Thoughts, opinions, transcripts, etc.
Someone raised a good question when I presented to a group of new companies at 500 Startups recently: “Are you worried that no one will invest in you now?” My kneejerk, snarky answer would have been something along the lines of, “Nope! And guess what? I don’t care.” But that’s not what I said. I’ll… Continue reading I’m not fundable
It’s been over a year since I left the comfort and security of a VC-backed paycheck. I haven’t missed it. It’s been a year of growth and development. I’ve struggled, I’ve succeeded, and in some aspects I’ve failed. But the ball has continued to move forward. For most of the past 18 months I haven’t… Continue reading Building out my little empire
I’ve been thinking recently about what I did right during my time at Scripted as a co-founder, COO, head of sales, and finally CEO. A few surprising things came to mind. Here they are. I had “grandma shirts” made for the entire team at our last retreat Let me take a step back and explain this… Continue reading My greatest hits at Scripted
Ten things I learned in 10 years of doing this It was mid-August 2015, in the conference room we named Battery after a private social club that one of our investors built. This was “Curtis Day,” the day we were trying to close our new CEO, who was with us for a final round interview. I… Continue reading Scripted don’t quit
This is a really exciting time for me. A year and a half ago I moved to Walnut Creek, made some great friends in the neighborhood, got a brown dog and named him Blue, and welcomed our second daughter to the family. Then about a year ago I became CEO of Scripted, the company I… Continue reading What’s next for me
So, you want to start a business. Fantastic! There’s no nobler pursuit. Except maybe becoming a monk, or a nun, or starting an environmental non-profit organization, or being a teacher. But we’ll put all that aside. Great! Let’s do this! No matter what you read, or who you talk to, or how hard you might try to… Continue reading Don’t make a mountain of a Sand Hill (Road)
A little over two months ago I wrote that I wouldn’t shave until my company turned a profit. A lot of people liked it, but not everyone did. I expected that. I decided that I would follow the thread of truth wherever it led, even around the murky bends that are difficult to write about.… Continue reading Update: I shaved today
I wrote another post about what entrepreneurs should do to help their venture-backed companies succeed. Here’s what entrepreneurs should know about the psyche of the people they’re taking money from. Again, this is not something I knew or appreciated until I was very late in the game. It’s been said before, but maybe by writing… Continue reading What investors care about
I’m sorry, guys. This is a rant. I am tired of hearing about how hard starting and running a company is. I’m tired of hearing first about the psychological toll and then about the glory of building a business. Want to know what psychological toll really is? Raising two kids on minimum wage in the… Continue reading Startup friends: stop the sob stories, please