10 Good Reasons Not to Seek Investors For Your Startup
By Tim Berry
Before you buy into the myths about startup investors, first consider whether you actually want startup investors for your new business at all. No, I’m not bitter … I had VC money in Palo Alto Software for a few years and they were helpful, collaborative, and good people. I’m not a bitter victim. And I’ve... Read More »
Q&A: How to Be An Entrepreneur
By Tim Berry
Question: How to be an entrepreneur? My Answer: First, if you have the option and haven’t already, get a good education. Focus on whatever interests you, not necessarily business. Entrepreneurs without formal education are at a huge disadvantage. But there’s no clear difference between a good degree in business and a good degree in any... Read More »
Avoid Meaningless Words
By Tim Berry
From Seth Godin’s post Meaningless, published today… There are words that now have no meaning at all… ‘Well’ and ‘so’ have been doing this work for a long time, but add to that the more syllabic words like ironically, literally, and hopefully. And don’t forget all the adjectives, beginning with ‘very’ and ‘really’ that (ironically) make something... Read More »
You Have to Know When to Quit
By Tim Berry
I recommend you read Nat Eliason‘s piece No More Struggle Porn. He’s attacking one of the more pervasive startup myths around, the idea that the struggle itself, the overwhelming and overpowering struggle that pushes everything else out of your life, is a good thing. He defines struggle porn as: I call this “struggle porn”: a... Read More »
6 Common Misconceptions About Angel Investors
By Tim Berry
The question on Quora was “What do investors ‘get’ that other people don’t?” I answered that question from the point of view of angel investors, specifically … not just investors. 1. Some of the healthiest businesses are not good investments Many people think that a good business makes a good investment. The truth is not... Read More »
Pervasive Startup Myth: Don’t Work for Free
By Tim Berry
Startup myth: The one about founders having to work for free to impress angel investors. This supposedly shows passion. Don’t believe it. Investors want people committed to working their startups, and that usually takes getting them paid. I’ve been getting a lot of upvotes on my answer to this question in Quora: How do entrepreneurs... Read More »
My Advice to Startups Seeking Angel Investment
By Tim Berry
Over the weekend I was asked what advice I’d give to founders of a startup seeking angel investment. Here’s my list. First, make sure you really want angel investment. Read 10 good reasons not to seek investors for your startup. Take it to heart. If you don’t need investment, really, you are better off without... Read More »
10 Common Mistakes with Startup Financial Projections
By Tim Berry
I was glad to be asked about common mistakes with financial projections. I read about 100 business plans a year for angel investment and business plan competitions. Most show unrealistic profitability. More people doing business plans should realize that most startups are unprofitable at the beginning; and that high growth correlates with losses, not profits.... Read More »
New Conversational Commerce App Increases Online Sales
By Tim Berry
Is “conversational commerce” the next big improvement in online shopping? I hope so. I’m closely following the success of the new Octane AI conversational commerce app. It was announced this week along with convincing data on significant sales increases it generated by actual users. It works with Shopify, the shopping cart platform used by half... Read More »
Business Success: Talent, Skill, or What?
By Tim Berry
I received this question: Is succeeding as an entrepreneur a matter of luck or do only the talented ones make it? And this is my answer: Luck isn’t enough, and talent isn’t enough either. You can have either one, or even both, and still fail. What you’re missing, with your question, is the work. Business... Read More »
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