Process => Outcome
Your outcome will reflect your process, not your beliefs.
Build a process that reflects your beliefs and you will get the outcome you want.
Don't? Then don't be surprised if you get the same outcome as everyone else.
My ears hurt
Current status: listening to painful cover versions at breakfast.
My ears hurt.
Colour coordinated coffee with Aisling Gray
Colour coordinated coffee with the amazing Aisling Gray, communications consultant, coach and adviser extraordinaire, in Dubai.
Always lovely to catch up with people you know from the UK so far from home.
With His Excellency Omar Sultan AlOlama
"Metal is Hot" baseball cap in Dubai listening to His Excellency Omar Sultan AlOlama talk about AI at Expand North Star.
They even handed me the mic and got to hear a little about unbundled vc 😮. Definitely a risk given the amount of coffee I've consumed.
A great event so far.
Pre Dubai airport report
Waiting at the airport to fly to London before I fly to Dubai tomorrow for Expand North Star.
Couple of nice coffee meetings this morning. Have to finish an article this afternoon.
This evening I'm going to the BIll Murray comedy club to see how the pros do it.
B2B mission driven startups
Again and again and again, if you are B2B and mission-driven to help a human end-user, you need to lead with why the business buying your product will care. That's not the human it supports at the end.
This is one of the most common deck and pitch problems. I see it all the time.
It is great that you care. I care. But you only get to fulfil your mission if the business buying your product cares.
Why do they? Make me believe it. That's your pitch.
Why warm intros matter
Why do warm intros matter?
People are busy. They have to make decisions on which meetings to take on very little info.
Cold means it is less likely to be useful.
Warm with no context means they can't have enough confidence to be sure it's useful.
Warm with tight context is best. Context so they can figure out if they should. Tight because they can make a quick decision. Make their life easy.
They still might not take it but you've given it your best shot.
Founder vs entrepreneur
Founders, do you consider yourself entrepreneurs? Do you see any difference between the skills you need to be a founder and an entrepreneur?
I'd love your feedback. I'm writing an article on entrepreneurship and all the distinctions I can see seem like different categorisations of the same underlying skills.
The best way to find angel investors
Founders, here's the best way to find angel investors:
Find people that are sector experts. They should much more easily understand you are solving a real problem people will pay for.
That makes it easier to get in front of them and for them to invest. Anyone else, you have to convince them it's a real problem from scratch.
If you can't get in front of sector experts or convert them, either your messaging is wrong or you're not solving a real problem.
Key answers early
Founders, you have very little time to get an investor's attention. Some professional investors see thousands of pitch decks.
If the answers to the key questions are on slide 8, they may never get there.
They need to 'get it' at a high level by the second or third slide. Or you may have lost your chance.
Get Sh*t Done
Get Sh*t Done.
This is the best career advice. People notice. It's also great for learning how to do stuff you've never done before, a crazy important founder skill.
Thanks to Chris Donnelly's newsletter for the reminder.
Beyond the marmite of GST
GST is the proposed Guernsey version of VAT. I'm tired of it being the sole topic of conversation ahead of our election next year.
Here's how you can get my vote - first principles thinking.
In this month's Business Brief. Thank you again Amanda (Mandy) Eulenkamp for including me.
First time in Dubai
My first time ever in Dubai. I will be there for Expand North Star from the 12th to the 16th.
Who should I meet? Let me know in the comments, please 🙏
All VCs suck
All VCs suck.
Ok, maybe that's a little harsh. But it's no surprise people think this way. I've heard too many recent horror stories where funds who have signed terms sheets pull out just before a round is due to close.
This is not even close to ok. You are putting those startups' existence at risk and ruining the reputation of the rest of us.
Note to the investors in those funds: founders talk and they will never receive good deal flow again.
No fashion advice
Hi Sifted, all set up in the co-working space again, this time in my pink "metal is hot" baseball cap.
Please come and say hi. I'll be here all day. Probably don't ask for fashion advice.
Thank you to my official photographer, Mihir Sheth.
A Sifted miracle
A Sifted Miracle!
James Woods and I were at university together thirty years ago. I recognised him. He didn't recognise me or my name because I used to have hair half way down my back and be known as Spaniel!
He is still a lovely guy and great to be back in contact with him.
Now, off to do Alma Angels female founder office hours.
Sifted plug sockets
Sifted Summit, I found the rare spot with a plug socket in the co-working zone.
Please come and say hi!
On my way to Sifted 2024
Finally on my way to Sifted to meet as many of you as possible then take part in Alma Angels female founder office hours.
I will post again with a picture of where I'm set up.
See you soon!
Edit: I'm here, in the co-working zone!
Look out behind you
A message to established founders from a startup that didn't make it:
"We didn’t act fast enough, especially with the rapid rise of **AI technologies**, which outpaced us in ways we hadn't anticipated."
Look out behind you and don't be afraid to adopt new technologies if they can help you solve your customers' problems better, faster or more cost effectively.
Serendipity accomplished
Thank you everyone for coming to yesterday evening's unbundled vc serendipity meetup. It was just what I hoped - a more relaxed, chilled out version of networking. Hopefully everyone had nice, calm time.
Please tell me how it was in the comments.
Left to right ish - David Gelberg, 🚀Jonathan Sun, TJ Omojomolo, IMC me, Ayo Disu, Ana Maria Pricop, Stanislas de Rosny, Assen Plevneliev, Jack Dow,Lev Perlman 🇬🇧, Steve Baron, Ilai Szpiezak, Alexander Bushe 📊.
If I got any wrong - apologies - I am the worst person ever with names and LinkedIn photos never look like real life!
A few people had left by the time I remembered to do this. Sorry!
