the probability of success.

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What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:13 You should be more concerned about what you don’t own
05:40 The probability of liquidity is so low
09:06 The probability of your Startup getting liquidated and then liquidating the next
12:52 Important numbers: probability, equity that you own, and the value of equity
17:30 When the money you sold for is sitting on a preference
20:02 Probability should change the likelihood that you would sell
22:55 Always go with probabilities over percentage
26:57 We give up what we have and latch onto something with low probability
32:56 You only have so many years of peak earning potential
37 min
July 21, 2021That Founder Sold for Too Little!
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about opinions that do not matter when a company sells. A lot of founders are stigmatized for selling their Startups for too little. Too little in a sense that these non-founders only think of the numbers and not the value and work put into building the business. And the glaring truth is that they have never had that much money in their entire life! So their opinions aren’t valid.

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What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:53 To those who said, “That founder sold the company for too little.”
05:38 The lack of self-awareness of people making unnecessary comment
09:42 The unsolicited comment will constantly haunt the founder
13:46 Shooting back at the trolls just brings more trolls
17:49 $2M is $2M, how is that bad?
21:31 You can’t belittle $2M if you don’t have it
23:59 People are just chasing more without a clear objective
28:15 If the amount is relative to the founder’s needs, it’s a winning sale
30:00 Not all founders are able to sell their business
35:32 Founders shouldn’t lose sight of their accomplishment
36 min
July 19, 2021When Can I Feel Good About Taking a Break as a Founder?
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about putting every down for a much needed break. No, you can’t say, “I can’t take a break yet.” Or say, “Your hands are tied at the moment.” It’s critical that you take a break in between milestones, unless you want to get stuck on productivity and run dry on creativity.

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
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Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:24 When will you take a break?
05:08 Find milestones to fit in long-term breaks
10:37 Founders excel at planning but terrible at taking a break
13:41 When your only milestone to take a break is getting sick
18:59 If you recharge, you can do more work
22:48 The golden periods of creativity and analytical productivity
24:10 Get off, reset, and get back on with maximum energy
28:40 Some people aren’t taking PTOs
32:20 The concept of multiplicity
33:52 You’re going to come back as a better version of yourself
37 min
July 14, 2021Forget Big Ideas - Start with Your North Star
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about focusing on what you are trying to achieve before taking action on any big ideas you might have. Some of these ideas don't necessarily lead you to where you want to go. Some, if pursued, just end up in failures and frustrations. Instead, focus on where you want to go and then figure out how you want to get there.

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
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Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:24 Getting stuck in looking or working on an idea
03:41 Your business idea should align with what you love to do
06:46 Aspirations change as we age
11:00 Making a business out of something you’re good at
17:59 Specific goals makes it easy to map things around it
23:05 Every founder knows what to avoid
27:21 Just stop doing things that make you unhappy
31:29 When you’re using the wrong yardstick to measure growth
35:24 How to get paid for what you enjoy doing
40 min
July 12, 2021Adding Staff Isn't a Sign of Success, Adding Revenue Is
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about how increasing your staff does not necessarily mean growth, but a deliberate liability. Many people just focus on increasing the number of their employees and do not think about the cost of hiring more people. Yes, you need more people to get work done faster. Yes, you need additional minds to pitch in new ideas. But what if your revenue is lower than the liabilities?

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
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Join our Network of Top Founders
Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:39 Some people use staff count as a measure of success
03:40 A growing staff is only seen as a progress
07:01 Management strain continues as you add more people
10:48 There’s a diminishing return in every additional hire
14:28 Each new person that comes in is a burden in some form
16:08 Why do we associate hiring people with growth?
20:11 Putting people on payroll is easy, paying the payroll isn’t
24:33 Look at every choice as a possible liability
26:30 What can we do to keep revenue and stay efficient with staffing?
28:32 Getting additional funding to add people and accelerate things
32:13 If the Startup doesn’t work, you’ll regret adding more people
35 min
July 07, 2021The Curse of the 37-Year Old Founder
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about the dues founders pay for neglecting their health. Pushing yourself too much, putting your body through so much pressure, and then ignoring the warning signs as they come, you’re unconsciously trading your life for the success of your company. Don’t curse yourself in the process!

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
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Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:43 When you’re running your life too fast, you’re sacrificing your health
07:50 Processing all of life by not processing it
14:26 Because your body can adapt to anything, you shrug off any symptom
18:07 Early in our careers, we’re not aware of these problems
21:38 Founders rarely have a support structure
25:09 We're responsible for the conditions that created the liabilities
27:18 It’s difficult to admit you’re wrong when you made the bad decision
29:44 A lot of founders have had a massive panic attack at 37
32:28 When you’re deteriorating, why aren’t you doing something about it?
35:31 Your family can help spot the warning signs, but they won’t be
39:14 At your age, how much stamina do you still have?
40:53 How to avoid destroying yourself as your Startup grows
43:21 We assume that we’re the only ones going through it
47 min
July 05, 2021When Our Startup Works for Everyone But Us
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about what happens when things work for everyone else but not for you. The effort founders put into our Startup is a sacrifice in all forms and shapes, to the extent of spending less time with family, neglecting our health, or even getting a pay cut just to keep the business rolling. Yes, you are the founder but you’ve become a slave to your own business.

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:11 Things are going great for everyone except for you
04:20 Concepts that led to you being a founder
07:17 We're essentially mortgaging our goals without realizing it
12:36 When we take an investor, the investor becomes our boss
15:32 You need to set goals that are unchangeable
21:24 There is a threshold where commitment becomes destructive
26:12 It’s disruptive when you pick up on things your employees didn’t do
33 min
June 30, 2021Can You Change People?
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about changing a person’s personality (or the attempt to do so). It’s one of the factors founders cannot control and it’s silly to keep telling the same person what they should be doing more than once. It’s a waste of energy, a waste of time, and definitely a lost cause. Put your time and effort into someone else!

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
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Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:22 Trying to enforce behavioral change in your people
04:32 Them being a jerk is just reflection of our bad leadership
08:40 Skills: the things you can do, Personality: the things you can’t do
11:59 We keep thinking that we are the solution to the problem
16:54 Set an environment with a healthy culture people can mimic
20:56 Do not allow performance to outweigh the emotional wellbeing of the business
23:03 What would the problem look like if the person isn’t making it worse?
27:49 You shouldn’t be telling people to work harder
33:39 Ask yourself: Am I parenting or managing?
36:35 Personality issues are some of the problems founders can’t control
39 min
June 28, 2021The Last Mile is the Most Important
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about burnout when you’re nearly at the end of your Startup journey. Every sacrifice and risk you’ve taken will become useless if you feel tired and decide to take a break at the most crucial time and that’s when you’re at the last step of closing the deal. The trick is to surround yourself with people who will help you get through this phase.

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
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Join our Network of Top Founders
Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:55 What happens when we’re near the end of the deal?
05:53 Startup equity is the most expensive currency one can spend
09:31 When you just want to be done with it
11:56 What else can you do to motivate yourself?
17:54 Being vulnerable at this stage doesn’t allow for a second chance
20:21 What happens if you fall apart at the last moment?
24:53 Every hardship loses value if you drop everything now
28:10 There’s no version of a Startup that doesn’t have a burnout
32:01 Don’t go through this process alone
36 min
June 23, 2021How We Leave is How We're Remembered
In today’s Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan talk about avoiding unpleasant breakups. There always comes a time when you need to part ways with people, friends, staff, even investors. Every bad breakup can seriously damage your reputation in any means possible simply because some harbor vindictive emotions and speak negatively against you. What can you do then to avoid that?

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Resources:
Startup Therapy Podcast
https://www.startups.com/begin
Join our Network of Top Founders
Send an email to [email protected]

What to Listen For
00:00 Intro
00:22 How many good stories do you remember of breakups throughout your career?
03:55 Your poor actions is what people remember the most
06:21 Letting go of people means having more than one conversation
12:42 Your reputation takes years to build and takes seconds to destroy
17:23 The damage a single blown relationship can do
22:41 How handle breakups that usually end well
25:10 The need to justify yourself and your actions
28:25 It matters if they don’t feel mistreated when the breakup happens
34:04 A little touch can change the tone and reignite a soured relationship
38:58 We have to be structured and strategic with our words
41 min

About Startup Therapy

From the publisher's feed

The "No BS" version of how startups are really built, taught by actual startup Founders who have lived through all of it. Hosts Wil Schroter and Ryan Rutan talk candidly about the intense struggles…