The investor’s role in a founder’s three key priorities
It’s often said that a CEO should focus on three key things: Do I have the right people on the team? Are those people working on the right thing? And is there enough cash in the bank to keep the lights on? The right investor should help a founder with all three of those questions: […]
Does free/freemium work in the enterprise?
When developing a business model, every software and app start-up eventually faces the same core question: Should we focus on monetizing customers or driving usage? For consumer apps, this question has been answered (or mostly answered): the best approach is to offer a free service to help attract and retain users. As Fred Wilson put […]
Let your values lead the way
A few weeks ago when Boris wrote about overcoming decision paralysis, I shared a comment that I make important decisions by evaluating my choices based on how they align with my core values. For years now, I have been encouraging nearly everyone that I meet to take some time to reflect on his or her values […]
Investors need to actually use their portfolio products
PayPal President David Marcus recently stirred up the hornet’s nest with a memo scolding employees for not installing and using the PayPal app. In part, the email read: “Everyone at PayPal should use our products where available. That’s the only way we can make them better, and better.” (you can read the complete text of […]
Marketing has never been harder than it is today
There are more start-ups being launched than ever before, while at the same time there are more ways to reach an audience. As a result, consumers and companies alike are being bombarded with marketing messages…whether it’s in a social media newsfeed, in an email inbox, or through content marketing. Cutting through that noise has become […]