Researching Investors Before the First Meeting
The best first meetings feel like a conversation between two people who already understand each other. That rarely happens by luck. A couple of hours of focused …
Format
Guide
Running a Fundraise Alongside a Product Launch
A product launch and a fundraise both want all of your attention. Run them at the same time and you can turn launch momentum into investor interest, or you can …
Fundraising in a Slow Market: Adjusting Your Plan
Some years investors write checks quickly. Other years, meetings stretch out, decisions take longer and fewer rounds close. When the market slows, the founders …
Startup Weekly Metrics Emails for the Team
A weekly metrics email is one of the simplest habits a startup can build. Every week, on the same day, the whole team gets a short message with the handful of …
Startup Sabbaticals and Founder Time Off
Founders often say they will take real time off "after the next milestone," and then the next milestone arrives with another one behind it. A planned …
Startup Open Office Hours for Customers
Open office hours are a standing, bookable window when any customer can drop in and talk to the people who build your product. They cost a few hours a week, …
Startup Technical Debt: When to Pay It Down
Every startup takes shortcuts in its code, and many of them are smart. Shipping fast to learn what customers want is often worth some mess. The trouble starts …