Pssst... Hey kid, want $10 Million in VC cash?

You just gotta love a great story like this one, where a couple of twenty-something founders turned down $10 Million in VC cash, and made it on their own to build a wildly successful company.


The fun part is that they framed the VC offer letter and it now hangs in the company toilet!


That's some serious cajones!


Read the story here, and think seriously about whether you really need/want outside investment. After you read the story, check out the company website at GrappleMobile.com.

New: Interactive Pocket Guide for Entrepreneurs

62 pages of Entrepreneurial goodness

The new, improved, expanded, Interactive Pocket Guide for Entrepreneurs beta books are now being distributed for testing and feedback! Only 100 people will be selected to review the beta prototype of our new book and website (ipgfe.com).

We are looking for more beta testers! You could be one of them!

If you have a smartphone, and are interested in giving us your feedback on this product, please contact: 

Erika Lal

VP of Admin.

858.699.0901.

Erika@doubleMsystems.com

VP of Administration, Erika Lal

On Solitude Lost

As the inventor morphs into entrepreneur, precious solitude will diminish.


This is a paradox of becoming an entrepreneur:  you give up personal resources so that the enterprise will thrive, and then, years later, if you're lucky, you will enjoy greater resources.


The self-aware entrepreneur will recognize the need to optimize for solitude; to retain as much as possible and to create maximum return to the enterprise for every measure of solitude lost.


See also: 
A Thing Done in Peace Exceeds Ten in Panic

Introduction

This blog is for entrepreneurs everywhere (CEO, CTO, CMO) in startup software companies. You are invited to post your comments, ask questions, and learn from others. The more you use this resource, the better it gets.

For selected entrepreneurs in or near Del Mar (San Diego), we offer more personalized services. Extra consideration for plans that include help to others.  If you want to learn more, contact:

Michael McCafferty
Double M Systems

MM@doubleMsystems.com

858.699.0901

Current interests:

1.  Early stage software startups, smartphone/internet apps

2.  3D printing

3.  Robotics
4.  Health care.
5.  Productivity tools.

Badge #2: breaking the FUD barrier.

There comes a time when you need to do more than you can on your own. You need help. Your vision is greater than you can achieve alone.

You have known this for a long time before you do anything about it. You try to do as much as possible by yourself, for as long as you can. But you know that you're only wasting time, putting off the decision to get help. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) are ruling your life.

You imagine the many nagging little decisions that have to be made before you can actually hire your Badge #2. Running a help wanted ad, a job description, how much to pay, what about taxes, non-disclosure agreements, can you even afford it, is there enough work to keep them busy, where will they sit, is it possible to find someone as good as you need, will they put up with your ways, what if... And the monkey brain thoughts go round and round in your head. You're stuck. And you'll stay that way until you...

Just do it.

Take that first step. It doesn't matter what form it takes. It can be a help wanted ad, or emails to friends announcing your decision to start down the road, and to ask for their help in finding your Badge #2. Take the first step. And then take the next one. Each step a move closer to the goal, each step insignificant in itself. Trivial stones become a cathedral.

As each step evaporates into the distance, it builds strength for the next steps, and builds confidence for the long journey ahead. Soon you will be moving along with surprising speed and endurance.

That first hire may be a partner, or a programmer, or an administrative assistant. But they will always be Badge #2, and you will always remember them as the embodiment of your great enlightenment, your commitment, and your Action.

There's no looking back after Badge #2. Once you have crossed this threshold, it becomes your mission to always be recruiting, to see how many people you can attract to your plan. You are on a mission. You are on a path to a future of your own design.


You are an Entrepreneur.

Who is your mentor?

The Startup Genome Report 01 contains this startlingly direct statement:

"There are no stage 4 startups that raised money with no helpful mentors."

Why Startups Fail

From The Startup Genome Project

by visually via

This graphic available at http://visual.ly/why-startups-fail