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raising money

Why I Suck At Investing

Posted by | Apr 14, 2016

After the acquisitions of both ExitEvent and Automated Insights over the last couple years, my life has taken a few strange turns. Nothing earth-shattering and nothing I wasn’t prepared for; Inbox fills up pretty quickly, lots more unsolicited contact, more people know how to pronounce my name.    That last one is nice, but it’s always been pretty simple. Pro Tip: All the Os are long.    One recent turn that sort of threw me for a loop was when I sat down last week for an hour-long interview about my investment strategy.    Because I’ve never really thought...

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How To Start a Company With No Outside Investment

Posted by | Feb 22, 2016

I wear the customer-first badge. Proudly. I strongly believe raising money through customer sales is the best option, and in a lot of cases the only option.    In other words, I don’t want to have to ignore a great startup idea because it isn’t investable. I also believe that the vast majority of startup ideas aren’t investable, at least not initially. They could be massive successes—they just shouldn’t do it with VC money out of the gate.    That’s not to say I don’t believe in the VC model, far from it. I’ve been down that road half-a-dozen...

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Should You Start Up With a Cofounder?

Posted by | Jan 7, 2016

One of the first big decisions every founding entrepreneur has to make is whether to dive into the deep end alone or as part of a founding team. There are plusses and minuses on both sides. It’s a lot easier, or so it would seem, to make the leap in tandem with someone you trust. Shared risk.    Many venture capitalists also prefer to invest in startups led by founding teams for that same reason.    On the other hand, taking on cofounders cuts equity, immediately. It also introduces a dependency on consensus to make major decisions, or any...

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The Top 12 Startup Articles on ExitEvent 2012

Posted by | Dec 24, 2012

12. What would a discussion of startup in 2012 be without a nod or two to the wantrepreneurs. First, I cautioned against labeling every idea-level entrepreneur and networking opportunity into the wantrepreneur bucket in When 16-Hour Days Just Aren’t Enough, but then I also came out and slapped them in Startup Isn’t a Lifestyle. 11. The emergence of Raleigh as a startup community was a big deal in 2012. I wrote a couple things on this, including a piece calling for the end of the Raleigh vs. Durham argument, which got me invited to a lot of “discussions” over...

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