Startup Advisor and Early Stage Investor. Helping to create more value in the startup world
Yesterday I had a great call with a young founder. It took about 10 minutes for me to understand his challenge and how I can help him (please prepare ahead of time), but when I did, it was quite easy. He wanted to know how to scale. The business plan was great, I loved his … Continue reading Focus on the Core
"I know exactly what my customers want” is a red-flag statement I hear from founders. Normally this is when I surprise them by slamming my hand on the table to get their undivided attention. BAMMM! “No, you actually have no idea what your customer wants”, is my reply. While this is a clear overstatement, I … Continue reading You have no idea what your customers want…
Think about all the things you have to do in life at the moment. If you don’t have a list, shame on you (using your mothers voice) – start managing and prioritizing everything. If I sat down with you and we looked at everything you wanted to achieve over the next 6 months, it would … Continue reading Focus vs White Noise
This is somethings which I found many years ago. Unfortunately I don’t know who originally wrote it. Whoever they are, I would like to thank them as it has helped me on my journey... A time comes in your life when you finally get it. When, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, … Continue reading The Awakening
I was at a client meeting the other day. Everyone had narrow eyes and that look of intensity. There was a task force which needed to immediately be created to solve a massive problem. At one moment I took a step back and realized that all this negative energy was becoming an even bigger problem… … Continue reading Embrace the Struggle
We live in a hyper-growth world. Constantly sprinting from one meeting to another. Multitasking in between. Scaling. Pushing. Adjusting. Pivoting. All as quick as possible. Sounds great right? As we should all be constantly learning, the question remains: how are we supposed to be developing skills or a new talent at break neck speeds? We … Continue reading Go slow to move fast.
Take a step back. Breath. Remove yourself from the situation. Just look, watch, observe and try to get an understanding of the big picture. Not that one problem or customer or strategy, but the whole thing. If it doesn’t work, then you have to go back further until everything makes sense. This is advice which … Continue reading The 36.000ft view, and why everything makes sense from up there…
A friend of mine once told me that he needed to "stay in his lane" many years ago. In the meantime I have heard that saying quite a lot. And I think it's terrible! Staying in your own lane might keep your manager happy but are you really going to grow long-term if you keep … Continue reading Get out of your lane!
I was speaking with a founder the other day, trying to understand his business. Let's just say I had to lead him the entire conversation... and I mean literally! After he introduced himself and explained his company, it took me what felt like 50 follow up questions to understand what he was building 🙄 In … Continue reading If you can‘t sell it, they won‘t buy it!
"I know that I know nothing" is a famous quote by Socrates. Leonardo was of a similar viewpoint throughout his life. What does this actually mean? The more we know, the more we understand that we don't know. Let that sink in for a minute. This is a tremendously humbling feeling which I get quite … Continue reading Leonardo you fool!
