-Once, he had equity that went from $0, to $100 million on paper, to $0. What an experience!
-He has subbed in as a CEO while being a full-time Venture Capitalist. -His wife made him stop wearing t-shirts & he has Star War shoes. -As long as he supports the CEO of a company, he works for them--even as the investor. 3 Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs There's more. You should read his blog. If you're too busy, here's 3 takeaways that aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from Brad. 1. Know your weaknesses. Brad is incredibly human; he's vulnerable and humble. Founders of startups need to be approachable, and always have their ears open. They need to be able to seek and listen to all feedback and evaluate how the will play into the vision/journey of a startup. 2. Be a fun person. I think Brad is a stand up comedian who doesn't do stand up. He also said, "Entrepreneurs have to be comfortable in their skin." Be fun to be around. Joke around. Make fun of yourself (and weaknesses). Business is most fun when you can keep it engaging, informal, and feels like it's not work. 3. Math & money shouldn't be your driver. Brad says, "A person can't motivate someone else." But, he said he could create a situation that you would be motivated in. Wow! Mind. Blown. Focus on what motivates you, and then focus on what situations your team members (yes, co-founders and employees) would be motivated in. Brad says learning is one of his motivators. It should be yours, too. Whew, hope that helps friends, tweet me @handshakin with any questions or who I should blog about next. PS Denver Startup Week (#DENstartupweek) is the biggest free event of it's kind in North Amerca. I've never seen so many resources, lessons, people, free swag, beer, food, and information available. For free. So if you're not convinced to move to Denver, CO to launch your business, I'd recommend there's one big take away aspiring entrepreneurial communities can take away from us. Take-away: Get entrepreneurs together in your city, and reach out to the busy, but highly successful business leaders for financial help. Throw pitch battles, panels, netwrorking events. Reach out to the press to help promote it. And then Tweet me (@handshakin) if you have any questions or if I can help you. Also, We asked some of the mentors and attendees so you can get a flavor. Q: What's your favorite part of Denver Startup Week? "The biggest names and successes are available to give you a handshake." -Mystery Murphy, Cooley, Mentor "Denver has made it Founder focused. It's authentic when programming is led by the community." -Charlie Kelly, Silicon Valley Bank, Mentor Q: What was your favorite event and why? "The event on Pearl's on Tuesday evening, because I met 4 people who can help me in purchasing my first company." -Bill Eastman, Attendee |
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