Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:26 — 58.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

When Duo Security sold to Cisco for $2.35 billion it was basically like the moon landing for the Ann Arbor startup community. Most of us had nothing to do with it, but we all remember where we were when we heard about it and still feel extremely felt proud of and connected to their success….

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:49 — 33.9MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Stories are 22x more memorable than facts. So telling a good story is essential for attracting customers, investors, co-founders, and employees. But what if your story is sort of weird and unconventional? And what about protecting your idea from competitors? The potential benefit of talking to people about the problem you’re solving and what you’re…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:44 — 29.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Is it better to start a company now, or get a job first? Students ask this question all the time and obviously there’s no right answer. The case for starting now is that you don’t have a lot to lose. Some day you’ll have a job making a lot of money and then it will…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:21 — 53.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Raising money is time and labor intensive – it’s not possible to pitch everybody. So your goal is to find the right investors as quickly as possible. And here’s the secret: They are just like you. Investors are just entrepreneurs trying to make money. And if you understand their strategy then it becomes obvious whether…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:42 — 22.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

One of the first things every startup should do is form an advisory board. An Advisory Board is a magical mental construct that gives you access to all of the skills and experience you need but don’t have. It’s an excuse to regularly talk to smart people without paying them very much and if you’re…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:01 — 50.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

I used to think Mission Statements were just a nice idea. That was before I ever faced an existential crisis as a leader. In the moments when I had to lay off my friends, or got sued, or watched revenue fall off a cliff I had zero good options, no idea what was going to…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:37 — 33.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Being a leader means unlocking the potential of the people you work with. Some people are naturals at this, but the rest of us need to be intentional about it and work hard at it. And most of the time we don’t do it because it feels like a waste of time. That’s what this…