Running Your Business

Negotiation is one of the core roles of CEOs. As a founder, you will negotiate with investors, co-founders, employees, vendors, and customers.

At first, most founders are not expert negotiators. I certainly wasn't.

In this episode, I talked with John Li, co-founder of PickFu because of his focus on testing ideas and assumptions in startups.

Sales strategy is often a neglected aspect of many tech startups, especially those led by technical founders.

In this interview, Sabir Ibrahim, an attorney and entrepreneur, provides valuable insights on the implications of privacy and privacy policies for startups.

There's a paradox that impacts most startups early in their journeys. You can't make your product without money, and you can't get money without a product.

Mara Rada explains how to use branding and positioning to maximum effect in your startup.

You want to attract and, more importantly, retain top talent. but you can’t pay top dollar. So what can you do?

What can you do as a startup CEO, what requires approval by the Board of Directors, and what needs a shareholder vote? How do those meetings work, and how do you make them official?

Most successful startups will eventually outgrow their founding CEO. If you handle it correctly, you can have a good experience and an even better long-term outcome. Here’s what happened to me.

Investor update emails are your best tool for keeping investors, potential investors, advisors, and supporters in the loop and engaged with your progress. This framework and template will help.

Sometimes you will find yourself running out of runway for your startup. What should you do when you only have a few months of capital left?

Almost every startup finds itself in a dark place where it seems they have few options. Even if things are going well for you now, keeping these strategies in your back pocket will probably help at some point.

If someone came up to you with a check and said they wanted to buy your company, how would you make that decision?

A strong advisory board is a powerful asset for your startup that can transform your ability to grow and fundraise, but who should you ask to join your board and how do you find them?

Founders and CEOs can often get into the trap of working on mundane tasks while failing to take time to do the critical strategic thinking that will make the company soar. I share two frameworks that helped me in my startup.

Tim Fitzpatrick, founder of Rialto Marketing talks about marketing strategy, marketing fundamentals, and strategic thinking.

Take care with the titles you give to early hires. While everyone likes having a fancy-sounding job title, they can come back to bite you later.

When I started as a founder, I struggled with sales meetings.

I want to share some of my key learnings with you so you can skip straight to mastery.

Profitability Master Ruth King, the award-winning author of 5 books including “the Courage to be Profitable” and “Profit or Wealth?”, talks about the lifecycle of startups and surviving a phase she calls “No Man’s Land.”

In startups, resources are critically limited. What are you going to build, and more importantly, what will not get built?

When I founded Anonymizer, I struggled with selling and marketing our solutions. I share how I overcame my science habits and prejudices to become effective at it.

When you talk to an investor, they expect you to show financial projections. How can you do that when you are pre-revenue?

During an economic crisis, companies need to take immediate and radical action to stay alive. These five moves can save your startup.

Almost all successful companies share one thing in common: a pivot. Learning and adapting can be the best path to growth and success.

I learned this from hard personal experience. It is far easier to stay ready for due diligence than to get there at the last moment.

Virality is the holy grail of business models. Learn the three different kinds of virality which you can use in your startup.

What are the best ways to use stock options to motivate employees?

What are stock options, and how do you explain them to your employees so they appreciate them?