startup advice
Startups Should Build Less and Sell More
> “If you build it, they will come.” Field of Dreams [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_of_Dreams] In this iconic movie, Kevin Costner’s character hears a voice that tells him to plow part of his cornfield and build a baseball field. Once he builds it, they will
4 Tips to Hire an Awesome Software Engineer
As a computer engineer and former CTO [https://tedserbinski.com/about.html], startups often ask me “how can I hire an awesome developer?” and “how do I an interview a software engineer?” It can be tough, but it shouldn’t be much harder than hiring a non-technical person to join
The Achilles Heel of Every Great Idea
Ever since I started investing, both as an angel, and now as a venture capitalist at Detroit Venture Partners, there has been one recurring phrase that I hear nearly every day. It’s a phrase that once intrigued me by what was to be revealed after hearing it. And now,
24 Business Insights I’ve Learned from Billionaire Dan Gilbert
I moved to Detroit a little more than 2 years ago, joining Detroit Venture Partners (DVP). While here, I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside billionaire Dan Gilbert, #118 on the Forbes 400, whose a General Partner in our fund.
The One Competitor Your Startup Forgot About
Startup Competition is Good Startups are competitive by nature. They are out to solve a problem or change the world in an innovative way. As they take on funding, acquire paying customers, and generate revenue, others notice, and the competition heats up. This competition drives innovation and keeps the startup
5 Secrets for Getting a VC to Respond to Your Email
I get a lot of email. I mean a lot. Close to 100,000 emails last year. And I try and read each and every email. But it’s nearly impossible. And responding to them all? Well, that is impossible. (side note: to learn why, read The 7 Habits of
The #1 Marketing Tip Your Startup Needs to Know
Updated to include the new Samsung Galaxy S4 ads and how they compare to Apple’s on August 12, 2013. So what’s the #1 marketing tip your startup needs to know? Well, it is a tip that focuses on how to sell your startup product or service to customers
The Ultimate Failures that Killed My Last Startup
This is a story that has never been shared in its entirety. Despite a successful sale of our startup, ParentsClick, to Lifetime Television in 2008 [https://www.google.com/search?q=lifetime+parentsclick&oq=lifetime+parentsclick] , eventually it became a massive failure that very few people know about. I
The Best Startup Advice I've Ever Gotten
> “Think bigger” George Zachary [http://georgezachary.com/], General Partner, Charles River Ventures [http://crv.com/] (early investor in Twitter & Yammer) I could leave it at that. It’s succinct. Concise. Even, world changing. But it doesn’t sound inspiring. That is, unless you understand the story behind this