Gems by Paul Singh

by Paul Singh Something I learned when I used to sell cars: if you understand how someone makes money, you can better understand how they make decisions. The business of investing is about deal selection, not deal sourcing. The best investors see 100x more deals than local angels, VCs and anyone else in-between. That’s why…

Everything worth doing starts small A surprisingly high number of people walk into office hours with us and immediately jump into the how much money they could make, the size of their markets or the impact they’ll have on the world. They underestimate the importance of getting to $1,000 in customer revenue first and overestimate the importance…

I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the last 100+ cities I’ve visited in the last 24 months, and something sticks out to me:  It seems to me that city size and their understanding of entrepreneurship are inversely correlated. I’m not sure what to make of this but maybe you do. Read More

You know, I’m tired of entrepreneurs showing off their “exit slide” on their half-assed pitch decks. I’m tired of investors constantly looking for unicorns. I’m tired of community leaders encouraging their communities to build the next Kodak or whatever. It’s all a waste of time. If you want to take better care of your family,…

You know, I’ve been sitting here thinking about that email I sent you an hour ago… and I want to clarify the second tip I mentioned to you: You might have the best startup in the world… but if the investor across the table doesn’t get it, the deal’s not happening. If they can’t relate with…

Entrepreneurs often walk into office hours thinking about money. They’re worried about how much they need to raise, what the terms will look like and how to meet more investors. Investors walk into those same office hours thinking about sales. They’re worried about whether the company has sold anything, how many potential customers there might…

I’m sure we all know “idea guys” – people that have been talking about an idea for a long time but haven’t ever built it. Don’t be that person. At the very least, hack together a “ghetto, but useful” prototype and get it in front of users. Better yet, get that prototype in front of potential…

There’s something obvious about investors that every entrepreneur gets wrong: an investor’s job is to end up with financial stakes in potentially successful companies and projects. The key word here is potentiallysuccessful. No one cares about your idea. No one believes you when you say you want to change the world. No one wants to fund your app. That’s…

You’ve successfully signed up for the Fundraising for Startups email course. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to give you an insider’s view on how to raise money for your startup. I’m going to show you how the best founders play the invisible game and what the best investors think about when they’re considering your pitch. Here’s what you…

It kills me when the conversation is going so well… and then the entrepreneur drops this little gem into the mix. “Yeah, so we’re raising $X for Y% of the company.” NO ONE TALKS LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE. If you’re raising money, just talk like a normal human being. Read Full Article