Startup advisor and early-stage investor. My vision: to make every startup I work with a sustainable billion-dollar business.
The past few years I‘ve gone through a significant change not only in mind-set but more importantly in the words and actions I use. Growing up in California, I have the typical optimistic and overly enthusiastic attitude about a positive future that defines us on the west coast. The major change in my life isn’t … Continue reading What if…
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
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
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!
Get yourself a Greyhair! The underappreciated experience of previous generations is untapped knowledge and a valuable resource for all Startups. Call them what you want: Consultants, Advisory Board, the old guy who keeps rambling on about how easy the younger generation has it – either way, get yourself 1 or 2 or even 3! Your … Continue reading Great advice no one ever told you…
The business will pivot, the strategy will change, the target market will be altered (you might go crazy and go live up in the woods, never wanting to hear the word startup again), but the one factor which must stay constant is a successful core team. The founders and core team are perhaps the most … Continue reading Execute and don‘t pull off the band-aid slowly!
