Seed Money

What do Postmates, Airbnb, and Twitch all have in common? They're wildly successful startups that got a major boost by joining accelerator programs. Now, you don't need to be chasing unicorn status to benefit from an accelerator. There are countless programs out there, each with different benefits, requirements, and growth expectations—so finding the right fit for your business is key. So, why joi...

If you're pitching investors and you're struggling to get the response you hoped for, you might be approaching them the wrong way. Or maybe you're gearing up for a big pitch and want to avoid missteps…  There are common mistakes I see entrepreneurs make all the time, and today we're discussing the top 7 things NOT to do when pitching investors.  Some of these mistakes might seem minor, but they ca...

When it comes to getting investors to fund your early-stage startup there are some key funding mistakes you want to avoid. Many founders fail to make progress because they miss the mark at the ground floor and they lose critical momentum in those early investor discussions.  Seed stage VC's are evaluating numerous factors and some of them are surprisingly basic. From tracking financial metrics to...

Investors invest in progress not ideas. When an investor is evaluating hundreds - even thousands of pitch decks, this critical piece could be just the thing that makes you stand out.   An investor is more likely to fund a startup if it's poised for growth and it clearly shows in the pitch deck. That's where milestones come in - most founders miss this piece and it could be just the thing that prev...

When most of us are starting our companies, we're laser focused on the financial goals, finding investors and getting start-up capital. Yes we might be passionate about the product, but we don't necessarily take the time to consider if this business actually aligns with our personal goals, and what we want our lives to look like.  But I've learned from experience that focusing on the business goal...

Getting on an investor's radar, perfecting your pitch, and ticking all the boxes to get funded feels like a tall order for early stage founders. You need to have a story that cuts through the noise of thousands of other startups. You need to build a network of potential investors who align with your business and industry. You need a competitive pitch that wows investors. Because there's so much in...

If you're a startup founder, the last thing you need is a dumpster fire of a digital workplace. You can't find critical documents. You're missing important emails.  You constantly find yourself double booked. A lack of digital organization isn't just a minor annoyance, it can really slow your business down.  How do you create a sense of digital peace and efficiency?  The Google Workspace ecosystem...

Running a startup? I bet you feel like a human Swiss Army knife sometimes—doing everything from marketing to operations, while trying not to lose your mind in the process. But here's the thing: doing it all yourself? That's a fast track to burnout city. Enter: Virtual Assistants (VAs). These people can help lighten the load, but there's an art to finding the right one and making sure you're gettin...

In entrepreneurship, success isn't a straight line. Even the most successful business owners have had to deal with losses, failures and pivots along the way. Building a business from the ground up is hard. Having what it takes to keep going when it gets tough is even harder. You might struggle to raise money, have to build your business in a recession with no revenue, or have to walk away from a c...

Creating the perfect pitch deck is probably one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs seeking funding. Investors see thousands of pitch decks, so how do you make sure yours actually stands out and gets your point across? How do you avoid getting dinged for formatting? How do you show the numbers while also telling a story? It's A LOT to think about, but there are simple strategies you can us...

A big part of nailing an investor pitch is making sure it's not just about numbers. Metrics matter, but investors want to feel connected to your business on an emotional level, and customer feedback is key to that. Lately, I've been noticing that a lot of pitch decks are missing this crucial piece and honestly, it could make or break your pitch. Sharing customer testimonials, reviews, or even a qu...

One of the hardest things about pitching to investors is keeping your cool when they ask questions. It's really easy to get flustered and thrown off your game when they're hitting you with really hard questions about your business.  What if they ask you a question you don't know the answer to? How do you avoid fumbling or rambling your answers?  With the right framework and practice, you can crush...

The process of raising capital has so many moving pieces, even the most motivated entrepreneur can find themselves overthinking what they need to do.  The challenge is: overthinking often leads to stalling and procrastination, which then makes us lose the precious momentum we've built along the way.   Learning to push through our own overthinking is a key skill we have to develop. Whether you're s...

For consumer products, packaging plays a huge role in your ability to raise money and get onto shelves. Investors and retailers are looking for traction, so you need to have packaging buttoned up before you even approach them.  But here's the challenge: great packaging is expensive, and cheap packaging is very easy to spot and can tank your marketability. Every founder wants their product to be th...

Getting investors or bootstrapping? That's one of the hardest decisions founders have to make. On one hand, raising capital has many benefits - you have a longer runway, more resources, and more cash to hire people and pay them well. It provides enough cash to get through the competitive hurdles to bring your product to market.  But outside capital comes with strings attached and having to please...

Should founders pay themselves? It's probably the biggest debate in the startup world. Many entrepreneurs believe sacrificing and struggling is necessary to succeed;  that we should put everything towards growth to our own detriment. Here's the truth: being in survival mode isn't the best state for a founder to be in. You can't think, be creative or strategize effectively if you're worried about c...

When you have a consumer product, getting picked up by a retailer is a HUGE win. There's nothing better than a stack of juicy purchase orders and a stream of customers lining up to buy what you created! But here's the challenge: there is a ton of competition for shelf space, and a lot of products clamoring for the attention of retailers. It takes a lot to get on the shelf (and stay there) but you...

In today's competitive, capital-strapped market, getting your business funded is a lot harder than it used to be. Entrepreneurs have access to a fraction of the funding that was easily available just a few years ago. Investors want a sure thing, so founders are jumping through a lot more hoops to get capital. It's not enough to have an initial idea or a working prototype. You need to have signific...

Entrepreneurship is not easy, and even the most motivated entrepreneurs find themselves feeling uninspired from time to time. Instead of driving hard towards something, we find ourselves stuck in the mud, spinning our wheels and wondering how to get back into momentum. Whether you're trying to raise money or you're experiencing a lull between big projects, it's a natural part of the journey. For a...

A couple decades ago, being a startup founder meant packing up and moving to Silicon Valley. It was the only way to easily access customers, investors and advisors. Today, you can build a business from just about anywhere without sacrificing the vital resources you need to validate your idea and get funded. As a result, many entrepreneurship communities have sprouted and developed in different cit...

In the world of food entrepreneurship, having a product that tastes GOOD is only the tip of the iceberg. Going from your kitchen to a store shelf comes with a ton of considerations, steps and potential snags. The margins are razor thin. Safety and stability are critical factors that can affect the viability of the product. Getting investors, retailers and co-packers on the same page can feel like...

For an early-stage entrepreneur, strategic partnerships are a critical lifeline and launchpad for growth. They allow you to amplify your mission, gain brand awareness and get input from investors and potential customers.   In the world of purpose-driven consumer products, it can be hard to know where to find these collaborators, but it's often as simple as a cold email.   A lot of entrepreneurs ar...

So you've pitched your idea, an investor loves it and wants to give you resources to grow your business. Well done! You've just secured a big piece of making your vision a reality - and that's a huge feat.   Now it's time to close the deal and actually receive the funding you've been seeking. Remember, once you sign the dotted line and they wire the money, there's no going back, so this next part...

When entrepreneurs send a pitch deck to angel groups, they don't realize they have a short amount of time to grab the attention of investors.   Angel groups are evaluating hundreds of pitch decks a week, so you have as little as 2 minutes to pique their interest and make them want to respond to you.   There are some things entrepreneurs do that instantly get investors to tune out, and they are sup...

Congratulations! You just found an investor who believes in you and wants to fund your business. Now comes the next hard part - structuring the deal and setting up your startup paperwork.   For early stage entrepreneurs, the step can be confusing and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be complicated.   In fact, you can get it dialed in quickly with minimal headaches. That's if you set it up righ...