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Putting out content will both attract (and repel) your tribe. I am “attracting” a ton of Founders & Entrepreneurs who think money will answer all their prayers. In all my successful ventures 

 We sold our way to success 

What does that mean?

It means, go find a customer, love on them, solve their problem, and use their success to propel your venture to the next success.

Quit thinking MONEY will solve all your startup’s problems…

Money is a clutch that enables you to continue your bad habits, decisions, and small-boy thinking…

Take the money away and see how creative you become and how the trajectory of your business changes.

Here are two examples of founders we work with:

 Founder is unwilling to accept additional investment (EVEN THOUGH HIS INVESTORS WANT TO INVEST) because he first wants to enhance his attraction percentage 

 Founder is looking to 1st establish the team, partnerships, product/market fit THEN raise money to accelerate vs launch… 

This is not easy to do alone… If you’re stuck, reach out… Let’s not discuss money… Let’s discuss your framework & playbook that is going to take your venture to the momentum phase.

Forge ahead, fellow founder…

#innovation#earlystage#startuplife

I saw a great post yesterday comparing Freelancers, Solopreneurs, Business Operators, and Business Owners.

Now, from a BlackSmith’s viewpoint:

The Investor and The Venture Builder 

Investors typically provide funding in exchange for equity or ownership in a company, and their involvement is primarily financial. They may offer strategic guidance and connections, but their primary focus is on maximizing returns on their investment.

 On the other hand, venture builders take a more hands-on approach. They typically provide more than just funding, but also expertise, resources, and operational support to help startups grow and scale. They may even be involved in founding or co-founding a company, and their success is tied to the success of the startup.

If you’re an “entrepreneur” looking for an “investment”, please make DANG SURE you have the tools, framework, and playbook to successfully take your “venture” from inception to the momentum phase.

I’m getting way too many calls from optimistic founders asking for money when there is NO PLAN.

Need a plan? Let’s talk and build that venture…

Need money? Call an investor.

#startupinvesting#venturebuilding#entrepreneurship

After exiting a couple of ventures, I had a highly respected PE Managing Partner talk about their focus on later-stage ventures and he inferred that I would never want to start over again. Wrong 

I love early-stage ventures and building them from inception. If you’ve gotten your venture lifted off, but still building

OR

you’ve plateaued for some reason, here is my advice to you:

 Stay in “Attraction” phase as long as you need to until you are getting enough qualified leads at a reasonable cost.

Let’s unpack this a bit…

The trap for most founders is to start with the product, the service, and the invention….

Start with the customer…

What do they want?

What problems can you solve?

How can you help?

Now…

WHO ARE THEY? Define the single avatar that you can help with…

Don’t be tempted to move from this phase until you’ve nailed it…

If you want to learn more, feel free to connect with me, I’d be happy to share!

#sales #marketing #startup

Are you so deep in the weeds of your businesses, that you’re unable to make key decisions that move the needle?

Here are three quick points to remember as you escalate your venture (I happen to be on an escalator so I’m being cute with words ) 

 Schedule THINK time

 Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

 Delete non-value-added activities (and people)

You have to DECIDE if the “thing” you’re doing is URGENT & IMPORTANT (then its ok to DO now),

OR if you should delegate or delete… both are wins…

Operate within your Superpower and you’ll unlock the joy, fun, and excitement of entrepreneurship… Cause it can be a world of FUN…

Feel free to connect with me if you want to learn more.

We talk to so many founders & entrepreneurs who reach out to us looking for money.  I want to make sure we all have a healthy understanding of money & timing 

Money is just one of the tools in the blacksmith’s (aka entrepreneur’s) tool belt that enables us to implement our vision, plan, and strategy.

NOW,

once you have product/market fit inside a healthy industry (think rock rolling downhill vs pushing a rock up hill)

AND

you’ve established the vision, playbook/framework, and team for success…

then it’s definitely time for  “Acceleration Capital” .

If you want to learn more, feel free to connect with me.

Do you find yourself struggling with always being “ON”?  Here are some tricks we’ve adopted that might help you avoid redlining…  

 Schedule and Prioritize Exercise (or whatever physical activity you enjoy)

 We embraced “Slack” to eliminate the “feeling” of I MUST RESPOND NOW…  It looks overwhelming at first, but appoint an expert to manage the flow.

 We brought on staff a Zapier expert… This allowed us to automate just about everything, which allows us to focus on what moves the needle.

 We have totally embraced “Virtual” working so we can work from any exotic location (or a coffee shop).  Some days I’m feeling the office setting and some days I enjoy being with the people…

 We need to set boundaries so others don’t steal our time.   You can train others to communicate the way you prefer…

 Lastly, delegate everything you possibly can.  This may be the hardest, but this is the unlock to going from “launching” to “momentum phase”.

I actually think that all the phone calls my kids hear and all the podcasts they listen to (b/c they’re in the car) have a positive impact on them…

What can you schedule today, that will make your Monday awesome?

If you want to hear more about how we can help you keep that Work-life balance, connect with me, I’d be happy to share!

It’s time to be bold, fellow Entrepreneur, Founder, & Business Owner. We “launched” the BSV Launch Program  so you wouldn’t be alone.
Apply Now if 

You or your business struggle with any of the following:

 Technology adoption: Are you using the tools offered by Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0 inside your business?

 Sales & Marketing: Do you have a consistent, measurable, and reliable “Attract” system in place?

 Work-life balance: Your businesses should not be all-consuming AND you can have the best of both worlds… Do you?

 Adaptability: This early stage stuff is messy and forever changing, molding, and shaping. Are you open-minded and resourceful enough to lead through change?

 Accountability: We all need someone to push, encourage, and support us… Do you have that around you?

If you answered “YES” to any of this and want a partner to row alongside you in the boat (or help scoop out water), then make sure to DM me or comment below “LAUNCH” and our team will reach out.

Day 2 of the Natural Disasters Expo USA starts today here in Miami Beach.

Day 1 was a major success… Even reconnected with some #oilandgas OGs…

Agenda for the day:

 5:45am (reading + water/coffee + day prep)

 6:45am (workout – trying a baller-looking south beach gym)

 7:45am (short run – saw Kevin O Leary on yesterday’s run)

 9:00am (two video calls – both new biz opportunities)

10:00am (Going back to the same juice bar as yesterday  )

 10:30am (Expo Time)

 1:00pm (Go Live Time from the Expo)

 2:00pm onward… (Find where the relationships can be made)

My goal while I’m traveling, at the trade show, or on the beach is to meet the 1 person that can change the trajectory of any of our ventures…

I’d be happy to share more about this experience, connect with me if you want to hear my story!

Funny story… Started first venture in 2007, recapped in 2012. We took a few of our early employees to Miami to celebrate (baby faces), and yesterday I had lunch at that same spot. Reflected on 

What factors led to that success?

 It took an amazing amount of unwavering faith to never give up, keep going, and persevere through some insanely tough times.

 It took meeting “just the right people” at “just the right time” –> being in the game.

 It took being laser-focused on two key areas 

 The first was keeping costs low. My co-founder lived in Europe and would come over every 6-8 weeks. We bootstrapped this baby with a $34,500 initial investment each. We shared everything from a budget hotel, and Waffle House meal, to traveling hundreds of miles in a truck we borrowed from family to find suppliers and partners (the blacksmiths of today).

 The second was an insane focus on what we now call “ATTRACT” within our BSV Launch Program. Our time, energy, and efforts were spent on

– Targeting our ideal avatar/customer {SALES}
– Building up our brand {MARKETING}

The tools, methods, and practices have radically changed in the last 15 years – to allow us to now go much faster, but the discipline and focus on the process remain the same.

I’ll be going LIVE tomorrow from Miami at the Natural Disaster Expo (technology willing, ha)… Stay tuned for more details…

Data shows that there is an appetite to invest in small and early-stage businesses.

Here are a few interesting stats around high-net-worth individuals and where they like to invest. 

 According to a survey by UBS Investor Watch, nearly 70% of investors with $1 million or more in investable assets say they would like to invest directly in private equity and other alternative investments. This suggests a significant appetite for private investments among high-net-worth individuals.

 The Angel Capital Association (ACA) reports that the median investment size for angel investors in the United States is around $25,000. This suggests that many angel investors have less than $3,000,000 to invest and are looking for smaller investment opportunities.

 The Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that over 96,000 small business loans were made in the fiscal year 2020 through the agency’s 7(a) loan program, which is designed to help small businesses access capital. The average loan size was around $531,000, which suggests that many small business investors are looking for relatively small investment opportunities.

 The crowdfunding industry has seen significant growth in recent years, with platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe helping entrepreneurs and small businesses raise millions of dollars from small investors. According to a report by Crowdfunding Insider, the global crowdfunding market was valued at around $13.9 billion in 2020.

What do you find is the biggest challenge when investing in smaller, early-stage ventures? Let me know in the comments. 

Feel free to connect with me if you want to learn more.