Something Ventured

The Art of Selling Your Firm

Despite the markets' gyrations, 2008 was the best year for liquidity in our firm's history. In fact, our largest exit (Lefthand Networks) closed in November in the heart of the downdraft. In looking across these exits, the strong exits all... Read more →

Why Great Companies Get Started in the Downturns

I have always been amazed by how many of our success tech stories, as well as Fortune 500 companies, started during drastic down turns. Innovation does not take a holiday, and in fact, thrives during difficult times when pain &... Read more →

Apple Slices

I came across an article from last year from Fortune, Steve Jobs Speaks Out, in which Steve discusses Apple's approach to business and innovation as well as its culture. Entrepreneurship is part passion & execution and part mentoring. The best... Read more →

The Downside of Options

Minus 23 degrees. That was the absolute temperature this morning as I went out to the airport. This probably nets out to minus 30-40 wind chill. This redefines how icy cold the financial markets are. This is also what makes... Read more →

Don't Give Up Too Soon

I heard a recent statistic from a Harvard study on successful sales management. In the study (caveat: which I have not seen), it supposedly concluded that a business sale takes 7 meetings on average to close. It also mentioned that... Read more →

Tips for Networking

With the markets (job & product) becoming tougher, people are spending increasing amounts of time trying to advance the ball. If you are wishing that you had a larger network to work off of (don't we all...), I came across... Read more →

Art of the Start: Recession Style

Guy Kawasaki has a great post on the things to focus on in tight financial markets when launching your business in his post "The Art of Bootstrapping". It has a number of common sense suggestions for entrepreneurs: "Too much money... Read more →

If Larry and Sergey Asked for a Loan ...

"Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful." -- Warren Buffett Well, there is no doubt that fear is running rampant through the streets. This will provide a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to take advantage... Read more →

Helpless or Master

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration" -- Thomas Edison I have often written about how the lessons and factors affecting us as children seem to strangely enough, also impact us in similar ways as adults. I find... Read more →

The Art of the Start

Ironically, I drafted the following post at the same time my friend, Jim Stamos, sent me Marc Andreessen's recent post about the current writer's strike in Hollywood Rebuilding Hollywood in Silicon Valley's Image. "Last week I posted a rather pointed... Read more →