We have added a large new section to the Versatile VC website with some of the best sources of free money for tech-enabled founders. That’s free as in “free beer”, not free as in “free speech”. Free tech accelerators: No equity, no cash Free money and support from the Fortune Global 500 and Fortune Global...
[Continue Reading]Use agile budgeting to manage your business
Instead of budget approvals, monitor key metrics and give managers more flexibility Traditional budgets can be destructive and a huge waste of time. How should a growth company manage their budget? Does the annual budget approval process even make sense in a fast-moving firm? My friends who are executives at large, established companies complain about...
[Continue Reading]How to negotiate and evaluate your job offer
“The board has met and we’d like to extend you an offer to join the company. We’ll send you all the details via email. We are excited to have you join us!” If you get that phone call, what should you be thinking about? I compiled the best resources I found here. This is relevant...
[Continue Reading]Should you co-found a company with your friend? And how do you split the equity?
If you’re talking with cofounders about launching a new business, you’re fundamentally recruiting someone to take the job of partnering with you for the next decade. I see a lot of founders who do less due diligence than I think ideal before making that long-term commitment. Just knowing one another for a long time is...
[Continue Reading]Are you hiring a cultural fit? Do you actually want to?
Who should you hire: the superstar with great skills who feels like a poor fit with the culture, or the person with weaker skills but who fits in culturally? Even though I believe in hiring the stranger, cultural fit really matters. I once had an interview set up with a candidate who looked strong on...
[Continue Reading]A family-friendly work environment is a powerful recruiting and retention tool
My wife and I have a lot of conversations about work-life balance, or as I usually think of it, making sure I don’t use up too many “spouse points”. Many early-stage companies do not have these issues top of mind, because so many founders are pre-children. However, even people without children often end up having...
[Continue Reading]Your startup is running out of cash — now what? Should you pivot or perish?
“Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” (“Man Plans, and God Laughs.”) We hope for the best, but are forced to plan for the worst. Almost all VCs will have companies that fail. The CEO comes to us. She has 3 months of cash left. Existing investors have said they’d be glad to invest…if she gets a...
[Continue Reading]Industrial psychology for CEOs
I’ve personally been a past client of Ben Dattner, an executive coach and organizational development consultant, and head of Dattner Consulting. Ben has an unusually well-developed website, well worth reviewing when you are thinking through management decisions and challenges. I put some links below to some of his articles I thought were most pertinent to tech CEOs:...
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