$3 well spent
So today, I have decided not to put off meeting one of my best buds in the startup space any longer — to face the wrath that he will give me as he always does — and I must say it was the best $3 spent all week — for his coffee.
You know, you have those friends who will tell you things to your face and it’s not pleasant but you know it’s good for you and therefore you must do it every now and again? Well… that’s what it feels like to schedule a meeting with him and yeap, I did get an ear full of how much time I’ve wasted doing everything else that is not relevant and what I should have been focusing on in the first place. (P.S. only do it when you’re feeling up for some bashing)
And it would be so selfish of me not to share this insights so I’ve decided to pen it down here so I can also read it when I’m lost again.
You only have 24 hours a day, do what is MOST needed now
Most of my weekends, I am home either cleaning up my mailbox or doing some design work for our instagram that I must say I’m pretty proud of as you can see why here or writing an article for our blog or just about everything else but the one thing I should have, must and will focus on NOW on for the next 6 months.
and… it’s not updating your social media or shining your armor for the next investor meeting or revamping your landing page or hiring your CTO — it’s getting your very first paid customer with the barest minimum you can get or at least finding out why they would or wouldn’t pay for it.
There is no shortcut and it’s the one thing we should not procrastinate on
No partnerships will be forged successfully until you get that very first deal — which like it or not, you have to go get it yourself through cold calling. Nobody will help you get it. You get your own customer.
You don’t need a perfect deck
Just work with what you have — which is enough. Once you get that deck out, you talk to people and only when you talk to enough people will you know what is really relevant for your deck.
Investor friends are only friends until they actually write the cheque
It is so important to know the distinction. Just because they advice you doesn’t mean they will invest in you. Nobody knows your business better than you and you should never listen to anyone else but your heart.
Make them commit
If you actually want them to commit, ask them what is the minimum requirement in order for them to invest in you and once they give you that number, you have a clear goal to work towards. What’s more important? You have their word and it is harder for them to back off if you actually hit the goal — since they were the ones who set that limit for you.
