The recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank will lead to fewer lending options and more onerous terms for startups. Here’s what you should do.
Now You Know That Private Company Valuations Are Arbitrary
The recent WeWork IPO debacle is certainly a great demonstration of how unreliable and arbitrary private company valuations can be. Six weeks ago WeWork expected to go public at a valuation of as much as $60 billion. Now they are on the edge of bankruptcy and hoping for a lifeline at a valuation of $8 […]
The Reality Distortion Field Has Only One Weakness
This post is for all of the Chief Financial Officers, Chief Operating Officers, and advisors of early-stage companies in the room. A quick word about managing the budget and cash flow process with the founders/CEO’s you advise. Someone asked me last week how to manage a planning process where the always optimistic CEO is pushing […]
The Sunk Cost Fallacy – The Roadblock to Meaningful Change
Have you ever ordered too much food at a restaurant, only to end up with a stomach ache because you felt you needed to clear your plate? Have you ever held on to a stock far to long, watching it go down day after day as your losses mount, reluctant to sell until somehow you […]
It’s The 60 Percent In The Middle That Will Kill Your Company
The 20 – 60 – 20 rule of thumb is a great framing to keep in mind as you think about where to invest in your company, and where you need to dig deeper to avoid throwing good money after bad. Here’s how it works. 20% of the initiatives in your company represent clear winners. […]
Making The Best Decisions You Can With The Best Data You Have
One of the hardest parts of leadership is getting comfortable with making difficult decisions with imperfect data. But it’s a critical skill to be able to move your company forward, particularly in an early-stage company. Let’s think about the possible sources of data that could help inform your decision-making process. You have an overworked accounting […]
